1 Maccabees 9
He Would Not Flee, and He Fell
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Bacchides and Alcimus Return
9:1Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his force had fallen in battle, and again sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah, with the right wing of the army.
9:2They traveled the road to Gilgal, encamped against Mesaloth in Arbela, seized it, and destroyed many human lives.
9:3In the first month of the one hundred and fifty-second year they encamped against Jerusalem.
9:4They set out and went to Berea with twenty thousand men and two thousand cavalry.
The Battle at Elasa
9:5Judas was encamped at Elasa with three thousand picked men.
9:6They saw the multitude of the forces, how many they were, and became exceedingly afraid. Many slipped away from the camp, and only eight hundred men were left.
9:7Judas saw that his army had slipped away and that the battle was pressing upon him. His heart was crushed, because he had no time to gather them.
9:8He grew faint and said to those remaining, “Let us arise and go up against our adversaries, if perhaps we can fight them.”
9:9They tried to turn him back, saying, “We certainly cannot! Let us save our lives for now. We will return with our brothers and fight them, but we are few.”
9:10Judas said, “Far be it from us to do this thing and flee from them! If our time has drawn near, let us die courageously for our brothers and leave no charge against our glory.”
9:11The force moved out of the camp and took position to meet them. The cavalry was divided into two parts; the slingers and archers went ahead of the force, and all the foremost fighters were mighty men. Bacchides was on the right wing.
9:12The phalanx approached from both sides, and they sounded the trumpets. Judas’s men also sounded their trumpets.
9:13The earth was shaken by the sound of the armies, and battle was joined from morning until evening.
9:14Judas saw that Bacchides and the strongest part of the army were on the right. All who were courageous in heart gathered to him,
9:15and the right wing was crushed by them. He pursued them as far as Mount Azotus.
9:16Those on the left wing saw that the right wing had been crushed, and turned to follow on the heels of Judas and those with him from behind.
9:17The battle grew heavy, and many fell wounded on both sides.
9:18Judas fell, and the rest fled.
The Burial and Lament for Judas
9:19Jonathan and Simon took up Judas their brother and buried him in the tomb of his fathers in Modein.
9:20They wept for him, and all Israel lamented him with a great lament. They mourned for many days and said,
9:21“How has the mighty one fallen, the savior of Israel!”
9:22The rest of the deeds of Judas, his battles, the brave deeds he performed, and his greatness were not written down, for they were exceedingly many.
The Famine and the Persecution
9:23After the death of Judas, the lawless emerged throughout all Israel’s territory, and all who practiced injustice rose up.
9:24In those days an exceedingly great famine occurred, and the country went over to their side.
9:25Bacchides chose the ungodly men and appointed them masters of the country.
9:26They sought out and searched for Judas’s friends and brought them to Bacchides, who punished and mocked them.
9:27Great distress came upon Israel, such as had not occurred since the day a prophet was no longer seen among them.
Jonathan Chosen as Leader
9:28All Judas’s friends gathered and said to Jonathan,
9:29“Since your brother Judas died, there is no man like him to go out and come in against our enemies, Bacchides, and those hostile to our nation.
9:30Now, therefore, today we have chosen you to be our ruler and leader in his place, to fight our war.”
9:31Jonathan accepted the leadership at that time and arose in place of Judas his brother.
9:32Bacchides learned of it and sought to kill him.
9:33Jonathan, Simon his brother, and all who were with him learned of it and fled into the wilderness of Tekoa. They encamped by the water of the pool of Asphar.
9:34Bacchides learned of it on the sabbath day, and he and his whole army came beyond the Jordan.
The Vengeance for John
9:35Jonathan sent his brother, a leader of the company, and appealed to his friends the Nabateans to allow their many belongings to be deposited with them.
9:36The sons of Jambri from Medaba came out, seized John and everything he had, and went away with it.
9:37After these events they reported to Jonathan and Simon his brother, “The sons of Jambri are holding a great wedding and bringing the bride from Nadabath, the daughter of one of the great nobles of Canaan, with a great escort.”
