31. Greatly perplexed, he decided to go to Persia and levy tribute on those provinces, and so raise a large sum of money.
32. He left Lysias, a noble of royal descent, in charge of the king’s affairs from the Euphrates River to the frontier of Egypt,
33. and commissioned him to take care of his son Antiochus until his return.
34. He entrusted to him half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him instructions concerning everything he wanted done. As for the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem,
35. Lysias was to send an army against them to crush and destroy the power of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem and efface their memory from the place.
36. He was to settle foreigners in all their territory and distribute their land by lot.
37. The king took the remaining half of the army and set out from Antioch, his capital, in the year one hundred and forty-seven; he crossed the Euphrates River and went through the provinces beyond.
38. Lysias chose Ptolemy, son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor and Gorgias, powerful men among the King’s Friends,
39. and with them he sent forty thousand foot soldiers and seven thousand cavalry to invade and ravage the land of Judah according to the king’s orders.
40. Setting out with their whole force, they came and pitched their camp near Emmaus in the plain.
41. When the merchants of the region heard of their prowess, they came to the camp, bringing a huge sum of silver and gold, along with fetters, to buy the Israelites as slaves. A force from Edom and from Philistia joined with them.
42. Judas and his brothers saw that evils had multiplied and that armies were encamped within their territory. They learned of the orders which the king had given to destroy and utterly wipe out the people.
43. So they said to one another, “Let us raise our people from their ruin and fight for them and for our sanctuary!”
44. The assembly gathered together to prepare for battle and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion.