11 So, General Holofernes, if you attack Bethulia as you would usually attack a town, many of your soldiers will be killed.
12 Instead, order your troops to stay in camp. And command the soldiers you posted at the springs to guard them carefully,
13 because that's the only place the people of Bethulia can go for water. They will soon be so thirsty that they will have to surrender.Meanwhile, we will lead our armies to the tops of the nearby foothills and set up camp. We will make sure that no one leaves Bethulia.
14 Every man, woman, and child in the town will starve to death, and the streets will be filled with dead bodies, even before your army attacks.
15 That's how you can pay them back for rebelling and refusing to surrender peacefully.
16 Holofernes and his officials liked what the commanders said, and so he gave orders to carry out their plan at once.
17 Part of the Ammonite army and 5,000 Assyrian soldiers marched into the valley and took control of the springs that supplied Bethulia with water.