1 Furthermore, when Dĕmĕtrios heard that Nikanor and his army were slain in battle, he sent Bakḵidĕs and Elyaqim to the land of Yahuḏah a second time, and with them the main force of his army,
2 who went out by the way that leads to Gilgal, and pitched their tents before Mĕsaloth, which is in Arbela. And after they had won it, they slew much people.
3 Also, on the first month of the hundred and fifty-second year, they encamped before Yerushalayim.
4 From there they moved, and went to Beroia, with twenty thousand footmen and two thousand horsemen.
5 Now Yahuḏah had pitched his tents at El’asah, with three thousand chosen men with him,
6 who, seeing the multitude of the mighty army opposing him, was greatly afraid. Therefore many withdrew from the army, so that no more than eight hundred men of them stayed.
7 Therefore when Yahuḏah saw that his army slipped away, and that the battle pressed upon him, he was greatly troubled in mind and very distressed, for he had no time to assemble them together.
8 Nevertheless, to those that remained he said, “Let us arise and go up against our enemies, if possible we are able to defeat them.”
9 But they pleaded with him saying, “We shall never be able! Let us now rather save our lives, and afterward we will return with our brothers, and fight against them, for we are but a few.”
10 Then Yahuḏah said, “Elohim forbid that I should do this matter, and flee away from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our brothers, and let us not stain our honour.”
11 With that, the army of Bakḵidĕs moved out of their tents, and stood opposite them; their horsemen being divided into two companies, and their slingers and archers going before the army. And those that marched in the front were all mighty men.
12 As for Bakḵidĕs, he was in the right wing. So the army drew near to the two divisions, and sounded their trumpets.
13 Those of Yahuḏah’s side, even they also sounded their trumpets, so that the earth shook at the noise of the armies, and the battle continued from morning till night.
14 Now when Yahuḏah perceived that Bakḵidĕs and the strength of his army were on the right side, he took with him all the brave men,
15 who defeated the right wing, and pursued them to Mount Ashdoḏ.
16 But when those on the left wing saw that those on the right wing were defeated, they pursued Yahuḏah, and those that were with him hard at the heels from behind.
17 Therefore there was a great battle, so that many were slain on both sides.
18 Yahuḏah was also killed, and the remnant fled.
19 Then Yahonathan and Shim’on took Yahuḏah their brother, and buried him in the tomb of his fathers in Modi’im.
20 And they mourned him, and all Yisra’ĕl made a great lamentation for him, and mourned many days, saying,
21 “How the brave man has fallen that delivered Yisra’ĕl!”
22 As for the other matters concerning Yahuḏah and his battles, and the mighty deeds which he did, and his greatness, are they not written; for they were very many.
23 Now after the death of Yahuḏah, the wicked began to lift their heads in all the coasts of Yisra’ĕl, and there arose all those doing wickedness.
24 In those days there was also a very great scarcity of food; the land revolted because of this, and went with them.
25 Then Bakḵidĕs chose these wicked men, and made them masters of the land.
26 And they made inquiry and sought for Yahuḏah’s friends, and brought them to Bakḵidĕs, who took vengeance on them, and mistreated them.
27 So was there a great affliction in Yisrael, the like of which was not seen, since the time that a naḇi was among them.
28 Because of this, all Yahuḏah’s companions came together, and said to Yahonathan,
29 “Since your brother Yahuḏah died, we have no man like him to go out against our enemies, and Bakḵidĕs, and against those of our nation that are adversaries to us.
30 “Now therefore, we have chosen you today to be our leader and captain in his place, that you may fight our battles.”
31 Therefore, at that time Yahonathan took the authority upon himself, and rose up instead of his brother Yahuḏah.
32 But when Bakḵidĕs learned of this, he sought to slay him.
33 Then Yahonathan, and Shim’on his brother, and all that were with him, perceiving this, fled into the wilderness of Teqowa, and pitched their tents by the water of the pool Asphar.
34 When Bakḵidĕs knew, he came near to the Yardĕn with all his army on the Shabbath day.
35 Now Yahonathan had sent his brother Yoḥanan, a captain of the people, to ask his friends the Naḇothites, that they might leave with them their goods, which was much.
36 But the children of Yambri came out of Meyḏĕḇa, and took Yoḥanan, and all that he had, and went their way with it.
37 After this, word came to Yahonathan and Shim’on his brother, that the children of Yambri held a great marriage, and were bringing the bride, the daughter of one of the great princes of Kena’an from Naḏaḇath, with a great procession.
