27
Then Mattathias shouted loudly in the town, "Everyone who is zealous for the Law and supports the covenant should come with me!"
28
So he and his sons fled to the hills and left behind all that they had in the town.
29
At that time, many who sought righteousness and justice went to live in the desert.
30
They were there with their sons, their wives, and their livestock because troubles pressed heavily on them.
31
The king's officers and the troops in Jerusalem, David's City, learned that those who had rejected the king's command had gone down to hiding places in the wilderness.