Achior the Ammonite Tells Holofernes about the Israelites

1General Holofernes of the Assyrian army heard that the Israelites had prepared for war by setting up defenses in the mountain passes, by fortifying the hills, and by blocking paths through the valleys. 2He was furious! So he called together the leaders of the Moabites, the army commanders of the Ammonites, and the rulers of the nations along the Mediterranean coast. 3He said to them:

I want to know about these people who have settled in the hills of Canaan. You also live in Canaan, so tell me what cities they control, how large their army is, and what makes them powerful. Tell me who their king is and who commands their army. 4And find out why they're the only nation in the west that refuses to surrender to me!

5Achior the Ammonite leader answered:

Sir, I am your loyal servant. Please listen as I tell you about the people who live up in the hill country near your army camp. I will be completely honest.

6These Israelites are really descendants of the Babylonians. 7-8But the Israelites refused to follow the customs of their ancestors or to worship the Babylonian gods. Instead, they started worshiping another God, the God of Heaven. The Babylonians immediately forced the Israelites to leave their country, and they settled in Mesopotamia and lived there a long time. 9 Later, their God told them to leave Mesopotamia and settle in Canaan, where they became very rich and owned a lot of gold and silver and livestock.

10 Some years later, a terrible famine forced the Israelites to leave Canaan and go to Egypt, where there was plenty food and water. And it wasn't long before they became a nation with too many people to count. 11 The king of Egypt disgraced them by making them his slaves and by mistreating them and forcing them to make bricks. 12 But the Israelites prayed to their God, and he severely punished the whole nation of Egypt. So the Egyptians made the Israelites leave. 13 The God of the Israelites then caused the Red Sea to open up, and the people walked safely through on dry land. 14 He later led them to Mount Sinai and Kadesh-Barnea.

Along the way, the Israelites forced out everyone who was living in the desert, 15 and they settled in the land belonging to the Amorites. They also wiped out the people in the region of Heshbon before crossing the Jordan River and taking control of the entire hill country of Canaan. 16There they forced out the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Shechemites, and the Gergesites. The Israelites have lived in Canaan ever since.

17 Their God hates any wrongdoing, so as long as they obeyed him, they were successful. 18But as soon as they ignored his teachings, he let them be defeated by enemy after enemy, until finally they were taken away as captives to a foreign nation. The temple of their God was destroyed, and their cities were taken over by enemies.

19But now the Israelites have started worshiping their God again, and they have returned home from the places where they were scattered. The Israelites are living in Jerusalem, where their temple again stands, and in the hill country where no other people have settled.

20Sir, if we find out that these Israelites have started disobeying their God again, we can attack and defeat them, even if they have accidentally sinned against him. 21But if they are innocent, you should leave them alone. Their God will defend them, and every nation in the world would laugh at us.

22When Achior finished speaking, the people standing around the tent started complaining. The commanders of Holofernes' army, together with the Moabites and the people from the Mediterranean coast, demanded that Achior be beaten to death. 23They said, "We aren't afraid of those weak Israelites! They don't have the strength to fight. 24Let's attack them, General Holofernes! Your powerful army will easily defeat them."