1 About that time Sovereign Antioḵos travelling through the high countries heard it said that Elumais in the country of Paras was a city greatly renowned for riches, silver and gold;
2 and that there was a very rich temple in it in which were coverings of gold and breastplates and shields which Alexandres, son of Philippos the Makedonian sovereign, who reigned first among the Yawanites, had left there.
3 Therefore he came and sought to take the city, and to plunder it; but he was not able, because those of the city having had warning,
4 rose up against him in battle. So he fled and departed from there in great distress, and returned to Baḇel.
5 And there came one who brought him news of Paras, that the armies, which went against the land of Yahuḏah, were put to flight,
6 and that Lusias, who went out first with great strength was driven away by the Yahuḏim; and that they were strengthened by the armour and strength and store of plunder, which they had taken from the armies whom they had destroyed.
7 Also, that they had pulled down the abomination, which he had placed upon the altar in Yerushalayim, and that they had surrounded the Miqdash with high walls as before, and its city Bĕyth Tsur.
8 Now when the sovereign heard these words, he was astonished and distressed, so he laid himself down on his bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not resulted as he planned.
9 And there he stayed many days, for his grief increased further, and he thought that he would die.
10 So he called for all his friends, and said to them, “The sleep is gone from my eyes, and my heart fails for every concern.
11 “And I thought within myself, ‘Into what tribulation have I come, and how great a flood of misery it is, in which I now am!’ for I was respectable and well loved in my power.
12 “But now I remember the evils that I did at Yerushalayim, and that I took all the vessels of gold and silver that were there, and sent to destroy the inhabitants of Yahuḏah without reason.
13 “I perceive therefore, that for this reason these troubles have come upon me, and, see, I perish through great grief in a strange land.”
14 Then he called for Philippos, one of his friends, who he made ruler over all his reign,
15 and gave him the crown, and his robe, and his seal, so that he should bring up his son Antioḵos, and raise him up for the reign.
16 So Sovereign Antioḵos died there in the hundred and forty-ninth year.
17 Now when Lusias knew that the sovereign was dead, he appointed Antioḵos his son, whom he had brought up from youth to reign in his place, and his name he called Eupator.
18 About this time those that were in the fortress enclosed the Yisra’ĕlites round about the Miqdash, and continually sought their evil, and the strengthening of the gentiles.
19 Therefore Yahuḏah, intending to destroy them, called all the people together to besiege them.
20 So they came together, and besieged them in the hundred and fiftieth year, and he made mounts for shot against them, and other engines.
21 However some of those that were besieged escaped, to whom some wicked men of Yisra’ĕl joined themselves.
22 And they went to the sovereign, and said, “How long will it be till you execute judgment, and avenge our brothers?
23 “We have been willing to serve your father, and do as he would have us, and to obey his commands.
24 “For this reason those of our nation besiege the fortress, and are alienated from us! And as many of us as they could fall upon, they slew, and plundered our inheritance.
25 “Neither have they stretched out their hand against us alone, but also against their borders.
26 “And, see, this day they are besieging the fortress at Yerushalayim, to take it; the Miqdash also, and they have fortified Bĕyth Tsur.
27 “Therefore if you do not prevent them quickly, they will do greater matters than these, neither shall you be able to rule them.”
28 Now when the sovereign heard this, he was wroth, and gathered together all his associates and the captains of his army, and those that had charge of the horses.
29 There also came to him bands of hired soldiers from other reigns, and from islands of the sea,
30 so that the number of his army was a hundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants trained for battle.
31 These went through Eḏom, and encamped against Bĕyth Tsur, which they assaulted many days, making engines of battle. But those of Bĕyth Tsur came out, and burned them with fire, and fought bravely.
32 After this, Yahuḏah moved from the fortress, and encamped in Bĕyth Zeḵaryah, opposite the sovereign’s camp.
33 Then the sovereign rising very early, marched fiercely with his army toward Bĕyth Zeḵaryah, where his armies prepared for battle, and sounded the trumpets.
