1   In ^note the meane time as Demetrius heard that Nicanor was fallen and his armie in the battel, he added to send Bacchides and Alcimus againe into Iurie, and the right wing with them.

2   And they went the way, that leadeth into Galgal, and camped in Masaloth, which is in Arbellis: and they wanne it, & slew of men manie soules.

3   In the first moneth of the yeare an hundreth and fiftie two they brought the armie nere to Ierusalem:

4   and they arose, and went into Beræa twentie thousand men, and two thousand horsemen.

5   And Iudas had camped in Laisa, and three thousand chosen men with him:

6   & they saw the multitude of the armie that they were manie, and they feared excedingly: and manie withdrew themselues out of the campe, and there remayned of them but eight hundred men.

7   And Iudas saw that his armie shrunke away, and the battel pressed vpon him, and ^note his hart was broken: because he had not time to gather them together, and he was discoureged.

8   And he sayd to them that were remayning: Let vs rise, and goe to our aduersaries, if we may be able to

fight against them.

9   And they diswaded him, saying: We are not able, but let vs saue our liues now, and returne to our brethren, and then we wil fight against them: and we are few.

10   And Iudas sayd: God forbid we should doe this thing, to flee from them: and if our time be neere, let vs dye manfully for our bretheren, and let vs not stayne our glorie.

11   And the armie moued out of the campe, and they stood to meete them: and the horsemen were diuided into two parts, and the slingers, and the archers went before the armie, and of the foreward al mightie.

12   And Bacchides was in the right wing, and the legion approched on two sides, and they sounded with trumpets:

13   and they also cried out that were on Iudas side, euen they also, and the earth was moued at the voice of the armies: and the battel was fought from morning euen vntil the euening.

14   And Iudas saw that the stronger part of the armie was on the right hand, & al the stout of hart came together with him:

15   and the right side was discomfited of them, and he pursewed them euen to the mount of Azotus.

16   And they that were in the left wing, saw that the right wing was discomfited, and they folowed after Iudas, and them that were with him at the backe:

17   and the battel grew sore, and there fel manie wounded of these and of them.

18   And Iudas was slaine, and the rest fled.

19   And Ionathas and Simon tooke Iudas their brother, and buried him in the sepulcher of their fathers in the citie Modin.

20   And al the people of Israel lamented him with great lamentation, and they mourned manie dayes,

21   and sayd: ^note How is the mightie fallen, that saued the people of Israel!

22   And the rest of the wordes of Iudas battels, and of the valient acts that he did, and of his greatnes are not described: for they were exceding manie.

23   And it came to passe: ^note after the death of Iudas, there came forth the wicked men in al the costs of Israel, and there arose al that wrought iniquitie.

24   In those dayes was made an exceding great famine, and al their countrie with themselues yelded to Bacchides.

25   And Bacchides chose the impious men, and appointed them lords of the countrie:

26   and they sought out, and searched for the freindes of Iudas, and brought them to Bacchides, and he tooke reuenge on them, & scorned them.

27   And there was made great tribulation in Israel, such as was not since the day, that there was no prophete seene in Israel.

28   And al the freinds of Iudas gathered, and sayd to ^note Ionathas:

29   Since thy brother Iudas died, there is not a man like vnto him, to goe forth against the enemies, Bacchides, & them that are the enemies of our nation.

30   Now therfore thee haue we chosen this day to be for him our prince, and captayne to wage our battel.

31   And Ionathas tooke vpon him at that time the princedom, and arose in the place of Iudas his brother.

32   And Bacchides vnderstood it, and sought to kil him.

33   And Ionathas vnderstood it, & Simon his brother, and al that were with them: and they fled into the desert of Thecua, and they pitched by the water of the lake Asphar.

34   And Bacchides vnderstood it, and in the day of the Sabbaths came him self, and al his armie ouer Iordan.

35   And Ionathas sent his brother captayne of the people, to desire the Nabutheians his freindes, that they would lend him their prouision, which was copious.

36   And the children of Iambri issued forth of Madaba, and ^note tooke Iohn, and al thinges that he had, and went away hauing them.

37   After these wordes, it was told Ionathas, and Simon his brother, that the children of Iambri make a great mariage, and bring the bride out of Madaba, the daughter of one of the great princes of Chanaan with great pompe.

