1 Maccabees 4:26-35

Good News Translation

Victory over Lysias^(A)

²⁶The Gentile troops that escaped went to Lysias and reported all that had happened. ²⁷When Lysias heard that his troops had lost the battle, he was shocked and disappointed that Israel had not been defeated as the king had commanded.

²⁸In the following year Lysias gathered an army of 60,000 well-trained infantry and 5,000 cavalry, intending to conquer the Jews. ²⁹They marched into Idumea and camped at Bethzur. Judas came to meet them with 10,000 men. ³⁰^(B)When Judas saw how strong the enemy's army was, he prayed,

We will praise you, Savior of Israel. You broke the attack of the giant by the hand of your servant David and you let Saul's son Jonathan and the young man who carried his weapons defeat the entire Philistine army. ³¹Now in the same way let your people Israel defeat our enemy. Put them to shame, in spite of all their confidence in their infantry and cavalry. ³²Make them afraid; let their bold strength melt away; let them tremble at the prospect of defeat. ³³We love and worship you; so let us kill our enemies, that we may then sing your praises.

³⁴The battle began, and in the hand-to-hand fighting about 5,000 of Lysias' men were killed. ³⁵When Lysias saw that his army was being defeated and when he saw the reckless courage of Judas and his men, who showed that they were ready to live or die with honor, he returned to Antioch. There he recruited some mercenaries and planned to return to Judea later with a much larger army.

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