1 Maccabees 5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Wars with Neighboring Peoples
5 When the nations all around heard that the altar had been rebuilt and the sanctuary dedicated as it was before, they became very angry, 2 and they determined to destroy the descendants of Jacob who lived among them. So they began to kill and destroy among the people. 3 But Judas made war on the descendants of Esau in Idumea, at Akrabattene, because they kept lying in wait for Israel. He dealt them a heavy blow and humbled them and despoiled them.(A) 4 He also remembered the wickedness of the sons of Baean, who were a trap and a snare to the people and ambushed them on the highways. 5 They were shut up by him in towers, and he encamped against them, vowed their complete destruction, and burned with fire their towers and all who were in them.(B) 6 Then he crossed over to attack the Ammonites, where he found a strong band and many people, with Timothy as their leader.(C) 7 He engaged in many battles with them, and they were crushed before him; he struck them down. 8 He also took Jazer and its villages; then he returned to Judea.(D)
Liberation of Galilean Jews
9 Now the nations in Gilead gathered together against the Israelites who lived in their territory and planned to destroy them. But they fled to the stronghold of Dathema(E) 10 and sent to Judas and his brothers letters that said, “The nations around us have gathered together to destroy us. 11 They are preparing to come and capture the stronghold to which we have fled, and Timothy is leading their forces. 12 Now then, come and rescue us from their hands, for many of us have fallen, 13 and all our kindred who were in the land of Tobias have been killed; the enemy[a] have captured their wives and children and goods and have destroyed about a thousand persons there.”(F)
14 While the letters were still being read, other messengers, with their garments torn, came from Galilee and made a similar report;(G) 15 they said that the people of Ptolemais and Tyre and Sidon and all Galilee of the gentiles[b] had gathered together against them “to annihilate us.”(H) 16 When Judas and the people heard these messages, a great assembly was called to determine what they should do for their kindred who were in distress and were being attacked by enemies.[c] 17 Then Judas said to his brother Simon, “Choose your men and go and rescue your kindred in Galilee; Jonathan my brother and I will go to Gilead.”(I) 18 But he left Joseph, son of Zechariah, and Azariah, a leader of the people, with the rest of the forces in Judea to guard it,(J) 19 and he gave them this command, “Take charge of this people, but do not engage in battle with the nations until we return.”(K) 20 Then three thousand men were assigned to Simon to go to Galilee and eight thousand to Judas for Gilead.(L)
21 So Simon went to Galilee and fought many battles against the nations, and the nations were crushed before him. 22 He pursued them to the gate of Ptolemais; as many as three thousand of the nations fell, and he despoiled them.(M) 23 Then he took the Jews[d] of Galilee and Arbatta, with their wives and children, and all they possessed and led them to Judea with great rejoicing.(N)
Judas and Jonathan in Gilead
24 Judas Maccabeus and his brother Jonathan crossed the Jordan and made three days’ journey into the wilderness.(O) 25 They encountered the Nabateans, who met them peaceably and told them all that had happened to their kindred in Gilead:(P) 26 “Many of them have been shut up in Bozrah and Bosor, in Alema and Chaspho, Maked and Carnaim”—all these towns were strong and large(Q)— 27 “and some have been shut up in the other towns of Gilead; the enemy[e] are getting ready to attack the strongholds tomorrow and capture and destroy all these people in a single day.”
28 Then Judas and his army quickly turned back by the wilderness road to Bozrah, and he took the town and killed every male by the edge of the sword; then he seized all its spoils and burned it with fire.(R) 29 He left the place at night, and they went all the way to the stronghold of Dathema.[f] 30 At dawn they looked out and saw a large company, which could not be counted, carrying ladders and engines of war to capture the stronghold and attacking the Jews within.[g] 31 So Judas saw that the battle had begun and that the cry of the town went up to heaven, with trumpets and loud shouts, 32 and he said to the men of his forces, “Fight today for your kindred!”(S) 33 Then he came up behind them in three companies, who sounded their trumpets and cried aloud in prayer.(T) 34 And when the army of Timothy realized that it was Maccabeus, they fled before him, and he dealt them a heavy blow. As many as eight thousand of them fell that day.
