Revised Standard Version has a helpful paragraph break at this point. Verses 4-5 describe the Israelite reaction to the enemy deployment on the first day. Verses 6-7 describe Holofernes’ offensive action on the second day. The subject matter is quite different.
Holofernes led out all his cavalry in full view of the Israelites: Good News Translation goes too far in saying that the motivation for Holofernes’ cavalry maneuver is “so that the Israelites in Bethulia could see them.” The text simply says that he does what he does in full view of the Israelites. The purpose is tactical, and described in the next verse. In full view of the Israelites really means that the Israelites helplessly watch as Holofernes calmly and without resistance seals their doom by cutting them off from their water supply. Of course, 12,000 cavalry (7.2) are not necessary for this mission, so there is obviously a secondary purpose of demoralizing the enemy. An alternative way to express this is: “… as the Israelites in Bethulia watched.”
Examined the approaches to the city: Contemporary English Version says “He inspected every road into the town.”
Visited the springs means that he also inspected or examined the springs. Good News Translation combines this verb with examined in the previous clause—a legitimate translation. For springs see 6.11.
Seized them and set guards of soldiers over them … returned to his army: The Greek implies something more than set guards of soldiers over them or “stationed guards.” It clearly says that he left “camps” of armed men to guard the springs. Holofernes is anticipating a siege of some length. He is not just leaving a few soldiers to guard the water holes for a few hours. He deploys camps of armed men for a long, drawn-out defense of sites that the Israelites must recapture in order to survive. To be sure, these are much smaller camps than the encampment of the whole army, but they are crucial to the strategy, and need to be large enough to be self-sustaining. New American Bible and New English Bible speak of “detachments.” Returned to his army is literally “he himself marched back to his own people.” One alternative translation model for the last part of this verse is: “He seized the springs and left camps of armed men to guard them. He himself returned to the main army.”
These two verses are best regarded as a summary of the longer narrative that follows in verses 8-18, as if the author intends us to understand at the end of verse 7: “and here is how it all happened.” Otherwise the strategy proposed by the allies in the next paragraph makes little sense.
Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Judith. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.