1 Maccabees, Chapter 9
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1
Now when Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent again Bacchides and Alcimus into Judea; and the right wing of his army with them.
2
And they took the road that leads to Galilee, and they camped in Masaloth, which is in Arbela: and they made themselves masters of it, and slew many souls of men.[fn]
3
In the first month of the hundred and fifty-second year they came to Jerusalem:
5
Now Judas had pitched his tents in Elasa, and three thousand chosen men with him:
6
And they saw the multitude of the army that they were many, and they were seized with great fear: and many withdrew themselves out of the camp, and there remained of them no more than eight hundred men.
7
And Judas saw that his army slipped away, and the battle pressed on him, and his heart was cast down: because he did not have time to gather them together, and he was discouraged.
8
Then he said to those who remained: Let us arise, and go up against our enemies, if we may be able to fight against them.
9
But they dissuaded him, saying: We will not be able, but let us save our souls now, and return to our brothers, and we will fight against them: for we are but few.
10
Then Judas said: Far be it from us to do this thing, to flee away from them: but if our time has come, let us die manfully for our brothers, and let us not leave a stain on our glory.
11
And the army removed out of the camp, and they stood over against them: and the horsemen were divided into two troops, and the slingers, and the archers went before the army, and those who were in the front were all men of valor.
12
And Bacchides was in the right wing, and the legion drew near on two sides, and they sounded the trumpets:
13
And they also who were on Judas' side, even they also cried out, and the earth shook at the noise of the armies: and the battle was fought from morning even to the evening.
14
And Judas perceived that the stronger part of the army of Bacchides was on the right side, and all the stout of heart came together with him:
15
And the right wing was discomfited by them, and he pursued them even to Mount Azotus.
16
And those who were in the left wing saw that the right wing was discomfited, and they followed after Judas, and those who were with him, at their back:
17
And the battle was hard fought, and there fell many wounded of the one side and of the other.
18
And Judas was slain, and the rest fled away.
19
And Jonathan and Simon took Judas their brother, and buried him in the tomb of their fathers in Modin.
20
And all the people of Israel bewailed him with great lamentation, and they mourned for him many days.
21
And said:How has the mighty man fallen, who saved Israel!
22
But the rest of the words of Judas, and of the wars, and of the noble acts that he did, and of his greatness, are not written: for they were very many.
23
And it came to pass after the death of Judas, that the wicked began to put forth their heads in all the confines of Israel, and all the workers of iniquity rose up.
24
In those days there was a very great famine, and the country went over with them.
25
And Bacchides chose the wicked men, and made them lords of the country.
26
And they sought out, and made diligent search after the friends of Judas, and brought them to Bacchides, and he took vengeance of them, and abused them.
27
And there came to pass a great tribulation in Israel, such as had not come to pass since the day that a prophet was last seen in Israel.[fn]
28
And all the friends of Judas came together, and said to Jonathan:
29
Since your brother Judas died, there isn't a man like him to go forth against our enemies, Bacchides, and those who are the enemies of our nation.
30
Now therefore we have chosen you this day to be our prince, and captain in his place to fight our battles.
31
So Jonathan took on him the government at that time, and rose up in the place of Judas his brother.
32
And Bacchides had knowledge of it, and sought to kill him.
33
And Jonathan and Simon his brother knew it, and all who were with them: and they fled into the desert of Thecua, and they pitched by the water of the pool of Asphar.[fn]
35
And he sent his brother, a captain of the crowd, to ask the Nabutheans his friends, so as to entrust to them their baggage, which was much.
36
And the sons of Jambri came forth out of Madaba, and took John, and all that he had, and went away with them.
37
After this it was told Jonathan, and Simon his brother, that the sons of Jambri made a great marriage, and were bringing the bride out of Madaba, the daughter of one of the great princes of Canaan, with great pomp.
38
And they remembered the blood of John their brother: and they went up, and hid themselves under the covert of the mountain.
39
And they lifted up their eyes, and saw: and look, a tumult, and great preparation: and the bridegroom came forth, and his friends, and his brothers to meet them with timbrels, and musical instruments, and many weapons.
40
And they rose up against them from the place where they lay in ambush, and slew them, and there fell many wounded, and the rest fled into the mountains, and they took all their spoils:
41
And the marriage was turned into mourning, And the noise of their musical instruments into lamentation.
42
And they took vengeance for the blood of their brother: and they returned to the bank of the Jordan.
43
And Bacchides heard it, and he came on the Sabbath day even to the bank of the Jordan with a great power.
