526
[Whiston sect. 1] [sect. 420] BUT when Demetrius was informed of the death of Nicanor, and of the
destruction of the army that was with him, he sent Bacchides again with
an army into Judea, who marched out of Antioch, and came into Judea, and
pitched his camp at Arbela, a city of Galilee; and having besieged and
taken those that were there in caves, (for many of the people fled into
such places,) he removed, and made all the haste he could to Jerusalem.
And when he had learned that Judas had pitched his camp at a certain village
whose name was Bethzetho, he led his army against him: they were twenty
thousand foot-men, and two thousand horsemen. Now Judas had no more soldiers
than one thousand. 527
When these saw the multitude of Bacchides's men, they were afraid, and
left their camp, and fled all away, excepting eight hundred. Now when Judas
was deserted by his own soldiers, and the enemy pressed upon him, and gave
him no time to gather his army together, he was disposed to fight with
Bacchides's army, though he had but eight hundred men with him; so he exhorted
these men to undergo the danger courageously, and encouraged them to attack
the enemy. And when they said they were not a body sufficient to fight
so great an army, and advised that they should retire now, and save themselves
and that when he had gathered his own men together, then he should fall
upon the enemy afterwards, his answer was this: "Let not the sun ever
see such a thing, that I should show my back to the enemy and although
this be the time that will bring me to my end, and I must die in this battle,
I will rather stand to it courageously, and bear whatsoever comes upon
me, than by now running away bring reproach upon my former great actions,
or tarnish their glory." This was the speech he made to those that
remained with him, whereby he encouraged them to attack the enemy.
[Whiston sect. 2] [sect. 426] But Bacchldes drew his army out of their camp, and put them in array
for the battle. He set the horsemen on both the wings, and the light soldiers
and the archers he placed before the whole army, but he was himself on
the right wing. And when he had thus put his army in order of battle, and
was going to join battle with the enemy, he commanded the trumpeter to
give a signal of battle, and the army to make a shout, and to fall on the
enemy. And when Judas had done the same, he joined battle with them; and
as both sides fought valiantly, and the battle continued till sun-set,
Judas saw that Bacehides and the strongest part of the army was in the
right wing, and thereupon took the most courageous men with him, and ran
upon that part of the army, and fell upon those that were there, and broke
their ranks, and drove them into the middle, and forced them to run away,
and pursued them as far as to a mountain called Aza: but when those of
the left wing saw that the right wing was put to flight, they encompassed
Judas, and pursued him, and came behind him, and took him into the middle
of their army; so being not able to fly, but encompassed round about with
enemies, he stood still, and he and those that were with him fought; and
when he had slain a great many of those that came against him, he at last
was himself wounded, and fell and gave up the ghost, and died in a way
like to his former famous actions. When Judas was dead, those that were
with him had no one whom they could regard [as their commander]; but when
they saw themselves deprived of such a general, they fled. But Simon and
Jonathan, Judas's brethren, received his dead body by a treaty from the
enemy, and carried it to the village of Modin, where their father had been
buried, and there buried him; while the multitude lamented him many days,
and performed the usual solemn rites of a funeral to him. And this was
the end that Judas came to. He had been a man of valor and a great warrior,
and mindful of the commands of their father Matrathins; and had undergone
all difficulties, both in doing and suffering, for the liberty of his countrymen.
And when his character was so excellent [while he was alive], he left behind
him a glorious reputation and memorial, by gaining freedom for his nation,
and delivering them from slavery under the Macedonians. And when he had
retained the high priesthood three years, he died.
Book 13 Book XIII
CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF EIGHTY-TWO YEARS,
FROM THE DEATH OF JUDAS MACCABEUS TO THE DEATH OF QUEEN
ALEXANDRA.
Ch. 1
