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[1]I in the meane season, whe Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his hoast was slaine in the fielde, he proceeded further to send Bacchides and Alcimus againe into Iurie, & the chiefe strength of his hoast with them.
[2]So they went foorth by the way that leadeth vnto Galgala, and pitched their tentes before Masaloth (which is in Arbellis) and wan the citie and slue much people.
[3]In the first moneth of the hundred fiftie and two yere, they brought their hoast and layde their siege against Hierusalem:
[4]But raysing their campe, they came to Berea with twentie thousand footemen, and two thousand horsemen.
[5]Nowe Iudas had pitched his tent at Laisa, with three thousand chosen men,
[6]And when they sawe the multitude of the other armie that it was so great, they were sore afrayde, and many conueyed them selues out of the hoast, insomuch that there abode no mo of them but eyght hundred men.
[7]When Iudas sawe that his hoast failed him, and that he must needes fight, it brake his heart, that he had no time to gather them together: wherefore the man was in extreme trouble.
[8]Neuerthelesse, he saide vnto them that remayned with him: Up, let vs go against our enemies, peraduenture we shall be able to fight with them.
[9]But they woulde haue stopped him, saying, We shall not be able: therefore now let vs saue our lyues, and turne againe to our brethren: for shoulde we fight against them, being so fewe?
[10]And Iudas saide, God forbyd that we should flee from them: wherefore if our time be come, let vs dye manfully for our brethren, and let vs not stayne our honour.
[11]Then the hoast remoued out of the tentes, and stoode against them, and the horseme were deuided in two partes: the sling casters and archers went before the hoast, and all the mightie men were formost in the fielde.
[12]Bacchides him selfe was in the right wing of the battaile, and the hoast drew nye in two partes, and blewe the trumpettes.
[13]They of Iudas side blewe the trumpettes also, and the earth shooke at the noyse of the hoastes: and they strake a fielde from the morowe till night.
[14]And when Iudas sawe that Bacchides hoast was strongest of the right side, he toke with him all the hardie men,
[15]And brake the right wing of their order, & folowed vpon them vnto mount Azot.
[16]Now when they which were the left wing, sawe that the right side was discomfited, they persecuted Iudas and them that were with him hard at the heeles.
[17]Then was there a sore battaile: for many were slaine & wounded on both the partes.
[18]Iudas also him selfe was killed, and the remnaunt fled.
[19]So Ionathas and Simon toke Iudas their brother, and buried him in his fathers sepuchre in the citie of Modin.
[20]And al the people of Israel made great lamentatio for him, and mourned long, saying:
[21]Alas that this worthy should be slaine, which deliuered the people of Israel.
[22]As for other thinges pertayning to the battailes of Iudas, the noble actes that he did, and of his worthynes, they are not written, for they were very many.
[23]Now after the death of Iudas, wicked men came vp in al the coastes of Israel, & there arose all such as did worke vngodlinesse.
[24]In those dayes was there a great dearth in the lande, and all the countrie gaue ouer them selues and theirs vnto Bacchides.
[25]So Bacchides chose wicked men, and made them lordes in the lande.
[26]These sought out and made search for Iudas friendes, and brought them vnto Bacchides, whiche auenged him selfe vpon them with great dispite.
[27]And there came so great trouble in Israel, as was not since the time that no prophete was seene there.
[28]Then came all Iudas friendes together, and sayde vnto Ionathas:
[29]Forsomuch as thy brother Iudas is dead, there is none like him to go foorth against our enemies, against Bacchides and such as are aduersaries of our owne people:
[30]Wherefore this day we choose thee for him, to be our prince and captayne, to order our battayle.
[31]And Ionathas toke the gouernaunce vpon him at the same time, and ruled in steade of his brother Iudas.
[32]When Bacchides gat knowledge therof, he sought for to slay hym.
[33]But Ionathas & Simon his brother perceauing that, fled into the wildernesse of Thecua with al their campanie, and pitched their tentes by the water poole of Asphar.
[34]Which when Bacchides vnderstoode, he came ouer Iordane with al his hoast vpon the Sabbath day.
[35]Nowe had Ionathas sent his brother [Ihon] a captayne of the people, to pray his friendes the Nabuthites, that they would lende them their ordinaunce, for they had much.
[36]So the children of Iambri came out of Madaba, and toke Ihon and all that he had, and went their way withall when they had taken it.
[37]Then came worde vnto Ionathas and Simon his brother, that the children of Iambri made a great mariage, & brought the bride from Madaba with great pompe: for she was daughter to one of the noblest princes of Chanaan.
[38]Wherefore they remembred the blood of Ihon their brother, and went vp, and hyd them selues vnder the shadowe of the mountayne.
[39]So they lift vp their eyes, and loked, & beholde there was much a do & great preparation: for the brydegrome came foorth, and his friendes and his brethren mette them with tympanies, instrumentes of musicke, and many weapons.
[40]Then Ionathas and they that were with hym, rose out of their lurking places against them, and slue many of them: and the remnaunt fled into the mountaynes, and they toke all their substaunce.
[41]Thus the mariage was turned to mourning, and the noyse of their melody into lamentation.
[42]And so when they had auenged the blood of their brother, they turned againe vnto Iordane.
[43]Bacchides hearing this, came vnto the very border of Iordane with a great power, vpon the Sabbath day.
[44]And Ionathas sayd to his companie, Let vs get vp, & fight against our enemies: for it standeth not with vs to day, as in time past.
[45]Behold, our enemies are in our way, the water of Iordane vpon the one side of vs, with banckes, fennes, and woods on the other side, so that there is no place for vs to depart vnto.
[46]Wherefore crye nowe vnto heauen, that ye may be deliuered from the power of your enemies: So they stroke the battayle.
[47]And Ionathas stretched out his hande to smyte Bacchides, but he fled backwarde.
[48]Then Ionathas and they that were with him, leapt into Iordane, & swimmed ouer Iordane vnto the further banke: but the other woulde not passe ouer Iordane after him.
[49]And there were slayne of Bacchides side that day a thousande men.
[50]Therfore Bacchides with his hoast turned againe to Hierusalem, and buylt vp the castles and strong holdes that were in Iurie, Iericho, Emaus, Bethoron, Bethel, Thamnata, Phara, and Thopo, with hye walles, with portes, and with lockes:
[51]And set men to kepe them, that they might vse their malice vpon Israel.
[52]He walled vp the citie Bethsura, Gazara, and the castle, and prouided them with men and vittayles.
[53]He toke also the chiefest mens sonnes in the countrey for pledges, & put them in the castle at Hierusalem to be kept.
[54]Afterwarde in the hundred fyftie and three yere, in the seconde moneth, Alcimus commaunded that they should destroy the walles of the inwarde court of the sanctuarie, and he pulled downe and began to destroy the monumentes of the prophetes,
[55]But at the same time Alcimus was plagued and smitten with a paulsie, and his enterprises were hindered, & his mouth was stopped [by God] so that he could no more speake nor commaunde any of his house concerning his businesse.
[56]Thus died Alcimus in great miserie at the same time.
[57]And when Bacchides sawe that Alcimus was dead, he turned againe to the king: & so the land was in rest two yeres.
[58]Then all the vngodly men held a counsell, saying: Behold, Ionathas and his company are at ease, and dwel without care, wherefore let vs bring Bacchides hyther, and he shall take them all in one night.
[59]So they went and gaue Bacchides this counsell.
[60]Which arose to come with a great hoast, & sent letters priuily to his adherentes which were in Iurie, to take Ionathas and those that were with hym: but they might not, for the other had gotten knowledge of their deuice.
[61]And Ionathas toke fyftie men of the countrey, whiche were the ringleaders of them, and slue them.
[62]Then Ionathas & Simon with their companie departed vnto the citie Bethbasin, whiche lyeth in the wildernesse, and repaired the decay therof, and made it strong.
[63]When Bacchides knewe this, he gathered all his hoast, and sent word to them that were in Iurie.
[64]Then came he & layed siege to Bethbasin, and fought against it a long season, and made instrumentes of warre.
[65]Nowe Ionathas left his brother Simon in the citie, and went foorth hym selfe into the countrey, and came with a certayne number,
[66]And slue Odomeras and his brethren, and the children of Phaseron in their tentes, so that he began to be strong and to increase in power.
[67]As for Simon and his companie, they went out of the citie, and brent vp the instrumentes of warre,
[68]And fought against Bacchides, and discomfited him: and Bacchides was sore vexed, because his counsell and trauayle was in vayne.
[69]Wherfore he was wroth at the wicked men that gaue him counsel to come into their land, & slue many of them: Then purposed he with his companie to go away into his owne countrey.
[70]Wherof when Ionathas had knowledge, he sent ambassadours vnto hym for to make peace with hym, and that he shoulde deliuer him his prisoners againe.
[71]To the whiche Bacchides consented gladly, and dyd according to his desire: yea & made an oth that he should neuer do him harme all the dayes of his lyfe.
[72]So he restored vnto him all the prisoners that he had taken out of the lande of Iuda, and then turned and went his way into his owne land, neither proceeded he any further to come vnto the borders of Iuda.
[73]Thus Israel had no more warre, and Ionathas dwelt at Machmas, and began there to gouerne the people, and destroyed the vngodly men out of Israel.
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