44
And Jonathan said to his company: Let us arise, and fight for our souls: for it is not as formerly.
45
For look, the battle is before us, and the water of the Jordan on this side and on that side, and banks, and marshes, and woods: and there is no place for us to turn aside.
46
Now therefore cry⁺ to heaven, that you⁺ may be delivered from the hand of our enemies. And they joined battle.
47
And Jonathan stretched forth his hand to strike Bacchides, but he turned away from him backwards.
48
And Jonathan, and those who were with him leaped into the Jordan, and swam over to the other side: and they did not cross the Jordan after them.
49
And there fell of Bacchides' side that day a thousand men: and they returned to Jerusalem,
50
And they built strong cities in Judea, the fortress that was in Jericho, and in Ammaus, and in Beth-horon, and in Bethel, and Thamnata, and Phara, and Thopo, with high walls, and gates, and bars.
51
And he placed garrisons in them, that they might wage war against Israel.
52
And he fortified the city of Beth-zur, and Gazara, and the castle, and set garrisons in them, and provisions of victuals.
53
And he took the sons of the chief men of the country for hostages, and put them in the castle in Jerusalem in custody.
54
Now in the year one hundred and fifty-three, the second month, Alcimus commanded the walls of the inner court of the sanctuary to be thrown down, and the works of the prophets to be destroyed: and he began to destroy.
55
At that time Alcimus was struck: and his works were hindered, and his mouth was stopped, and he was taken with a palsy, so that he could no more speak a word, nor give order concerning his house.
56
And Alcimus died at that time in great torment.
57
And Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead: and he returned to the king, and the land was quiet for two years.
58
And all the wicked held a council, saying: Look, Jonathan and those who are with him live at ease, and without fear: now therefore let's bring Bacchides here, and he will take them all in one night.
59
So they went, and gave him counsel.
60
And he arose to come with a great army: and he sent secretly letters to his adherents who were in Judea, to seize on Jonathan, and those who were with him: but they could not, for their design was known to them.
61
And he apprehended of the men of the country, who were the principal authors of the mischief, fifty men, and slew them.
62
And Jonathan, and Simon, and those who were with him retired into Bethbessen, which is in the desert: and he repaired the breaches of it, and they fortified it.
63
And when Bacchides knew it, he gathered together all his multitude: and sent word to those who were of Judea.
64
And he came, and camped above Bethbessen, and fought against it many days, and made engines.
65
But Jonathan left his brother Simon in the city, and went forth into the country: and came with a number of men.
66
And he struck Odomera, and his brothers, and the sons of Phaseron in their tents, and he began to slay, and went up with his forces.
67
But Simon and those who were with him, came out of the city, and burned the engines.
68
And they fought against Bacchides, and he was discomfited by them: and they afflicted him exceedingly, for his counsel, and his enterprise was in vain.
69
And he was angry with the wicked men who had given him counsel to come into their country, and he slew many of them: and he purposed to return with the rest into their country.
70
And Jonathan had knowledge of it, and he sent ambassadors to him to make peace with him, and to restore to him the prisoners.
71
And he accepted it, and did according to his words, and swore that he would do him no harm all the days of his life.
72
And he restored to him the prisoners which he before had taken out of the land of Judah. And he returned and went away into his own country, and he came no more into their borders.
73
So the sword ceased from Israel: and Jonathan dwelt in Machmas, and Jonathan began there to judge the people, and he destroyed the wicked out of Israel.
Footnotes
2
Galilee: all Greek manuscripts read Γαλγαλα (Gilgal), but the geography demands Galilee — Arbela (mentioned in the same verse) is in Galilee, and there were no Jewish targets in the Gilead region at this point in the narrative. Josephus (Antiquities XII.11.1) explicitly reads 'Galilee.' The confusion likely arose in the Hebrew substrate, where גָּלִיל (*Galil*, Galilee) and גִּלְגָּל (*Gilgal*) are easily confused.
4
The Greek text reads 'twenty thousand men, and two thousand horsemen.' Unlike the inflated figures elsewhere in 1 Maccabees, this number is considered authentic: Wace calls it "a moderate number... It may well be accepted as authentic"; Bar-Kochva finds it "the only one that can be accepted with a substantial degree of certainty" (*Judas Maccabaeus*, p. 64).
27
last seen, literally: 'not seen'.
33
Verse 34 is likely to be a later addition to the text here based on style and context considerations. It reads: 34 And Bacchides understood it, and he came himself with all his army over the Jordan on the Sabbath day.
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