16. So they trusted him. But he seized sixty of them and killed them in one day. This was in keeping with the written word:
17. The flesh of your faithful ones…and their blood they poured outall around Jerusalem;there was no one to bury them.
18. Then fear and dread came over all the people. They said, "They are not truthful or just, because they broke the promise they made."
19. Bacchides retreated from Jerusalem and camped in Beth-zaith. He captured many of the soldiers and some of the people who had deserted to his side. He killed them and threw them into a great pit.
20. He put Alcimus in charge of the country and left a force to assist him. Then Bacchides went back to the king.
21. Alcimus struggled to maintain the high priesthood.
22. All the troublemakers joined him. They gained control of Judah and did great damage in Israel.
23. Judas saw all the wrongs that Alcimus and those with him had done among the Israelites, exceeding what the Gentiles had done.
24. So Judas went into the surrounding Judean highlands and took vengeance on those who had deserted. He prevented them from going out into the country.
25. When Alcimus saw that Judas and his companions had grown strong, he knew he couldn’t resist them. So he returned to the king and brought spiteful charges against them.
26. Then the king sent for Nicanor, one of his honored princes who hated and despised Israel, and the king commanded him to destroy the people.
27. So Nicanor went to Jerusalem with a large force. He deceitfully sent a peaceful message to Judas and his brothers:
28. "Let there be no fighting between you and me. I’ll come with a few men to see you personally in peace."
29. So he came to Judas, and they greeted each other peaceably. But the enemy was preparing to kidnap Judas.