The Heroic Death of Judas.

When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah for a second time, and with them the right wing of his army. They took the road to Galilee and, besieging Mesaloth in Arbela, they captured it and killed many people. In the first month of the year one hundred and fifty-two they encamped outside Jerusalem, and from there they marched to Berea with twenty thousand foot soldiers and two thousand cavalry.

       Judas meanwhile had encamped at Elasa with three thousand picked men. When his men saw the immense number of the enemy forces, they were greatly terrified, and many slipped away from the camp, until only eight hundred men remained.

       When Judas realized that the battle was imminent and that his army was melting away, he became despondent, for he had no time to redeploy them. But despite being disheartened, he said to those who remained, "Let us rise up and advance against the enemy. We may have sufficient strength to defeat them." His men tried to dissuade him, saying, "We do not have the necessary strength. Let us save our own lives now and return to fight them when our kindred have joined up with us. Right now we are too few." But Judas replied, "Far be it from us to do such a thing as to flee from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our kindred and leave no stain upon our honor."

       Then the army of Bacchides marched out from the camp and was arrayed in battle position. The cavalry was divided into two squadrons. The slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, and the most skilled warriors were in the front line. Bacchides was on the right wing. The phalanx, flanked by the two squadrons, advanced to the sound of the trumpets, and the men with Judas also blew their trumpets. The earth shook with the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning until evening. Observing that Bacchides and the main strength of his army were on the right, Judas, with his most valiant men at his side, drove back the right wing and pursued them as far as Mount Azotus. But when those on the left wing observed that the right wing had been crushed, they reversed direction and closely followed Judas and his men, attacking them from the rear. The battle was fought desperately, and many on both sides fell. Judas was among those who fell, and the rest fled.

       Jonathan and Simon took their brother Judas and buried him in the tomb of their ancestors at Modein. All Israel wept over him with great mourning for many days, saying, "How tragically the mighty one has fallen, the savior of Israel!" The rest of the acts of Judas, the battles that he waged, the valorous deeds that he performed, and his greatness have not been recorded, for they were very numerous.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 9, VERSES 1 - 22