15. All those who were in the rear were killed by the sword. The Israelites pursued them to Gazara, to the plains of Idumea, and to Azotus and Jamnia. Three thousand Gentiles died.
16. Judas and his forces stopped pursuing them.
17. He said to everyone: "Don’t be greedy to plunder, for there is still a battle ahead of us.
18. Gorgias and his force are still near us in the hills. Stand now against our enemies and fight them. Then afterward boldly seize the spoils."
19. Just as Judas said this, a detachment of Gentiles cautiously appeared, coming out of the hills.
20. They saw that their army had been put to flight and that the Jews were burning the camp, as evident from the smoke over the area.
21. When they saw the devastation and noticed Judas’ army in the plain ready for battle, they were terrified.
22. They ran away into the land of the Philistines.
23. So Judas went back to plunder the camp. His army took a great amount of gold and silver, cloth that was dyed blue and purple, and great riches.
24. As they returned, they sang hymns and songs of praise to heaven: "God is good, because his mercy endures forever."
25. That day Israel had a great deliverance.
26. The foreigners who escaped went and told Lysias about all that had happened.
27. When he heard it, he was perplexed and discouraged. Things hadn’t happened to Israel as he had intended, and they hadn’t turned out the way that the king commanded.
28. The next year he gathered together sixty thousand select men and five thousand cavalry, intending to subdue the Israelites.
29. They came to Idumea and camped at Beth-zur. Judas, on the other hand, went out to meet them with ten thousand men.