1 Maccabees 5–6: Fight Today for Your Kindred!": The Wars with the Neighbors, and the Death of Antiochus

It came to pass, when the Gentiles all around heard that the altar had been rebuilt and the sanctuary dedicated as before, they were exceedingly angry. They took counsel to destroy the race of Jacob that was in the midst of them, and they began to kill and destroy among the people. Judas fought against the children of Esau in Idumaea at Akrabattine, because they besieged Israel. He struck them with a great slaughter, humbled them, and took their spoils. He remembered the wickedness of the children of Baean, who were a snare and a stumbling block to the people, lying in wait for them on the highways. They were shut up by him in the towers. He encamped against them, and destroyed them utterly, and burned with fire the towers of the place with all who were in them. He passed over to the children of Ammon, and found a mighty band and many people, with Timotheus for their leader. He fought many battles with them, and they were defeated before his face. He struck them, and took possession of Jazer and its villages, and returned again into Judea.

The Gentiles who were in Gilead gathered themselves together against the Israelites who were on their borders, to destroy them. They fled to the stronghold of Dathema, and sent letters to Judas and his kindred, saying, “The Gentiles who are around us are gathered together against us to destroy us. They are preparing to come and get possession of the stronghold where we fled for refuge, and Timotheus is the leader of their army. Now therefore come and deliver us from their hand, for many of us have fallen. All our kindred who were in the land of Tubias have been put to death. They have carried their wives, their children, and their stuff into captivity. They destroyed about a thousand men there.”

While the letters were still being read, behold, other messengers came from Galilee with their clothes torn, bringing a similar report, saying, “People of Ptolemais, of Tyre, of Sidon, and all Galilee of the Gentiles have gathered together to destroy us.”

Now when Judas and the people heard these words, a great congregation assembled together to determine what they should do for their kindred who were in distress and under attack. Judas said to Simon his brother, “Choose men and go deliver your kindred who are in Galilee, but Jonathan my brother and I will go into the land of Gilead.” He left Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, as leaders of the people, with the remnant of the army, in Judea, to guard it. He commanded them, saying, “Take charge of this people, and fight no battle with the Gentiles until we return.” Then three thousand men were assigned to go into Galilee with Simon, but eight thousand men were assigned to Judas to go into the land of Gilead.

Simon went into Galilee and fought many battles with the Gentiles, and the Gentiles were defeated before him. He pursued them to the gate of Ptolemais. About three thousand men of the Gentiles fell, and he took their spoils. They took to them those who were in Galilee and in Arbatta, with their wives, their children, and all that they had, and brought them into Judea with great gladness. Judas Maccabaeus and his brother Jonathan passed over the Jordan, and went three days’ journey in the wilderness. They met with the Nabathaeans, and these met them in a peaceful manner and told them all things that had happened to their kindred in the land of Gilead, and how many of them were shut up in Bosora, Bosor, Alema, Casphor, Maked, and Carnaim—all these cities are strong and large— and how they were shut up in the rest of the cities of the land of Gilead, and that tomorrow they planned to encamp against the strongholds, and to take them, and to destroy all these men in one day.

Judas and his army turned suddenly by the way of the wilderness to Bosora; and he took the city, and killed all the males with the edge of the sword, took all their spoils, and burned the city with fire. He left there at night, and went until he came to the stronghold. When the morning came, they lifted up their eyes and saw many people who couldn’t be counted, bearing ladders and engines of war, to take the stronghold; and they were fighting against them. Judas saw that the battle had begun, and that the cry of the city went up to heaven, with trumpets and a great sound, and he said to the men of his army, “Fight today for your kindred!” Then he went out behind them in three companies. They sounded with their trumpets and cried out in prayer. And the army of Timotheus perceived that it was Maccabaeus, and they fled from before him. He struck them with a great slaughter. About eight thousand men of them fell on that day.

He turned away to Mizpeh and fought against it, took it, killed all its males, took its spoils, and burned it with fire. From there he marched and took Casphor, Maked, Bosor, and the other cities of the land of Gilead.

Now after these things, Timotheus gathered another army and encamped near Raphon beyond the brook. Judas sent men to spy on the army; and they brought him word, saying, “All the Gentiles who are around us are gathered together to them, an exceedingly great army. They have hired Arabians to help them, and are encamped beyond the brook, ready to come against you to battle.” So Judas went to meet them.

