46. They came to Ephron, a large and secure town along the way. They couldn’t go around it on either side. They had to go through it.
47. But the townspeople shut them out and blocked up the gates with rocks.
48. Judas sent them a peaceful message: "Let us pass through your land to get to ours. We won’t do you any harm. We’ll just pass through by foot." But they still refused to open to him.
49. So Judas ordered that the army camp wherever they were,
50. and the forces did so. All that day and night he fought against the town, and it was handed over to him.
51. He killed every male by the edge of the sword, and he demolished and plundered the town. Then he passed through it, walking over the dead bodies.