1 Maccabees 7:24-26

New Catholic Bible

²⁴ he went throughout the territory of Judea, punishing those who had deserted and preventing them from gaining access to rural areas. ²⁵ When Alcimus saw that Judas and his supporters were gaining considerable strength and realized that he would not be able to withstand them, he returned to the king and brought malicious charges against them.

²⁶ Nicanor Is Entrusted with Putting Down the Insurgents. Then the king sent Nicanor,^[a] one of his most distinguished officers and a bitter enemy of Israel, with orders to destroy the people.