1 Maccabees 1:30-38

Common English Bible

³⁰ The agent spoke peaceably and the Jews believed him, but he was deceitful. Without warning, he attacked the city, dealt it a brutal blow, and killed many Israelites. ³¹ He plundered the city. He set fires within it, destroyed its houses, and tore down its protective walls. ³² His forces took women and children as prisoners and seized livestock. ³³ After all of this, the agent’s forces fortified David’s City with a very strong wall and powerful towers, and it became their fortress. ³⁴ They stationed sinful, immoral people there, and these soldiers held down their position. ³⁵ They stocked up with weapons and food, collected the spoils of Jerusalem, and stored them there. They were a great menace.