It begins with Nebuchadnezzar declaring war on Arphaxad, king of Media. Nebuchadnezzar asked neighboring nations for help, but they refused. That angered old Nebby. He defeated Arphaxad with his own army, then vowed revenge on the nations that did not help him: “Their wounded shall fill their ravines and gullies, and the swelling river shall be filled with their dead. I will lead them away captive to the ends of the earth.” (NRSV, Judith 2:8–9)