1 Maccabees 6:18-47

Revised Standard Version

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.