Timotheus said to the captains of his army when Judas and his army drew near to the brook of water, “If he crosses over to us first, we won’t be able to withstand him, for he will certainly defeat us; but if he is afraid, and encamps beyond the river, we will cross over to him, and defeat him.” Now when Judas came near to the water brook, he caused the scribes of the people to remain by the brook, and commanded them, saying, “Allow no man to encamp, but let all come to the battle.” Then he crossed over against them first, and all the people after him; and all the Gentiles were defeated before his face, and threw away their weapons, and fled to the temple at Carnaim. They took the city and burned the temple with fire, together with all who were in it. Carnaim was subdued. They couldn’t stand any longer before the face of Judas.

Judas gathered together all Israel, those who were in the land of Gilead, from the least to the greatest, with their wives, their children, and their stuff, an exceedingly great army, that they might come into the land of Judah. They came as far as Ephron, and this same city was large and very strong. It was on the road where they were going. They couldn’t turn away from it on the right hand or on the left, but needed to pass through the middle of it. The people of the city shut them out and blocked the gates with stones. Judas sent to them with words of peace, saying, “We will pass through your land to go into our own land, and no one will harm you. We will only pass by on our feet.” But they wouldn’t open to him. Then Judas commanded proclamation to be made in the army, that each man should encamp in the place where he was. So the men of the army encamped, and fought against the city all that day and all that night, and the city was delivered into his hands. He destroyed all the males with the edge of the sword, razed the city, took its plunder, and passed through the city over those who were slain. They went over the Jordan into the great plain near Bethshan. And Judas gathered together those who lagged behind and encouraged the people all the way through, until he came into the land of Judah. They went up to mount Zion with gladness and joy, and offered whole burnt offerings, because not so much as one of them was slain until they returned in peace.

In the days when Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Gilead, and Simon his brother in Galilee before Ptolemais, Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, rulers of the army, heard of their exploits and of the war, and what things they had done. They said, “Let’s also get us a name, and let’s go fight against the Gentiles who are around us.” So they gave orders to the men of the army that was with them, and went toward Jamnia. Gorgias and his men came out of the city to meet them in battle. Joseph and Azarias were put to flight, and were pursued to the borders of Judea. About two thousand men of Israel fell on that day. There was a great overthrow among the people, because they didn’t listen to Judas and his kindred, thinking to do some exploit. But they were not of the family of those men by whose hand deliverance was given to Israel.

The man Judas and his kindred were glorified exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and of all the Gentiles, wherever their name was heard of. Men gathered together to them, acclaiming them.

Judas and his kindred went out and fought against the children of Esau in the land toward the south. He struck Hebron and its villages, pulled down its strongholds, and burned its towers all around. He marched to go into the land of the Philistines, and he went through Samaria. In that day certain priests, desiring to do exploits there, were slain in battle, when they went out to battle unadvisedly. But Judas turned toward Azotus, to the land of the Philistines, pulled down their altars, burned the carved images of their gods with fire, took the plunder of their cities, and returned into the land of Judah.

King Antiochus was traveling through the upper countries; and he heard that in Elymais in Persia there was a city renowned for riches, for silver and gold, and that the temple which was in it was exceedingly rich, and that in it were golden shields, breastplates, and weapons which Alexander, son of Philip, the Macedonian king, who reigned first among the Greeks, left behind there. So he came and tried to take the city and to pillage it; and he was not able, because his plan was known to them of the city, and they rose up against him in battle. He fled and returned to Babylon with great disappointment.

Then someone came into Persia bringing him news that the armies which went against the land of Judah had been put to flight, and that Lysias went first with a strong army and was put to shame before them, and that they had grown strong because of weapons, power, and a supply of plunder which they took from the armies that they had cut off, and that they had pulled down the abomination which he had built upon the altar that was in Jerusalem, and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls, as before, and also Bethsura, his city.

It came to pass, when the king heard these words, he was astonished and moved exceedingly. He laid himself down on his bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not turned out for him as he had planned. He was there many days, because great grief continually gripped him, and he realized that he would die. He called for all his friends, and said to them, “Sleep departs from my eyes, and my heart fails because of worry. I said in my heart, ‘To what suffering I have come! How great a flood it is that I’m in, now! For I was gracious and loved in my power.’ But now I remember the evils which I did at Jerusalem, and that I took all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and sent out to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without a cause. I perceive that it is because of this that these evils have come upon me. Behold, I am perishing through great grief in a strange land.”

Then he called for Philip, one of his friends, and set him over all his kingdom. He gave him his crown, his robe, and his signet ring, so that he could guide Antiochus his son, and nourish him up that he might be king. Then King Antiochus died there in the one hundred forty-ninth year. When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he set up Antiochus his son to reign, whom he had nourished up being young, and he called his name Eupator.

