8 But when Filippos (Philip) saw the man gaining ground little by little, and increasing more and more in his success, he wrote to Ptolemaios (Ptolemy), the governor of Coele-Syria and Foinikai, that he should support the king’s cause. 9 Ptolemaios quickly appointed Nikanor the son of Patroklos, one of the king’s chief friends,[fn] and sent him, in command of no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations, to destroy the whole race of Yehudah. With him he joined Gorgias also, a captain and one who had experience in matters of war. 10 Nikanor resolved by the sale of the captive Yehudim (Jews) to make up for the king the tribute of two thousand talents which he was to pay to the Romaios. 11 Immediately he sent to the cities upon the sea coast, inviting them to buy Jewish slaves,[fn] promising to deliver seventy slaves[fn] for a talent, not expecting the judgement that was to overtake him from the Almighty.

12 News came to Yehudah (Judas) concerning Nikanor’s invasion. When he communicated to those who were with him the presence of the army, 13 those who were cowardly and distrustful of God’s judgement ran[fn] away and left the country. 14 Others sold all that they had left, and at the same time implored the master to deliver those who had been sold as slaves by the impious Nikanor before he ever met them, 15 if not for their own sakes, then for the covenants made with their ancestors, and because he had called them by his holy and glorious name. 16 So Makabi (Maccabaeus) gathered his men together, six thousand in number, and exhorted them not to be frightened by the enemy, nor to fear the great multitude of the heathen who came wrongfully against them, but to fight nobly, 17 setting before their eyes the outrage that had been lawlessly perpetrated upon the holy place, and the torture of the city that had been turned to mockery, and further the overthrow of the way of life received from their ancestors. 18 “Because they,” he said, “trust their weapons and daring actions, but we trust in the almighty God, since he is able at a nod to throw down those who are coming against us, and even the whole world.” 19 Moreover, he recounted to them the help given from time to time in the days of their ancestors, both in the days of Sanheriv (Sennacherib), when one hundred and eighty-five thousand perished, 20 and in the land of Bavel (Babylon), in the battle that was fought against the[fn] Gauls, how they came to the battle with eight thousand in all, with four thousand people from Makedonia, and how, the people from Makedonia being hard pressed, the six[fn] thousand destroyed the hundred and twenty thousand because of the help which they had from heaven, and took a great deal of plunder.

21 And when he had with these words filled them with courage and made them ready to die for the laws and their country, he divided his army into four parts. 22 He appointed his brothers, Shim’on (Simon), Yosef (Joseph), and Yonatan (Jonathan), to be leaders of the divisions with him, giving each the command of one thousand and five hundred men. 23 Moreover Eleazar also, having read aloud the sacred book, and having given as watchword, “THE HELP OF GOD”, leading the first band himself, joined battle with Nikanor.

24 Since the Almighty fought on their side, they killed more than nine thousand of the enemy, and wounded and[fn] disabled most of Nikanor’s army, and compelled them all to flee. 25 They took the money of those who had come there to buy them as slaves. After they had pursued them for some distance,[fn] they returned, being constrained by the time of the day; 26 for it was the day before the Sabbath, and for this reason they made no effort to chase them far. 27 When they had gathered the weapons of the enemy[fn] together,[fn] and had stripped off their spoils, they kept the Sabbath, greatly blessing and thanking the master who had saved them to this day, because he had begun to show mercy to them. 28 After the Sabbath, when they had given some of the spoils to the maimed,[fn] and to the widows and orphans, they distributed the rest amongst themselves and their children. 29 When they had accomplished these things and had made a common supplication, they implored the merciful master to be wholly reconciled with his servants.