YAHUḎITH 1

1 In the twelfth year of the reign of Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar, who reigned in Ninewĕh, the great city; in the days of Arpaḵshaḏ, who reigned over the Maḏites in Aḥmetha,

2 and in Aḥmetha built walls round about of stones hewn three ammah wide and six ammah long, and made the height of the wall seventy ammah, and the breadth of it fifty ammah,

3 and put its towers upon its gates a hundred ammah high, and its breadth in the foundation sixty ammah.

4 And he made its gates, even gates that were raised to the height of seventy ammah, and the breadth of them was forty ammah, for the going forth of his mighty armies, and for the formation of his footmen.

5 Also in those days, Sovereign Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar fought against Sovereign Arpaḵshaḏ in the great plain, which is the plain in the borders of Rḥages.

6 And all those who dwelt in the hill country, and all who dwelt by Perath came to him, and Ḥiddeqel and Hudaspĕs, and the plain of Aryoḵ the sovereign of the Ĕylamites, and very many nations of the sons of Kasdim, assembled themselves to the battle.

7 Then Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar sovereign of Ashshur sent to all who dwelt in Paras, and to all who dwelt westward, and to those who dwelt in Kilikia, and Dammeseq, and Leḇanon, and opposite Leḇanon, and to all who dwelt on the seacoast,

8 and to those among the nations that were of Karmel, and Gil’aḏ, and the higher Galil, and the great Valley of Yizre’ĕl,

9 and to all that were in Shomeron and its cities, and beyond the Yardĕn to Yerushalayim, and Bĕyth Anun, and Ḥĕlets, and Qaḏĕsh, and the River of Mitsrayim, and Taḥpenĕs, and Ra’amses, and all the land of Goshen,

10 until you come beyond Tso’an and Noph, and to all the inhabitants of Mitsrayim, until you come to the borders of Kush.

11 But all the inhabitants of the land disregarded the command of Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar sovereign of Ashshur, neither went with him to battle, for they were not afraid of him. Indeed, he was before them as one man, and they sent away his ambassadors from them without effect, and with shame.

12 Therefore Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar was very wroth with all this land, and swore by his throne and reign, that he would surely be avenged upon all those coasts of Kilikia, and Dammeseq, and Aram, and that he would slay all the inhabitants of the land of Mo’aḇ with the sword, and the children of Ammon, and all Yahuḏah, and all who were in Mitsrayim, till you come to the borders of the two seas.

13 Then he marched in battle array with his strength against Sovereign Arpaḵshaḏ in the seventeenth year, and he prevailed in his battle; for he overthrew all the strength of Arpaḵshaḏ, and all his horsemen, and all his chariots.

14 And became master of his cities, and came to Aḥmetha, and took the towers, and plundered its streets, and turned its pleasantness into shame.

15 He also took Arpaḵshaḏ in the mountains of Rḥages, and smote him through with his arrows, and utterly destroyed him that day.

16 So afterward he returned to Ninewĕh, both he and all his army of assorted nations – being a very great number of men of battle – and there he took his ease, and feasted, both he and his army, a hundred and twenty days.