Глава 2

1–13. Nebuchadnezzar instructs Holofernes to take revenge on the peoples who refused to voluntarily obey him and to conquer them by force. 14–28. Holofernes goes on a campaign with a huge selected army and with his success and ferocity terrifies Judea. Judith.2:1 In the eighteenth year, on the twenty-second day of the first month, a command came in the house of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Assyria, to take, as he said, vengeance on the whole earth. Judith.2:2 Having called all his servants and all his dignitaries, he revealed to them the secret of his intention and with his lips he determined all evil on that land. Judith 2:3 And they decided to destroy all who did not obey the word of his mouth. 1–3. Instead of the “18th” year, the Vulgate indicates “13th” (tertio decimo). This would be plausible only if verses 13–16 of chapter 1 were ignored and is permissible in connection with 1:1 art. Date of the 13th verse of Chapter I. makes it more plausible and acceptable for 1 tbsp. Chapter II the date of the Greek text is “in the eighteenth year” (έν τώ έτει τώ όκτωκαιδεκάτω). “First month” = Nissan, corresponding to our month of April. – “As he said” – (see earlier 1:12): Nebuchadnezzar’s intent to take revenge on the rebellious nations is much more strongly expressed in 1:12. He did not just “speak” and “swear by his throne and kingdom to take revenge” on the disobedient. This intention was preserved, as can be seen from article 2, in a secret, which Nebuchadnezzar now reveals to his dignitaries. Intoxicated by the successes in the war with Arphaxad, they with great readiness give themselves to carry out his will - “to destroy all who did not obey the word of his mouth.” Judith.2:4 At the end of his conference, Nebuchadnezzar king of Assyria called the chief leader of his army, Holofernes, who was second in command, and said to him: Judith 2:5 Thus says the great king, the lord of all the earth: Behold, you will go from before me and take with you men who are confident in their strength, one hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and many horses with twelve thousand horsemen, Judith 2:6 And thou shalt go out against all the land in the west, because thou hast not obeyed the word of my mouth. Judith.2:7 And thou shalt tell them to prepare earth and water, for I will come out against them with wrath, and will cover the whole face of the earth with them under the feet of my army, and will hand them over to him for plunder. Judith 2:8 The valleys and streams will be filled with their wounded, and the river overflowing with their corpses will overflow; Judith 2:9 And their captives I will scatter to the ends of all the earth. Judith.2:10 But you, having gone, take possession of all their borders for me: those who surrender themselves to you, you will keep them until the day of their reproof; Judith 2:11 But let not thine eye have mercy on them that are disobedient: thou shalt put them to death and to plunder throughout all thy land. Judith 2:12 For as I live, my kingdom is strong: that which I have spoken, that I will do with my hand. Judith 2:13 Do not transgress in any way the words of your master, but be sure to do as I commanded you, and do not delay in doing it. 4–13. The name Holofernes is known from Polyvius (III, 5, 2) under another form Όροφέρνης. “So that they prepare land and water” (v. 7) is the usual formula for the Persian kings to address those whose submission they demanded, according to which the expression “to give land and water” meant to express complete submission. The “river” (ποταμός), mentioned in v. 8, is not any specific river, but a collective designation for all local rivers in general. “Through all your land” (v. 11) - of course, the entire region subject to attack and conquest by Holofernes. “I live and my kingdom is strong!” - a kind of oath and the most decisive confirmation of the truth of words (cf. Numbers 14:21; Judith. 11:7, 12:4). Judith.2:14 Holofernes went out from the presence of his master and invited to him all the dignitaries, generals and commanders of the Assyrian army, Judith 2:15 He numbered the chosen men for the battle, as his lord had commanded him, one hundred and twenty thousand, and the mounted archers, twelve thousand. Judith 2:16 And he brought them into such order as an army going to battle. Judith 2:17 He took very many camels, donkeys and mules for their baggage, and sheep, oxen and goats for their food - without number, Judith 2:18 And much food for all, and very much gold and silver from the king's house. Judith.2:19 And he set out on a campaign with all his army to precede king Nebuchadnezzar and cover the entire face of the earth in the west with chariots, cavalry and selected infantry. Judith 2:20 And his allies went out with him in such a multitude as locusts and as the sand of the earth, for the multitude could not count them. 14–20. Holofernes’s huge army of “chosen men,” provided with food and everything needed for a long campaign, was only supposed to “prevate” (Art. 19) King Nebuchadnezzar himself, who intended (Art. 7) to immediately visit the conquered places with an even larger army and complete his formidable and inexorable judgment over them. This is also made clear from verse 10, where Holofernes receives an order - to preserve all who themselves surrender to him “until the day of their reproof.” Judith.2:21 Having traveled three days from Nineveh to the front of the plain of Bekteleth, they turned from Bekteleth, near the mountain that lies on the left side of upper Cilicia. Judith.2:22 From there, taking all his army, footmen and horsemen and his chariots, he set out for the hill country; Judith.2:23 He defeated Fudian and Ludian and plundered all the sons of Rasis and the sons of Ishmael, who lived in the desert south to the land of Helleon. 