Those who were in the citadel kept hemming Israel in around the sanctuary, and always sought to harm them and to strengthen the Gentiles. Judas planned to destroy them, and called all the people together to besiege them. They were gathered together, and besieged them in the one hundred fiftieth year, and he made mounds to shoot from, and engines of war. Some of those who were hemmed in came out, and some of the ungodly men of Israel were joined to them. They went to the king, and said, “How long will you not execute judgment, and avenge our kindred? We were willing to serve your father and to live by his words, and to follow his commandments. Because of this, the children of our people besieged the citadel and were alienated from us; but as many of us as they could catch, they killed, and plundered our inheritances. Not against us only did they stretch out their hand, but also against all their borders. Behold, they are encamped this day against the citadel at Jerusalem to take it. They have fortified the sanctuary and Bethsura. If you don’t quickly prevent them, they will do greater things than these, and you won’t be able to control them.

When the king heard this, he was angry, and gathered together all his friends, the rulers of his army, and those who were over the cavalry. Bands of hired soldiers came to him from other kingdoms and from islands of the sea. The number of his forces was one hundred thousand infantry, and twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war. They went through Idumaea, and encamped against Bethsura, and fought against it many days, and made engines of war. The Jews came out and burned them with fire, and fought valiantly.

Judas marched away from the citadel and encamped at Bethzacharias, near the king’s camp. The king rose early in the morning, and marched his army at full speed along the road to Bethzacharias. His forces made themselves ready to battle and sounded their trumpets. They offered the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries, that they might prepare them for the battle. They distributed the animals among the phalanxes. They set by each elephant a thousand men armed with coats of mail and helmets of brass on their heads. Five hundred chosen cavalry were appointed for each elephant. These were ready beforehand, wherever the elephant was. Wherever the elephant went, they went with it. They didn’t leave it. Strong, covered wooden towers were upon them, one upon each elephant, fastened upon it with secure harnesses. Upon each were four valiant men who fought upon them, beside his Indian driver. The rest of the cavalry he set on this side and that side on the two flanks of the army, striking terror into the enemy, and protected by the phalanxes. Now when the sun shone upon the shields of gold and brass, the mountains lit up, and blazed like flaming torches.

A part of the king’s army was spread upon the high hills and some on the low ground, and they went on firmly and in order. All who heard the noise of their multitude, the marching of the multitude, and the rattling of the weapons trembled; for the army was exceedingly great and strong. Judas and his army drew near for battle, and six hundred men of the king’s army fell. Eleazar, who was called Avaran, saw one of the animals armed with royal breastplates, and it was taller than all the animals, and the king seemed to be on it. He gave his life to deliver his people, and to get himself an everlasting name. He ran upon him courageously into the midst of the phalanx, and killed on the right hand and on the left, and they parted away from him on this side and on that. He crept under the elephant, and stabbed it from beneath, and killed it. The elephant fell to the earth upon him, and he died there. They saw the strength of the kingdom and the fierce attack of the army, and turned away from them.

But the soldiers of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem to meet them, and the king encamped toward Judea and toward mount Zion. He made peace with the people of Bethsura. He came out of the city because they had no food there to endure the siege, because it was a Sabbath to the land. The king took Bethsura, and appointed a garrison there to keep it. He encamped against the sanctuary many days; and set there mounds to shoot from, and engines of war, and machines for throwing fire and stones, and weapons to throw darts, and slings. The Jews also made engines of war against their engines, and fought for many days. But there was no food in the sanctuary, because it was the seventh year, and those who fled for safety into Judea from among the Gentiles had eaten up the rest of the stores. There were only a few people left in the sanctuary, because the famine prevailed against them, and they were scattered, each man to his own place.

Lysias heard that Philip, whom Antiochus the king, while he was yet alive, appointed to raise his son Antiochus to be king, had returned from Persia and Media, and with him the forces that went with the king, and that he was seeking to take control of the government. He made haste, and gave orders to depart. He said to the king and the leaders of the army and to the men, “We get weaker daily, our food is scant, the place where we encamp is strong, and the affairs of the kingdom lie upon us. Now therefore let’s negotiate with these men, and make peace with them and with all their nation, and covenant with them, that they may walk after their own laws, as before; for because of their laws which we abolished they were angered, and did all these things.”

The speech pleased the king and the princes, and he sent to them to make peace; and they accepted it. The king and the princes swore to them. On these conditions, they came out from the stronghold. Then the king entered into mount Zion. He saw the strength of the place, and broke the oath which he had sworn, and gave orders to pull down the wall all around. Then he left in haste and returned to Antioch, and found Philip master of the city. He fought against him, and took the city by force.