29. Then breaking camp and marching from there, they moved swiftly against Scythopolis, seventy-five miles from Jerusalem.
30. But the Jews who lived there reported that the citizens of Scythopolis showed kindness and a civil attitude toward them even in times of misfortune.
31. They thanked them and encouraged them also to be well-disposed toward their people in the future as well. Then they returned to Jerusalem since the Festival of Weeks was about to begin.
32. After the Festival of Pentecost they moved against Gorgias, the governor of Idumea.
33. He came out with three thousand foot soldiers and four hundred horses.
34. A small number of Jews fell during the battle.
35. Dositheus, one of Bacenor’s men, a strong man on horseback, had seized Gorgias. Holding on to the governor’s robe, he dragged him down roughly, trying to take the horrible man alive. But one of the Thracian cavalry men assaulted Dositheus, crushed his shoulder, and Gorgias escaped into Marisa.
36. The men around Esdris were fighting fiercely but became weary. Judas called out to the Lord to show himself as their ally and to lead the battle.
37. Beginning to sing hymns in the native language with a loud voice, he suddenly made an attack against Gorgias’ men and defeated them.
38. Judas took his army and came into the city of Adullam. When the seventh day arrived, they purified themselves according to custom and observed the Sabbath.
39. On the next day, it was necessary for Judas and his men to recover the bodies of the fallen and to bury them with their relatives in the ancestral tombs.
40. They found sacred charms, idols from Jamnia that the Law forbids Jews to wear, under the clothing of each of the dead. It became clear to all why these men had fallen.
41. Then they all praised the Lord, the righteous judge who makes hidden things visible.
42. They appealed to God and prayed for the sin that had been committed to be completely wiped out. The honorable Judas called on the people to keep themselves free from sin, since everyone had seen what had happened because of the sin of those who fell.
43. After taking a collection from each man, he sent the sum of two thousand silver drachmen to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. He was acting honorably and appropriately, thinking about the resurrection.