35 Next he turned aside to Maapha[h] and fought against it and took it, and he killed every male in it, plundered it, and burned it with fire. 36 From there he marched on and took Chaspho, Maked, and Bosor and the other towns of Gilead.(U)
37 After these things Timothy gathered another army and encamped opposite Raphon, on the other side of the stream.(V) 38 Judas sent men to spy out the camp, and they reported to him, “All the nations around us have gathered to him; it is a very large force. 39 They also have hired Arabs to help them, and they are encamped across the stream ready to come and fight against you.” And Judas went to meet them.(W)
40 Now as Judas and his army drew near to the stream of water, Timothy said to the officers of his forces, “If he crosses over to us first, we will not be able to resist him, for he will surely defeat us. 41 But if he shows fear and camps on the other side of the river, we will cross over to him and defeat him.” 42 When Judas approached the stream of water, he stationed the officers[i] of the army at the stream and gave them this command, “Permit no one to encamp, but make them all enter the battle.”(X) 43 Then he crossed over against them first, and the whole army followed him. All the nations were defeated before him, and they threw away their arms and fled into the sacred precincts at Carnaim.(Y) 44 But he took the town and burned the sacred precincts with fire, together with all who were in them. Thus Carnaim was conquered; they could stand before Judas no longer.(Z)
The Return to Jerusalem
45 Then Judas gathered together all the Israelites in Gilead, the small and the great, with their wives and children and goods, a very large company, to go to the land of Judah. 46 So they came to Ephron. This was a large and very strong town on the road, and they could not go around it to the right or to the left; they had to go through it.(AA) 47 But the people of the town shut them out and blocked up the gates with stones.
48 Judas sent them this friendly message, “Let us pass through your land to get to our land. No one will do you harm; we will simply pass by on foot.” But they refused to open to him.(AB) 49 Then Judas ordered proclamation to be made to the army that all should encamp where they were. 50 So the men of the forces encamped, and he fought against the town all that day and all the night, and the town was delivered into his hands.(AC) 51 He destroyed every male by the edge of the sword and razed and plundered the town. Then he passed through the town over the bodies of the dead.
52 Then they crossed the Jordan into the large plain before Beth-shan.(AD) 53 Judas kept rallying the laggards and encouraging the people all the way until he came to the land of Judah. 54 So they went up to Mount Zion with joy and gladness and offered burnt offerings because they had returned in safety; not one of them had fallen.
Joseph and Azariah Defeated
55 Now while Judas and Jonathan were in Gilead and their[j] brother Simon was in Galilee before Ptolemais,(AE) 56 Joseph son of Zechariah and Azariah, the commanders of the forces, heard of their brave deeds and of the heroic war they had fought.(AF) 57 So they said, “Let us also make a name for ourselves; let us go and make war on the nations around us.”(AG) 58 So they issued orders to the men of the forces that were with them and marched against Jamnia.(AH) 59 Gorgias and his men came out of the town to meet them in battle.(AI) 60 Then Joseph and Azariah were routed and were pursued to the borders of Judea; as many as two thousand of the people of Israel fell that day.(AJ) 61 Thus the people suffered a great rout because, thinking to do a brave deed, they did not listen to Judas and his brothers.(AK) 62 But they did not belong to the family of those men through whom deliverance was given to Israel.
63 The man Judas and his brothers were greatly honored in all Israel and among all the nations, wherever their name was heard. 64 People gathered to them and praised them.
