Anonymous (Septuagint) · a new plain-English translation from the original language
1| Now Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his forces had fallen in battle, and he resolved to send Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah a second time, with the right wing along with them.
2| They marched by the road that goes to Gilgal and camped against Mesaloth in Arbela, and they seized it and destroyed many human lives.
3| In the first month of the year one hundred and fifty-two they encamped against Jerusalem.
4| Then they set out and went to Berea, with twenty thousand men and two thousand horse.
5| Judas was encamped at Elasa, and with him three thousand chosen men.
6| When they saw the multitude of the forces, how many they were, they were greatly afraid, and many slipped away from the camp, until only eight hundred men of them were left.
7| Judas saw that his camp had slipped away from him, and the battle pressed hard upon him; and his heart was broken, since there was no chance left to muster them again.
8| He grew faint, yet he said to those who remained, "Let us rise up and go against our enemies, if perhaps we are able to fight them."
9| But they tried to turn him back, saying, "We will surely not be able. Let us instead save our own lives for now, and let us return with our brothers, and fight them then; but as we are, we are too few."
10| And Judas replied, "Never let it be said I ran from them! If our hour has arrived, let us die bravely for the sake of our brothers, and let us leave no stain upon our name."
11| So the army set out from the camp, and took its stand to meet them; the cavalry was divided into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, along with all the champions who were mighty men.
12| Bacchides was on the right wing, and the phalanx drew near from both sides; they sounded their trumpets, and Judas's men also sounded their trumpets.
13| The earth shook at the noise of their armies, and the battle was joined and continued from morning until evening.
14| Judas saw that Bacchides and the strength of his camp were on the right, and all who were stout of heart joined him.
15| The right wing was broken by them, and he pursued them as far as the mountain of Azotus.
16| But when those on the left wing saw that the right wing had been broken, they turned around and followed hard after Judas and those with him, from behind.
17| The battle grew fierce, and many fell wounded on this side and on that.
18| And Judas fell, and the rest fled.
19| Jonathan and Simon carried off the body of Judas their brother and laid him to rest in the family tomb at Modin.
20| They wept for him there, and all Israel mourned him with great lamentation, and grieved for many days, saying,
21| "How the mighty one has fallen — the savior of Israel!"
22| Now the rest of the acts of Judas, and his wars, and the brave deeds that he did, and his greatness — these were not written down, for they were very many.
23| After the death of Judas, the lawless men lifted their heads throughout all the borders of Israel, and all who worked wickedness sprang up.
24| In those days there arose a very great famine, and the countryside went over to their side.
25| Bacchides chose out the godless men, and set them up as lords of the country.
26| They sought out and searched for the friends of Judas and brought them before Bacchides, and he took vengeance on them and made sport of them.
27| There came a great affliction upon Israel, the like of which had not been since the day when a prophet ceased to be seen among them.
28| Then all the friends of Judas gathered together and said to Jonathan,
29| "Since your brother Judas died, there is no man like him to go out against our enemies, against Bacchides and those who are hostile to our nation.
30| Now therefore we have chosen you this day to be ruler and leader over us in his place, to fight our battle."
31| So Jonathan accepted the leadership at that time, and rose up in place of Judas his brother.
32| When Bacchides learned of it, he sought to kill him.
33| But Jonathan and Simon his brother and all who were with him learned of it, and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoa and encamped by the water of the pool of Asphar.
34| Bacchides learned of it on the sabbath day, and he came with all his army across the Jordan.
35| Jonathan sent his brother, a leader of the people, and pleaded with the Nabateans his friends to store their great baggage with them.
36| But the sons of Jambri came out from Medeba, seized John along with everything belonging to him, and carried it away.
37| After these events, word reached Jonathan and Simon, his brother, that the sons of Jambri were holding a great wedding celebration, bringing the bride from Nadabath — the daughter of one of Canaan's leading nobles — with a large procession.
38| Recalling John their brother, they climbed up and concealed themselves in the mountain's cover.
