Now when Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his host were fallen in battle, he sent again Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judea, and with them the right wing, and Bacchides was on the right wing. So the detachment advanced from both sides, and they blew with the trumpets, and Judas fell, and the rest fled.

Then they went by the way of Gilgal, and pitched their tents against Arbela in Mashaloth, and took it, and destroyed many people. And after the death of Judas, the wicked ones appeared in all the borders of Israel, and all the workers of iniquity showed themselves; so Bacchides chose the impious among them and appointed them rulers over the land.

And in the first month of the hundred and fifty-second year, they came to Jerusalem.

Then they removed and went forth to Beeroth with twenty thousand footmen and two thousand horsemen. And the espousals were turned into mourning, and the sound of their instruments of mirth into lamentation.

For Judas had pitched his camp at Lashah, with three thousand chosen men, and he had fortified the city of Tyre and Gazara and the citadel, and had placed therein soldiers and provisions. And all the wicked counselled, saying, Behold, Jonathan and they that are with him are secure in their dwellings. Come now, let us carry Bacchides against them, that he may seize them all in one night.

And when they saw the multitude of the army, they were sore afraid; so many began to desert the camp, and there remained but eight hundred men. And he marched and pitched against Beth-hoglah, and fought against it many days, and set up engines of war, and smote Adoraim and his brethren, and the sons of Phasseron in their tents, and began to strike the enemy and grew stronger. And Simon and his men sallied forth from the city and burned the engines.

Now when Judas saw that his army was dispersed, and the battle pressed him sore, his heart was broken, for he had no time to gather them again, and his resolve weakened. And Jonathan learned of it, and sent messengers to him to make a covenant of peace and to return the captives.

Then he said to them that remained with him, Let us arise and assault our adversaries, in the hope that we may be able to defend ourselves.

So they turned him from his purpose, saying, It is not in our power today to save ourselves, then return with our brethren and fight them, for we are few in number.

Then Judas said, God forbid that I should do such a thing and flee from them. But if our time is come, let us die bravely for our brethren, and let us not leave a stain upon our glory.

And the army of the enemy came forth from the camp and stood over against them, and the horsemen were divided into two parts, and the slingers and archers went before all the army, all of them men of valour.

And the men of Judas also blew with the trumpets, and the earth shook with the clamour of the two armies, and the battle joined from morning until evening.

And Judas saw that Bacchides and the strength of the army were on the right wing, so he went after them with all who had a steadfast heart.

And they broke the right wing and pursued them to the Mount of Ashdod.

And when the men of the left wing saw the right wing broken, they turned upon Judas and his men.

And the battle grew fierce, and many fell on both sides.

Then Jonathan and Simon, their brother, carried Judas and buried him in the sepulchre of his fathers in Modin.

And all the people of Israel bewailed him with great lamentation, and mourned for him, and lamented many days, saying,

How is the mighty fallen, the deliverer of Israel!

And the rest of the acts of Judas, and his wars, and the valiant deeds which he showed, and his greatness, they are not written in this place, for they are very many.

And in those days there was a great famine, and the land was weakened before them.

So they sought out the friends of Judas, and searched for them, and brought them to Bacchides, who took vengeance on them and mocked them.

And there was great tribulation in Israel, such as had not been since a prophet appeared not among them.

Then all the friends of Judas gathered together and said to Jonathan,

Since the death of your brother Judas, there has been no one like him to go out against the enemy and against Bacchides and those who hate our nation.

Therefore, we choose you today to be our ruler and captain in his place, to fight our battle.

So Jonathan accepted the leadership at that time, and stood up in the place of Judas his brother.

When Bacchides knew of it, he sought to kill him.

And Jonathan and Simon his brother knew of it, and all who were with them, and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoa, and pitched their tents by the water of the well of Asphar.

Then Bacchides knew, and he marched with all his army to the other side of the Jordan on a Sabbath day.

And Jonathan sent John his brother with a company under his command to ask the Nabataeans, their friends, to lend them their abundant equipment.

But the children of Jambri came out of Medaba and seized John and all that was with him, and took them all away.

And after these things, Jonathan and Simon his brother were told that the children of Jambri were making a great bridal feast, and bringing the bride from Medaba with great pomp, and she was the daughter of one of the great men of Canaan.

So they remembered John their brother and went up and hid themselves behind the mountain.

Then they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, there was a great noise and much equipment, and the bride and her friends and brethren coming forth to meet them with drums and instruments of music and many weapons.

Then the men of Jonathan rushed upon them from the ambush and struck them; many fell, and the rest fled to the mountain, and they took all their spoil.

And when they had avenged the blood of their brother, they returned to the Jordan thicket.

And Bacchides heard of it, and he came to the banks of the Jordan on a Sabbath day with a great army.

Then Jonathan said to his men, Let us now arise and fight for our lives, for the matter is not as it was yesterday or the day before.

Behold, the battle is before us and behind us, and the water of the thickets and the forest from this side and from that, so we have no escape.

And now, cry out to Heaven, that you may be delivered from the hands of your enemies. Then the battle joined.

And Jonathan stretched forth his hand to strike Bacchides, but he drew back from him.

Then Jonathan and his men cast themselves into the Jordan, and swam to the other side, and they did not cross over to them.

And there fell of the men of Bacchides that day about a thousand men, and he returned to Jerusalem.

Then he built strong cities in Judea, and fortified Jericho, and Beth-horon, and Beth El, and Emmaus, and Timnath, and Pharahton, and Tephon with high walls and gates and bars.

And he placed therein garrisons to vex Israel.

And he took the sons of the chief men of the country as hostages, and put them in the citadel at Jerusalem in custody.

And in the hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month, Alcimus commanded to pull down the wall of the inner court of the temple, and he destroyed the works of the prophets and began to destroy.

At that time Alcimus was struck, and ceased from his work, and his mouth was stopped, and he was paralyzed, and he could no longer utter a word nor command his children.

And Alcimus died at that time in great torment.

When Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead, he returned to the king, and the land of Judea was in rest for two years.

And they went and advised him to do so.

So he arose and marched with a great army, and secretly sent letters to all his adherents in Judea to seize Jonathan and his men, but they found no way to do so, for their counsel was revealed to them.

Then they seized fifty men of the country, who were the authors of the discord, and slew them.

And Jonathan and Simon and those with them withdrew to Beth-hoglah in the wilderness, and rebuilt its ruins, and fortified it.

And when Bacchides knew of it, he gathered all his forces and sent word to his allies in Judea.

And Jonathan left Simon his brother in the city and went out with a number of soldiers and spread out in the country.

And they fought against Bacchides, and he was defeated and greatly distressed, and his counsel and his expedition were in vain.

Then he was greatly enraged at the wicked men who had advised him to leave the country, and he slew many of them, and purposed to return to his own land.

So he answered and did according to his word, and swore to him that he would not seek to harm him all the days of his life.

And he restored to him the prisoners whom he had taken before in the land of Judea, and then returned to his own land, and did not go forth again into their borders.

So the sword ceased from Israel, and Jonathan dwelt in Michmas, and Jonathan began to judge the people and rooted out the wicked from Israel.