1 Then Yahuḏah Maqqaḇah, and those that were with him, went secretly into the towns and called their clans together, and took to them all who continued in the belief of the Yahuḏim and assembled about six thousand men.
2 And they called upon 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, that He would look upon the people that were trodden down most of all, and also favour the Hĕyḵal profaned by wicked men,
3 and that He would have compassion on the city severely despoiled and ready to be levelled to the ground, and hear the blood that cried out to Him.
4 And remember the evil slaughter of harmless infants, and the blasphemies committed against His Name, and that He would show His hatred against the wicked.
5 Now when Maqqaḇah had his army with him, he could not be resisted by the gentiles, for the wrath of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was turned into kindness.
6 Therefore he came suddenly, and burned towns and cities, and took into his hands the most advantageous positions, and overcame and put to flight no small number of his enemies.
7 And he took special advantage of the night for such secret attacks, so that the renown of his deeds was spread everywhere.
8 So when Philippos saw that this man increased little by little, and that matters prospered with him still more and more, he wrote to Ptolemaeus the governor of Koĕlĕ Suria and Phoinikĕ to give more support to the sovereign’s affairs.
9 Then promptly choosing Nikanor the son of Patroklos, one of his special friends, he sent him with no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations under him to root out the whole generation of the Yahuḏim, and he also joined Gorgias, a captain with him, who in matters of battle had great experience.
10 So Nikanor undertook to make much silver from the captive Yahuḏim, to bear the expense of the tribute of two thousand talanton which the sovereign was to pay to the Romans.
11 Therefore he immediately sent to the cities on the sea coast, proclaiming a sale of the captive Yahuḏim, and promising that they should have ninety bodies for one talent – not expecting the vengeance that was to follow upon him from Ĕl Shaddai.
12 Now when word was brought to Yahuḏah of Nikanor’s coming, and he had informed those that were with him that the army was at hand,
13 those that were fearful and distrusted the right-ruling of Elohim, fled and carried themselves away.
14 Others sold all that they had left, and also sought 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to deliver those sold by the wicked Nikanor before they met together.
15 And if not for their own sakes, yet for the Covenants He had made with their fathers, and for the sake of His qodesh and esteemed Name by which they were called.
16 So Maqqaḇah called his men together totaling six thousand, and encouraged them not to be stricken with terror by the enemy nor to fear the great multitude of the gentiles who came wickedly against them; but to fight bravely,
17 and to put before their eyes the unrighteous destruction that they had done to the qodesh place, and the cruel handling of the city of which they made a mockery, and also the taking away of the authority of their forefathers.
18 “For they,” he said, “trust in their weapons and boldness; but our confidence is in the Almighty who at a nod can throw down both they that come against us, and also all the world.”
19 And, he recounted to them what helps their forefathers had found, and how they were delivered, when a hundred and eighty-five thousand perished under Sanḥĕriḇ.
20 And he told them of the battle that they had in Baḇel with the Galatians, how they came with eight thousand Yahuḏim in all to the battle, with four thousand Makedonians, and with the Makedonians being perplexed, the eight thousand destroyed a hundred and twenty thousand because of the help that they had from the shamayim, and so received a great booty.
21 So when he had emboldened them with these words, and were ready to die for the Law and their nation, he divided his army into four parts.
22 And he joined with his own brothers, leaders of each band, that is: Shim’on and Yosĕph and Yahonathan, giving each one fifteen hundred men.
23 He also appointed Eli’ezer to read the qodesh Book. And when he had given them this watchword: ‘The help of Elohim,’ he led the first band.
24 And by the help of the Almighty they slew over nine thousand of their enemies, and wounded and injured the most part of Nikanor’s army, and so put all to flight,
25 and took the silver of those that came to buy them and pursued them a long way, but lacking time they returned.
26 For it was the day before the Shabbath and therefore they would no longer pursue them.
27 So when they had gathered their armour together, and plundered their enemies, they occupied themselves on the Shabbath giving much praise and thanks to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 who had delivered them that day, which was the beginning of kindness poured upon them.
28 And after the Shabbath, when they had given part of the spoils to the wounded and the widows and orphans, the remainder they divided among themselves and their servants.
29 When this was done and they had made a common prayer, they pleaded the kindness of Elohim to be reconciled with his servants forever.
30 And of those that were with Timotheos and Bakḵidĕs, who fought against them, slew over twenty thousand and easily took high and strong towers and divided much more spoils among themselves and made the wounded, orphans, widows and also even the aged, equal in spoils with themselves.
31 And when they had gathered their armour together, they laid them all up carefully in convenient places, and the remnant of the spoils they brought to Yerushalayim.
32 They also slew Phularḵĕs, that wicked person, who with Timotheos, and had hated the Yahuḏim in many ways.
33 Furthermore at the time they kept the feast for the victory in their country they burned Kallisthĕnĕs, who had lit fire to the qodesh gates and had fled into a little house. And so he received a right reward for his wickedness.
34 As for that most shameful Nikanor who had brought one thousand merchants to buy the Yahuḏim,
35 he was, through the help of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 brought down by those of whom he regarded as least; and removing his splendid apparel and discharging his army, he went through the land like a fugitive slave to Antioḵeia receiving great dishonour, in that his army was destroyed.
36 So he, who took it upon himself to provide to the Romans their tribute by means of captives in Yerushalayim, proclaimed abroad, that the Yahuḏim had Elohim to fight for them, and therefore they could not be hurt because they followed the Laws that He gave them.