44. But Judas took the town and burned the sacred grounds with fire, together with all who were hiding there. Even Carnaim was conquered, and they couldn’t oppose Judas any longer.
45. Then Judas gathered all the Israelites in Gilead to go to the land of Judah. It was a very large group, both small and great, with all their wives, children, and goods.
46. They came to Ephron, a large and secure town along the way. They couldn’t go around it on either side. They had to go through it.
47. But the townspeople shut them out and blocked up the gates with rocks.
48. Judas sent them a peaceful message: "Let us pass through your land to get to ours. We won’t do you any harm. We’ll just pass through by foot." But they still refused to open to him.
49. So Judas ordered that the army camp wherever they were,
50. and the forces did so. All that day and night he fought against the town, and it was handed over to him.
51. He killed every male by the edge of the sword, and he demolished and plundered the town. Then he passed through it, walking over the dead bodies.
52. After that they crossed the Jordan and came into the large plain in front of Beth-shan.
53. Judas kept rallying those who fell behind and encouraged the people all along the way until he came to the land of Judah.
54. They went up to Mount Zion with joy and gladness. They made entirely burned offerings, because they had returned safely. Not one of them had died.
55. Now this is what happened while Judas and Jonathan were in Gilead and their brother Simon was in Galilee in front of Ptolemais.
56. Joseph, Zechariah’s son, and Azariah (the commanders of the forces that had remained behind) heard about their brave deeds and the war they had fought.
57. So they said, "Let’s make a name for ourselves too. Let’s go and make war on the Gentiles around us."