¹¹ In those days certain renegades came out from Israel and misled many, saying, “Let us go and make a covenant with the nations around us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon us.”^(A)

Bacchides Returns to Judea

9 When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah a second time, and with them the right wing of the army.^(A)

⁵⁴ In the one hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month, Alcimus gave orders to tear down the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary. He tore down the work of the prophets!^(A)

⁵⁶ And Alcimus died at that time in great agony.

⁵⁷ When Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead, he returned to the king, and the land of Judah had rest for two years.^(A)

³ Now a certain Alcimus, who had formerly been high priest but had willfully defiled himself in the days of separation,^[a] realized that there was no way for him to be safe or to have access again to the holy altar^(A)

¹³ with orders to kill Judas and scatter his troops and to install Alcimus as high priest of the great^[a] temple.^(A)

Nicanor Turns against Judas

²⁶ But when Alcimus noticed their goodwill for one another, he took the covenant that had been made and went to Demetrius. He told him that Nicanor was disloyal to the government, since he had appointed that conspirator against the kingdom, Judas, to be his successor.^(A)