Success at Hebron and Philistia
65 Then Judas and his brothers went out and fought the descendants of Esau in the land to the south. He struck Hebron and its villages and tore down its strongholds and burned its towers on all sides.(AL) 66 Then he marched off to go into the land of the Philistines[k] and passed through Marisa.[l](AM) 67 On that day some priests who wished to do a brave deed fell in battle, for they went out to battle unwisely. 68 But Judas turned aside to Azotus in the land of the Philistines; he tore down their altars, and the carved images of their gods he burned with fire; he plundered the towns and returned to the land of Judah.(AN)
1 Maccabees 5
Common English Bible
Wars with neighboring peoples
5 When the Gentiles living nearby learned that the altar had been rebuilt and the sanctuary had been dedicated just as it was before, they became very angry. 2 They sought to wipe out Jacob’s descendants who lived among them. So they started to kill and destroy the people.
3 But Judas waged war on the descendants of Esau in Idumea at Akrabattene because they kept ambushing Israelites. He dealt them a heavy blow, humbling them and taking their goods. 4 He also took note of the wickedness of Baean’s sons, who were trapping, catching, and ambushing people on the highways. 5 Judas shut them up in their towers. He camped against them, and by promising their complete destruction, he burned their towers and all who were in them. 6 Then he moved against the Ammonites. He found a strong group with many people and a man named Timothy as their leader. 7 Judas had many battles with them, beat them severely, and struck them down. 8 He also captured Jazer and its villages. Then he went back to Judea.
Liberation of Galilean Jews
9 Then the Gentiles in Gilead gathered together against the Israelites who lived in their territory, planning to destroy them. So the Jews fled to the fortress of Dathema. 10 They sent a letter to Judas and his brothers:
The Gentiles around us have gathered to destroy us. 11 They are making preparations to come and capture the fortress to which we’ve escaped, and Timothy is leading them. 12 Please, come and rescue us from them because many of us have died already. 13 Our people who were in the land of Tob have been killed. The enemy captured their wives, children, and goods. They killed nearly a thousand people there.
14 While the letter was still being read, other messengers from Galilee, with torn clothing, said similar things. 15 They related that the people of Ptolemais, Tyre, Sidon, and all Galilee of the Gentiles had gathered together “to annihilate us.” 16 When Judas and the people heard all this, a great assembly was called to decide what they should do to assist their people who were in distress and were being attacked by enemies. 17 Then Judas said to Simon his brother: “Choose your men and go rescue your people in Galilee. My brother Jonathan and I will go to Gilead.” 18 He left Joseph, Zechariah’s son, and Azariah, a leader of the people, with the rest of the forces in Judea to guard it. 19 He commanded them, “Take charge of this people, but don’t engage in battle with the Gentiles before we return.” 20 Three thousand men were assigned to Simon to go to Galilee, and eight thousand were to go with Judas to Gilead.
21 So Simon went to Galilee, fought several battles with the Gentiles, and crushed them. 22 He pursued them to the gate of Ptolemais. As many as three thousand Gentiles died, and he plundered their possessions. 23 Then he took the Jews of Galilee and Arbatta, together with their wives and children and all they owned, and led them to Judea with great rejoicing.
Judas and Jonathan in Gilead
24 Judas Maccabeus and his brother Jonathan crossed the Jordan and traveled for three days into the wilderness. 25 They encountered the Nabateans, who greeted them in peace and related all that had happened to their people in Gilead: 26 “Many of them have been cornered inside Bozrah and Bosor, in Alema and Chaspho, in Maked and Carnaim.” These were strong and large towns. 27 “Some have been confined in other towns in Gilead. The enemy is getting ready to attack the fortresses tomorrow. They intend to capture and destroy all these people in a single day.”
28 So Judas and his army turned back quickly to Bozrah by the wilderness road. He took the town and killed every male by the sword. He seized all their goods and burned down the town. 29 He left there by night and went all the way to the fortress. 30 At daybreak they looked around and saw a large company, too many to count, carrying ladders and war engines to use to capture the fortress. They were attacking those inside. 31 So Judas saw that the battle had already begun and that the cries of the townspeople went up to heaven. There were trumpet blasts and loud shouts. 32 He said to his forces: “Fight today for your people!” 33 He came up behind them in three companies. They sounded their trumpets and cried out in prayer. 34 When Timothy’s army realized that it was Maccabeus, they ran away. But Judas dealt them a heavy blow. As many as eight thousand of the enemy died that day.
