1 Maccabees 5:24-54
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
24 (A)Judas Maccabeus and his brother Jonathan crossed the Jordan and marched for three days through the wilderness. 25 There they met some Nabateans,[a] who received them peaceably and told them all that had happened to their kindred in Gilead: 26 “Many of them are shut up in Bozrah, in Bosor near Alema, in Chaspho, Maked, and Carnaim”—all of these are large, fortified cities— 27 “and some are shut up in other cities of Gilead. Tomorrow their enemies plan to attack the strongholds and to seize and destroy all these people in one day.”
28 Thereupon Judas suddenly changed direction with his army, marched across the wilderness to Bozrah, and captured the city. He put every male to the sword, took all their spoils, and set fire to the city. 29 [b]He led his army from that place by night, and they marched toward the stronghold. 30 When morning came, they looked ahead and saw a countless multitude, with ladders and machines for capturing the stronghold, beginning to attack. 31 When Judas perceived that the struggle had begun and that the noise of the battle was resounding to heaven with trumpet blasts and loud shouting, 32 he said to the men of his army, “Fight for our kindred today.” 33 He came up behind them with three columns blowing their trumpets and crying out in prayer. 34 When the army of Timothy realized that it was Maccabeus, they fled before him, and he inflicted on them a great defeat. About eight thousand of their men fell that day.
35 Then he turned toward Alema[c] and attacked and captured it; he killed every male, took spoils, and burned it down. 36 From there he moved on and took Chaspho, Maked, Bosor, and the other cities of Gilead.
37 (B)After these events Timothy assembled another army and camped opposite Raphon, on the other side of the wadi. 38 Judas sent men to spy on the camp, and they reported to him: “All the Gentiles around us have rallied to him, making a very large force; 39 they have also hired Arabians to help them, and have camped beyond the wadi, ready to attack you.” So Judas went forward to meet them.
40 As Judas and his army were approaching the flowing wadi, Timothy said to the officers of his army: “If he crosses over to us first, we shall not be able to resist him; he will certainly defeat us.(C) 41 But if he is hesitant and camps on the other side of the river, we will cross over to him and defeat him.” 42 But when Judas reached the flowing wadi, he stationed the officers of the people beside it and gave them this order: “Do not allow anyone to encamp; all must go into battle.” 43 He was the first to cross to the attack, with all the people behind him, and all the Gentiles were crushed before them. They threw away their arms and fled to the temple enclosure at Carnaim. 44 But Judas’ troops captured the city and burnt the temple enclosure with all who were in it. So Carnaim was subdued, and Judas met with no more resistance.
Return to Jerusalem. 45 (D)Then Judas assembled all the Israelites, great and small, who were in Gilead, with their wives and children and their goods, a very large company, to go into the land of Judah. 46 When they reached Ephron,[d] a large and strongly fortified city along the way, they found it impossible to go around it on either the right or the left; they would have to march right through it.(E) 47 But the people in the city shut them out and blocked up the gates with stones. 48 Then Judas sent them this peaceful message: “Let us cross your territory in order to reach our own; no one will harm you; we will only march through.” But they would not open to him. 49 So Judas ordered a proclamation to be made in the camp that everyone should take up positions where they were. 50 When the men of the army took up their positions, he assaulted the city all that day and night, and it was delivered into his hand. 51 He put every male to the sword, leveled the city, took spoils and passed through it over the slain.
52 Then they crossed the Jordan to the great plain in front of Beth-shan; 53 and Judas kept gathering the stragglers and encouraging the people the whole way, until he reached the land of Judah. 54 They ascended Mount Zion in joy and gladness and sacrificed burnt offerings, because not one of them had fallen; they had returned in safety.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 5:25 Nabateans: an Arab people who acquired wealth and power as caravan merchants in the final two centuries B.C. They established Petra as their capital and for a time controlled all of Transjordan, even as far as Damascus. It was from a Nabatean governor of Damascus that Paul escaped (2 Cor 11:32–33).
- 5:29 Cf. v. 9.
- 5:35 Alema: see v. 26; other manuscripts read Maapha, which may be Mizpah of Gilead (Jgs 11:29).
- 5:46 Ephron: a city in Transjordan opposite Beth-shan (v. 52), about nine miles east of the Jordan River. Situated on a height, it dominated the valleys of the two tributaries of the Jordan.
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