1 In the one hundred and fiftieth year, Dĕmĕtrios the son of Seleukus departed from Rome, and came up with a few men to a city of the sea coast, and reigned there.
2 And as he entered into the palace of his ancestors, it had come to pass, that his army had taken Antioḵos and Lusias, to bring them to him.
3 Therefore, when he knew it, he said, “Do not let me see their faces.”
4 So his army slew them. Now when Dĕmĕtrios was appointed to the throne of his reign,
5 there came to him all the wicked and evil men of Yisra’ĕl, having Elyaqim, who desired to be kohĕn ha’gadol, as their captain.
6 And they accused the people before the sovereign, saying, “Yahuḏah and his brothers have slain all your friends, and driven us out of our own land.
7 “Now therefore, send some man whom you trust, and let him go and see what disorder he has made among us, and in the sovereign’s land, and let him punish them with all those that assist them.”
8 Then the sovereign chose Bakḵidĕs, a friend of the sovereign, who ruled beyond the River, and was a great man in the reign, and trustworthy to the sovereign,
9 and he sent him with the wicked Elyaqim, whom he made kohĕn ha’gadol, and commanded that he should take vengeance on the children of Yisra’ĕl.
10 So they departed, and came with a large force into the land of Yahuḏah, where they sent messengers to Yahuḏah and his brothers with peaceable words, deceitfully.
11 But they gave no heed to their words, for they saw that they had come with a large force.
12 Then a company of scribes gathered to Elyaqim and Bakḵidĕs, to require right-ruling.
13 Now the Ḥasiḏim were the first among the children of Yisra’ĕl that sought peace from them,
14 for they said, “One that is a kohĕn of the seed of Aharon has come with this army, and he will do us no wrong.”
15 So he spoke to them peaceably, and swore to them, saying, “We will neither do evil to you nor your friends.”
16 So they believed him; however he took from them sixty men, and slew them in one day, to fill the words which are written:
17 “The flesh of your qodeshim they have thrown out, and their blood they have shed round about Yerushalayim, with no one to bury them.”
18 Therefore the fear and dread of them fell upon all the people, who said, “There is neither truth nor righteousness in them; for they have broken the covenant and oath that they made.”
19 After this, Bakḵidĕs moved from Yerushalayim, and pitched his tents in Bĕyth Zatha, where he sent and took many of the men that had forsaken him, and some of the people also, and when he had slain them, he threw them into a large pit.
20 Then he entrusted the land to Elyaqim, and left with him a force to assist him; so Bakḵidĕs returned to the sovereign.
21 But Elyaqim contended to be kohĕn ha’gadol.
22 And all those who troubled the people assembled to him, who, after they had taken the land of Yahuḏah into their power, did much evil in Yisra’ĕl.
23 Now when Yahuḏah saw all the evil that Elyaqim and his company had done among the Yisra’ĕlites, even more than the gentiles,
24 he went out to all the coastlands of Yahuḏah round about, and took vengeance on those that had revolted from him, so that they no longer dared go out into the country.
25 On the other side, when Elyaqim saw that Yahuḏah and his army had gotten the upper hand, and knew that he was not able to withstand their strength, he went again to the sovereign, and said all the worst about them that he could.
26 Then the sovereign sent Nikanor, one of his honourable princes, a man that bore deadly hatred for Yisra’ĕl, with a command to destroy the people.
27 So Nikanor came to Yerushalayim with a large force, and sent to Yahuḏah and his brothers deceitfully with friendly words, saying,
28 “Let there be no battle between me and you. I will come with a few men, that I may see you in peace.”
29 Therefore he came to Yahuḏah, and they greeted one another peaceably; however the enemies were prepared to take away Yahuḏah with violence.
30 After this matter was known to Yahuḏah, to know that he came to him with deceit, he was very afraid of him, and would no longer see his face.
31 Also, when Nikanor saw that his plan was discovered, went out to fight against Yahuḏah beside Kephar Salem,
32 where about five thousand men were slain from Nikanor’s side, and the rest fled to the city of Dawiḏ.
33 After this went Nikanor up to Mount Tsiyon, and some of the kohĕnim and some of the elders of the people came out of the Miqdash, to greet him peaceably, and to show him the burnt offering that was offered for the sovereign.
34 But he mocked them, and laughed at them, and abused them shamefully, and spoke proudly,
35 and swore in his wrath, saying, “Unless Yahuḏah and his army are now delivered into my hands, if I ever come again in safety, I will burn up this House!” and with that he went out in a great rage.
36 Then the kohenim entered in, and stood before the altar and the Hĕyḵal weeping, and saying,
37 “You, O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, chose this House to be called by Your Name, and to be a House of prayer and petition for Your people.
38 “Be avenged on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword. Remember their blasphemies, and do not allow them to continue any longer.”
39 So Nikanor went out of Yerushalayim, and pitched his tents in Bĕyth Ḥoron, where an army out of Suria met him.
40 But Yahuḏah pitched in Ḥaḏashah with three thousand men, and he prayed there saying,
41 “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, when those that were sent from the sovereign of Ashshur blasphemed, Your messenger went out, and smote a hundred and eighty-five thousand of them.
42 “In the same way, destroy this army before us today, that the rest may know that he has spoken blasphemy against Your Miqdash, and judge him according to his wickedness.”
43 So on the thirteenth day of the month Aḏar the armies joined in battle, but Nikanor’s army was defeated, and he himself was the first slain in the battle.
44 Now when Nikanor’s army saw that he was slain, they threw down their weapons, and fled.
45 Then they pursued after them a day’s journey, from Ḥaḏashah to Gezer, sounding a shout after them with their trumpets.
46 So they came out from all of the towns of Yahuḏah round about and closed them in, so that they, turning back upon those that pursued them, were all slain with the sword, and not one of them was left.
47 Afterward they took the spoils, and the plunder, and smote off Nikanor’s head, and his right hand, which he stretched out so proudly, and took them away, and hanged them up toward Yerushalayim.
48 Because of this the people rejoiced greatly, and they kept that day as a day of great gladness.
49 And they ordained to guard this day yearly, being the thirteenth of Aḏar.
50 Thus the land of Yahuḏah was at rest a little while.