1 Maccabees 5:11-27

Good News Translation

^10-11 and sent the following letter to Judas and his brothers:

¹⁴ This letter was still being read when other messengers, who had torn their clothes in sorrow, arrived with a report from Galilee. ¹⁵ They said,

¹⁶ When Judas and the people heard all this, a great assembly was held to decide what should be done to help these countrymen, who were in such difficulty under enemy attack. ¹⁷ Judas said to his brother Simon,

²¹ Simon went into Galilee and fought many battles with the Gentiles. He defeated them ²² and pursued them all the way to the city of Ptolemais, killing about 3,000 of them, and taking the loot. ²³ Then he took the Jews who were in Galilee and Arbatta, with their wives, their children, and all they owned, and brought them back to Judea with him. There was great rejoicing.

²⁴ During this time, Judas Maccabeus and his brother Jonathan had crossed the Jordan River and had marched for three days through the desert. ²⁵ They met some friendly Nabateans who told them all that had happened to the Jews in Gilead. ²⁶ They reported that many Jews were imprisoned in the fortified cities of Bozrah, Bosor, Alema, Chaspho, Maked, and Karnaim, ²⁷ while others were imprisoned in the smaller towns of Gilead. They also reported that the enemy was drawn up to make an attack the next day on the Jewish fortresses, hoping to destroy all the Jews in a single day.