1So when these covenants had been made, Lysias departed unto the king, and the Jews went about their husbandry.

2But certain of the governors of districts, Timotheus and Apollonius the son of Gennaeus, and Hieronymus also and Demophon, and beside them Nicanor the governor of Cyprus, would not suffer them to enjoy tranquillity and live in peace.

3And men of Joppa perpetrated this great impiety: they invited the Jews that dwelt among them to go with their wives and children into the boats which they had provided, as though they had no ill will towards them;

4and when ¹⁷⁵the Jews, ¹⁷⁶relying on the common decree of the city, accepted the invitation, as men desiring to live in peace and suspecting nothing, they took them out to sea and drowned them, in number not less than two hundred.

5But when Judas heard of the cruelty done unto his fellow-countrymen, giving command to the men that were with him

6and calling upon God the righteous Judge, he came against the murderers of his brethren, and set the haven on fire by night, and burned the boats, and put to the sword those that had fled thither.

7But when the town was closed against him, he withdrew, intending to come again to root out the whole community of the men of Joppa.

8But learning that the men of Jamnia were minded to do in like manner unto the Jews that sojourned among them,

9he fell upon the Jamnites also by night, and set fire to the haven together with the fleet, so that the glare of the light was seen at Jerusalem, two hundred and forty furlongs distant.

10Now when they had drawn off nine furlongs from thence, as they marched against Timotheus, a host of Arabians attacked him, no fewer than five thousand footmen and five hundred horsemen.

11And when a sore battle had been fought, and Judas and his company by the help of God had good success, the nomads being overcome besought Judas to grant them friendship, promising to give him cattle, and to help ¹⁷⁷his people in all other ways.

12So Judas, thinking that they would indeed be profitable in many things, agreed to live in peace with them; and receiving pledges of friendship they departed to their tents.

13And he also fell upon a certain city ¹⁷⁸Gephyrun, strong and fenced about with walls, and inhabited by a mixed multitude of divers nations; and it was named Caspin.

14But they that were within, trusting to the strength of the walls and to their store of provisions, behaved themselves rudely toward Judas and them that were with him, railing, and furthermore blaspheming and speaking impious words.

15But Judas and his company, calling upon the great sovereign of the world, who without rams and cunning engines of war hurled down Jericho in the times of Joshua, rushed wildly against the wall;

16and having taken the city by the will of God, they made unspeakable slaughter, insomuch that the adjoining lake, which was two furlongs broad, appeared to be filled with the deluge of blood.

17And when they had drawn off seven hundred and fifty furlongs from thence, they made their way to Charax, unto the Jews that are called ¹⁷⁹Tubieni.

18And Timotheus they found not in occupation of that district, for he had then departed from the district without accomplishing anything, but had left behind a garrison, and that a very strong one, in a certain post.

19But Dositheus and Sosipater, who were of Maccabaeus’s captains, sallied forth and destroyed those that had been left by Timotheus in the stronghold, above ten thousand men.

20And Maccabaeus, ranging his own army by bands, set ¹⁸⁰these two over the bands, and marched in haste against Timotheus, who had with him a hundred and twenty thousand footmen and two thousand and five hundred horsemen.

21But when Timotheus heard of the inroad of Judas, he at once sent away the women and the children and also the baggage into the fortress called ¹⁸¹Carnion; for the place was hard to besiege and difficult of access by reason of the narrowness of the approaches on all sides.

22But when the band of Judas, who led the van, appeared in sight, and when terror came upon the enemy and fear, because the manifestation of him who beholdeth all things came upon them, they fled amain, carried this way and that, so that they were often hurt of their own men, and pierced with the points of their swords.

23And Judas continued the pursuit the more hotly, putting the wicked wretches to the sword, and he destroyed as many as thirty thousand men.

24But Timotheus himself, falling in with the company of Dositheus and Sosipater, besought them with much ¹⁸²crafty guile to let him go with his life, because he had in his power the parents of many of them and the brethren of some: ¹⁸³otherwise, said he, little regard will ¹⁸⁴be shewn to these.

25So when he had with many words confirmed the agreement to restore them without hurt, they let him go that they might save their brethren.

26And Judas, marching against ¹⁸⁵Carnion and the temple of Atergatis, slew five and twenty thousand persons.

27And after he had put these to flight and destroyed them, he marched against Ephron also, a strong city, ¹⁸⁶wherein were multitudes of people of all nations; and stalwart young men placed ¹⁸⁷on the walls made a vigorous defence; and there were great stores of engines and darts there.

28But calling upon the Sovereign who with might breaketh in pieces the ¹⁸⁸strength of ¹⁸⁹the enemy, they got the city into their hands, and slew as many as twenty and five thousand of them that were within.

29And setting out from thence they marched in haste against Scythopolis, which is distant from Jerusalem six hundred furlongs.

30But when the Jews that were settled there testified of the good will that the Scythopolitans had shewn toward them, and of their kindly bearing toward them in the times of their misfortune,

31they gave thanks, and further exhorted them to remain well affected toward the race for the future; and they went up to Jerusalem, the feast of weeks being close to hand.

32But after the feast called Pentecost they marched in haste against Gorgias the governor of Idumaea:

33and he came out with three thousand footmen and four hundred horsemen.

34And when they had set themselves in array, it came to pass that a few of the Jews fell.

35And a certain Dositheus, one ¹⁹⁰of Bacenor’s company, who was on horseback and a strong man, pressed hard on Gorgias, and taking hold of his cloke drew him along by main force; and while he was minded to take the accursed man alive, one of the Thracian horsemen bore down upon him and disabled his shoulder, and so Gorgias escaped unto ¹⁹¹Marisa.

36And when they that were with Esdris had been fighting long and were wearied out, Judas called upon the Lord to shew himself, fighting on their side and leading the van of the battle;

37and then in the language of his fathers he raised the battle-cry joined with hymns, and rushing unawares upon the troops of Gorgias put them to flight.

38And Judas gathering his army came unto the city of ¹⁹²Adullam; and as the seventh day was coming on, they purified themselves according to the custom, and kept the sabbath there.

39And on the day following, ¹⁹³at which time it had become necessary, Judas and his company came to take up the bodies of them that had fallen, ¹⁹⁴and in company with their kinsmen to bring them back unto the sepulchres of their fathers.

40But under the garments of each one of the dead they found ¹⁹⁵consecrated tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to have aught to do with; and it became clear to all that it was for this cause that they had fallen.

41All therefore, blessing the works of the Lord, the righteous Judge, who maketh manifest the things that are hid,

42betook themselves unto supplication, beseeching that the sin committed might be wholly blotted out. And the noble Judas exhorted the multitude to keep themselves from sin, forsomuch as they had seen before their eyes what things had come to pass because of the sin of them that had fallen.

43And when he had made a collection man by man to the sum of two thousand drachmas of silver, he sent unto Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice for sin, doing therein right well and honourably, in that he took thought for a resurrection.

44For if he were not expecting that they that had fallen would rise again, it were superfluous and idle to pray for the dead.

45(And if he did it looking unto an honourable memorial of gratitude laid up for them that ¹⁹⁶die ¹⁹⁷in godliness, holy and godly was the thought.) Wherefore he made the propitiation for them that had died, that they might be released from their sin.