Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
Chapter the Fifth. Synopsis of the Chapter
Judas routs the Ammonites, Moabites and Idumeans; soon, verse 9, he succours the Galileans through his brother Simon, the Galaadites in person, and verse 28 takes Bosor, and verse 35 Maspha, and other cities of Galaaditis by storm. Thence, verse 37, he entirely defeats Timotheus in battle, and verse 46 takes Ephron by storm; but verse 56 Joseph and Azarias are slain together with Judas’s troops.
1. And it came to pass, when the nations round about heard that the altar and the sanctuary were built up as before, they were exceedingly angry: 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. 3. And Judas fought against the children of Esau in Idumea, and them that were in Acrabathane, because they beset the Israelites around about: and he gave them a great overthrow. 4. And he remembered the malice of the children of Bean, who were a snare and a stumblingblock to the people, lying in wait for them in the ways. 5. And they were shut up by him in towers: and he set upon them, and devoted them to destruction, and burnt their towers with fire, with all that were in them. 6. And he passed over to the children of Ammon, and found a mighty band, and a numerous people, with Timotheus for their captain: 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 Jazer and her daughters, 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 to the fortress of Dathema. 10. And they sent letters to Judas and his brethren, saying: The heathens that are round about us are assembled together against us to destroy us. 11. And they are preparing to come and take the fortress into which we are fled, and Timotheus is the captain of their army. 12. Come now and deliver us out of their hands, for a great number of us is fallen: 13. And all our brethren that were in the places of Tubin are slain: and they have carried away their wives, and their children, and their spoils, and have killed there almost a thousand men. 14. And while the letters were yet reading, behold there came other messengers from Galilee with their garments rent, who reported according to these words: 15. Saying that they of Ptolemais, and of Tyre, and of Sidon, and all Galilee of the Gentiles are assembled together against us to consume us. 16. Now when Judas and the people heard these words, a great assembly was called 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: but I and Jonathan my brother will go into 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, and make no war against the heathens until we return. 20. Now three thousand men were allotted to Simon to go into Galilee: and eight thousand to Judas to go into Galaad. 21. And Simon went into Galilee, and fought many battles with the heathens: and the heathens were discomfited before him, and he pursued them to the gate of Ptolemais: 22. and there fell of the heathens almost three thousand men, and he took their spoils. 23. And he took with him them that were in Galilee, and in Arbatis, with their wives and children, and all that they had, and 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 peaceably, and told them all that had befallen their brethren in the land of Galaad, 26. And that many of them were shut up in Barasa, and Bosor, and in Alima, and in Casphor, and Mageth, and Carnaim: all these cities are strong and great. 27. And that they were shut up in the rest of the cities of the country of Galaad, and that they had appointed on the morrow to bring their army to these cities, and to take them, and to destroy them in one day. 28. And Judas and his army suddenly turned their march into the desert of Bosor, and took the city: and he slew every male by the edge of the sword, and took all the spoils, and burnt it with fire. 29. And they arose from thence by night, and went on till they came to the fortress. 30. And it came to pass in the morning, when they lifted up their eyes, behold there was much people, whose number could not be told, carrying ladders and engines, to take the fortress, and they assaulted them. 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 this day for your brethren. 33. And he came on behind them in three companies, and they sounded their trumpets, and cried out in prayer. 34. And the host of Timotheus understood that it was Machabeus, and they fled from before him: and he made a great slaughter of them, and there fell of them in that day almost eight thousand men. 35. And 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. 36. From thence he marched, and took Casbon, and Mageth, and Bosor, and the other cities of Galaad. 37. But after these things, Timotheus gathered another army, and camped over against Raphon, beyond the torrent. 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, a very great army. 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. 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 to us first, we shall not be able to withstand him: for he will mightily prevail against us. 41. But if he be afraid to pass over, and camp beyond the river, let us go over to them, and we shall prevail against him. 42. Now when Judas came near the torrent of water, he caused the scribes of the people to be set by the torrent, and he gave them commandment, saying: Suffer no man to stay behind, but let all come to the battle. 43. And he passed over first against them, and all the people after him: and all the nations were discomfited before them, and they threw away their arms, and fled to the temple that was in Carnaim. 44. And he took that city, and burnt the temple with fire, with all things that were in it: and Carnaim was subdued, and could not stand before the face of Judas. 45. And Judas gathered together all the Israelites that were in the land of Galaad, from the least to the greatest, and their wives, and their children, and a very great army, to come into the land of Juda. 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 of turning 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, 48. Saying: Let us pass through your land to go into our own country, and no man shall hurt you, we will only pass through on foot. But they would not open to him. 49. Then Judas commanded proclamation to be made in the camp, that they should make an assault, every man in the place where he was. 50. And the men of the army drew near, and he assaulted that city all that day, and all that night, and the city was delivered into his hands: 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 the whole city over them that were slain. 52. And they went over the Jordan into the great plain over against Bethsan. 53. And Judas gathered up the rereward, and exhorted the people all the way through, till they came into the land of Juda. 54. And 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. 55. Now in the days that Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Galaad, and Simon his brother in Galilee before Ptolemais, 56. Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, captain of the soldiers, heard of the good success, and the battles that were fought, 57. And he said: Let us also get us a name, and let us go fight against the Gentiles that are round about us. 58. And he gave charge to those that were in his army, and they went towards Jamnia. 59. And Gorgias and his men went out of the city to meet them in fight. 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: 61. Because they did not hearken to Judas and his brethren, thinking that they should do some valiant exploit. 62. But they were not of the seed of those men by whom salvation was brought to Israel. 63. But the men of Juda were glorified exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and of all the nations where their name was heard of: 64. And they assembled to them with joyful acclamations. 65. Then Judas and his brethren went forth, and attacked the children of Esau in the land toward the south, and he took Hebron, and her towns: and he burnt the walls thereof, and the towers all round about it. 66. And he removed his camp to go into the land of the Philistines, and he passed through Samaria. 67. In that day some priests fell in battle, while desiring to do manfully, they went out unadvisedly to fight. 68. And Judas turned to Azotus into the land of the strangers, and threw down their altars, and burnt the statues of their gods with fire, and took the spoils of the cities, and returned into the land of Juda.