1 Maccabees 5

Now when the nations round about heard that ^athe altar was built, and ^bthe sanctuary renewed as before, it displeased them very much. ²Wherefore they thought to destroy the generation of Jacob that was among them, and thereupon they began to slay and destroy the people. ³Then Judas fought against ^cthe children of Esau in ^dIdumea at Arabattine, because they besieged Israel: and he gave them a great overthrow, and abated their courage, and took their spoils. ⁴Also he remembered the injury of the children of Bean, who had been ^ea snare and ^ean offence unto the people, in that they lay in wait for them in the ways. ⁵He shut them up therefore in the towers, and encamped against them, and ^fdestroyed them utterly, and burnt the towers of that place with fire, and all that were therein. ⁶Afterward he passed over to ^gthe children of Ammon, where he found a mighty power, and much people, with ^ggTimotheus their captain. ⁷So he fought many battles with them, till at length they were discomfited before him; and he smote them. ⁸And when he had taken ^hJazar, with ⁱthe towns belonging thereto, he returned into Judea.

⁹Then the heathen that were at ^jGalaad assembled themselves together against the Israelites that were in their quarters, to destroy them; but they fled to the fortress of Dathema, ¹⁰and sent letters unto Judas and his brethren, The heathen that are round about us are assembled together against us to destroy us: ¹¹and they are preparing to come and take the fortress whereunto we are fled, ^ggTimotheus being captain of their ^khost. ¹²Come now therefore, and deliver us from their hands, for many of us are slain: ¹³yea, all ^kkour brethren that were in the places of ^lTobie are put to death: their wives and their children also they have carried away captives, and borne away their ^mstuff; and they have destroyed there about a thousand men. ¹⁴While these letters were yet reading, behold, there came other messengers from Galilee ⁿwith their clothes rent, who reported on this wise, ¹⁵and said, They of ^oPtolemais, and of ^pTyrus, and Sidon, and all ^qGalilee of the Gentiles, are assembled together against us to consume us. ¹⁶Now when Judas and the people heard these words, there assembled a great congregation together, to consult what they should do for their brethren, that were in trouble, and assaulted of them. ¹⁷Then said Judas unto ^rSimon his brother, Choose thee out men, and go and deliver thy brethren that are in ^qGalilee, for I and ^sJonathan my brother will go into ^jthe country of Galaad. ¹⁸So he left ^tJoseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, captains of the people, with the remnant of the host in Judea to keep it. ¹⁹Unto whom he gave commandment, saying, Take ye the charge of this people, and ^usee that you make not war against the heathen until the time that we come again. ²⁰Now unto Simon were given three thousand men to go into ^yGalilee, and unto Judas eight thousand men for ^jthe country of Galaad. ²¹Then went Simon into Galilee, where he fought many battles with the heathen, so that the heathen were discomfited by him. ²²And he pursued them unto the gate of ^oPtolemais; and there were slain of the heathen about three thousand men, whose spoils he took. ²³And those that were in Galilee, and in ^vArbattis, with their wives and their children, and all that they had, took he away with him, and brought them into Judea, with great joy.

^24wJudas Maccabeus also and his brother Jonathan went over Jordan, and travelled three days’ journey in the wilderness, ²⁵where they met with the ^xNabathites, who came unto them in peaceable manner, and told them every thing that had happened to their brethren in ^jthe land of Galaad: ²⁶and how that many of them were shut up in Bossora, and ^yBosor, in Alema, Casphor, ^zMaked, and ^aCarnaim; (all these cities are strong and great:) ²⁷and that they were shut up in the rest of the cities of the country of ^jGalaad, and that against to morrow they had appointed to bring their host against the forts, and to take them, and to destroy them all in one day. ²⁸Hereupon Judas and his ^bhost turned suddenly by the way of the wilderness unto Bosorra; and when he had won the city, ^hhe slew all the males ^cwith the edge of the sword, and took all their spoils, and burnt the city with fire, ²⁹From whence he removed by night, and went till he came to ^dthe fortress. ³⁰And betimes in the morning they looked up, and behold, there was an innumerable people bearing ladders and other engines of war, to take the fortress: for they assaulted them. ³¹When Judas therefore saw that the battle was begun, and that ^ethe cry of the city went up to heaven, with trumpets, and a great sound, ³²he said unto his host, Fight this day for your brethren. ³³So he went forth behind them ^fin three companies, who sounded their trumpets, and cried with prayer. ³⁴Then ^bthe host of Timotheus, knowing that it was Maccabeus, fled from him: wherefore he smote them with a great slaughter; so that there were killed of them that day about eight thousand men. ³⁵This done, Judas turned aside to ^gMaspha; and after he had assaulted it, he took it, and ^hslew all the males therein, and received the spoils thereof, and burnt it with fire. ³⁶From thence went he, and took ⁱCasphon, ^jMaged, Bosor, and the other cities of the country of Galaad.

