1Maccabees:9
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Furthermore ,
when Demetrius heard the Nicanor and his host were slain in battle ,
he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judea the second time ,
and with them the chief strength of his host :
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Who went forth by the way that leadeth to Galgala ,
and pitched their tents before Masaloth ,
which is in Arbela ,
and after they had won it ,
they slew much people .
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Also the first month of the hundred fifty and second year they encamped before Jerusalem :
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From whence they removed ,
and went to Berea ,
with twenty thousand footmen and two thousand horsemen .
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Now Judas had pitched his tents at Eleasa ,
and three thousand chosen men with him :
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Who seeing the multitude of the other army to he so great were sore afraid ;
whereupon many conveyed themselves out of the host ,
insomuch as abode of them no more but eight hundred men .
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When Judas therefore saw that his host slipt away ,
and that the battle pressed upon him ,
he was sore troubled in mind ,
and much distressed ,
for that he had no time to gather them together .
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Nevertheless unto them that remained he said ,
Let us arise and go up against our enemies ,
if peradventure we may be able to fight with them .
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But they dehorted him ,
saying ,
We shall never be able :
let us now rather save our lives ,
and hereafter we will return with our brethren ,
and fight against them :
for we are but few .
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Then Judas said ,
God forbid that I should do this thing ,
and flee away from them :
if our time be come ,
let us die manfully for our brethren ,
and let us not stain our honour .
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With that the host of Bacchides removed out of their tents ,
and stood over against them ,
their horsemen being divided into two troops ,
and their slingers and archers going before the host and they that marched in the foreward were all mighty men .
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As for Bacchides ,
he was in the right wing :
so the host drew near on the two parts ,
and sounded their trumpets .
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They also of Judas '
side ,
even they sounded their trumpets also ,
so that the earth shook at the noise of the armies ,
and the battle continued from morning till night .
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Now when Judas perceived that Bacchides and the strength of his army were on the right side ,
he took with him all the hardy men ,
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Who discomfited the right wing ,
and pursued them unto the mount Azotus .
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But when they of the left wing saw that they of the right wing were discomfited ,
they followed upon Judas and those that were with him hard at the heels from behind :
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Whereupon there was a sore battle ,
insomuch as many were slain on both parts .
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Judas also was killed ,
and the remnant fled .
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THen Jonathan and Simon took Judas their brother ,
and buried him in the sepulchre of his fathers in Modin .
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Moreover they bewailed him ,
and all Israel made great lamentation for him ,
and mourned many days ,
saying ,
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How is the valiant man fallen ,
that delivered Israel !
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As for the other things concerning Judas and his wars ,
and the noble acts which he did ,
and his greatness ,
they are not written :
for they were very many .
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Now after the death of Judas the wicked began to put forth their heads in all the coasts of Israel ,
and there arose up all such as wrought iniquity .
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In those days also was there a very great famine ,
by reason whereof the country revolted ,
and went with them .
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Then Bacchides chose the wicked men ,
and made them lords of the country .
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And they made enquiry and search for Judas '
friends ,
and brought them unto Bacchides ,
who took vengeance of them ,
and used them despitefully .
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So was there a great affliction in Israel ,
the like whereof was not since the time that a prophet was not seen among them .
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For this cause all Judas '
friends came together ,
and said unto Jonathan ,
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Since thy brother Judas died ,
we have no man like him to go forth against our enemies ,
and Bacchides ,
and against them of our nation that are adversaries to us .
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Now therefore we have chosen thee this day to be our prince and captain in his stead ,
that thou mayest fight our battles .
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Upon this Jonathan took the governance upon him at that time ,
and rose up instead of his brother Judas .
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But when Bacchides gat knowledge thereof ,
he sought for to slay him
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Then Jonathan ,
and Simon his brother ,
and all that were with him ,
perceiving that ,
fled into the wilderness of Thecoe ,
and pitched their tents by the water of the pool Asphar .
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Which when Bacchides understood ,
he came near to Jordan with all his host upon the sabbath day .
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Now Jonathan had sent his brother John ,
a captain of the people ,
to pray his friends the Nabathites ,
that they might leave with them their carriage ,
which was much .
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But the children of Jambri came out of Medaba ,
and took John ,
and all that he had ,
and went their way with it .
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After this came word to Jonathan and Simon his brother ,
that the children of Jambri made a great marriage ,
and were bringing the bride from Nadabatha with a great train ,
as being the daughter of one of the great princes of Chanaan .
