Alcimus Speaks against Judas^(A)

14 Three years later, Judas and his men learned that Demetrius son of Seleucus had sailed into the port of Tripolis with a powerful army and a fleet. ² It was reported that he had killed King Antiochus and his guardian Lysias and had taken over the country.

³ There was a man by the name of Alcimus, who had formerly been High Priest but who had gladly adopted the Greek way of life during the revolt. Realizing that he could never again be High Priest and fearful of what the Jews might do to him, ⁴ he went to see King Demetrius in the year 151.^[a] On this occasion he presented the king with a gold crown and a palm branch, together with some olive branches traditionally presented to the Temple, but he said nothing about his plans. ⁵ Later, however, he got the chance to put his foolish plans into effect when Demetrius summoned him to a meeting of his advisers and asked him what the Jews were intending to do.

Demetrius Sends Nicanor to Attack Judas

¹¹ As soon as Alcimus had finished his speech, the other advisers quickly seized this opportunity to arouse Demetrius' anger against Judas, because they also hated him. ¹² So King Demetrius immediately appointed Nicanor, who was the commander of his elephant forces, to be governor of Judea, and sent him there ¹³ with orders to kill Judas, scatter his followers, and make Alcimus High Priest of the greatest Temple in all the world. ¹⁴ All the foreigners in Judea, who had fled from Judas' attacks, now rushed to join forces with Nicanor, because they thought that any defeat or trouble that came to the Jews would be to their own advantage.

^15 (B)The Jews heard that Nicanor was attacking and that the foreigners in their country were giving him their support. So they threw dirt on themselves and prayed to their God, who had chosen their nation as his possession forever and had never failed to help them in time of need. ¹⁶ Then Judas, their leader, gave the orders, and they immediately marched out to engage the enemy in battle near the village of Adasa.^{[b] 17} Judas' brother Simon was fighting Nicanor but was gradually losing the battle because of an unexpected move on the part of the enemy. ¹⁸ However, when Nicanor heard how bravely and courageously Judas and his men were fighting for their country, he decided not to settle the matter in battle. ¹⁹ Instead, he sent Posidonius, Theodotus, and Mattathias to make a treaty with the Jews.

²⁰ After the terms of the treaty had been worked out in detail, Nicanor informed his troops, and they unanimously agreed. ²¹ Then a day was set on which the leaders would meet in private. Ceremonial chairs were brought out from each camp and set up. ²² Judas had taken the precaution of placing battle-ready troops in strategic places, in case of sudden treachery on the part of the enemy. But the two leaders had a friendly meeting. ²³ Nicanor stayed on in Jerusalem for some time after that. He did not mistreat the Jews in any way, and even sent away the people who had come over to his side. ²⁴ The two men became the best of friends, and Judas was Nicanor's constant companion. ²⁵ Nicanor urged him to marry and start a family. So Judas did this and settled down to a peaceful life.

Nicanor Turns against Judas

²⁶ When Alcimus noticed how well Nicanor and Judas were getting along, he obtained a copy of the treaty and went to see King Demetrius. He told the king that Nicanor was disloyal to the government, because he had appointed the traitor Judas to be his successor. ²⁷ These false accusations infuriated the king, and in his anger he wrote to Nicanor, informing him that he was dissatisfied with the treaty and ordering him to arrest Judas Maccabeus and send him to Antioch at once.

²⁸ When this message reached Nicanor, he was hurt and didn't know what to do, because he did not like having to break an agreement with a man who had kept his part of the bargain. ²⁹ Yet it was impossible for him to ignore the king's command, so he began looking for a way to trap Judas. ³⁰ Judas, however, noticed that Nicanor was becoming hostile and rude toward him, and he knew that this was a bad sign. So he gathered a large number of his followers and went into hiding.

^31 (C)When Nicanor realized that Judas had outsmarted him, he went to the great and holy Temple at the time when the priests were offering sacrifice and ordered them to surrender Judas to him. ³² But the priests declared under oath that they had no idea where Judas was hiding. ³³ Then Nicanor raised his right arm in the direction of the Temple and made a solemn threat:

Antiochus the Seventh Asks for Simon's Support

15 From the Greek islands Antiochus son of King Demetrius wrote the following letter to Simon the High Priest and governor of the Jews and to the whole nation:

⁵ Now therefore, I confirm all exemptions from taxes and payments granted you by former kings. ⁶ I authorize you to mint your own coins as legal currency in your own country. ⁷ Jerusalem and the Temple shall be free of taxation. All the weapons that you have manufactured and the defenses you have built and now occupy shall remain yours. ⁸ In addition, all debts now owed to the royal treasury, or which may in the future fall due, are permanently canceled. ⁹ As soon as I have regained control of my kingdom, I will confer upon you, your nation, and the Temple such great honors that the glory of your country will be evident to the whole world.

¹⁰ In the year 174^[a] Antiochus invaded the land of his ancestors. Most of the soldiers came over to his side, so that there were very few left with Trypho. ¹¹ Trypho, pursued by Antiochus, fled to the coastal city of Dor, ¹² realizing that he was in a desperate situation, now that all his troops had deserted him. ¹³ Then Antiochus laid siege to Dor with 120,000 well-trained soldiers and 8,000 cavalry. ¹⁴ With his ships joining the attack, he completely surrounded the town and brought such pressure on it that no one was able to enter or leave.

Rome Supports the Jews

^15 (A)Meanwhile, Numenius and those with him arrived in Jerusalem from Rome with the following letter addressed to various kings and countries:

²² Lucius wrote the same letter to King Demetrius, to Attalus, Ariarathes, and Arsaces, ²³ and to all the following countries: Sampsames, Sparta, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos, Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Aradus, Gortyna, Cnidus, Cyprus, and Cyrene. ²⁴ A copy of the letter was also sent to Simon the High Priest.

Antiochus the Seventh Breaks with Simon

²⁵ King Antiochus laid siege to Dor for a second time, keeping it under constant attack. He built siege platforms, and his blockade kept Trypho and his men from going in or out. ²⁶ Simon sent 2,000 well-trained soldiers to help Antiochus, as well as silver and gold and a great deal of equipment. ²⁷ But Antiochus refused to accept them, canceled all the previous agreements that he had made with Simon, and became his enemy. ²⁸ Then Antiochus sent his trusted official Athenobius to negotiate with Simon. He told Simon,

³² When Athenobius came to Jerusalem and saw the splendor of Simon's court, the gold and silver tableware in his banquet hall, and the rest of the display of great wealth, he was amazed. He delivered the king's message to Simon, ³³ and Simon answered,