1. These covenants being made, Lysias went forward to the king, and the Jews gave themselves to husbandry.
2. But they that stayed there, Timothie and Apollonius the son of Gennaius, & also Jerom, & Demophon, besides these also Nicanor the governor of Cyprus, did not suffer them to live in rest and quietness.
3. And the Joppites committed a certain flagitious fact, which was this: They desired the Jews with whom they dwelt, to go into the boats, which they had prepared, with their wives & children, as though no secret enmities were between them.
4. Therefore according to the common decree of the city, & they agreeing thereto, & because of the peace suspecting nothing: when they were gone forward into the depth, they drowned no less than two hundred.
5. Which cruelty Judas as he understood to be done upon the men of his nation, commanded the men that were with him: and invocating God the just judge,
6. he came against the murderers of his brethren, & the haven he set on fire in the night, the boats he burnt, & them that were fled from the fire he slew with the sword.
7. And when he had thus done these things, he departed as to return again, & to root out all the Joppites.
8. But when he understood that they also, which were at Jamnia, would do in like manner to the Jews dwelling with them,
9. he came upon the Jamnites also by night, & set the haven on fire with the ships, so that the light of the fire appeared at Jerusalem two hundred forty furlongs off.
10. When they were now departed thence nine furlongs, and made their journey towards Timothee, the Arabians five thousand men, & five hundred horsemen joined battle with them.
11. And when there was a mighty battle, and by the help of God it had succeeded prosperously, the rest of the Arabians that were overcome, besought Judas that the right hand might be given them, promising that they would give pastures, and profit them in other things.
12. And Judas thinking in very deed that they might be profitable in many things, promised peace: and right hands being taken, they departed to their tabernacles.
13. And he set also upon a certain city strong with bridges, & environed with walls, which was inhabited with multitudes of heathen of all sorts, the name whereof is Caspin.
14. But they that were within, trusting in the firmness of the walls, and the provision of victuals, dealt the more slackly, with reviling words provoking Judas, & blaspheming, & speaking such things as is not lawful to speak.
15. But Machabeus invocating the great Prince of the world, who without rams & engines in Jesus' time threw down Jerico, fiercely assaulted the walls.
16. And the city being taken by the will of our Lord he made innumerable slaughters, so that the pool adjoining of two furlongs in breadth, seemed to run died with blood.
17. From thence they departed seven hundred fifty furlongs, & they came to Characa to those Jews, that are called Tubianeians:
18. and in those places they took not Timothee, & nothing being done he went back, having left in a certain place a very strong garrison.
19. But Dositheus and Sosipater, who were captains with Machabeus, slew them that were left of Timothee in the hold, ten thousand men.
20. And Machabeus ordaining about him six thousand, & placing them by bands, went forth against Timothee, who had with him an hundred twenty thousand footmen, and of horsemen two thousand five hundred.
21. And the coming of Judas being known, Timothee sent the women and children, and the other baggage before into the fortress, that is called Carnion: for it was invincible, and hard to come by, by reason of the straits of the places.
22. And when the first band of Judas had appeared, fear was strucken into the enemies, by the presence of God, who seeth all things, and they were put to flight one of an other, so that they were rather overthrown of their own company, and were weakened with the strokes of their own swords.
23. But Judas was exceeding earnest punishing the profane men, and he overthrew of them thirty thousand men.
24. And Timothee himself fell into the hands of Dositheus & Sosipater's parts, & with many prayers he besought that he might be let go alive, because he had parents & brethren of many of the Jews, whom it might happen by his death to be deceived.
25. And when he had given his faith that he would restore them according to the appointment they let him go without harm, for the safety of their brethren.
26. And Judas came back from Carnion, having slain twenty five thousand.
27. After the flight & slaughter of these, he moved his army to Ephron a strong city, wherein a multitude dwelt of diverse nations: and strong young men standing before the walls resisted manfully, & in this were many engines, and provision of darts.
28. But when they had invocated the Almighty, who with his power breaketh the forces of the enemies, they took the city: and of them that were within they overthrew twenty five thousand.
29. From thence they departed to a city of the Scythians, which was distant from Jerusalem six hundred furlongs.
30. But those Jews that were with the Scythopolitans testifying that they were used courteously of them, even in the times of misery that they dealt modestly with them:
31. giving them thanks, and exhorting them also thence forward to be favourable toward their stock, they came to Jerusalem the solemn day of the weeks approaching.
32. And after Pentecost they went against Gorgias the governor of Idumea.
33. And he went forth with footmen three thousand, and horsemen four hundred.
34. Who buckling together, it chanced few of the Jews to be slain.
35. But Dositheus one of the Bacenors an horseman, a valiant man, held Gorgias: and whereas he would have taken him alive, a certain horseman of the Thracians came upon him, and cut off his shoulder: and so Gorgias escaped into Maresa.
36. But they that were with Esdrin, fighting long, and being wearied, Judas invocated our Lord to be their helper and captain of the battle:
37. beginning in his country language and with hymns raising a cry, drave Gorgias' soldiers into flight.
38. And Judas having gathered an army came into the city Odollam: and when the seventh day came on, being purified according to the custom, they kept the Sabbath in the same place.
39. And the day following Judas came with his company, to take away the bodies of them that were overthrown, and with their kinsmen to lay them in the sepulchres of their fathers.
40. And they found under the coats of the slain some of the donaries of the idols, that were in Jamnia, from which the law forbiddeth the Jews: therefore it was made plain to all, that for that cause they were slain.
41. All therefore blessed the just judgement of our Lord, who had made manifest the hidden things.
42. And so turning to prayers, they besought him, that the same offence, which was committed, might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves without sin, seeing before their eyes what was done, because of the sins of them that were overthrown.
43. And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachmes of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for sin, well and religiously thinking of the resurrection.
44. (For unless he hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it should seem superfluous and vain to pray for the dead.)
45. And because he considered that they, which had taken their sleep with godliness, had very good grace laid up for them.
46. It is therefore a holy, and healthful cogitation to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.