26
His fame reached the ears of King Antiochus, and people in every nation talked about Judas and his victories.
27
When Antiochus heard what had happened, he was furious. He ordered all the armies of his empire to assemble in one huge force.
28
From his treasury he paid a full year's wages to his soldiers and ordered them to be prepared for any emergency.
29
But then he found that the funds in his treasury were exhausted. Income from taxes had decreased because of the disorder and the troubles he had brought on the world by doing away with the laws which had been in force from the earliest times.
30
Antiochus had always given presents more lavishly than earlier kings, but now he was worried that he might not be able to continue this, or even to meet expenses - this had happened once or twice before.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.