20
He placed Alcimus in charge of the country and left with him a force to help him; then Bacchides went back to the king.
21
Alcimus struggled to maintain his high priesthood,
22
and all who were troubling their people joined him. They gained control of the land of Judah and did great damage in Israel.
23
And Judas saw all the wrongs that Alcimus and those with him had done among the Israelites; it was more than the Gentiles had done.
24
So Judas went out into all the surrounding parts of Judea, taking vengeance on those who had deserted and preventing those in the city from going out into the country.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.