2 Maccabees 12
The Jews, led by Judas, sought to avenge the cruel acts committed against them by the people of Joppa and Jamnia, who had drowned many Jews at sea. Judas and his men attacked the ports of Joppa and Jamnia by night, setting fire to the ships and killing many of their enemies. They then defeated the Arabians in battle and received a pledge of peace from them. Judas also captured the city of Casphin, where he made a great slaughter, and later defeated Timothy's forces, killing many of his men. After these victories, Judas and his men purified themselves and kept the Sabbath, and then collected the bodies of the fallen to bury them with their ancestors. They found that some of the slain had been wearing forbidden idolatrous tokens, and they prayed for forgiveness for the sins of the dead, sending money to Jerusalem to be offered as a sacrifice for their sins.
After these pacts were made, Lysias proceeded on to the king, but the Jews undertook the work of agricultureHowever, those who had withdrawn: Timothy, and Apollonius, the son of Gennaeus, along with Hieronymus, and Demophon, and, in addition to these, Nicanor, the governor of Cyprus, would not permit them to live in peace and quietTruly, those of Joppa were also perpetrators of very shameful acts. They asked the Jews, who lived among them, to go up into small boats, which they had prepared, with their wives and sons, as if no underlying hostility was between themAnd so, according to the common decree of the city, they acquiesced to them, having no suspicions and because there was peace. When they had proceeded out into deep water, they drowned no less than two hundred of themWhen Judas learned of the cruelty done to the men of his nation, he informed the men who were with him, and, having called upon God, the Just Judgehe went against the executors of his brothers, and he even set the port on fire in the night; he burned the boats, but those who took refuge from the fire, he destroyed with the swordAnd when he had done these things in this way, he departed, as if he would return again to eradicate all those of JoppaBut when he also realized those who were of Jamnia wanted to act in a similar way to the Jews living among themhe went against those of Jamnia also by night, and he set the port on fire, along with the ships, so much so that the light of the fire was seen at Jerusalem, two hundred and forty stadia awayWhen they had now gone from there nine stadia, and were making their way toward Timothy, they met in battle with those of Arabia: five thousand men and five hundred horsemenAnd when a strong fight occurred, and, by the help of God, it ceased favorably, the remainder of the Arabians who were overcome petitioned Judas to give them a pledge, promising to give him pastures and to assist him in other things in the futureThen Judas, thinking that they truly might be useful in many ways, promised peace. And after receiving the pledge of his right hand, they withdrew to their tentsThen he also assaulted a certain strong city, surrounded with bridges and walls, which was inhabited by a crowd from many different nations, the name of which is CasphinIn truth, those who were inside, trusting in the strength of the walls and in the preparations of rations, acted irresponsibly, and they challenged Judas with evil words and blaspheming, as well as by speaking what is not lawfulBut Maccabeus rushed fiercely to the walls, calling upon the great Leader of the world, who, without battering rams or machines of war, had thrown down the walls of Jericho in the time of JoshuaAnd, having captured the city through the will of the Lord, he made a slaughter without number, so much so that an adjoining pool, two stadia in width, was seen to flow with the blood of the slainFrom there, they withdrew seven hundred and fifty stadia, and they came to Charax, to those Jews who are called TubianitesAnd Timothy, indeed, they did not find in those places, for he withdrew before he completed any endeavor, having left behind a very strong garrison in a certain placeBut Dositheus and Sosipater, who were commanders with Maccabeus, destroyed those who were left behind by Timothy in the stronghold: ten thousand menAnd Maccabeus, having positioned six thousand men around him and having divided them into cohorts, went forth against Timothy, who had with him one hundred twenty thousand foot soldiers, and two thousand five hundred horsemenBut when Timothy learned of the arrival of Judas, he sent ahead the women, and the children, and the remainder of the preparations, into a fortress, which is called Carnion. For it was impregnable and difficult to access because of the narrowness of the placesAnd when the first cohort of Judas had appeared, the enemies were struck with fear by the presence of God, who beholds all things, and they were turned to flight, one over another, to such an extent that they were being knocked over by one another and were being wounded with the strokes of their own swordsBut Judas pursued them vehemently, punishing the profane and striking down thirty thousand of their menIn truth, Timothy himself fell to the group under Dositheus and Sosipater. And with much begging, he pleaded with them to release him alive, because he held the parents and brothers of many of the Jews, who, at his death, might happen to be mistreatedAnd when he had given his faith that he would restore them according to the agreement, they released him unharmed, for the sake of their brothers’ well-beingThen Judas departed to Carnion, where he slew twenty-five thousandAfter having put to flight or killed these, he moved his army to Ephron, a fortified city, in which there lived a multitude of diverse peoples. And hardy young men, standing upon the walls, put up a strong fight. Moreover, in this place, there were many machines of war, and equipment for casting dartsBut when they had called upon the Almighty, who with his power breaks the strength of enemies, they seized the city. And they struck down twenty-five thousand of those who were insideFrom there, they went to the city of Scythia, which was six hundred stadia away from JerusalemBut the Jews, those who were among the Scythians, testified that they were treated kindly by them, and that, even in the times of unhappiness, they had treated them mildlyThey gave thanks to them, exhorting them to be kind to their people, now and at other times. And they went to Jerusalem, as the solemn days of the seven weeks were underwayAnd, after Pentecost, they marched against Gorgias, the foremost leader over IdumeaAnd he went out with three thousand foot soldiers and four hundred horsemenAnd when they came together, it happened that a few of the Jews were overthrownIn fact, a certain Dositheus, a horseman of Bacenor, a strong man, took hold of Gorgias. And when he would have captured him alive, a certain horseman of the Thracians rushed upon him and cut off his arm, and so, in this way, Gorgias escaped to MaresaBut when those who were with Esdris had fought all day and were fatigued, Judas called upon the Lord to be their helper and leader in the battleBeginning in the language of the fathers, and loudly extolling hymns, he inspired the soldiers of Gorgias to take flightThen Judas, having collected his army, went into the city Adullam. And, when the seventh day came, they purified themselves according to the custom, and they kept the Sabbath in the same placeAnd the following day, Judas came with his own, in order to take away the bodies of the fallen, and to place them in the sepulchers of their fathers with their ancestorsBut they found, under the tunics of the slain, some of the treasures of the idols that were near Jamnia, which were prohibited to Jews by the law. Therefore, it became manifest that it was for this reason that they had been overthrownAnd so, they all blessed the just judgment of the Lord, who had made hidden things manifestSo then, turning themselves to prayers, they petitioned him that the offense which had been done would be delivered into oblivion. And truly, the very strong Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves without sin, since they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sins of those who were struck downAnd, calling an assembly, he sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem, to be offered for a sacrifice for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously about the resurrection(for if he had not hoped that those who had fallen would be resurrected, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,and because he considered that those who had fallen asleep with piety had great grace stored up for themTherefore, it is a holy and beneficial thought to pray on behalf of those who have passed away, so that they may be released from sins
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