2. They sought to wipe out Jacob’s descendants who lived among them. So they started to kill and destroy the people.
3. But Judas waged war on the descendants of Esau in Idumea at Akrabattene because they kept ambushing Israelites. He dealt them a heavy blow, humbling them and taking their goods.
4. He also took note of the wickedness of Baean’s sons, who were trapping, catching, and ambushing people on the highways.
5. Judas shut them up in their towers. He camped against them, and by promising their complete destruction, he burned their towers and all who were in them.
6. Then he moved against the Ammonites. He found a strong group with many people and a man named Timothy as their leader.
7. Judas had many battles with them, beat them severely, and struck them down.
8. He also captured Jazer and its villages. Then he went back to Judea.
9. Then the Gentiles in Gilead gathered together against the Israelites who lived in their territory, planning to destroy them. So the Jews fled to the fortress of Dathema.
10. They sent a letter to Judas and his brothers:The Gentiles around us have gathered to destroy us.
11. They are making preparations to come and capture the fortress to which we’ve escaped, and Timothy is leading them.
12. Please, come and rescue us from them because many of us have died already.
13. Our people who were in the land of Tob have been killed. The enemy captured their wives, children, and goods. They killed nearly a thousand people there.