12 When the men of Bethulia saw the Assyrians coming with Achior, they grabbed their weapons and ran to the top of the hill where the town was built. They were able to stop the Assyrians from getting any closer by using slings to throw stones at them.
13 The Assyrians had to hide among the foothills around Bethulia, and so they tied up Achior and left him at the bottom of the hill. Then they returned to their camp.
14 Some time later, the Israelites came down the hill and untied Achior, then led him back to Bethulia. They took him to the town officials,
15 who at the time were Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis.
16 They called together the other leaders of Bethulia, while all the young men and women ran to join them. Achior was then brought in, and Uzziah asked him exactly what had happened.
17 Achior said that he had been at the meeting between Holofernes and the commanders of the Assyrian army, and he repeated everything he had heard. Then he told the crowd what Holofernes himself had promised to do to the Israelites.
18 When the people of Bethulia heard this, they got on their knees and prayed,