6. “The followers of Judas Maccabaeus think of themselves as devout and patriotic; they love war and are constantly inciting the people to rebellion and will never leave the nation in peace.
7. It is their fault that I no longer hold the glorious position of High Priest, to which I am entitled by birth. And so I have come here,
8. primarily out of a genuine concern for your interests as king, but also out of consideration for my own people, for the foolish policies of Judas and his followers have brought terrible suffering on our entire nation.
9. When Your Majesty has examined all the details of these matters, please act in your usual kind and generous manner to relieve the oppression of our nation and its people.
10. As long as Judas is alive, it will be impossible for our nation to enjoy peace.”
11. As soon as Alcimus had finished his speech, the other advisers quickly seized this opportunity to arouse Demetrius' anger against Judas, because they also hated him.
12. So King Demetrius immediately appointed Nicanor, who was the commander of his elephant forces, to be governor of Judea, and sent him there
13. with orders to kill Judas, scatter his followers, and make Alcimus High Priest of the greatest Temple in all the world.
14. All the foreigners in Judea, who had fled from Judas' attacks, now rushed to join forces with Nicanor, because they thought that any defeat or trouble that came to the Jews would be to their own advantage.
15. The Jews heard that Nicanor was attacking and that the foreigners in their country were giving him their support. So they threw earth on themselves and prayed to their God, who had chosen their nation as his possession for ever and had never failed to help them in time of need.
16. Then Judas, their leader, gave the order, and they immediately marched out to engage the enemy in battle near the village of Adasa.
17. Judas' brother Simon was fighting Nicanor but was gradually losing the battle because of an unexpected move on the part of the enemy.
18. However, when Nicanor heard how bravely and courageously Judas and his men were fighting for their country, he decided not to settle the matter in battle.
19. Instead, he sent Posidonius, Theodotus, and Mattathias to make a treaty with the Jews.
20. After the terms of the treaty had been worked out in detail, Nicanor informed his troops, and they unanimously agreed.
21. Then a day was set on which the leaders would meet in private. Ceremonial chairs were brought out from each camp and set up.
22. Judas had taken the precaution of placing fully-armed troops in strategic places, in case of sudden treachery on the part of the enemy. But the two leaders had a friendly meeting.
23. Nicanor stayed on in Jerusalem for some time after that. He did not ill-treat the Jews in any way, and even sent away the people who had come over to his side.
24. The two men became the best of friends, and Judas was Nicanor's constant companion.