34 And so, that they might provoke the elephants to fight, they showed them the blood of grapes and mulberries.
35 And they divided the beasts among the armies, and for every elephant they appointed one thousand men, armed with coats of mail, and with bronze helmets on their heads. And besides this, for every beast were assigned five hundred of the best horsemen.
36 These were ready at every occasion. Wherever the beast was, and wherever the beast went, they went also, neither did they depart from it.
37 And upon the beasts there were strong wooden towers, which covered every one of them, and were girded tightly to them with devices. There were also, thirty-two strong men on every one that fought upon them, besides the Hodite that directed it.
38 As for the remainder of the horsemen, they positioned them on this side and that side of the two divisions of the army giving them signals what to do, and being armed all over among the ranks.
39 Now when the sun shone upon the shields of gold and bronze, the mountains glistened, and shone like lamps of fire.
40 So part of the sovereign’s army being spread over the high mountains, and part on the valleys below, marched on boldly and in formation.
41 Therefore all that heard the noise of their multitude, and the marching of the army, and the rattling of the armour, were moved; for the army was very great and mighty.
42 Then Yahuḏah and his army drew near, and joined in battle, and six hundred men of the sovereign’s army were slain.
43 Eli’ezer, also named Savaran, perceiving that one of the beasts armed with royal armour, was higher than all the rest, and supposing that the sovereign was upon him,
44 put himself in danger, so that he might deliver his people, and obtain a lasting name for himself.
45 Therefore he ran upon him courageously through the midst of the battle, slaying on the right hand and on the left, so that they were divided from him on both sides.
46 Having done so, he crept under the elephant, and thrust it underneath, and slew it, so the elephant fell down upon him, and he died there.
47 However the rest of the Yahuḏim, seeing the strength of the sovereign, and the violence of his forces, turned away from them.
48 Then the sovereign’s army went up to Yerushalayim to meet them, and the sovereign pitched his tents against Yahuḏah, and against Mount Tsiyon.
49 But he made peace with those that were in Bĕyth Tsur; for they came out of the city, because they had no food there to endure the siege, being a year of rest for the land.
50 So the sovereign took Bĕyth Tsur, and appointed a garrison there to guard it.
51 As for the Miqdash, he besieged it many days, and appointed siege engines there with weapons and instruments to throw fire and stones, and catapults and weapons to shoot arrows.
52 So they also made engines against their engines, and withheld them in battle a long time.
53 Yet in the end, their containers being without food – for it was the seventh year, and those in Yahuḏah that were delivered from the gentiles had eaten up the remains of the store.
54 So there were only a few left in the Miqdash, and because the scarcity of food prevailed against them, they were compelled to disperse themselves, every man to his own place.
55 At that time Lusias heard it said, that Philippos – whom Antioḵos the sovereign, while he lived – had appointed to bring up his son Antioḵos to be sovereign;
56 had returned from Paras and Maḏai, and the sovereign’s army that also went with him, and that he planned to seize the control of affairs for himself.
57 Therefore he went in haste, and said to the sovereign and the captains of the army and the company, “We diminish daily, and our food runs short, and the place we lay siege to is strong, and the affairs of the reign lie upon us.
58 “Now therefore let us be friends with these men, and make peace with them, and with all their nation;
59 and make a covenant with them, that they shall live after their Laws, as they did before. For they are displeased because we abolished their Laws, and therefore, have done all these matters.”
60 So the sovereign and the princes were pleased; therefore he sent to them to make peace, and they accepted.
61 The sovereign and the princes also made an oath to them, so they went out of the stronghold.
62 Then the sovereign entered into Mount Tsiyon; but when he saw the strength of the place, he broke his oath that he had made, and gave command to pull down the wall round about.
63 Afterward he departed in haste, and returned to Antioḵeia, where he found Philippos to be master of the city. So he fought against him, and took the city by force.