1 Now it came to pass, when the nations round about heard that the altar and the sanctuary were built up as before, that they were exceeding angry.
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Mathathias and his friends ... slew the sinners in their wrath, and the wicked men in their indignation. 2:39
1 Now it came to pass, when the nations round about heard that the altar and the sanctuary were built up as before, that they were exceeding angry.
The surrounding nations were angry heard that the Jews had rebuilt the sanctuary and altar.
2 And they thought to destroy the generation of Jacob that were among them, and they began to kill some of the people, and to persecute them.
So they began to persecute and kill the Jews.
3 Then Judas fought against the children of Esau in Idumea, and them that were in Acrabathane: because they beset the Israelites around about, and he made a great slaughter of them.
Judas slaughtered the descendants of Esau.
4 And he remembered the malice of the children of Bean: who were a snare and a stumblingblock to the people, by lying in wait for them in the way.
And he burned to death the children of Bean in a tower.
5And they were shut up by him in towers, and he set upon them, and devoted them to utter destruction, and burnt their towers with fire, and all that were in them.
6Then he passed over to the children of Ammon, where he found a mighty power, and much people, and Timotheus was their captain:
He also killed Ammonites in many battles.
7 And he fought many battles with them, and they were discomfited in their sight, and he smote them:
8 And he took the city of Gazer and her towns, and returned into Judea.
9 And the Gentiles that were in Galaad, assembled themselves together against the Israelites that were in their quarters to destroy them: and they fled into the fortress of Datheman.
Then the Gentiles gathered an army to destroy the Israelites, who sent letters to Judas saying,
10 And they sent letters to Judas and his brethren, saying, The heathens that are round about are gathered together against us, to destroy us:
The heathens are trying to destroy us.
11 And they are preparing to come, and to take the fortress into which we are fled: and Timotheus is the captain of their host.
Timotheus is their captain.
12 Now therefore come, and deliver us out of their hands, for many of us are slain.
Please come to help us, since they have killed 1000 and taken many of our wives and children captive.
13 And all our brethren that were in the places of Tubin, are killed: and they have carried away their wives, and their children, captives, and taken their spoils, and they have slain there almost a thousand men.
14 And while they were yet reading these letters, behold there came other messengers out of Galilee with their garments rent, who related according to these words:
As they were reading this letter, a messenger from Galilee arrived with his clothes torn, saying,
15 Saying, that they of Ptolemais, and of Tyre, and of Sidon, were assembled against them, and all Galilee is filled with strangers, in order to consume us.
Galilee is filled with strangers who are trying to kill us.
16 Now when Judas and all the people heard these words, a great assembly met together to consider what they should do for their brethren that were in trouble, and were assaulted by them.
17 And Judas said to Simon his brother: Choose thee men, and go, and deliver thy brethren in Galilee: and I, and my brother Jonathan will go into the country of Galaad.
Judas said to his brother Simon,
Go fight in Galiee.
Jonathan and I will fight in Galaad.
18 And he left Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias captains of the people with the remnant of the army in Judea to keep it:
19 And he commanded them, saying: Take ye the charge of this people: but make no war against the heathens, till we return.
20 Now three thousand men were allotted to Simon, to go into Galilee: and eight thousand to Judas to go into the land of Galaad.
3000 went with Simon, and 800 with Judas.
21 And Simon went into Galilee, and fought many battles with the heathens: and the heathens were discomfited before his face, and he pursued them even to the gate of Ptolemais.
Simon defeated the heathens in Galilee.
22And there fell of the heathens almost three thousand men, and he took the spoils of them,
He killed 3000 and took their wives, children, and possessions.
23And he took with him those that were in Galilee and in Arbatis with their wives, and children, and all that they had, and he brought them into Judea with great joy.
24 And Judas Machabeus, and Jonathan his brother passed over the Jordan, and went three days' journey through the desert.
25 And the Nabutheans met them, and received them in a peaceable manner, and told them all that happened to their brethren in the land of Galaad,
26 And that many of them were shut up in Barasa, and in Bosor, and in Alima, and in Casphor, and in Mageth, and in Carnaim: all these strong and great cities.
27 Yea, and that they were kept shut up in the rest of the cities of Galaad, and that they had appointed to bring their army on the morrow near to these cities, and to take them and to destroy them all in one day.
28Then Judas and his army suddenly turned their march into the desert, to Bosor, and took the city: and he slew every male by the edge of the sword, and took all their spoils, and burnt it with fire.
Judas and his army marched to Bosar, burned the city, and killed every male, and took their spoils.
29 And they removed from thence by night, and went till they came to the fortress.
30And it came to pass that early in the morning, when they lifted up their eyes, behold there were people without number, carrying ladders and engines to take the fortress, and assault them.
But then they looked up and saw "people without number" preparing to attack.
31 And Judas saw that the fight was begun, and the cry of the battle went up to heaven like a trumpet, and a great cry out of the city:
32 And he said to his host: Fight ye today for your brethren.
33 And he came with three companies behind them, and they sounded their trumpets, and cried out in prayer.
So they sounded their trumpets and cried out in prayer,
34 And the host of Timotheus understood that it was Machabeus, and they fled away before his face: and they made a great slaughter of them: and there fell of them in that day almost eight thousand men.
which scared Timotheus's army, who fled away in terror as Judas's men killed "almost eight thousand."
35And Judas turned aside to Maspha, and assaulted, and took it, and he slew every male thereof, and took the spoils thereof, and burnt it with fire.
Then Judas did unto the city of Maspha as he did to Bosor -- burning it to the ground after kiling every male "with the edge of the sword."
36From thence he marched, and took Casbon, and Mageth, and Bosor, and the rest of the cities of Galaad.
And then he did likewise to "Casbon, and Mageth, and Bosor, and the rest of the cities of Galaad."
37 But after this Timotheus gathered another army, and camped over against Raphon beyond the torrent.
Timotheus and his army returned with an "exceeding great" army. [1]
38 And Judas sent men to view the army: and they brought him word, saying: All the nations, that are round about us, are assembled unto him an army exceeding great:
39 And they have hired the Arabians to help them, and they have pitched their tents beyond the torrent, ready to come to fight against thee. And Judas went to meet them.
He even recruited the Arabians to help him.
40 And Timotheus said to the captains of his army: When Judas and his army come near the torrent of water, if he pass over unto us first, we shall not be able to withstand him: for he will certainly prevail over us.
Timotheus said to his army:
if Judas comes near the torrent of water, he'll will win.
41 But if he be afraid to pass over, and camp on the other side of the river, we will pass over to them and shall prevail against him.
But if Judas is afraid to come near, we'll win.
42 Now when Judas came near the torrent of water, he set the scribes of the people by the torrent, and commanded them, saying: Suffer no man to stay behind: but let all come to the battle.
Judas wasn't afraid to come near the torrent of water, so he won.
43 And he passed over to them first, and all the people after him, and all the heathens were discomfited before them, and they threw away their weapons, and fled to the temple that was in Carnaim.
The heathens threw down their weapons and ran into the temple.
44And he took that city, and the temple he burnt with fire, with all things that were therein: and Carnaim was subdued, and could not stand against the face of Judas.
Then Judas burned the temple and the city.
45 And Judas gathered together all the Israelites that were in the land of Galaad, from the least even to the greatest, and their wives, and children, and an army exceeding great, to come into the land of Judah.
Judas gathered the Israelites and came to the great city of Ephron.
46 And they came as far as Ephron: now this was a great city situate in the way, strongly fortified, and there was no means to turn from it on the right hand or on the left, but the way was through the midst of it.
47 And they that were in the city, shut themselves in, and stopped up the gates with stones: and Judas sent to them with peaceable words,
The residents closed the gates, and Judas said to them,
48 Saying: Let us pass through your land, to go into our country: and no man shall hurt you: we will only pass through on foot. But they would not open to them.
Let us pass through you land and no one will get hurt.
49Then Judas commanded proclamation to be made in the camp, that they should make an assault every man in the place where he was.
But the citizens of Ephron wouldn't open their gates.
50 And the men of the army drew near, and he assaulted that city all the day, and all the night, and the city was delivered into his hands:
So Judas commanded his soldiers to attack Ephron, kill every male, and then burn it.
51 And they slew every male with the edge of the sword, and he razed the city, and took the spoils thereof, and passed through all the city over them that were slain.
And his army killed every male, in the city, took all the spoils, and then burned it.
52 Then they passed over the Jordan to the great plain that is over against Bethsan.
53 And Judas gathered together the hindmost, and he exhorted the people all the way through, till they came into the land of Juda.
54And they went up to mount Sion with joy and gladness, and offered holocausts, because not one of them was slain, till they had returned in peace.
Then Judas and his army went to Mount Sion and offered animal sacrifices to God, because no one in their army was killed while slaughtering the people of Ephron.
55 Now in the days that Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Galaad, and Simon his brother in Galilee before Ptolemais,
56Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias captain of the soldiers, heard of the good success, and the battles that were fought.
When Joseph and Azarias heard about the Maccabees brothers' killings, they said,
57And he said: Let us also get us a name, and let us go fight against the Gentiles that are round about us.
Let's become famous by killing some of our Gentile neighbors.
58 And he gave charge to them that were in his army, and they went towards Jamnia.
So they went go Jamnia to fight Gorgias and his men.
59 And Gorgias and his men went out of the city, to give them battle.
60 And Joseph and Azarias were put to flight, and were pursued unto the borders of Judea: and there fell, on that day, of the people of Israel about two thousand men, and there was a great overthrow of the people:
About 2000 of their soldiers died.
61Because they did not hearken to Judas, and his brethren, thinking that they should do manfully.
Because Joseph and Azarias didn't hearken to Judas,
62But they were not of the seed of those men by whom salvation was brought to Israel.
and "were not of the seed of those men by whom salvation was brought to Israel."
63 And the men of Juda were magnified exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and of all the nations where their name was heard.
64 And people assembled to them with joyful acclamations.
65Then Judas and his brethren went forth and attacked the children of Esau, in the land toward the south, and he took Chebron, and her towns: and he burnt the walls thereof and the towers all round it.
Then Judas and his brethren attacked the children of Esau, and burned walls and towers in Chebron.
66And he removed his camp to go into the land of the aliens, and he went through Samaria.
They went on to Samaria and Azotus in the land of the strangers,
67 In that day some priests fell in battle, while desiring to do manfully they went out unadvisedly to fight.
68And Judas turned to Azotus into the land of the strangers, and he threw down their altars, and he burnt the statues of their gods with fire: and he took the spoils of the cities, and returned into the land of Juda.
where they destroyed their altars, butned their statues, and took the spoils of their cities.
Then they returned to the land of Juda.