1 And king Antiochus was journeying through the upper countries; and he heard that Elymaisa, in Persia, 2 wasb a city crenowned for riches, for silver and goldc, and that the temple which was in it (was) rich exceedingly, and that therein (were) golden shields, and breastplates, and arms, which Alexander, son of Philipd, the Macedoniane king, who reigned first among fthe Greeksf, had left behind there. 3 So he came and sought to take the city, gand to pillage itg; but he was not able (to do so) because the thing had become known to them of the city. 4 And they rose uph against him to battlei; and he fled, and removedk thence with great heaviness, to return to Babylon.

5 And lthere came one bringing him tidingsl into Persiam that nthe armies, which went against othe land ofo Judahn, had been put to flight; 6 and that Lysias had gone forth at the head of a strong army, and had been put to shame before them; pand that they had waxed strong by reason of arms qand power, and with store of spoilsq, which they took from the rarmies that they had cut offr p s; 7 and that they had pulled down tthe abomination which he had builtu upon the altar that was in Jerusalemt; and that they had compassed about the sanctuaryv with high walls, was (had been the case) formerlyw, and Bethsura, xhis cityx. 8 And it came to pass, when the king heard these words, he was struck with amazement and greatly moved; and he laid him down upon (his) bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not befallen him as he had looked for. 9 And he was there many days, because greaty grief was renewed upon him; and hez reckoned that he was about to die. 10 And he called for all his Friends, and said unto them: ‘Sleep departeth from mine eyes, and (my)a heart faileth bfor careb. 11 cAnd I said in (my) heartc, Unto what tribulation am I come, and how great a flood is it wherein I now am! For I was gracious and beloved in my power. 12 But now I remember the evils which I did at Jerusalem, and that I took alld the vessels eof silver and gold that were therein, and sent forth (armies) to destroy thef inhabitantse of Judah without a cause. 13 I perceive that on this account these evils are come upon me, and, behold, I perish gthrough great griefg in a strange land.’ 14 And heh called for Philip, ione of his Friendsk i, and set him over all his kingdom, and gave him (his) diadem, 15 and his robe, and (his) signet-ring, lto the end that he should educatel Antiochus his son, mand bring him up to be kingm. 16 And kingn Antiochus died there oin the one hundred and forty-ninth yearo. 17 And when Lysias knew that the king was dead, he set up Antiochus his (i.e. the king’s) son to reignp, whom he had nourished up while yet young, and he called his name Eupator.

6:18–54. The struggle between Judas and the forces under Lysias and Eupator for the possession of Jerusalem and Bethsura.