So Judas went to meet them.
40 Timotheus said to the captains of his army when Judas and his army drew near to the brook of water, “If he crosses over to us first, we won’t be able to withstand him, for he will certainly defeat us; 41 but if he is afraid, and encamps beyond the river, we will cross over to him, and defeat him.” 42 Now when Judas came near to the water brook, he caused the scribes of the people to remain by the brook, and commanded them, saying, “Allow no man to encamp, but let all come to the battle.” 43 Then he crossed over the first against them, and all the people after him; and all the Gentiles were defeated before his face, and threw away their weapons, and fled to the temple at ‡Carnaim. 44 They took the city and burnt the temple with fire, together with all who were in it. Carnaim was subdued. They couldn’t stand any longer before the face of Judas.
45 Judas gathered together all Israel, those who were in the land of Gilead, from the least to the greatest, with their wives, their children, and their stuff, an exceedingly great army, that they might come into the land of Judah. 46 They came as far as Ephron, and this same city was large and very strong. It was on the road where they were going. They couldn’t turn away from it on the right hand or on the left, but needed to pass through the middle of it. 47 The people of the city shut them out and blocked the gates with stones. 48 Judas sent to them with words of peace, saying, “We will pass through your land to go into our own land, and no one will harm you. We will only pass by on our feet.” But they wouldn’t open to him. 49 Then Judas commanded proclamation to be made in the army, that each man should encamp in the place where he was. 50 So the men of the army encamped, and fought against the city all that day and all that night, and the city was delivered into his hands. 51 He destroyed all the males with the edge of the sword, razed the city, took its plunder, and passed through the city over those who were slain. 52 They went over the Jordan into the great plain near Bethshan. 53 And Judas gathered together those who lagged behind and encouraged the people all the way through, until he came into the land of Judah. 54 They went up to mount Zion with gladness and joy, and offered whole burnt offerings, because not so much as one of them was slain until they returned in peace.
55 In the days when Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Gilead, and Simon his brother in Galilee before Ptolemais, 56 Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, rulers of the army, heard of their exploits and of the war, and what things they had done. 57 They said, “Let’s also get us a name, and let’s go fight against the Gentiles who are around us.” 58 So they gave orders to the men of the army that was with them, and went towards Jamnia. 59 Gorgias and his men came out of the city to meet them in battle. 60 Joseph and Azarias were put to flight, and were pursued to the borders of Judea. About two thousand men of Israel fell on that day. 61 There was a great overthrow amongst the people, because they didn’t listen to Judas and his kindred, thinking to do some exploit. 62 But they were not of the family of those men by whose hand deliverance was given to Israel.
63 The man Judas and his kindred were glorified exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and of all the Gentiles, wherever their name was heard of. 64 Men gathered together to them, acclaiming them.
65 Judas and his kindred went out and fought against the children of Esau in the land towards the south. He struck Hebron and its villages,§ pulled down its strongholds, and burnt its towers all around. 66 He marched to go into the land of the† Philistines, and he went through‡ Samaria. 67 In that day certain priests, desiring to do exploits there, were slain in battle, when they went out to battle unadvisedly. 68 But Judas turned towards Azotus, to the land of the§ Philistines, pulled down their altars, burnt the carved images of their gods with fire, took the plunder of their cities, and returned into the land of Judah.
6
1 King Antiochus was travelling through the upper countries; and he heard that in Elymais in Persia there was a city renowned for riches, for silver and gold, 2 and that the temple which was in it was exceedingly rich, and that in it were golden shields, breastplates, and weapons which Alexander, son of Philip, the Macedonian king, who reigned first amongst the Greeks, left behind there. 3 So he came and tried to take the city and to pillage it; and he was not able, because his plan was known to them of the city, 4 and they rose up against him in battle. He fled and returned to Babylon with great disappointment.
5 Then someone came into Persia bringing him news that the armies which went against the land of Judah had been put to flight, 6 and that Lysias went first with a strong army and was put to shame before them, and that they had grown strong because of weapons, power, and a supply of plunder which they took from the armies that they had cut off, 7 and that they had pulled down the abomination which he had built upon the altar that was in Jerusalem, and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls, as before, and also Bethsura, his city.
8 It came to pass, when the king heard these words, he was astonished and moved exceedingly. He laid himself down on his bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not turned out for him as he had planned. 9 He was there many days, because great grief continually gripped him, and he realised that he would die. 10 He called for all his† friends, and said to them, “Sleep departs from my eyes, and my heart fails because of worry. 11 I said in my heart, ‘To what suffering I have come! How great a flood it is that I’m in, now! For I was gracious and loved in my power.’ 12 But now I remember the evils which I did at Jerusalem, and that I took all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and sent out to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without a cause. 13 I perceive that it is because of this that these evils have come upon me. Behold, I am perishing through great grief in a strange land.”
14 Then he called for Philip, one of his‡ friends, and set him over all his kingdom. 15 He gave him his crown, his robe, and his signet ring, so that he could guide Antiochus his son, and nourish him up that he might be king. 16 Then King Antiochus died there in the one hundred and forty-ninth year.§ 17 When Lysias learnt that the king was dead, he set up Antiochus his son to reign, whom he had nourished up being young, and he called his name Eupator.
18 Those who were in the citadel kept hemming Israel in around the sanctuary, and always sought to harm them and to strengthen the Gentiles. 19 Judas planned to destroy them, and called all the people together to besiege them. 20 They were gathered together, and besieged them in† the one hundred fiftieth year, and he made mounds to shoot from, and engines of war. 21 Some of those who were hemmed in came out, and some of the ungodly men of Israel were joined to them. 22 They went to the king, and said, “How long will you not execute judgement, and avenge our kindred? 23 We were willing to serve your father and to live by his words, and to follow his commandments. 24 Because of this, the children of our people besieged the citadel‡ and were alienated from us; but as many of us as they could catch, they killed, and plundered our inheritances. 25 Not against us only did they stretch out their hand, but also against all their borders. 26 Behold, they are encamped this day against the citadel at Jerusalem to take it. They have fortified the sanctuary and Bethsura. 27 If you don’t quickly prevent them, they will do greater things than these, and you won’t be able to control them.
28 When the king heard this, he was angry, and gathered together all his§ friends, the rulers of his army, and those who were over the cavalry. 29 Bands of hired soldiers came to him from other kingdoms and from islands of the sea. 30 The number of his forces was one hundred thousand infantry, and twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war. 31 They went through Idumaea, and encamped against Bethsura, and fought against it many days, and made engines of war. The Jews came out and burnt them with fire, and fought valiantly.
32 Judas marched away from the citadel and encamped at Bethzacharias, near the king’s camp. 33 The king rose early in the morning, and marched his army† at full