t his way. But when Seron, who was general of the
army of Celesyria, heard that many had joined themselves to Judas, and
that he had about him an army sufficient for fighting, and for making
war, he determined to make an expedition against him, as thinking it
became him to endeavor to punish those that transgressed the king's
injunctions. He then got together an army, as large as he was able, and
joined to it the runagate and wicked Jews, and came against Judas. He
came as far as Bethhoron, a village of Judea, and there pitched his
camp; upon which Judas met him; and when he intended to give him battle,
he saw that his soldiers were backward to fight, because their number
was small, and because they wanted food, for they were fasting, he
encouraged them, and said to them, that victory and conquest of enemies
are not derived from the multitude in armies, but in the exercise of
piety towards God; and that they had the plainest instances in their
forefathers, who, by their righteousness, exerting themselves on behalf
of their own laws, and their own children, had frequently conquered many
ten thousands,--for innocence is the strongest army. By this speech he
induced his men to condemn the multitude of the enemy, and to fall upon
Seron. And upon joining battle with him, he beat the Syrians; and when
their general fell among the rest, they all ran away with speed, as
thinking that to be their best way of escaping. So he pursued them
unto the plain, and slew about eight hundred of the enemy; but the rest
escaped to the region which lay near to the sea.

2. When king Antiochus heard of these things, he was very angry at
what had happened; so he got together all his own army, with many
mercenaries, whom he had hired from the islands, and took them with him,
and prepared to break into Judea about the beginning of the spring. But
when, upon his mustering his soldiers, he perceived that his treasures
were deficient, and there was a want of money in them, for all the
taxes were not paid, by reason of the seditions there had been among the
nations he having been so magnanimous and so liberal, that what he
had was not sufficient for him, he therefore resolved first to go into
Persia, and collect the taxes of that country. Hereupon he left one
whose name was Lysias, who was in great repute with him governor of
the kingdom, as far as the bounds of Egypt, and of the Lower Asia, and
reaching from the river Euphrates, and committed to him