24. There was also a very great famine at that time, and the country went over to the enemy’s side.
25. Bacchides chose the godless and put them in charge of the country.
26. They hunted down Judas’ friends and brought them to Bacchides. He took vengeance on them and treated them terribly.
27. So there was great distress in Israel, the worst since the time when prophets ceased to appear among them.
28. Then the other friends of Judas assembled and said to Jonathan,
29. "Since your brother Judas died, there hasn’t been anyone like him to fight against our enemies and Bacchides, and to deal with those among our people who hate us.
30. So we’ve chosen you today to take his place as our ruler and leader to fight our battle."
31. Jonathan accepted the leadership at that time in place of his brother Judas.
32. When Bacchides learned about this development, he tried to kill Jonathan.
33. But Jonathan, his brother Simon, and all those with him heard about it and fled into the Tekoa wilderness. They camped beside the water of the pool of Asphar.
34. Bacchides found out about this on a Sabbath day, and he and his army crossed the Jordan River.
35. Jonathan sent his brother John, as leader of a large contingent, to beg his friends the Nabateans for permission to store with them the large amount of baggage that they had.
36. But the family of Jambri from Medeba came out and captured John and everything he had. And they left with it.
37. After this Jonathan and his brother Simon were told, "The family of Jambri is celebrating a great wedding. They are bringing the bride, a daughter of one of the great officials of Canaan, from Nadabath with a large escort."
38. Remembering how their brother John had been killed, they went out and hid under cover of the mountain.