1 Maccabees 9:1-22

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Bacchides Returns to Judea

9 When Deme′trius heard that Nica′nor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bac′chides and Al′cimus into the land of Judah a second time, and with them the right wing of the army. ² They went by the road which leads to Gilgal and encamped against Mes′aloth in Arbe′la, and they took it and killed many people. ³ In the first month of the one hundred and fifty-second year^[a] they encamped against Jerusalem; ⁴ then they marched off and went to Berea with twenty thousand foot soldiers and two thousand cavalry.

⁵ Now Judas was encamped in El′asa, and with him were three thousand picked men. ⁶ When they saw the huge number of the enemy forces, they were greatly frightened, and many slipped away from the camp, until no more than eight hundred of them were left.

⁷ When Judas saw that his army had slipped away and the battle was imminent, he was crushed in spirit, for he had no time to assemble them. ⁸ He became faint, but he said to those who were left, “Let us rise and go up against our enemies. We may be able to fight them.” ⁹ But they tried to dissuade him, saying, “We are not able. Let us rather save our own lives now, and let us come back with our brethren and fight them; we are too few.” ¹⁰ But Judas said, “Far be it from us to do such a thing as to flee from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our brethren, and leave no cause to question our honor.”

The Last Battle of Judas

¹¹ Then the army of Bac′chides^[b] marched out from the camp and took its stand for the encounter. The cavalry was divided into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, as did all the chief warriors. ¹² Bac′chides was on the right wing. Flanked by the two companies, the phalanx advanced to the sound of the trumpets; and the men with Judas also blew their trumpets. ¹³ The earth was shaken by the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning till evening.

¹⁴ Judas saw that Bac′chides and the strength of his army were on the right; then all the stouthearted men went with him, ¹⁵ and they crushed the right wing, and he pursued them as far as Mount Azo′tus. ¹⁶ When those on the left wing saw that the right wing was crushed, they turned and followed close behind Judas and his men. ¹⁷ The battle became desperate, and many on both sides were wounded and fell. ¹⁸ Judas also fell, and the rest fled.

¹⁹ Then Jonathan and Simon took Judas their brother and buried him in the tomb of their fathers at Mo′de-in, ²⁰ and wept for him. And all Israel made great lamentation for him; they mourned many days and said,

²² Now the rest of the acts of Judas, and his wars and the brave deeds that he did, and his greatness, have not been recorded, for they were very many.