12
For three days the people did nothing but lie face down on the ground, fasting and crying, begging the merciful Lord for his help. Then Judas spoke words of encouragement to the people, urging them to get ready for action.
13
Afterward, Judas met privately with the Jewish leaders and decided to march out with God's help to battle against the king, rather than to wait for Antiochus to invade Judea and besiege Jerusalem.
14
Then, leaving the outcome of the battle to the Creator of the world, Judas encouraged his men to fight bravely and to be willing to die for their laws, the Temple, Jerusalem, their country, and their whole way of life. They set up camp near the city of Modein.
15
Judas gave his men the battle cry, "Victory comes from God," and that night, with a picked force of his bravest young men, he attacked the area near the king's tent and killed as many as 2,000 men. They also stabbed to death the lead elephant and its keeper.
16
Everyone in camp was terrified and in panic when Judas and his men finally left victoriously
17
just before dawn. The help and protection of the Lord had made all this possible.
18
This taste of Jewish daring was enough to convince King Antiochus that he had to find some better way of capturing the Jewish positions.
19
He attacked the strong Jewish fort of Bethzur, but was repeatedly beaten back and finally defeated.
20
Judas sent supplies to the men who were defending the fort,
21
but a Jewish soldier by the name of Rhodocus gave some secret information to the enemy. He was found out, however, caught, and put to death.
22
The king made a second attempt to come to terms with the people of Bethzur, and when he had reached an agreement with them, he withdrew his forces. Then he went to attack Judas, but again he was defeated.