After these agreements were made, Lysias departed to the king, and the Jews addressed themselves unto their tillage. But Dositheus and Sosipater, captains of Maccabeus, slew a multitude of those soldiers that Timotheus had left in the fortress, above ten thousand men.

Moreover, those that were in the forces, Timotheus and Apollonius the son of Gennaeus, also Hieronymus and Demophon, and Nicanor the governor of Cyprus, would not suffer them to be quiet, nor to live in rest.

And the men of Joppe committed a heinous act: for they invited the Jews that dwelt among them to embark in boats, which they had prepared, with their wives and children, as though they had no enmity to them.

Who accepted it according to the common decree of the city, as men desiring to live peaceably, and suspecting no mischief; but when they were gone forth into the deep, they drowned them, no fewer than two hundred. When Judas heard of this cruelty done to his countrymen, before he came against the men of Jamnia.

When Judas heard what had befallen his countrymen, he proclaimed it among his men, and did call upon God the righteous Judge.

And he went forth to fight against the men of Joppe, and set the haven on fire by night, and burnt the boats, and slew them that were fled thereto.

And when the city was shut up, he departed, purposing to return and root out all the Joppians from their root.

But when he understood that the men of Jamnia also were minded to do in like manner unto the Jews that dwelt among them,

He came upon the Jamnites by night, and set fire on the haven, and the ships, so that the light of the fire was seen at Jerusalem from two hundred and forty furlongs off.

From thence they went, as they journeyed to Timotheus, falling upon them who were about nine furlongs off, who were five thousand men of foot and five hundred horsemen of the Arabians.

And after a hot fight, Judas's side got the victory: and they that were called Arabians, being thus overcome, besought Judas for peace, promising him that they would give him cattle, and aid him in all good turns.

Whereupon Judas, thinking that they might indeed be profitable in many things, agreed to a peace with them: and when they had given him their right hands, he departed to their tents.

He went to a certain city, strong and well fortified with walls and bridges, called Caspis, inhabited by a promiscuous multitude of various nations.

But they that were within it, trusting to the strength of the walls and provisions, were too confident to bear with Judas's men, reviling them, and blaspheming God, and speaking such words as were not convenient.

Wherefore Judas, calling upon the great Lord of the world, who without any rams or engines of war did cast down Jericho in the time of Joshua, gave a fierce assault against the walls.

And took the city by the will of God, and made a great slaughter of them, insomuch that the lake which was near thereunto, being two furlongs broad, was filled with blood, and ran over.

From thence they departed seven hundred and fifty furlongs, and came to Characa, unto the Jews that are called Tubieni.

But as for Timotheus, they found him not in those places, for he was gone from thence before, having done nothing, but had left a very strong garrison in a certain place.

Then Maccabeus divided his army into distinct companies, and set them over the companies, and went against Timotheus, who had with him a hundred and twenty thousand men of foot and two thousand five hundred horsemen.

Now when Timotheus had knowledge of Judas's coming, he sent the women and children and the other baggage unto a place called Carnion: for it was a place of great strength, and not easy to be assaulted, because of the straitness of places.

But when the first band of Judas's army appeared, the enemies were smitten with fear and trembling, because they saw the Lord who appeareth to all, wherefore they fled into every place, insomuch that many of them were hurt by their own men, and wounded by the points of their own swords.

Judas also hotly pursued them, dealing blows amongst those wicked men, and slew of them about thirty thousand men.

Moreover, Timotheus himself fell into the hands of Dositheus and Sosipater, with many entreaties, that they would let him go with his life, because he had the parents of many of them, and their brethren, who, if he were slain, should be utterly lost.

Judas also went forth to Carnion, and to the temple of Atargatis, and slew five and twenty thousand persons.

And after some time, Judas marched against Ephron, a strong city, inhabited by Lysias, and a multitude of divers nations; and stout young men stood upon the walls, and fought valiantly, and there was great store of engines and darts.

Nevertheless, Judas's men, calling upon the Almighty God, who with his power breaketh the strength of his enemies, took the city, and slew from within it five and twenty thousand men.

From thence they departed to Scythopolis, which is six hundred furlongs from Jerusalem.

But when the Jews that dwelt there testified that the Scythopolitans dealt lovingly with them, and entreated them kindly in the time of their adversity.

They gave them thanks, and exhorted them to be friendly unto them still: and so they came to Jerusalem, the feast of weeks approaching.

And after the feast, called Pentecost, they went forth against Gorgias the governor of Idumea.

And he came out with three thousand men of foot and four hundred horsemen.

And when they had joined battle, there fell of the Jews a few.

Howbeit Dositheus, one of Bacenor's company, who was a horseman, and a strong man, caught Gorgias, and when he would have taken him alive, a horseman of the Thracians coming upon him smote off his shoulder; and so Gorgias escaped to Marissa.

And when those that were with Esdrin had fought long, and were weary, Judas called upon the Lord, that he would show himself to be their helper and leader in the battle.

And he began in the tongue of his fathers to sing hymns, and with a loud voice, and so rushing upon Gorgias's men, he put them to flight.

Then Judas gathered his army, and came into the city Odollam. And when the seventh day came, they purified themselves, as the custom was, and kept the sabbath in that place.

And upon the day following, as the custom was, Judas and his company came to take up the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen in their fathers' graves.

So they all blessed the Lord the righteous Judge, who openeth the things that are hidden.

And turning to supplication, they besought Him that the sin committed might be wholly put out of remembrance. Besides, that noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes the things that came to pass for the sins of those that were slain.

And when he had made a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two thousand drachms of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the resurrection.

For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead.

And also in that he perceived that there was great favour laid up for those that died godly.

(It was therefore a holy and good counsel) that he made a propitiation for the dead, that they might be delivered from release from that sin).