The First Campaign of Lysias

¹A short time after this, Lysias became very displeased with what had happened. Lysias was the king’s guardian and second-in-command, and he was a member of the royal family.

²He gathered eighty thousand soldiers and all his horsemen with the intention of capturing Jerusalem and making it a Greek settlement.

³He intended to tax the Temple, as he did the shrines of other nations, and to auction off the office of high priest every year.

⁴He had no regard for the power of God but proudly trusted in his numerous foot soldiers, thousands of horsemen, and eighty elephants.

⁵He came into Judea and approached Beth-zur, a fortified place about twenty miles from Jerusalem. He began to vigorously attack it.[#11:5 Greek 5 stadia. The meaning of 5 stadia here is uncertain, since it would normally equal about half a mile and the actual distance between Beth-zur and Jerusalem is about 20 miles [32 kilometers].]

⁶When Maccabeus and his men learned that the strongholds were under siege, everyone cried out to the Lord. With tears they begged him to send a good angel to rescue Israel.

⁷Maccabeus himself was the first to take up arms, and he urged the others to follow him into battle in order to help their fellow Jews. So they rushed out together.

⁸While they were still near Jerusalem, a horseman in white clothing appeared to them brandishing gold weapons.

⁹Together they praised the merciful God and took such courage that they were ready to assault not only the men but also the fiercest beasts and walls of iron.

¹⁰So they advanced in battle formation, having a heavenly ally, the merciful Lord.

¹¹Like lions they leaped on the enemy, killing eleven thousand foot soldiers and sixteen hundred horsemen and sending all the rest fleeing for their lives.

¹²Most of those who fled were wounded and without weapons. Even Lysias was forced to flee in shame.

¹³But Lysias was not stupid. He saw the loss he had suffered and realized that the Hebrews could not be overcome, because the mighty God fought along with them. So Lysias sent a message to them,

¹⁴urging them to settle everything on just terms and promising to make the king their friend.

¹⁵Maccabeus thought about what would be best for everyone, so he accepted Lysias’s offer. The king, in turn, consented to all the Jews’ requests, which Maccabeus had submitted in writing to Lysias.

¹⁶Lysias wrote the following letter to the Jews:

²²The king had written this letter to Lysias:

²⁷The king’s letter to the Jews was as follows:

³⁴The Romans also sent a letter to the Jews, which reads as follows: