10. They left Antioch and arrived in Judea with a large army. Bacchides tried to trick Judas and his brothers by sending to them messengers with offers of peace.
11. But when Judas and his brothers saw what a large army they had brought, they did not believe what the messengers said.
12. A group of teachers of the Law came to Alcimus and Bacchides, asking for justice.
13. These devout and patriotic men were the first of the Jews to try to make peace with Alcimus and Bacchides.
14. They trusted Alcimus, who was a priest descended from Aaron, and they thought he would not cause them any harm.
15. Alcimus assured them of his peaceful intentions and solemnly promised that no harm would come to them or their friends.
16. But as soon as they began to trust him, he arrested sixty of them and put them all to death on the same day. As the scripture says,
17. “The blood of your faithful people was poured out,their bodies were scattered round Jerusalem,and there was no one left to bury the dead.”
18. When this happened, all the people were afraid of Alcimus and Bacchides, and they said, “They don't know what truth or justice means. They gave their solemn word and then broke it!”
19. Bacchides left Jerusalem and set up his headquarters at Beth Zaith. He ordered the arrest of some of the faithful Jews and even many of the renegades who had willingly joined him; he had them killed and thrown into a deep pit.
20. Bacchides put the country under the control of Alcimus, left troops there to help him, and returned to the king.
21. Alcimus then began his struggle to establish himself as High Priest.
22. Every troublemaker in the country joined him. They gained control of the land of Judea and caused great difficulties for the Jews.
23. Judas saw that the trouble Alcimus and his men had caused was even worse than the damage done by the Gentiles.
24. So he went round the whole country of Judea, taking revenge on all the men who had willingly joined Alcimus and preventing them from leaving the towns and going into the country.
25. When Alcimus saw that Judas and his men were growing more powerful and when he realized that he would not be able to stand against them, he returned to the king and accused them of great crimes.