charias, and Azarias, whom Judas left
generals [of the rest of his forces] at the same time when Simon was in
Galilee, fighting against the people of Ptolemais, and Judas himself,
and his brother Jonathan, were in the land of Gilead, did these men also
affect the glory of being courageous generals in war, in order whereto
they took the army that was under their command, and came to Jamnia.
There Gorgias, the general of the forces of Jamnia, met them; and upon
joining battle with him, they lost two thousand of their army, [22]
and fled away, and were pursued to the very borders of Judea. And this
misfortune befell them by their disobedience to what injunctions Judas
had given them, not to fight with any one before his return. For besides
the rest of Judas's sagacious counsels, one may well wonder at this
concerning the misfortune that befell the forces commanded by Joseph
and Azarias, which he understood would happen, if they broke any of the
injunctions he had given them. But Judas and his brethren did not leave
off fighting with the Idumeans, but pressed upon them on all sides,
and took from them the city of Hebron, and demolished all its
fortifications, and set all its towers on fire, and burnt the country of
the foreigners, and the city Marissa. They came also to Ashdod, and took
it, and laid it waste, and took away a great deal of the spoils and prey
that were in it, and returned to Judea.

CHAPTER 9. Concerning The Death Of Antiochus Epiphane. How Antiochus
Eupator Fought Against Juda And Besieged Him In The Temple And
Afterwards Made Peace With Him And Departed; Of Alcimus And Onias.

1. About this time it was that king Antiochus, as he was going over the
upper countries, heard that there was a very rich city in Persia, called
Elymais; and therein a very rich temple of Diana, and that it was
full of all sorts of donations dedicated to it; as also weapons and
breastplates, which, upon inquiry, he found had been left there by
Alexander, the son of Philip, king of Macedonia. And being incited
by these motives, he went in haste to Elymais, and assaulted it, and
besieged it. But as those that were in it were not terrified at his
assault, nor at his siege, but opposed him very courageously, he was
beaten off his hopes; for they drove him away from the city, and went
out and pursued after him, insomuch that he fled away as far as Babylon,
and lost a great many of his army. And when he was grieving for this
disap