³⁷After these things gathered ^kTimotheus another ^bhost, and encamped against Raphon beyond the brook. ³⁸So Judas sent men to espy ^bthe host, who brought him word, saying, All the heathen that be round about us are assembled unto them, even a very great host. ³⁹He hath also hired the ^lArabians to help them, and they have pitched their tents beyond the brook, ready to come and fight against thee. Upon this Judas went to meet them. ⁴⁰Then Timotheus said unto the captains of his host, When Judas and his ^bhost come near the brook, if he pass over first unto us, we shall not be able to withstand him; for he will mightily prevail against us: ⁴¹but if he be afraid, and camp beyond the river, we shall go over unto him, and prevail against him. ⁴²Now when Judas came near the brook, he caused ^mthe scribes of the people to remain by the brook: unto whom he gave commandment, saying, Suffer no man to remain in the camp, but let all come to the battle. ⁴³So he went first over unto them, and all the people after him: ⁿthen all the heathen, being discomfited before him, cast away their weapons, and fled unto the temple that was at ^aCarnaim. ⁴⁴But they took the city, and ^oburnt the temple with all that were therein. Thus was ^aCarnaim subdued, neither could they stand any longer before Judas.

⁴⁵Then Judas gathered together all the Israelites that were in the country of Galaad, ^pfrom the least unto the greatest, even their wives, and their children, and their ^qstuff, a very great ^rhost, to the end they might come into the land of Judea. ⁴⁶Now ^swhen they came unto Ephron, (this was a great city in ^tthe way as they should go, very well fortified) they could not turn from it, ^ueither on the right hand or the left, but must needs pass through the midst of it. ⁴⁷Then they of the city shut them out, and stopped up the gates with stones. ⁴⁸Whereupon Judas sent unto them in peaceable manner, saying, ^uLet us pass through your land to go into our own country, and none shall do you any hurt; we will only pass through on foot: howbeit they would not open unto him. ⁴⁹Wherefore Judas commanded a proclamation to be made throughout ^rthe host, that every man should pitch his tent in the place where he was. ⁵⁰So the soldiers pitched, and assaulted the city all that day and all that night, till at the length ^xthe city was delivered into his hands: ^51hwho then slew all the males ^cwith the edge of the sword, and rased the city, and took the spoils thereof, and passed through the city over them that were slain. ⁵²After this ^ywent they over Jordan ^zinto the great plain before ^aBethsan. ⁵³And Judas gathered together those that came behind, and exhorted the people all the way through, till they came into the land of Judea. ⁵⁴So they went up to mount Sion with joy and gladness, where they offered burnt offerings, because not one of them were slain ^buntil they had returned in peace.

⁵⁵Now what time as ^cJudas and Jonathan were in the land of Galaad, and ^dSimon his brother in Galilee before ^ePtolemais, ^56fJoseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, captains of the garrisons, heard of the valiant acts and warlike deeds which they had done. ⁵⁷Wherefore they said, ^gLet us also get us a name, and go fight against the heathen that are round about us. ⁵⁸So when they had given charge unto the garrison that was with them, they went towards ^hJamnia. ⁵⁹Then came ⁱGorgias and his men out of ^hthe city to fight against them. ⁶⁰And so it was, that ^fJoseph and Azarias were put to flight, and pursued unto the borders of Judea: and there were slain that day of the people of Israel about two thousand men. ⁶¹Thus was there a great overthrow among the children of Israel, ^gbecause they were not obedient unto Judas and his brethren, but thought to do some valiant act. ⁶²Moreover these men came not of the seed of those, by whose hand deliverance was given unto Israel. ⁶³Howbeit the man Judas and his brethren were greatly renowned in the sight of all Israel, and of all the heathen, wheresoever their name was heard of; ⁶⁴insomuch as the people assembled unto them with joyful acclamations.

⁶⁵Afterward ^kwent Judas forth with his brethren, and fought against ^lthe children of Esau in the land toward the south, where he smote ^mHebron, and the towns thereof, and pulled down the fortress of it, and burnt the towers thereof round about. ⁶⁶From thence he removed to go into the land of the Philistines, and passed through ⁿSamaria. ⁶⁷At that time certain priests, desirous to shew their valour, were slain in battle, for that they went out to fight unadvisedly. ⁶⁸So Judas turned to ^oAzotus in the land of the Philistines, and when he had…