22. and pursued them all the way to the city of Ptolemais, killing about 3,000 of them, and taking the loot.
23. Then he took the Jews who were in Galilee and Arbatta, with their wives, their children, and all they owned, and brought them back to Judea with him. There was great rejoicing.
24. During this time, Judas Maccabaeus and his brother Jonathan had crossed the River Jordan and had marched for three days through the desert.
25. They met some friendly Nabateans who told them all that had happened to the Jews in Gilead.
26. They reported that many Jews were imprisoned in the fortified cities of Bozrah, Bosor, Alema, Chaspho, Maked, and Karnaim,
27. while others were imprisoned in the smaller towns of Gilead. They also reported that the enemy was drawn up to make an attack the next day on the Jewish fortresses, hoping to destroy all the Jews in a single day.
28. So Judas and his army suddenly turned and attacked Bozrah by the desert road, captured the town, and killed every man in it. They looted the town and set it on fire.
29. They left there and marched all night to the fortress at Dathema.
30. At dawn Judas and his men saw a vast army attacking the fortress; they were bringing up ladders, siege-platforms, and battering-rams in an effort to capture it.
31. When Judas heard the noise, the shouts, and the sound of trumpets coming from the city, he realized that the battle had begun,
32. so he said to his men, “Fight today for our fellow-Jews!”
33. He ordered his men to march in three columns and attack the enemy from the rear. As they moved forward, they blew trumpets and shouted prayers.
34. When the army under Timothy's command saw that it was Judas Maccabaeus, the soldiers turned and fled. Judas crushed them and killed about 8,000 men that day.
35. Then Judas turned aside to attack the town of Alema; he captured it and killed all the men in it. He looted the town and set fire to it.
36. From there he went on and captured Chaspho, Maked, Bosor, and the other towns of Gilead.
37. After this, Timothy gathered another army and camped opposite Raphon, on the other side of a river.
38. Judas sent some men to spy out the camp, and they reported back to him that all the Gentiles in the region had joined Timothy and had formed a large army.
39. Timothy had also hired Arab mercenaries to help him, and these were camped on the other side of the river ready to attack Judas. So Judas went out to meet them in battle.
40. As Judas and his army came closer to the water, Timothy said to his officers, “If he keeps on coming and crosses the river, we won't be able to turn back his attack, and he will defeat us.