38   And they remembred the bloud of Iohn their brother: and they went vp, and hid them selues vnder the couert of the mountayne.

39   And they lifted vp their eyes, and saw: and loc a tumult, and great preparation: and the bridegrome came forth, and his freindes, and his bretheren to meete them with timbrils, and musical instruments, and manie weapons.

40   And they rose vpon them out of the embushement, and slew them, and there fel manie wounded, & the rest fled into the mountaines, and they tooke al the spoiles of them:

41   & the mariage was turned into mourning, and the voice of their musical instruments into lamentation.

42   And they ^note tooke reuenge of the bloud of their brother: & they returned to the banke of Iordan.

43   And Bacchides heard it, and he came on the day of the Sabbaths euen to the brinke of Iordan with a great powre.

44   And Ionathas sayd to his companie: Let vs arise, and fight against our enemies: for it is not to day as yesterday, and the day before.

45   For loe battel directly against vs, and the water of Iordan on this side and on that side, & bankes, and marrises, and forests: and there is no place to turne aside.

46   Now therfore crie ye vnto heauen, that you may be deliuered out of the hand of your enemies. And battel was ioyned.

47   And Ionathas stretched forth his

hand to strike Bacchides, and he turned aside from him backwards.

48   And Ionathas lept aside, and they that were with him into Iordan, and they swame ^note ouer Iordan to them:

49   and there fel of Bacchides part that day a thousand men: and they returned into Ierusalem,

50   and built fensed cities in Iurie, the fortresse that was in Iericho, and in Ammaum, & in Bethoron, and in Bethel, and Thamnata, and Phara, and Thopo with high walles, and gates, and lockes.

51   And he placed a garrison in them, that they might exercise emnities against Israel:

52   and he fensed the citie Bethsura, and Gazara, and the castel, and set garisons in them, and prouision of victuals:

53   and he tooke the sonnes of the princes of the countrie for hostages, & put them in the castel in Ierusalem into ward.

54   And in ^note the yeare an hundred fiftie three, the second moneth, Alcimus commanded the walles of the inner holie house to be destroyed, and the workes of the prophets to be destroyed: and he began to destroy.

55   In that time was Alcimus strooken: and his workes were stayed, and his mouth was stopped, and he was dissolued with the palsey, neither could he speake a word any more, and geue commandement touching his house.

56   And Alcimus died at that time with great torment.

57   And Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead: and he returned to the king, and the land was quiet for two yeares.

58   And al the wicked thought saying: Behold Ionathas, and they that are with him, dwel in silence securely: now therfore let vs bring Bacchides, and he shal take them al in one night.

59   And they went, and gaue him counsel.

60   And he arose to come with a great armie: and he sent secretly epistles to his felowes that were in Iurie, to take Ionathas, and them that were with him: but they could not, because their counsel was knowen to them.

61   And he apprehended of the men of the countrie, that were the principal of the mischife, fiftie men, and he slew them.

62   And Ionathas retyred aside, and Simon, and they that were with him into Bethbessen, which is in the desert: and he built vp the ruins therof, and they fortified it.

63   And Bacchides vnderstood it, and gathered together al his multitude: and sent word to them that were of Iurie.

64   And he came, and camped aboue Bethbessen, and assaulted it manie dayes, and made engins.

65   And Ionathas left Simon his brother in the citie, and went forth into the countrie, and came with a number,

66   and stroke Odares, and his bretheren, and the children of Phaseron

in their tabernacles, & he began to slay, and to grow in forces.

67   But Simon and they that were with him, went out of the citie, and burnt the engins,

68   and they fought against Bacchides, and he was discomfited by them: and they afflicted him excedingly, because his counsel, and his conflict was in vayne.

69   And being angrie against the wicked men, that had geuen him counsel to come into their countrie, ^note he slewe manie of them: but himself thought with the rest to depart into their countrie.

70   And Ionathas vnderstood it, and he sent vnto him legates to make peace with him, and to render vnto him the captiues.

71   And he tooke it gladly, and did according to his wordes, & sware that he would doe him no harme al the dayes of his life.

72   And he rendered vnto him the captiues, which he before had taken for a praye, out of the land of Iuda: and returning he departed into his owne countrie, and he added no more to come into their coasts.

73   And the sword ceased out of Israel: and Ionathas dwelt in Machmas, & Ionathas began there to iudge the people, and he destroyed the impious out of Israel.

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