1. When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had been defeated in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah a second time. The right wing of the army was with them.
2. They went by the road that leads to Gilgal and prepared for battle against Mesaloth in Arbela. They captured it and killed many people.
3. In the first month of the year 152, they camped against Jerusalem.
4. Then they marched off and went to Berea with twenty thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry.
5. Now Judas was camped at Elasa with three thousand handpicked soldiers.
6. When they saw the huge number of enemy forces, they became afraid. Many of them slipped away from the camp, until no more than eight hundred of them remained.
7. When Judas saw that members of his army had slipped away and the battle was coming close, he was dejected because he had no time to assemble more troops.
8. He felt weak, but he said to those who stayed, "Let’s get up and move against our enemies. We may be able to fight them."
9. They tried to change his mind: "We don’t have the strength. Let’s save ourselves now and come back later with our people to fight them. We are too few."
10. But Judas replied, "Don’t even consider running from them. If our time has come, then let’s die bravely for our people. Let’s leave no reason to question our honor."
11. Then the enemy army marched out from the camp and took its positions to fight. The cavalry was divided into two companies. The slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, as did all the best warriors.
12. Bacchides was on the right wing. Flanked by the two companies, the military force advanced to the sound of the trumpets. Those with Judas also blew their trumpets.
13. The earth shook from the noise of the armies. And the battle raged from morning till evening.