39| They lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a noisy crowd with much baggage; and the bridegroom came out, with his friends and his kinsmen, to meet them with drums and musicians and many weapons.
40| Then they rose up against them from the ambush and killed them; many fell wounded, and the rest fled into the mountains, and the brothers took all their belongings.
41| So the wedding was turned into mourning, and the sound of their music into a dirge.
42| Thus they took vengeance in full for the blood of their brother, and turned back to the marshland by the Jordan.
43| When Bacchides heard of it, he came on the sabbath day as far as the banks of the Jordan with a great force.
44| Jonathan said to his companions, "Let us stand up right now and fight for our very lives, for today is unlike yesterday or the day before.
45| Look — there is fighting ahead of us and fighting at our backs; the Jordan's waters lie on this side and that, with marsh and thicket around, and nowhere to turn aside.
46| Now therefore cry out to heaven, that you may be delivered from the hand of our enemies."
47| Then the battle was joined, and Jonathan stretched out his hand to strike Bacchides, but he turned away from him and drew back.
48| So Jonathan and those with him leaped into the Jordan and swam across to the far side; and the enemy did not cross the Jordan after them.
49| About a thousand men of Bacchides' side fell that day.
50| Then they returned to Jerusalem, and built fortified cities in Judea — the stronghold at Jericho, and Emmaus, and Beth-horon, and Bethel, and Timnath-pharathon, and Tephon — with high walls and gates and bars.
51| And they set garrisons in them to be hostile to Israel.
52| They also fortified the city, and Beth-zur, and Gezer, and the citadel, and placed forces in them, along with stores of food.
53| They took the sons of the leading men of the country as hostages, and put them under guard in the citadel at Jerusalem.
54| In the year one hundred and fifty-three, in the second month, Alcimus gave the order for the wall of the sanctuary's inner courtyard be torn down, destroying the work left by the prophets, and the demolition began.
55| At that very time Alcimus was struck down, and his work was hindered; his mouth was stopped up, and he was paralyzed, so that he could no longer speak a word or give orders concerning his house.
56| And Alcimus died at that time in great torment.
57| Once Bacchides saw that Alcimus had died, he went back to report to the king, and Judah's land had peace for two years.
58| Then all the lawless men took counsel together, saying, "Look, Jonathan and his men are dwelling in security, trusting in peace; now then let us bring Bacchides, and he will seize them all in a single night."
59| So they went and took counsel with him.
60| He set out to come with a great force, and sent letters secretly to all his allies who were in Judea, that they should seize Jonathan and those with him; but they could not, because their plan became known to them.
61| Jonathan's men seized about fifty of the men of the country who were ringleaders of the wickedness, and put them to death.
62| Then Jonathan and Simon and those with him withdrew to Bethbasi, in the wilderness, and rebuilt what had been torn down there, and made it strong.
63| When Bacchides learned of this, he gathered together all his multitude, and gave orders to those from Judea.
64| He came and encamped against Bethbasi, and fought against it for many days, and built siege engines.
65| But Jonathan left Simon his brother in the city, and went out into the country, and came with a chosen number.
66| He struck down Odomera and his kinsmen, and the sons of Phasiron, in their camp, and they began to strike and advance with their forces.
67| Simon and those with him also came out of the city and burned the siege engines.
68| They fought against Bacchides, and he was crushed by them, and they distressed him greatly, for his plan and his campaign had come to nothing.
69| He turned his anger against the lawless men who had advised him to come into the country, and he killed many of them, and resolved to depart to his own land.
70| When Jonathan learned of this, he sent envoys to him, to make peace with him and to have him restore the prisoners.
71| Bacchides accepted, and did according to his words, and swore to him that he would seek no harm against him all the days of his life.
72| He restored to him the captives whom he had earlier taken from the land of Judah, and he turned back and departed to his own land, and did not come again into their territory.
73| So the sword ceased from Israel, and Jonathan settled at Michmash; and Jonathan began to judge the people, and he destroyed the godless out of Israel.