1 Maccabees 5:46-48

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

⁴⁶ So they came to Ephron. This was a large and very strong city on the road, and they could not go round it to the right or to the left; they had to go through it. ⁴⁷ But the men of the city shut them out and blocked up the gates with stones. ⁴⁸ And Judas sent them this friendly message, “Let us pass through your land to get to our land. No one will do you harm; we will simply pass by on foot.” But they refused to open to him.