12. A group of teachers of the Law came to Alcimus and Bacchides, asking for justice.
13. These devout and patriotic men were the first of the Jews to try to make peace with Alcimus and Bacchides.
14. They trusted Alcimus, who was a priest descended from Aaron, and they thought he would not cause them any harm.
15. Alcimus assured them of his peaceful intentions and solemnly promised that no harm would come to them or their friends.
16. But as soon as they began to trust him, he arrested sixty of them and put them all to death on the same day. As the scripture says,
17. “The blood of your faithful people was poured out,their bodies were scattered round Jerusalem,and there was no one left to bury the dead.”
18. When this happened, all the people were afraid of Alcimus and Bacchides, and they said, “They don't know what truth or justice means. They gave their solemn word and then broke it!”