7. he specially took advantage of the nights for such assaults. And his courage was loudly talked of everywhere.
8. But when Philip saw the man gaining ground by little and little, and increasing more and more in his prosperity, he wrote to Ptolemy, the governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, that he should support the king’s cause.
9. And Ptolemy quickly appointed Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of the king’s Chief Friends, and sent him, in command of no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations, to destroy the whole race of Judaea; and with him he joined Gorgias also, a captain and one that had experience in matters of war.
10. And Nicanor undertook by the sale of the captive Jews to make up for the king the tribute of two thousand talents which he was to pay to the Romans.
11. And immediately he sent to the cities upon the sea coast, inviting them to buy Jewish slaves, promising to allow fourscore and ten slaves for a talent, not expecting the judgement that was to follow upon him from the Almighty.
12. But tidings came to Judas concerning the inroad of Nicanor; and when he communicated to them that were with him the presence of the army,
13. they that were cowardly and distrustful of the judgement of God ran away and left the country.
14. And others sold all that was left over to them, and withal implored the Lord to deliver them that had been sold as slaves by the impious Nicanor or ever he met them;
15. and this, if not for their own sakes, yet for the covenants made with their fathers, and because he had called them by his reverend and glorious name.
16. And Maccabaeus gathered his men together, six thousand in number, and exhorted them not to be stricken with dismay at the enemy, nor to fear the great multitude of the heathen who came wrongfully against them; but to contend nobly,
17. setting before their eyes the outrage that had been lawlessly perpetrated upon the holy place, and the shameful handling of the city that had been turned to mockery, and further the overthrow of the mode of life received from their ancestors.
18. For they, said he, trust to arms, and withal to deeds of daring; but we trust on the almighty God, since he is able at a beck to cast down them that are coming against us, and even the whole world.
19. And moreover he recounted to them the help given from time to time in the days of their ancestors, both the help given in the days of Sennacherib, how that a hundred fourscore and five thousand perished,
20. and the help given in the land of Babylon, even the battle that was fought against the Gauls, how that they came to the engagement eight thousand in all, with four thousand Macedonians, and how that, the Macedonians being hard pressed, the six thousand destroyed the hundred and twenty thousand, because of the succour which they had from heaven, and took great booty.