Judas Falls at Elasa
1When Demetrius heard that Nicanor had fallen in battle with his army, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus once more, for a second time, into the land of Judah, and the army’s right wing went with them. 2They took the road to Gilgal and encamped against Mesaloth in Arbela. They seized it and destroyed many lives. 3In the first month of the one hundred and fifty-second year they encamped against Jerusalem. 4Then they broke camp and marched on Berea, twenty thousand men strong, with two thousand cavalry. 5Judas lay encamped at Elasa, and three thousand picked men with him. 6They saw the size of the forces, how many they were, and they were terrified. Many slipped away from the camp, until no more than eight hundred men were left. 7Judas saw that his army had drained away and that the battle was pressing hard on him. His heart was crushed, since there was no time to rally them. 8He grew faint, and he said to those who were left, “Let us get up and go against our adversaries; perhaps we will be able to fight them.” 9They tried to turn him back: “We cannot. Let us save our own lives now, and come back later, with our brothers too, and fight them. We are few.” 10But Judas said, “Never! We will not do this thing and flee from them. If our time has drawn near, let us die with courage for our brothers’ sake, and leave no ground for reproach against our glory.” 11The army set out from its camp and took up positions to meet them. The cavalry was divided into two parts; the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, and so did the men of the front rank, all of them men of strength. Bacchides was on the right wing. 12The phalanx closed in from both sides, and they blared on their trumpets. Judas’s men sounded their trumpets too. 13The earth shook at the din of the armies, and the battle stayed locked from early morning until evening. 14Judas saw that Bacchides and the solid core of the army were on the right, and all the stout-hearted rallied to him. 15The right wing was crushed by them, and he pursued them as far as Mount Azotus. 16Those on the left wing saw the right wing crushed, and they wheeled round and came on the heels of Judas and his men from behind. 17The fighting grew heavy, and many fell dead on both sides. 18Judas fell, and the rest fled. 19Jonathan and Simon carried Judas their brother away and buried him in his ancestors’ tomb at Modein. 20They wept for him. All Israel beat their breasts for him in a great lament, and they mourned for many days, and they said, 21“How the mighty one has fallen, he who saved Israel!” 22The rest of the acts of Judas — his wars, the brave deeds he did, and his greatness — have not been written down, for there were very many of them.
Jonathan Takes Command
23After the death of Judas the lawless raised their heads throughout the territory of Israel, and all who work wrongdoing sprang up. 24In those days a very great famine struck, and the country went over to their side. 25Bacchides picked the ungodly men and set them up as masters of the country. 26They searched out and hunted down the friends of Judas and led them before Bacchides, who took vengeance on them and made sport of them. 27So there was great distress in Israel, such as there had not been since the day a prophet was last seen among them. 28Then all the friends of Judas gathered together and said to Jonathan, 29“Since your brother Judas died, there has been no man like him to go out and come in against the enemy, against Bacchides, and among those who hate our people. 30So now we have chosen you today to take his place as our ruler and leader, to fight our war.” 31At that time Jonathan accepted the leadership and rose up in place of Judas his brother. 32Bacchides learned of it and sought to kill him. 33Jonathan learned of it — Simon his brother too, and all his men — and they fled to the wilderness of Tekoa and camped by the water of the cistern of Asphar. 34Bacchides learned of it on the Sabbath day, and he himself came with all his army across the Jordan. 35Jonathan sent his brother, who led the company, to ask the Nabateans, his friends, to keep their baggage for them, of which there was a great deal. 36But the sons of Jambri from Medeba came out, seized John and everything he had, and went off with it. 37After these events word came to Jonathan and Simon his brother that the sons of Jambri were holding a great wedding and were bringing the bride from Nadabath with a large escort — the daughter of one of the powerful magnates of Canaan. 38Remembering the blood of their brother John, they went up and hid in the shelter of the mountain. 39They raised their eyes and looked, and there was a noisy throng with a great deal of baggage; and the bridegroom, his friends, and his brothers came out to meet them with tambourines and musicians and many weapons. 40They sprang from the ambush against them and killed them. Many fell dead, and the survivors fled to the mountain; and they seized all their spoil. 41The wedding turned to mourning, and the sound of their music to a dirge. 42So they took full vengeance for their brother’s blood, and they turned back to the marshland of the Jordan.
At the Jordan, and the End of Alcimus
43Bacchides heard of it, and on the Sabbath day he came with a large force as far as the banks of the Jordan. 44Jonathan said to his men, “Up now, let us fight for our lives! Today is not like yesterday or the day before. 45Look: battle in front of us and behind us; the waters of the Jordan on either hand, marsh and thicket too; and there is no room to turn aside. 46Now cry out to Heaven, so that you may be rescued from the hand of our enemies.” 47Battle was joined. Jonathan put out his hand to strike Bacchides, but he dodged away from him to the rear. 48Then Jonathan and those with him leaped into the Jordan and swam across to the other side, but the others did not cross the Jordan to come at them. 49About a thousand of the men with Bacchides fell that day. 50He returned to Jerusalem, and they built fortified towns in Judea: the stronghold at Jericho, and Emmaus, and Beth-horon, and Bethel, Timnath, Pharathon, and Tephon — walled high, with gates and bars. 51He placed a garrison in them to harass Israel. 52He fortified the town of Beth-zur, and Gezer, and the citadel, and he put troops in them and stores of food. 53He took the sons of the leading men of the country as hostages and kept them in custody in the citadel in Jerusalem. 54In the second month of the one hundred and fifty-third year, Alcimus ordered the wall of the inner court of the holy place torn down. He tore down the work of the prophets, and he began the demolition. 55At that time Alcimus was struck down, and his work was brought to a halt. His mouth was stopped and he was paralyzed; he could no longer speak a word or give instructions about his household. 56And at that time Alcimus died in great torment. 57Seeing that Alcimus was dead, Bacchides went back to the king, and the land of Judah was at rest for two years.
Bacchides Besieges Beth-basi
58Then all the lawless laid a plan: “Look, Jonathan and his men are living in quiet and feel secure. So now we will bring Bacchides up, and he will seize them all in a single night.” 59They went and consulted with him. 60He set out to come with a large force, and he sent letters in secret to all his allies in Judea, telling them to seize Jonathan and those with him. But they could not, because their plan became known. 61They laid hands on some fifty men of the country, the ringleaders of the wickedness, and killed them. 62Then Jonathan and Simon and those with them withdrew to Beth-basi in the wilderness. He rebuilt what had been torn down there, and they made it strong. 63Bacchides learned of it. He gathered his whole host and sent word to those from Judea. 64He came and encamped against Beth-basi, fought against it for many days, and built siege engines. 65Jonathan left Simon his brother in the town, went out into the countryside, and came with a band of men. 66He struck down Odomera and his brothers, and the sons of Phasiron in their encampment; and his men began to strike, and they moved up with their forces. 67Simon and those with him came out of the town and set fire to the siege engines. 68They fought against Bacchides, and he was crushed by them. They pressed him hard, for his plan and his expedition had come to nothing. 69He was furious with the lawless men who had advised him to come into the country, and he killed many of them. Then he resolved to go back to his own land. 70When Jonathan learned of it, he sent envoys to him to agree on peace and to have the captives given back to them. 71He agreed and did according to his terms, and he swore to him that he would seek no harm against him all the days of his life. 72He gave back to him the captives he had taken earlier from the land of Judah. Then he turned and went away to his own land, and he did not come into their territory again. 73So the sword ceased from Israel. Jonathan settled in Michmash and began to judge the people, and he wiped out the ungodly from Israel.
