Renewed Attacks from Syria

¹⁸ Now the men in the citadel kept hemming Israel in around the sanctuary. They were trying in every way to harm them and strengthen the Gentiles. ¹⁹ So Judas decided to destroy them, and assembled all the people to besiege them. ²⁰ They gathered together and besieged the citadel^[a] in the one hundred and fiftieth year;^[b] and he built siege towers and other engines of war. ²¹ But some of the garrison escaped from the siege and some of the ungodly Israelites joined them. ²² They went to the king and said, “How long will you fail to do justice and to avenge our brethren? ²³ We were happy to serve your father, to live by what he said and to follow his commands. ²⁴ For this reason the sons of our people besieged the citadel^[c] and became hostile to us; moreover, they have put to death as many of us as they have caught, and they have seized our inheritances. ²⁵ And not against us alone have they stretched out their hands, but also against all the lands on their borders. ²⁶ And behold, today they have encamped against the citadel in Jerusalem to take it; they have fortified both the sanctuary and Beth-zur; ²⁷ and unless you quickly prevent them, they will do still greater things, and you will not be able to stop them.”

²⁸ The king was enraged when he heard this. He assembled all his friends, the commanders of his forces and those in authority.^{[d] 29} And mercenary forces came to him from other kingdoms and from islands of the seas. ³⁰ The number of his forces was a hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants accustomed to war. ³¹ They came through Idume′a and encamped against Beth-zur, and for many days they fought and built engines of war; but the Jews^[e] sallied out and burned these with fire, and fought manfully.

The Battle at Beth-zechariah

³² Then Judas marched away from the citadel and encamped at Beth-zechari′ah, opposite the camp of the king. ³³ Early in the morning the king rose and took his army by a forced march along the road to Beth-zechari′ah, and his troops made ready for battle and sounded their trumpets. ³⁴ They showed the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries, to arouse them for battle. ³⁵ And they distributed the beasts among the phalanxes; with each elephant they stationed a thousand men armed with coats of mail, and with brass helmets on their heads; and five hundred picked horsemen were assigned to each beast. ³⁶ These took their position beforehand wherever the beast was; wherever it went they went with it, and they never left it. ³⁷ And upon the elephants^[f] were wooden towers, strong and covered; they were fastened upon each beast by special harness, and upon each were four^[g] armed men who fought from there, and also its Indian driver. ³⁸ The rest of the horsemen were stationed on either side, on the two flanks of the army, to harass the enemy while being themselves protected by the phalanxes. ³⁹ When the sun shone upon the shields of gold and brass, the hills were ablaze with them and gleamed like flaming torches.

⁴⁰ Now a part of the king’s army was spread out on the high hills, and some troops were on the plain, and they advanced steadily and in good order. ⁴¹ All who heard the noise made by their multitude, by the marching of the multitude and the clanking of their arms, trembled, for the army was very large and strong. ⁴² But Judas and his army advanced to the battle, and six hundred men of the king’s army fell. ⁴³ And Elea′zar, called Av′aran, saw that one of the beasts was equipped with royal armor. It was taller than all the others, and he supposed that the king was upon it. ⁴⁴ So he gave his life to save his people and to win for himself an everlasting name. ⁴⁵ He courageously ran into the midst of the phalanx to reach it; he killed men right and left, and they parted before him on both sides. ⁴⁶ He got under the elephant, stabbed it from beneath, and killed it; but it fell to the ground upon him and there he died. ⁴⁷ And when the Jews^[h] saw the royal might and the fierce attack of the forces, they turned away in flight.

The Conversion of Saul

9 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. ⁴ And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; ⁶ but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” ⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹ And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Anani′as. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Anani′as.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying, ¹² and he has seen a man named Anani′as come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Anani′as answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ¹⁷ So Anani′as departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized, ¹⁹ and took food and was strengthened.

Saul Preaches in Damascus

For several days he was with the disciples at Damascus. ²⁰ And in the synagogues immediately he proclaimed Jesus, saying, “He is the Son of God.” ²¹ And all who heard him were amazed, and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called on this name? And he has come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests.” ²² But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

Saul Escapes from the Jews

²³ When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, ²⁴ but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night, to kill him; ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down over the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶ And when he had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, ²⁹ preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him. ³⁰ And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesare′a, and sent him off to Tarsus.

³¹ So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samar′ia had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.

The Siege of the Temple

⁴⁸ The soldiers of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem against them, and the king encamped in Judea and at Mount Zion. ⁴⁹ He made peace with the men of Beth-zur, and they evacuated the city, because they had no provisions there to withstand a siege, since it was a sabbatical year for the land. ⁵⁰ So the king took Beth-zur and stationed a guard there to hold it. ⁵¹ Then he encamped before the sanctuary for many days. He set up siege towers, engines of war to throw fire and stones, machines to shoot arrows, and catapults. ⁵² The Jews^[a] also made engines of war to match theirs, and fought for many days. ⁵³ But they had no food in storage,^[b] because it was the seventh year; those who found safety in Judea from the Gentiles had consumed the last of the stores. ⁵⁴ Few men were left in the sanctuary, because famine had prevailed over the rest and they had been scattered, each to his own place.

Syria Offers Terms

⁵⁵ Then Lys′ias heard that Philip, whom King Anti′ochus while still living had appointed to bring up Anti′ochus his son to be king, ⁵⁶ had returned from Persia and Media with the forces that had gone with the king, and that he was trying to seize control of the government. ⁵⁷ So he quickly gave orders to depart, and said to the king, to the commanders of the forces, and to the men, “We daily grow weaker, our food supply is scant, the place against which we are fighting is strong, and the affairs of the kingdom press urgently upon us. ⁵⁸ Now then let us come to terms with these men, and make peace with them and with all their nation, ⁵⁹ and agree to let them live by their laws as they did before; for it was on account of their laws which we abolished that they became angry and did all these things.”

⁶⁰ The speech pleased the king and the commanders, and he sent to the Jews^[c] an offer of peace, and they accepted it. ⁶¹ So the king and the commanders gave them their oath. On these conditions the Jews^[d] evacuated the stronghold. ⁶² But when the king entered Mount Zion and saw what a strong fortress the place was, he broke the oath he had sworn and gave orders to tear down the wall all around. ⁶³ Then he departed with haste and returned to Antioch. He found Philip in control of the city, but he fought against him, and took the city by force.

The Healing of Aeneas

³² Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints that lived at Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aene′as, who had been bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed. ³⁴ And Peter said to him, “Aene′as, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. ³⁵ And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Peter in Lydda and Joppa

³⁶ Now there was at Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which means Dorcas.^[a] She was full of good works and acts of charity. ³⁷ In those days she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him entreating him, “Please come to us without delay.” ³⁹ So Peter rose and went with them. And when he had come, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping, and showing tunics and other garments which Dorcas made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, rise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and lifted her up. Then calling the saints and widows he presented her alive. ⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.