35 Judas turned next to Maapha. He fought against it and took it. He killed every male in it, plundered it, and burned it with fire. 36 After that he marched ahead and took Chaspho, Maked, Bosor, and the other towns of Gilead.
37 Following this, Timothy assembled another army and encamped opposite Raphon, on the other side of the stream. 38 Judas sent spies to observe the camp, and they reported: “All the Gentiles around us have gone over to him—it’s a very large force. 39 They have also hired Arabs to help them. They’re camped across the stream, and they’re ready to come and fight against you.” So Judas went out to meet them.
40 As Judas and his army were drawing near to the stream of water, Timothy told the officers of his forces, “If Judas crosses the water first, we won’t be able to resist him, and he’ll surely defeat us. 41 But if he hesitates out of fear and camps on the other side of the river, then we’ll cross over and defeat him.”
42 When Judas came to the stream of water, he stationed the scribes of the people there and issued this command: “Don’t let anyone start to make camp. Instead, force them all to enter the battle.” 43 He then crossed over against them first, and the whole army followed him. All the Gentiles were defeated. They threw down their weapons and ran away into the sacred grounds at Carnaim. 44 But Judas took the town and burned the sacred grounds with fire, together with all who were hiding there. Even Carnaim was conquered, and they couldn’t oppose Judas any longer.
Return to Jerusalem
45 Then Judas gathered all the Israelites in Gilead to go to the land of Judah. It was a very large group, both small and great, with all their wives, children, and goods. 46 They came to Ephron, a large and secure town along the way. They couldn’t go around it on either side. They had to go through it. 47 But the townspeople shut them out and blocked up the gates with rocks.
48 Judas sent them a peaceful message: “Let us pass through your land to get to ours. We won’t do you any harm. We’ll just pass through by foot.” But they still refused to open to him. 49 So Judas ordered that the army camp wherever they were, 50 and the forces did so. All that day and night he fought against the town, and it was handed over to him. 51 He killed every male by the edge of the sword, and he demolished and plundered the town. Then he passed through it, walking over the dead bodies.
52 After that they crossed the Jordan and came into the large plain in front of Beth-shan. 53 Judas kept rallying those who fell behind and encouraged the people all along the way until he came to the land of Judah. 54 They went up to Mount Zion with joy and gladness. They made entirely burned offerings, because they had returned safely. Not one of them had died.
Joseph and Azariah defeated
55 Now this is what happened while Judas and Jonathan were in Gilead and their brother Simon was in Galilee in front of Ptolemais. 56 Joseph, Zechariah’s son, and Azariah (the commanders of the forces that had remained behind) heard about their brave deeds and the war they had fought. 57 So they said, “Let’s make a name for ourselves too. Let’s go and make war on the Gentiles around us.” 58 They gave orders to the troops who were with them and marched against Jamnia. 59 Gorgias and his troops came out from the town to engage them in battle. 60 Joseph and Azariah were decisively defeated, and they were pursued to the borders of Judea. As many as two thousand Israelites died that day. 61 As a result, the people of Israel suffered a great defeat because, wanting to do a brave thing, they didn’t obey Judas and his brothers. 62 Furthermore, they didn’t belong to the family of those men through whom deliverance was given to Israel.
63 All Israel and all the Gentiles greatly esteemed Judas and his brothers, wherever their name was heard. 64 People gathered to them and praised them.
Success at Hebron and Philistia
65 At that time, Judas and his brothers headed out and fought Esau’s descendants in the land to the south. He struck Hebron and its villages, tore down its fortress, and burned its towers all around. 66 He then set out to enter the land of the Philistines and passed through Marisa. 67 That day some priests who wished to do a brave deed died in battle because they had gone out to battle unwisely. 68 But Judas turned aside to Azotus in the land of the Philistines. Judas tore down their altars, and he burned the carved images of their gods with fire. He plundered the towns and returned to Judah.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible