‏ 2 Maccabees 12

1When these covenants were made, Lysias went to the king, and the Jews were about their husbandry. 2But of the governors of several places, Timotheus, and Apollonius the son of Genneus,also Hieronymus, and Demophon, and beside them Nicanor the governor of Cyprus, would not suffer them tobe quiet and live in peace. 3The men of Joppa also did such an ungodly deed: they prayed the Jews that lived amongthem to go with their wives and children into the boats which they had prepared, as though they had meantthem no hurt. 4Who accepted of it according to the common decree of the city, as being desirous to livein peace, and suspecting nothing: but when they were gone forth into the deep, they drowned no less thantwo hundred of them. 5When Judas heard of this cruelty done to his countrymen, he commanded those that werewith him to make them ready. 6And calling upon God the righteous Judge, he came against those murderers of his brethren,and burnt the haven by night, and set the boats on fire, and those that fled there he killed. 7And when the town was shut up, he went backward, as if he would return to root out allthem of the city of Joppa. 8But when he heard that the Jamnites were minded to do in like manner to the Jews thatlived among them, 9He came upon the Jamnites also by night, and set fire on the haven and the navy, so thatthe light of the fire was seen at Jerusalem two hundred and forty furlongs off. 10Now when they were gone from thence nine furlongs in their journey toward Timotheus,no fewer than five thousand men on foot and five hundred horsemen of the Arabians set upon him. 11Whereupon there was a very sore battle; but Judas' side by the help of God got the victory;so that the Nomades of Arabia, being overcome, implored Judas for peace, promising both to give him cattle,and to pleasure him otherwise. 12Then Judas, thinking indeed that they would be profitable in many things, granted thempeace: whereupon they shook hands, and so they departed to their tents. 13He went also about to make a bridge to a certain strong city, which was fenced aboutwith walls, and inhabited by people of various countries; and the name of it was Caspis. 14But they that were within it put such trust in the strength of the walls and provisionof food, that they behaved themselves rudely toward them that were with Judas, railing and blaspheming,and uttering such words as were not to be spoken. 15Wherefore Judas with his company, calling upon the great Lord of the world, who withoutrams or engines of war did cast down Jericho in the time of Joshua, gave a fierce assault against thewalls, 16And took the city by the will of God, and made unspeakable slaughters, insomuch thata lake two furlongs broad near adjoining thereto, being filled full, was seen running with blood. 17Then departed they from thence seven hundred and fifty furlongs, and came to Characato the Jews that are called Tubieni. 18But as for Timotheus, they found him not in the places: for before he had dispatchedany thing, he departed from thence, having left a very strong garrison in a certain hold. 19Howbeit Dositheus and Sosipater, who were of Maccabeus' captains, went forth, and killedthose that Timotheus had left in the fortress, above ten thousand men. 20And Maccabeus ranged his army by bands, and set them over the bands, and went againstTimotheus, who had about him an hundred and twenty thousand men of foot, and two thousand and five hundredhorsemen. 21Now when Timotheus had knowledge of Judas' coming, he sent the women and children andthe other baggage to a fortress called Carnion: for the town was hard to besiege, and uneasy to come to,by reason of the straitness of all the places. 22But when Judas his first band came in sight, the enemies, being struck with fear andterror through the appearing of him who sees all things, fled amain, one running into this way, anotherthat way, so as that they were often hurt of their own men, and wounded with the points of their own swords. 23Judas also was very earnest in pursuing them, killing those wicked wretches, of whomhe killed about thirty thousand men. 24Moreover Timotheus himself fell into the hands of Dositheus and Sosipater, whom he imploredwith much craft to let him go with his life, because he had many of the Jews' parents, and the brethrenof some of them, who, if they put him to death, should not be regarded. 25So when he had assured them with many words that he would restore them without hurt,according to the agreement, they let him go for the saving of their brethren. 26Then Maccabeus marched forth to Carnion, and to the temple of Atargatis, and there hekilled five and twenty thousand persons. 27And after he had put to flight and destroyed them, Judas removed the host toward Ephron,a strong city, wherein Lysias abode, and a great multitude of various nations, and the strong young menkept the walls, and defended them mightily: wherein also was great provision of engines and darts. 28But when Judas and his company had called upon Almighty God, who with his power breaksthe strength of his enemies, they won the city, and killed twenty and five thousand of them that werewithin, 29From thence they departed to Scythopolis, which lies six hundred furlongs from Jerusalem, 30But when the Jews that lived there had testified that the Scythopolitans dealt lovinglywith them, and entreated them kindly in the time of their adversity; 31They gave them thanks, desiring them to be friendly still to them: and so they came toJerusalem, the feast of the weeks approaching. 32And after the feast, called Pentecost, they went forth against Gorgias the governor ofIdumea, 33Who came out with three thousand men of foot and four hundred horsemen. 34And it happened that in their fighting together a few of the Jews were slain. 35At which time Dositheus, one of Bacenor's company, who was on horseback, and a strongman, was still upon Gorgias, and taking hold of his coat drew him by force; and when he would have takenthat cursed man alive, a horseman of Thracia coming upon him struck off his shoulder, so that Gorgiasfled to Marisa. 36Now when they that were with Gorgias had fought long, and were weary, Judas called uponthe Lord, that he would show himself to be their helper and leader of the battle. 37And with that he began in his own language, and sung psalms with a loud voice, and rushingunawares upon Gorgias' men, he put them to flight. 38So Judas gathered his host, and came into the city of Odollam, And when the seventh daycame, they purified themselves, as the custom was, and kept the sabbath in the same place. 39And upon the day following, as the use had been, Judas and his company came to take upthe bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen in their fathers' graves. 40Now under the coats of every one that was slain they found things consecrated to theidols of the Jamnites, which is forbidden the Jews by the law. Then every man saw that this was the causewherefore they were slain. 41All men therefore praising the Lord, the righteous Judge, who had opened the things thatwere hid, 42Betook themselves to prayer, and implored him that the sin committed might wholly beput out of remembrance. Besides, that noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forsomuchas they saw before their eyes the things that came to pass for the sins of those that were slain. 43And when he had made a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two thousand drachmasof silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in thathe was mindful of the resurrection: 44For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had beensuperfluous and vain to pray for the dead. 45And also in that he perceived that there was great favor laid up for those that diedgodly, it was an holy and good thought. Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that they mightbe delivered from sin.