1 Now when the nations round about heard that the altar was built and the Miqdash renewed as before, it displeased them very much.
2 Therefore they thought to destroy the generation of Ya’aqoḇ that was among them, and so they began to slay and destroy the people.
3 Then Yahuḏah fought against the children of Ĕsaw in Eḏom at Aqrabbim, because they besieged Ga’al. And he gave them a great overthrow, and weakened their resolve, and took their spoil.
4 He also remembered the wrong of the children of Be’an, who had been a snare and an offense to the people, in that they lay in wait for them in the ways.
5 Therefore He enclosed them in the towers, and encamped against them, and destroyed them utterly, and burned the towers of that place with fire, and all that were in them.
6 Afterward, he passed over to the children of Ammon, where he found many people of great strength, with Timotheos their captain.
7 So he fought many battles with them, till at length they were defeated before him; and he smote them.
8 And when he had taken Ya’zĕr, with the towns belonging to it, he returned to Yahuḏah.
9 Then the gentiles that were at Gil’aḏ assembled themselves together against the Yisra’ĕlites that were in their borders, to destroy them. But they fled to the fortress of Dathema,
10 and sent letters to Yahuḏah and his brothers: “The gentiles that are round about us are assembled together against us to destroy us,
11 and they are preparing to come and take the fortress where we have fled, Timotheos being captain of their army.
12 “Come now therefore, and deliver us from their hands, for many of us are slain.
13 “Even all our brothers that were in the places of Toḇ are put to death. They have also taken their wives and their children captive, and carried away their goods, and they have destroyed about one thousand men there.”
14 While these letters were still being read, see, other messengers came from Galil with their garments torn, who reported on this way,
15 and said, “They of Ptolemais, and of Tsor, and Tsiḏon, and all Galil of the gentiles, are assembled together against us to destroy us!”
16 Now when Yahuḏah and the people heard these words, there assembled a great assembly together, to consult what they should do for their brothers who were in trouble, and under attack.
17 Then Yahuḏah said to Shim’on his brother, “Choose men, and go and deliver your brothers that are in Galil, for I and Yahonathan my brother will go into the country of Gil’aḏ.”
18 So he left Yosĕph the son of Zeḵaryah, and Azaryah, captains of the people, with the remainder of the army in Yahuḏah to guard it;
19 to whom he gave command, saying, “Take charge of this people, and see that you do not fight against the gentiles until the time that we return.”
20 Now to Shim’on were given three thousand men to go to Galil, and to Yahuḏah, eight thousand men for the country of Gil’aḏ.
21 Then Shim’on went to Galil, where he fought many battles with the gentiles, so that the gentiles were defeated by him.
22 And he pursued them to the gate of Ptolemais, and about three thousand men of the gentiles were slain, whose spoil he took.
23 And those that were in Galil and in Araḇoth with their wives and their children and all that they had, he took away with him, and brought them to Yahuḏah with great joy.
24 Yahuḏah Maqqaḇah and his brother Yahonathan also went over the Yardĕn, and traveled three days’ journey in the wilderness,
25 where they met with the Naḇothites who came to them in a peaceable manner, and told them all that had befallen their brothers in the land of Gil’aḏ,
26 and how many of them were shut up in Botsrah, and Besor, and Almon, Kaphtor, Maqqĕḏah, and Qarnayim – all these cities, strong and great –
27 and that they were shut up in the rest of the cities of the country of Gil’aḏ, and that the next day they had appointed to bring their army against the forts, and to take them, and to destroy them all in one day.
28 So Yahuḏah and his army turned suddenly by the way of the wilderness to Botsrah; and when he had won the city, he slew all the males with the edge of the sword and took all their spoil, and burned the city with fire.
29 From there he moved by night, and went till he came to the fortress.
30 And early in the morning they looked up, and see, there was an innumerable multitude carrying ladders and other engines of battle, to take the fortress, for they assaulted them.
31 Therefore when Yahuḏah saw that the battle had begun, and that the cry of the city went up to the shamayim, with trumpets, and a great noise,
32 he said to his army, “Fight this day for your brothers!”
33 So he went out behind them in three companies, who sounded their trumpets, and cried with prayer.
34 Then the army of Timotheos, knowing that it was Maqqaḇah, fled from him. Therefore he smote them with a great slaughter, so that about eight thousand men of them were killed that day.
