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1When the surrounding Gentile peoples heard that the altar and sanctuary had been restored, they became very angry.
2Determined to destroy all of Jacob’s descendants living among them, they began to persecute and kill the people.
3Judas fought against Esau’s descendants at Akrabattene in Idumea because they were attacking the Israelites there. The Idumeans were thoroughly humiliated in defeat and were stripped of their valuables and weapons.
4Judas also avenged the evil deeds of the sons of Baean, who constantly threatened travelers by ambushing them along the roads.
5Judas chased them into their fortified towers and surrounded them. Then, calling a curse down on them, he set the towers on fire and burned them down with everyone inside.[#5:5 Or vowing their destruction.]
6Next, Judas crossed over to attack the Ammonites and found a strong and numerous army under the command of Timothy.
7After fighting many battles with them, he routed them and cut them to pieces.
8He captured the town of Jazer and its nearby villages. Then he returned to Judea.
9Now the Gentiles in Gilead banded together against the Israelites in their area and plotted to destroy them. But these Israelites fled to the fortress of Dathema.
10From there they sent this letter to Judas and his brothers:
14While this letter was being read, other messengers came from Galilee with their clothes torn. They had similar news:
15“Everyone in Ptolemais, Tyre, and Sidon has joined with the Gentiles of Galilee to destroy us.”
16When Judas and the people heard these reports, they held a large meeting to decide how to help their fellow Israelites who were being attacked by their enemies.
17Judas said to his brother Simon, “Choose your men and rescue your fellow Israelites in Galilee; Jonathan and I will go to Gilead.”
18He left Joseph son of Zechariah and Azariah, a leader of the people, to guard Judea with the rest of the army.
19He gave them these instructions: “Take charge of these people, but do not begin fighting the Gentiles until we return.”
20Three thousand men were assigned to accompany Simon into Galilee, and Judas led eight thousand men into Gilead.
21Simon invaded Galilee, and after fighting many battles, he completely crushed the Gentile forces there.
22He chased them all the way to the gate of Ptolemais. Almost three thousand Gentiles were killed, and Simon captured all their belongings.
23He led the Jews who were in Galilee and in Arbatta—together with their wives, children, and possessions—to Judea with great celebration.
24Judas Maccabeus and his brother Jonathan crossed the Jordan River and marched for three days into the wilderness.
25There they met the Nabateans, who received them peacefully. The Nabateans told them all that had been happening to the Israelites in Gilead.[#5:25 The Nabateans were from Arabia.]
26They related that many had been trapped in Bozrah, Bosor, Alema, Chaspho, Maked, and Karnaim (all of which were large and fortified cities).
27They said that Jews were also being held captive in the other towns of Gilead. The enemy planned to attack these towns the next day, and then they would capture and destroy all the Jews at once.
28Judas and his army quickly marched back by the wilderness road to Bozrah and captured that town. They killed every male by the sword, carried away all their goods, and burned the town.
29They left Bozrah by night and marched until they came to the fortress of Dathema.[#5:29 Greek lacks of Dathema; see 5:9.]
30At dawn they saw a great number of soldiers carrying ladders and battering rams to attack the fortress and capture the Jews.
31Judas saw that the fight had just begun and that the battle cry of the people was going up to heaven with trumpet blasts and shouts.
32He shouted to his army, “Fight today for your fellow Israelites!”
33Then Judas’s men advanced from behind the enemy in three companies while sounding trumpets and crying aloud in prayer.
34When the men of Timothy’s army realized it was Maccabeus, they fled from him. Judas’s army inflicted a crushing defeat, killing about eight thousand men that day.
35Judas then turned to Alema, assaulted and captured it, killed all the males, carried away all the goods, and burned it.[#5:35 Some manuscripts read to Maapha.]
36From there he marched on and captured Chaspho, Maked, Bosor, and the rest of the towns of Gilead.
37Following his defeat, Timothy assembled another army and set up camp just across the streambed from Raphon.
38Judas sent scouts to survey the enemy camp, and they returned to report, “All the Gentiles from the region have gathered to form a great army under Timothy’s command;
39they have also hired Arab reinforcements. They are camped on the opposite side of the streambed, ready to fight you.” So Judas went forward to attack them.
40As Judas approached, Timothy said to his officers, “If Judas comes to the streambed and crosses it, we will not be able to resist him; he will certainly get the better of us.
41But if his courage fails and he sets up camp on the other side, we will cross over and crush him.”
42When Judas came near the stream, he stationed the officers of the army on the bank, ordering them, “Don’t let anyone stay behind to set up camp. Send everyone into battle.”[#5:42 Greek scribes of the people.]
43Judas himself led the charge across the streambed, and his entire army followed. They routed the Gentile forces, who fled to the temple area in Karnaim, discarding their weapons as they ran.
44But Judas captured Karnaim and burned out the temple area with everyone in it. So Karnaim was subdued, and all resistance against Judas ceased.
45Then Judas gathered together all the Israelites who were in Gilead, from the least to the greatest—with their wives, children, and possessions—and he led this large company back to Judea.[#5:45 Greek to the land of Judah; also in 5:53, 68.]
46Along the way they came to Ephron, a large city that was strongly fortified. They could not go around it, either to the right or left, so they had to go through it.
47But the people in the city shut themselves in and barricaded the gates with stones.
48Judas sent them a message of peace, saying, “Let us pass through your territory to get to our own. No one will harm you. We will only pass through on foot.” But they refused to open the gates for him.
49So Judas issued orders for all his troops to set up where they were.
50His army prepared for battle and attacked the city all that day and through the night until the city fell to them.
51Judas and his men killed every male by the sword, carried away their possessions, and completely destroyed the city. Then they marched through the city over the bodies of the dead.
52They crossed the Jordan River to the great plain near Beth-shan.
53Judas hurried the stragglers and encouraged the people all the way until they reached Judea.
54Then with joy and gladness they climbed Mount Zion, where they offered burnt offerings, for none of them had been killed and all had returned safely.
55Now while Judas and Jonathan were in Gilead and their brother Simon was in Galilee outside Ptolemais,
56Joseph son of Zechariah and Azariah, commanders of the soldiers in Judea, heard of the victories and the battles that had been fought.[#5:56 Greek lacks in Judea.]
57They said, “Let’s also make a name for ourselves by fighting the Gentiles around us.”
58So Joseph gave orders to his troops, and they marched against Jamnia.
59Gorgias and his men came out of the town to fight them.
60Joseph and Azariah were routed, and they were chased all the way to the borders of Judea. About two thousand Israelites were killed that day.
61This great defeat took place because they did not listen to Judas and his brothers. They thought they would do brave deeds themselves,
62but they were not from the family through whom deliverance was to come to Israel.
63Valiant Judas and his brothers, however, were greatly honored by all Israel, and their fame spread among the Gentiles.
64People rallied around and cheered for them.
65Judas and his brothers marched out and attacked the descendants of Esau in the land to the south. They captured Hebron and its surrounding towns, destroying their fortifications and burning down their perimeter towers.
66As Judas and his army headed for Philistia, they passed through Marisa.[#5:66 Some manuscripts read Samaria.]
67That day some priests were killed in battle, for they had foolishly decided to make a name for themselves in battle.
68Judas turned and marched to Azotus in Philistia. He tore down their altars, burned the statues of their gods, and carried away their possessions. Then he returned to Judea.