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Therefore they remembered John their brother ,
and went up ,
and hid themselves under the covert of the mountain :
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Where they lifted up their eyes ,
and looked ,
and ,
behold ,
there was much ado and great carriage :
and the bridegroom came forth ,
and his friends and brethren ,
to meet them with drums ,
and instruments of musick ,
and many weapons .
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Then Jonathan and they that were with him rose up against them from the place where they lay in ambush ,
and made a slaughter of them in such sort ,
as many fell down dead ,
and the remnant fled into the mountain ,
and they took all their spoils .
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Thus was the marriage turned into mourning ,
and the noise of their melody into lamentation .
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So when they had avenged fully the blood of their brother ,
they turned again to the marsh of Jordan .
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Now when Bacchides heard hereof ,
he came on the sabbath day unto the banks of Jordan with a great power .
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Then Jonathan said to his company ,
Let us go up now and fight for our lives ,
for it standeth not with us to day ,
as in time past :
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For ,
behold ,
the battle is before us and behind us ,
and the water of Jordan on this side and that side ,
the marsh likewise and wood ,
neither is there place for us to turn aside .
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Wherefore cry ye now unto heaven ,
that ye may be delivered from the hand of your enemies .
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With that they joined battle ,
and Jonathan stretched forth his hand to smite Bacchides ,
but he turned back from him .
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Then Jonathan and they that were with him leapt into Jordan ,
and swam over unto the other bank :
howbeit the other passed not over Jordan unto them .
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So there were slain of Bacchides '
side that day about a thousand men .
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Afterward returned Bacchides to Jerusalem and repaired the strong cites in Judea ;
the fort in Jericho ,
and Emmaus ,
and Bethhoron ,
and Bethel ,
and Thamnatha ,
Pharathoni ,
and Taphon ,
these did he strengthen with high walls ,
with gates and with bars .
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And in them he set a garrison ,
that they might work malice upon Israel .
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He fortified also the city Bethsura ,
and Gazera ,
and the tower ,
and put forces in them ,
and provision of victuals .
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Besides ,
he took the chief men '
s sons in the country for hostages ,
and put them into the tower at Jerusalem to be kept .
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Moreover in the hundred fifty and third year ,
in the second month ,
Alcimus commanded that the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary should be pulled down ;
he pulled down also the works of the prophets
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And as he began to pull down ,
even at that time was Alcimus plagued ,
and his enterprizes hindered :
for his mouth was stopped ,
and he was taken with a palsy ,
so that he could no more speak any thing ,
nor give order concerning his house .
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So Alcimus died at that time with great torment .
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Now when Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead ,
he returned to the king :
whereupon the land of Judea was in rest two years .
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Then all the ungodly men held a council ,
saying ,
Behold ,
Jonathan and his company are at ease ,
and dwell without care :
now therefore we will bring Bacchides hither ,
who shall take them all in one night .
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So they went and consulted with him .
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Then removed he ,
and came with a great host ,
and sent letters privily to his adherents in Judea ,
that they should take Jonathan and those that were with him :
howbeit they could not ,
because their counsel was known unto them .
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Wherefore they took of the men of the country ,
that were authors of that mischief ,
about fifty persons ,
and slew them .
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Afterward Jonathan ,
and Simon ,
and they that were with him ,
got them away to Bethbasi ,
which is in the wilderness ,
and they repaired the decays thereof ,
and made it strong .
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Which thing when Bacchides knew ,
he gathered together all his host ,
and sent word to them that were of Judea .
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Then went he and laid siege against Bethbasi ;
and they fought against it a long season and made engines of war .
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But Jonathan left his brother Simon in the city ,
and went forth himself into the country ,
and with a certain number went he forth .
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And he smote Odonarkes and his brethren ,
and the children of Phasiron in their tent .
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And when he began to smite them ,
and came up with his forces ,
Simon and his company went out of the city ,
and burned up the engines of war ,
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And fought against Bacchides ,
who was discomfited by them ,
and they afflicted him sore :
for his counsel and travail was in vain .
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Wherefore he was very wroth at the wicked men that gave him counsel to come into the country ,
inasmuch as he slew many of them ,
and purposed to return into his own country .
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Whereof when Jonathan had knowledge ,
he sent ambassadors unto him ,
to the end he should make peace with him ,
and deliver them the prisoners .
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Which thing he accepted ,
and did according to his demands ,
and sware unto him that he would never do him harm all the days of his life .
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When therefore he had restored unto him the prisoners that he had taken aforetime out of the land of Judea ,
he returned and went his way into his own land ,
neither came he any more into their borders .
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Thus the sword ceased from Israel :
but Jonathan dwelt at Machmas ,
and began to govern the people ;
and he destroyed the ungodly men out of Israel .
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