1. Not long after Timothy was defeated, Lysias, the king's guardian and relative, and head of the government, heard what had happened. He became angry
2. and led 80,000 infantry and all his cavalry against the Jews with the intention of turning Jerusalem into a Greek city.
3. The Temple would be taxed, as were all Gentile places of worship, and the office of High Priest would be up for sale each year.
4. Lysias was so pleased with his tens of thousands of infantry, his thousands of cavalry, and his eighty elephants that he failed to take into account the power of God.
5. He invaded Judea and attacked the fort of Bethzur, about thirty kilometres south of Jerusalem.
6. When Judas and his men heard that Lysias was laying siege to their forts, they and all the people cried and wept, begging the Lord to send a good angel to save them.
7. Judas was the first to take up his weapons, and he urged the others to join him in risking their lives to help the other Jews. So with great eagerness they all set out together.
8. But they had not gone far from Jerusalem, when suddenly they noticed that they were being led by a horseman dressed in white and carrying gold weapons.
9. Immediately all of them together thanked God for his mercy; he had made them brave enough to attack not only men, but also the most savage animals or even walls of iron.
10. So they marched in battle formation, and with them went the one whom the Lord in his mercy had sent to fight on their side.
11. Then they charged into the enemy like lions, killing 11,000 infantry and 1,600 cavalry, and forcing the rest to run for their lives.
12. Most of those who ran were wounded and had lost their weapons, and Lysias himself managed to escape only because he ran away like a coward.
13. Lysias was no fool. As he thought about the defeat he had suffered, he realized it was because the mighty God had fought for the Jews, making it impossible for them to be defeated. So he sent a message to the Jews,
14. trying to persuade them to agree to a just settlement and promising to do all he could to make the king friendly towards them.
15. Judas Maccabaeus considered what would be best for the people, and so he agreed to all the proposals Lysias had made, since the king had granted every written request that Judas had presented to Lysias.
16. Here is a copy of the letter which Lysias wrote to the Jews:“Lysias to the Jewish people, greetings.