9:38They remembered the blood of John their brother, went up, and hid under the cover of the mountain.
9:39They raised their eyes and saw a commotion and much baggage. The bridegroom, his friends, and his brothers came out to meet them with tambourines, musicians, and many weapons.
9:40They rose against them from the ambush and killed them. Many fell wounded, and the survivors fled into the mountain. They took all their spoils.
9:41The wedding was turned into mourning, and the sound of their musicians into lamentation.
9:42They exacted vengeance for their brother’s blood and returned to the marsh of the Jordan.
The Crossing of the Jordan
9:43Bacchides heard and came on the sabbath day to the banks of the Jordan with a large force.
9:44Jonathan said to his men, “Come, let us arise and fight for our lives, for today is not like yesterday or the day before.
9:45Look! Battle is before us and behind us, the water of the Jordan is on either side, and there are marsh and thicket. There is nowhere to turn aside.
9:46Now, therefore, cry out to Heaven so that you may be rescued from the hand of our enemies.”
9:47The battle was joined. Jonathan stretched out his hand to strike Bacchides, but he withdrew backward from him.
9:48Jonathan and those with him leaped into the Jordan and swam across. The enemy did not cross the Jordan after them.
9:49About a thousand of Bacchides’s men fell that day.
Bacchides Fortifies the Cities
9:50He returned to Jerusalem. They built fortified cities in Judea: the stronghold at Jericho, Emmaus, Beth-horon, Bethel, Thamnatha-Pharathon, and Tephon, with high walls, gates, and bars.
9:51He placed garrisons in them to act against Israel.
9:52He fortified the city of Beth-zur, Gazara, and the citadel, and placed forces and stores of food in them.
9:53He took the sons of the leaders of the country as hostages and placed them under guard in the citadel at Jerusalem.
The Death of Alcimus
9:54In the second month of the one hundred and fifty-third year, Alcimus ordered the wall of the inner court of the holy places to be demolished. He began tearing down the works of the prophets.
9:55At that time Alcimus was struck, and his work was obstructed. His mouth was stopped, and he was paralyzed, unable to speak another word or give orders concerning his household.
9:56Alcimus died at that time in great torment.
9:57Bacchides saw that Alcimus had died and returned to the king. The land of Judah was quiet for two years.
The Siege of Beth-basi
9:58All the lawless took counsel, saying, “Look! Jonathan and his men are living quietly and confidently. Let us now bring up Bacchides, and he will seize them all in one night.”
9:59They went and counseled with him.
9:60He set out to come with a large force and secretly sent letters to all his allies in Judea to seize Jonathan and those with him. But they could not, because their plan had become known.
9:61Jonathan’s men seized about fifty men from the country who were ringleaders of the evil and killed them.
9:62Jonathan, Simon, and those with him withdrew to Beth-basi in the wilderness. He rebuilt its demolished parts, and they strengthened it.
9:63Bacchides learned of it, gathered his whole multitude, and gave orders to those from Judea.
9:64He came, encamped against Beth-basi, attacked it for many days, and made siege engines.
9:65Jonathan left Simon his brother in the city, went out into the country, and came with a small number.
9:66He struck Odomera, his brothers, and the sons of Phasiron in their encampment. They began striking and advancing with their forces.
9:67Simon and those with him came out of the city and burned the siege engines.
9:68They fought Bacchides, and he was crushed by them. They pressed him greatly, for his plan and his expedition had come to nothing.
9:69He became furious with the lawless men who had advised him to come into the country, killed many of them, and resolved to depart to his own land.
Peace Between Jonathan and Bacchides
9:70Jonathan learned of it and sent envoys to him to arrange peace with him and to return the captives to them.
9:71He accepted and acted according to his words, and swore to him that he would not seek his harm all the days of his life.
9:72He returned to him the captives he had previously taken from the land of Judah. He turned and went away to his own land and did not come again into their territory.
9:73The sword ceased from Israel. Jonathan settled in Michmash, began to judge the people, and removed the ungodly from Israel.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.