24
Judas Maccabeus and Jonathan his brother crossed the Jordan and went three days' journey into the wilderness.
25
They encountered the Nabateans, who met them peaceably and told them all that had happened to their brethren in Gilead:
26
"Many of them have been shut up in Bozrah and Bosor, in Alema and Chaspho, Maked and Carnaim" -- all these cities were strong and large--
27
"and some have been shut up in the other cities of Gilead; the enemy are getting ready to attack the strongholds tomorrow and take and destroy all these men in one day."
28
Then Judas and his army quickly turned back by the wilderness road to Bozrah; and he took the city, and killed every male by the edge of the sword; then he seized all its spoils and burned it with fire.
29
He departed from there at night, and they went all the way to the stronghold of Dathema.
30
At dawn they looked up, and behold, a large company, that could not be counted, carrying ladders and engines of war to capture the stronghold, and attacking the Jews within.
31
So Judas saw that the battle had begun and that the cry of the city went up to Heaven with trumpets and loud shouts,
32
and he said to the men of his forces, "Fight today for your brethren!"
33
Then he came up behind them in three companies, who sounded their trumpets and cried aloud in prayer.
34
And when the army of Timothy realized that it was Maccabeus, they fled before him, and he dealt them a heavy blow. As many as eight thousand of them fell that day.