Campaigns of Jonathan
32 When Bacchides learned about this development, he tried to kill Jonathan.
33
But Jonathan, his brother Simon, and all those with him heard about it and fled into the Tekoa wilderness. They camped beside the water of the pool of Asphar.
34
Bacchides found out about this on a Sabbath day, and he and his army crossed the Jordan River.
35
Jonathan sent his brother John, as leader of a large contingent, to beg his friends the Nabateans for permission to store with them the large amount of baggage that they had.
36
But the family of Jambri from Medeba came out and captured John and everything he had. And they left with it.
37
After this Jonathan and his brother Simon were told, "The family of Jambri is celebrating a great wedding. They are bringing the bride, a daughter of one of the great officials of Canaan, from Nadabath with a large escort."
38
Remembering how their brother John had been killed, they went out and hid under cover of the mountain.
39
They looked out and saw a rowdy procession with a large amount of baggage. The bridegroom came out with his friends and his brothers to meet them with tambourines, musicians, and many weapons.
40
Then those who were with Jonathan ambushed them and began killing them. They wounded and killed many. The rest fled to the mountain, and the Jews took all their goods.
41
So the wedding turned into mourning, and the sound of their musicians into a funeral hymn.
42
After they had fully avenged their brother's death, they returned to the marshes of the Jordan.
43
When Bacchides heard about this, he came with a large force to the banks of the Jordan on the Sabbath.
44
Jonathan said to his companions, "Let's get up now and fight for our lives. Today things are not like they were before.
45
Look! The battle is in front of us and behind us. The water of the Jordan is on this side and on that, with marsh and thicket. There's no place to turn.
46
Cry out now to heaven so that you may be rescued from our enemies."
47
So the battle began. Jonathan reached out his hand to strike Bacchides, but he escaped and went to the rear.
48
Then Jonathan and his forces jumped into the Jordan and swam to the other side. The enemy didn't cross the Jordan to attack them.
49
About one thousand of Bacchides' soldiers died that day.