38 Therefore they remembered Yoḥanan their brother, and went up, and hid themselves under cover of the mountain,
39 where they lifted up their eyes, and looked, and, see, there was a great tumult and a great procession. And the bridegroom came out, and his friends and brothers, to meet them with tambourines and music and many instruments.
40 Then Yahonathan and those that were with him rose up against them from the place where they lay in ambush, and made a slaughter of them, so that many fell down dead, and the remnant fled into the mountain; and they took all their spoil.
41 Thus the marriage was turned into mourning, and the noise of their song into lamentation.
42 So when they had fully avenged the blood of their brother, they turned again to the wadi of the Yardĕn.
43 Now when Bakḵidĕs heard of this, he came on the Shabbath day to the banks of the Yardĕn with a great force.
44 Then Yahonathan said to his army, “Let us go up now and fight for our lives, for it does not stand with us today, as in time past.
45 “For, see, the battle is before us and behind us, and the water of the Yardĕn on this side and that side, the wadi and also the forest, neither is there a place for us to turn aside.
46 “Therefore cry out now to the shamayim, that you may be delivered from the hand of your enemies.”
47 Therefore, they joined battle, and Yahonathan stretched out his hand to smite Bakḵidĕs, but he turned back from him.
48 Then Yahonathan and those that were with him leaped into the Yardĕn, and swam over to the other bank; however, the others did not pass over the Yardĕn to them.
49 So about one thousand men of Bakḵidĕs’ army were slain that day.
50 Afterward Bakḵidĕs returned to Yerushalayim and repaired the strong cites in Yahuḏah, the fort in Yeriḥo and Amma’us and Bĕyth Ḥoron and Bĕyth Ĕl and Timnathah, Pirathon and Tsaphon. He strengthened these with high walls, with gates and with bars.
51 And he appointed a garrison in them, that they might do evil to Yisra’ĕl.
52 He also fortified the city of Bĕyth Tsur, and Gezer, and the tower, and put forces in them, and provisions of food.
53 He also took the chief men’s sons in the land for hostages, and put them into the tower at Yerushalayim to be guarded.
54 And in the hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month, Elyaqim commanded that the wall of the inner court of the Miqdash should be pulled down. He also pulled down the works of the neḇi’im.
55 And as he began to pull down, even at that time Elyaqim was plagued, and his works were hindered; for his mouth was stopped, and he was paralysed, so that he could no longer speak a word, nor give orders concerning his house.
56 So Elyaqim died at that time in great torment.
57 Now when Bakḵidĕs saw that Elyaqim was dead, he returned to the sovereign. So the land of Yahuḏah was at rest two years.
58 Then all the wicked men held a council, saying, “See, Yahonathan and his company are at ease, and dwell without concern. Now therefore we will bring Bakḵidĕs here, who shall take them all in one night.”
59 So they went and consulted with him.
60 Then he moved, and came with a great army, and sent letters secretly to his supporters in Yahuḏah, that they should take Yahonathan and those that were with him. However they could not, because their counsel was known to them.
61 Therefore they took the men of the land that were the cause of that evil – about fifty people – and slew them.
62 Afterward Yahonathan, and Shim’on, and those that were with him, escaped to Bĕyth Bĕsai, which is in the wilderness, and they repaired the ruins there, and strengthened it.
63 When Bakḵidĕs knew this, he gathered together all his army, and sent word to those that were of Yahuḏah.
64 Then he went and laid siege against Bĕyth Bĕsai. And they fought against it for a long time and built siege engines.
65 But Yahonathan left his brother Shim’on in the city, and went out himself into the land, and with a certain number he went out.
66 And he smote Odomera and his brothers, and the children of Phaseiron in their tent.
67 And when he began to smite them, and came up with his forces, Shim’on and his army went out of the city, and burned the siege engines,
68 and fought against Bakḵidĕs, who was defeated by them. And they distressed him greatly, for his counsel and hardship was worthless.
69 Therefore he was very wroth at the wicked men that gave him counsel to come into the land, so he slew many of them, and intended to return to his own land.
70 When Yahonathan knew of this, he sent ambassadors to him, so that he should make peace with him, and deliver them the prisoners;
71 which he accepted, and did according to his demands, and swore to him that he would never do him harm all the days of his life.
72 Therefore when he had restored the prisoners to him that he had taken previously out of the land of Yahuḏah, he returned and went his way to his own land, neither did he come to their borders any more.
73 Thus the sword ceased from Yisra’ĕl, and Yahonathan dwelt at Miḵmas, and began to rule the people, and he destroyed the wicked men out of Yisra’ĕl.