“ Lord Adonai, a gret God þou art, and beforn alle cleer in þi vertue, and whom no man mai ouercome. To þee serue alle þi creature, for þou hast seid, and þei ben maad; þou sentist þi spirit, and þei ben formed; and þer is not þat wiþstonde to þi comanding. Hillis fro foundemens shuln ben moued wiþ watris; stonus as wax shul melte befor þi face. Who forsoþe dreden þee, gret shul be anentis þee bi alle þingus. Wo to þe folc risende vp on my kinrede; þe Lord forsoþe Almyȝti shal venge in hem, in þe dai of dom he shal visite þem. ”

“ Anon forsoþe þat sprungen is dai, þei heengen vpon þe wallis þe hed of Olofernes; and eche toc his armes, and þei wenten out wiþ gret noise and ȝelling. Whiche þing seande, þe aspies runnen togidere to þe tabernacle of Olofernes. Forsoþe þei, þat weren comende in þe tabernacle, and befor þe incomyng of þe priue chaumbre makende noise, for ende to reren hym, bi craft casten vnreste, þat not of þe rereres, but of þe noise makeris Olofernes shulde waken. No man forsoþe was hardi þe tabernacle of þe vertue of Assiries knockende or entrende to openen. ”

“ But þe sonus of Amon and of Moab wenten to Olofernes, seiende, Þe sones of Irael not in spere and arewe trosten, but þe mountaynes defenden hem, and strengþen hem þe litle hillis sett in a dich broken beforn. Þanne þat wiþ oute going to fiȝt þou mowe ouercome þem, put keperis of wellis, þat þei drawe not of hem; and wiþ oute swerd þou shalt slen hem, or certis weried þei shuln take þer cite, þe whiche þei weenen in þe hillis to moun not ben ouercome. And þese woordis pleseden beforn Olofernes, and beforn alle his cruel knyȝtus; and he sette bi enuyroun hundredis bi alle þe wellis. ”

“ Þanne to Osias alle men and wymmen, and ȝunge men, and litle childer, gadered togidere, alle togidere wiþ o vois seiden, Þe Lord deme betwen vs and þee, for þou hast don in to vs euelys, not willende to speken pesibli wiþ þe Assiries, and for þat God haþ sold vs in þe hondis of hem. And þerfore þer is not þat helpeþ, whan wee ben þrowe doun befor þe eȝen of hem in þrist, and in gret perdicioun. And now gedereþ alle men, þat ben in þis citee, þat wilfulli wee of al þe puple taken vs to Olofernes. ”

“ And it is don þe ferþe dai, Olofernes made a soper to his seruauns, and seide to Vagio, gelding, Go, and sweteli moue þis Ebru, þat wilfulli she sente to dwelle wiþ me. Forsoþe a foul þing it is anent Assiries, if a womman scorne a man, doende þat she passe fro hym wiþoute hir offis. Þanne wente in Vagio to Judit, and seide, Be not adrad, þou goode child maide, to gon in to my lord, þat she be maad wrshipeful beforn his face, and ete she wiþ hym, and drinke win wiþ gladnesse. ”

“ And so in þe myddel of þe elders, and in þe siȝte of alle men, Achior seide alle þingus, þat he askid of Olofernes hadde spoken, and what maner þe puple of Olofernes wolde for þis woord slen hym, and what maner he Olofernes wroþ comaundede hym to be take to þe men of Irael for þis cause, þat whil he shulde ouercome þe sonus of Irael, þanne and þat Achior he comaunde wiþ dyuers tormentus to dien, for þat þat he hadde seid, God of heuene is þe defendere of hem. ”

“ Of manye bokis þe most vicious diuersete I kutte awei, onli þoo þingus þat wiþ parfit vnderstondinge I myȝte finde in Caldeis woordis, in Latin I expressede. Takeþ Judiþ, widewe, saumple of chastyte, and declareþ in perpetewel wrshipeful tellingus wiþ þe preising of victorie. Þis forsoþe not oneli to wymmen, but also to men, wrþi to ben folewid he ȝaf, þat, ȝeldere of hir chastite, such a vertue ȝaf to hir, þat þe vnouercomen of alle men she ouercam, and þe vnouerpassable she ouerpassede. ”

“ And so þe weping endid, and bi al þe dai þe orisoun of þe puple fulfild, þei coumforteden Achior, seiende, God of oure fadris, whos vertue þou hast prechid, he ȝeldere to þee þis recompensacioun shal ȝiue, þat þou raþere see þe deþ of hem. Whan forsoþe þe Lord oure God shal ȝiue þis fredam to his seruauns, be and þe Lord wiþ þee in þe myddel of vs, þat as it shal plese to þee, so wiþ alle þine þou dwelle. Þanne Osias, þe counseil endid, toc hym in to his hous, and made a gret soper. And, alle þe prestus clepid togidere, þe fasting fulfild, þei eeten. ”

“ Þanne he cam doun fro þe hillis, wiþ horsmen in gret vertue, and weldede eche cite, and alle men dwellende in þe lond. Of alle forsoþe cites he toc to hym helperis, stronge men and chosen to bataile. And so myche drede to þat prouynce fel in, þat of alle cites þe dwelleris, princys and wrshipeful men, togidre wiþ þe puple wenten out in to meeting to hym comende, resceyuende hym wiþ crounus and laumpis, ledende dauncis in trumpis and timbris. ”

“ And ȝit ner þe latere þese þingus doende þei myȝten not swagen þe feerste of his brest; for and þer cites he destroȝede, and þer maumet wodus he heew doun. Forsoþe king Nabugodonosor hadde comaundid to hym, þat alle þe goddis of þe lond he shulde outlawen, þat is, þat he god alone were seid of þese naciouns, þat myȝten ben vnderȝokid bi þe myȝt of Olofernes. Passende forsoþe Cirie Sobal, and al Appanyam, and al Mesopotanye, cam to Idumes in þe lond of Gabaa; and he toc þe cites of hem, and sat þere bi þretti daȝes, in whiche daȝes he comaundede to be gedered togidere al þe ost of his vertue. ”

“ Capitulum VII. Olofernes forsoþe þat toþer dai comaundide to his ostus, þat þei shulden steȝe vp aȝen Betulie. Þer weren forsoþe footmen of fiȝteres an hundrid and twenti þousend, and horse men twelue þousend, biside þe redi cumpanyes of þoo men, whom caitifte hadde ocupied, and weren broȝt fro prouyncis and cites, of alle ȝouþe. Alle togidere maden þemself redi to þe fiȝt aȝen þe sones of Irael; and þei camen bi þe brinke of þe hil vnto þe cop, þat beholdeþ Dotaym, fro þe place þat is seid Belena vnto Selmon, þat is aȝen Esdrelon. ”