21–23. Despite the comparative abundance of apparently “precise” designations of the entire campaign, it is difficult to define many of them more closely and clearly. "Vecteleph" - Greek. Βαικτιλαιθ, otherwise Βεκτιλάθ, lat. Bethulia, or Bithila for short. – Judging by the distance of “3 days’ journey from Nineveh”, this was an area in the north. Mesopotamia, in the fruitful Antemusia, - Mygdonia. “Near the mountain” – in Greek it is the mountains A γγίου, lat. Agge and Ange (Vulg.) – a name not found anywhere else. “The Hudians” (v. 23) are Libyans (Jer. 46:9; Ezek. 30:5, 27:10). “Ludians” is an inaccuracy that makes it difficult to say who is the real one here. It can be assumed that if it was an independent tribe, then at least not in this area. Didn’t they appear here, perhaps, as mercenaries in military affairs (Ezek. 27:10)? “Sons of Rassis” – ' Ρασσίς. Vet. Lat. – Thiras et Rasis, Vulgate – Tharsis, i.e. Tarsus. Perhaps 'Ρασσίς here is from 'Ρώσος', or 'Ρώσσος', a mountain line and city south of the Ammonites. The “Sons of Ismail” - various Bedouin tribes - had very significant settlement areas in northern Arabia south of Babylon. “To the land of Helleon”, some texts try to correct and clarify - “to the land of the Chaldeans”. The success of such an amendment, however, is highly doubtful. Judith.2:24 Then, having crossed the Euphrates, he passed through Mesopotamia and destroyed all the high cities along the Avron stream before entering the sea. 24. "High Cities", i.e. fortified cities, fortresses. “By the stream of Avron” – A βρωονά, otherwise A ρβωναί, Χεβρών or Χευρών, according to some, the river Khobar (Chaboras, Chabur or Habur). Other researchers believed that in the original text of the book there was Heb. ??? – “on this side of the river”, i.e. Euphrates, but the translator mistook ??? for the name of the river, to which he added a Greek ending. Judith.2:25 Having occupied the borders of Cilicia, he slew all who opposed him, and, having passed to the borders of Japheth, which lies to the south on the front side of Arabia, 25. “To the borders of Japheth” - Ί άφεθ. According to some researchers, this Ί άφεθ came from Ναβαταίοι, which makes the further explanation of the Bible more consistent - (to the extent of the Navateans) “lying to the south on the front side of Arabia.” Judith 2:26 He went around all the children of Midian, burned their dwellings and plundered their flocks. Judith 2:27 Then he went down to the plain of Damascus during the wheat harvest, burned all their fields, gave their flocks of sheep and oxen to be destroyed, plundered their cities, devastated their fields and killed all their young men with the edge of the sword. Judith.2:28 Fear and horror fell on the inhabitants of the coastal country who lived in Sidon and Tire, on the inhabitants of Sur and Okina and on all the inhabitants of Iemnaan - and all the inhabitants of Azoth and Ascalon were greatly afraid of him. 28. “Inhabitants of Sur and Okina” – Ζούρ, otherwise Ζούδ, Heb. ???, Δωρά 1Mak. 15:11 – seaside town near Carmel. Instead of καί ᾿Οκεινά ("and Okina") - some lists have και έπέκεινα (τους Κινναίους). If we accept the first reading as more correct (καί Όκεινά), then in this case by Οκεινά we can mean Heb. ???, maybe with ??? at the end is Acre or Akkon, the famous seaside port of Ptolemais, north of Dora. “Inhabitants of Iemnaan” - Ί εμναάν, otherwise Ί άμνειαν Philistine city on the Mediterranean Sea (2 Chron. 26:6; cf. 1 Mac. 5:58, 4:15). Based on more or less precise designations of the areas visited by Holofernes, it becomes possible to make a general idea of ​​​​the activities of Holofernes. First, he made a kind of raid on Cappadocia and part of Asia Minor. He then moved east from the Euphrates, where he was prompted to go by the indignation of the inhabitants of Babylon and Mesopotamia. Stationed with his huge army from the Habor River to the Persian Gulf, he suppressed the revolt of Chaldea and took part in the defeat of Babylon and its allies, which is described in detail, among other things, in the history of Assurbanipal. The joining of the Arabs in the rebels against Nebuchadnezzar prompted Holofernes to pay special attention to this restless element, scattered throughout all the countries mentioned in the Bible along the road of Holofernes. The amazing energy and success with which Holofernes subdued the rebels against their supreme ruler everywhere dissipated horror and awe of the formidable commander, who knew no mercy or leniency towards everything that came his way.