12
When the Gentiles saw Judas and his men preparing for battle,
13
they moved out of their camp to fight. Then Judas and his men sounded their trumpets
14
and attacked. The Gentiles broke ranks and fled to the plain,
15
but all the stragglers were killed. The Israelites pursued the enemy as far as Gezer, the plains of Idumea, and the towns of Azotus and Jamnia. Altogether they killed about 3,000 of the enemy.
16
When Judas and his army came back from the pursuit,
17
he said to his men, "Don't be greedy for loot. Gorgias and his army are nearby in the mountains, so there is still heavy fighting ahead of us. We must stand firm and fight. After that, you can safely take all the loot you want."
19
Judas was just finishing his speech when an enemy patrol on a scouting mission looked down from the mountains
20
and saw that their army had been put to flight; they could tell from the smoke that their camp was burning.
21
When they saw all this, they were terrified, and when they also saw that Judas' army was in the plain ready for battle,
22
they all fled to Philistia.