ke war upon them they shall not give,
neither supply, food, arms, money, or ships, as it hath seemed good
unto Rome, and they shall keep their ordinances without taking
anything therefor. In the same manner moreover if war come first upon
the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help them as confederates
with all their soul, as the occasion shall prescribe to them: and to
them that are confederates with their foes there shall not be given
food, arms, money, or ships, as it hath seemed good unto Rome; and
they shall keep these ordinances, and that without deceit. According
to these words have the Romans made a covenant thus with the people of
the Jews. But if hereafter the one party and the other shall take
counsel to add or diminish anything, they shall do it at their
pleasure, and whatsoever they shall add or take away shall be
established.

XV.

_How Judas, Fighting Desperately Against Fearful Odds, Died Upon the
Field of Battle_.

And Demetrius, the king who succeeded Antiochus, heard that Nicanor
was fallen with his forces in battle, and he sent Bacchides and
Alcimus again into the land of Judah a second time, and the right wing
of his army with them: and they went by the way that leadeth to
Gilgal, and encamped against Mesaloth, which is in Arbela, and {449}
got possession of it, and destroyed much people. And the first month
of the hundred and fifty and second year they encamped against
Jerusalem: and they removed, and went to Berea, with twenty thousand
footmen and two thousand horse. And Judas was encamped at Elasa, and
three thousand chosen men with him: and they saw the multitude of the
forces, that they were many, and they feared exceedingly: and many
slipped away out of the army; there were not left of them more than
eight hundred men.

And Judas saw that his army slipped away, and that the battle pressed
upon him, and he was sore troubled in heart, for he had no time to
gather them together, and he became discouraged. And he said to them
that were left, "Let us arise and go up against our adversaries, if
peradventure we may be able to fight with them."

And they would have dissuaded him, saying, "We shall in no wise be
able: but let us rather save our lives now: let us return again, we
and our brethren, and fight against them: but we are few."

And Judas said, "Let it not be so that I should do this thing, to flee
from them: and if our time is come, let us die manfully for our
brethren's sake, an