35 This done, Yahuḏah turned aside to Mitspah; and after he had attacked it, he took and slew all the males there, and took the spoil from there and burned it with fire.
36 From there, he went and took Kasphor, Meḡiddo, Besor, and the other cities of the country of Gil’aḏ.
37 After these events, Timotheos gathered another army and encamped against Raphah beyond the wadi.
38 So Yahuḏah sent men to spy out the army, who brought him word saying, “All the gentiles that are round about us are assembled to them, even a very great army.
39 “He has also hired the Araḇians to help them and they have pitched their tents beyond the wadi, ready to come and fight against you.” Hearing this Yahuḏah went to meet them.
40 Then Timotheos said to the captains of his army, “When Yahuḏah and his army come near the wadi, if he passes over to us first, we shall not be able to withstand him; for he will mightily overcome us.
41 “But if he is afraid, and encamps beyond the river, we shall go over to him, and overcome him.”
42 Now when Yahuḏah came near the wadi, he made the scribes of the people remain by the wadi, to whom he gave command saying, “Allow no man to remain in the camp, but let all come to the battle.”
43 So he went over to them first, and all the people after him. Then all the gentiles being defeated before him, threw away their weapons and fled to the temple that was at Qarnayim.
44 But they took the city and burned the temple with all that were in it. Thus Qarnayim was subdued, neither could they stand any longer before Yahuḏah.
45 Then Yahuḏah gathered together all the Yisra’ĕlites that were in the country of Gil’aḏ, from the least to the greatest, even their wives and their children and their goods – a very great company – so that they might come to the land of Yahuḏah.
46 Now when they came to Ephron, – this was a great city in the way they were going; very well fortified – they could not turn from it, either to the right hand or the left, but had to pass through the midst of it.
47 Then those of the city shut them out, and stopped up the gates with stones.
48 So Yahuḏah sent to them in a peaceable manner saying, “Let us pass through your land to go to our own country and none shall do you any harm. We will only pass through on foot.” However, they would not open to him.
49 Therefore Yahuḏah called a command to be made throughout the army, that every man should pitch his tent in the place where he was.
50 So the soldiers encamped, and attacked the city all that day and all that night, till in the end the city was delivered into his hands;
51 who then slew all the males with the edge of the sword and tore down the city and took the spoil from there, and passed through the city over those that were slain.
52 After this, went they over the Yardĕn into the great plain before Bĕyth She’an.
53 And Yahuḏah gathered together those that came behind and encouraged the people all the way through till they came to the land of Yahuḏah.
54 So they went up to Mount Tsiyon with joy and gladness, where they offered burnt offerings – because not one of them were slain – until they had returned in peace.
55 Now during the time Yahuḏah and Yahonathan were in the land of Gil’aḏ and Shim’on his brother in Galil before Ptolemais,
56 Yosĕph the son of Zeḵaryah and Azaryah, captains of the garrisons, heard of the brave acts and mighty deeds which they had done.
57 So they said, “Let us also get ourselves a name, and go fight against the gentiles that are round about us.”
58 So when they had given charge to the garrison that was with them, they went toward Yaḇneh.
59 Then Gorgias and his men came out of the city to fight against them.
60 And so it was, that Yosĕph and Azaryah were put to flight, and pursued to the borders of Yahuḏah, and about two thousand men of the people of Yisra’ĕl were slain that day.
61 So there was a great overthrow among the children of Yisra’ĕl, because they were not obedient to Yahuḏah and his brothers, but thought to do some mighty deed.
62 But these men did not come from the seed of those by whose hand deliverance was given to Yisra’ĕl.
63 However, the man Yahuḏah and his brothers were greatly renowned in the sight of all Yisra’ĕl and of all the gentiles wherever their name was heard of;
64 so that the the people assembled to them with joyful cheers.
65 Afterward Yahuḏah went out with his brothers and fought against the children of Ĕsaw in the land toward the south, where he smote Ḥebron and its towns and pulled down its fortress and burned the towers round about.
66 From there he moved to go to the land of the Pelishtites and passed through Shomeron.
67 At that time some kohĕnim, wanting to show their courage, were slain in battle, for they went out to fight recklessly.
68 So Yahuḏah turned to Ashdoḏ in the land of the Pelishtites, and when he had pulled down their altars and burned their carved images with fire and plundered their cities, he returned to the land of Yahuḏah.