1 When these covenants were made, Lusias went to the sovereign, and the Yahuḏim were within their land.
2 But of the governors of several places, Timotheos and Apollonios the son of Genneus, also Hieronumos and Dĕmophon, and besides them, Nikanor the governor of Cyprus, would not allow them to be at rest and live in peace.
3 The men of Yapho also did a very wicked deed: they asked the Yahuḏim that dwelt among them to go with their wives and children into the boats which they had prepared, as though they had meant them no harm.
4 Who accepted according to the common decree of the city, desiring to live in peace and suspecting naught. But when they had gone out into the deep, they drowned no less than two hundred of them.
5 When Yahuḏah heard of this cruelty done to his countrymen, he commanded those that were with him to ready themselves.
6 And calling upon Elohim the righteous Judge, he came against those murderers of his brothers, and burned the harbour by night, and lit the boats on fire, and he slew those that attempted to flee.
7 And when the town was shut up, he withdrew, intending to return to root out all those of the city of Yapho.
8 But when he heard that the Yaḇne’ĕlites were planning to do the same to the Yahuḏim that dwelt among them,
9 he came upon the Yaḇne’ĕlites again by night, and lit the harbour on fire and the fleet, so that the light of the fire was seen at Yerushalayim two hundred and forty stadion away.
10 Now when they had gone nine stadion from there on their march against Timotheos, no less than five thousand footmen and five hundred Araḇian horsemen attacked him.
11 So there was a very fierce battle, but with the help of Elohim Yahuḏah’s side overcame. So the Nomads of Araḇia, having been overcome, begged Yahuḏah for peace, promising to give him both cattle and to fulfill other delights.
12 Then Yahuḏah, thinking that they would indeed be profitable in many ways, granted them peace. Therefore they shook hands, and so they departed to their tents.
13 He also constructed a bridge to a certain strong city, which was fortified around about with walls, and inhabited by people of various nations; and the name of it was Kasphor.
14 But those that were within put such trust in the strength of the walls and stores of food, that they behaved rudely toward those that were with Yahuḏah, cursing and blaspheming and speaking such words which should not be spoken.
15 Therefore Yahuḏah and his army – calling on 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 the Almighty of the world, who without rams or siege engines threw down Yeriḥo in the time of Yahoshua – gave a fierce assault against the walls,
16 and took the city by the desire of Elohim, and slew innumerable numbers so that an adjoining lake near there two stadion across, being full, was seen running with blood.
17 Then they moved on seven hundred and fifty stadion from there, and came to Ḵaraka to the Yahuḏim that are called Toḇians.
18 But as for Timotheos, they did not find him in the area, for before he had done any matter, he departed from there, having left a very strong garrison in a certain tower.
19 However Dosilheos and Sosipatros, who were Maqqaḇah’s captains went out and slew those that Timotheos had left in the fortress – over ten thousand men.
20 And Maqqaḇah arranged his army in divisions and appointed them over the divisions, and went against Timotheos, who had a hundred and twenty thousand footmen and two thousand five hundred horsemen with him.
21 Now when Timotheos knew of Yahuḏah’s approach, he sent the women and children and the extra baggage to a fortress called Qarnayim, because the town was hard to besiege, and difficult to assault because of the steepness of all the approaches.
22 But when Yahuḏah’s first division came into sight, the enemies fled, being smitten with fear and terror with the appearance of He who sees all things; one running this way, another that way, so that many of them were injured by their own men, and wounded with the points of their own swords.
23 Yahuḏah was also very earnest in pursuit of them, killing those wicked wretches, of whom he slew about thirty thousand men.
24 And Timotheos himself fell into the hands of Dositheos and Sosipatros, whom he begged with much guile to let him go with his life, because he had many of the Yahuḏim’s parents and the brothers of some of them, who if they put him to death, would be shown no regard.
25 So when he had assured them with many words that he would restore them without harm, they let him go according to the agreement for the deliverance of their brothers.
26 Then Maqqaḇah marched onward to Qarnayim and to the temple of Atarathĕh, and he slow twenty-five thousand people there.
27 And after he had put them to flight and destroyed them, Yahuḏah moved the army toward Ephron, a strong city in which Lusias dwelt, and a great multitude of various nations. And the strong young men guarded the walls, and also defended them mightily with a great supply of weapons and arrows inside.
28 But when Yahuḏah and his army had called upon Ĕl Shaddai, who with His power breaks the strength of His enemies, they took the city and slew twenty and five thousand of those that were in it.
29 From there they departed to Bĕyth She’an, which lies six hundred stadion from Yerushalayim.
30 But when the Yahuḏim that dwelt there had witnessed that the Skuthopolitans were friendly to them, and treated them kindly in the time of their adversity,
31 they thanked them, desiring them to continue being friendly toward them. And so they came to Yerushalayim – the Festival of Shaḇuoth approaching.
32 And after the Festival called Shaḇuoth, they went out against Gorgias the governor of Eḏom,
33 who came out with three thousand footmen and four hundred horsemen.
34 And it came to be that a few of the Yahuḏim were slain in the battle,
35 at which time Dositheos, one of Bakenor’s division who was a strong man and on horseback, was still upon Gorgias. And taking hold of his cloak dragged him with force. But when he would have taken that cursed man alive, a horseman of Thrakeia coming upon him cut off his arm, allowing Gorgias to flee to Marisa.
36 Now when those that were with Gorgias had fought long and were weary. Yahuḏah called upon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 that He would show Himself to be their Helper and Leader of the battle.
37 And with that, he began and sung psalms with a loud voice in his own language, and charging on Gorgias’ men unaware, he put them to flight.
38 So Yahuḏah gathered his army, and came into the city of Aḏullam, and when the seventh day came, they purified themselves, as was the custom, and kept the Shabbath in that very place.
39 And on the following day, as the practice had been, Yahuḏah and his army came to take up the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their relatives in their fathers’ graves.
40 Now under the cloaks of every one that was slain they found objects dedicated to the idols of Yaḇnĕh, which are forbidden by the Law for the Yahuḏim. Then every man saw that this was the reason why they had been slain.
41 All men therefore praised 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 the righteous Judge, who had revealed that which was hidden,
42 committed themselves to prayer, and begged Him that the sin committed might be completely blotted out of remembrance. Righteous Yahuḏah also encouraged the people to keep themselves from sin, because they saw before their eyes that which came upon those that were slain for their sins.
43 And when he had gathered from throughout the army the sum of two thousand draḵmas of silver, he sent it to Yerushalayim to offer a sin offering, acting very well and honourable in doing so, bearing in mind the resurrection.
44 For if he had not had expectancy that those that were slain would rise again, it would be unnecessary and worthless to pray for the dead.
45 And he also perceived that there was great favour stored up for those who died righteously, which was a qodesh and good thought. So he made an atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin.