23. Meanwhile, Philip had been left at Antioch in charge of the government, but King Antiochus learnt that he had revolted. The king did not know what to do, so he initiated peace talks with the Jews, agreed to their terms, and promised to be just in his treatment of them. To put the treaty into effect, he offered a sacrifice, gave a generous gift to show his respect for the Temple,
24. and graciously received Judas Maccabaeus. After that, the king appointed Hegemonides to be governor of the territory between the cities of Ptolemais and Gerar,
25. and then he himself went on to Ptolemais. The people there were angry because of the treaty he had made with the Jews — so angry, in fact, that they wanted the treaty cancelled.
26. But Lysias made a public speech, defending the treaty as well as he could. After he had calmed the people down and convinced them that he was right, he returned to Antioch.In this way King Antiochus' invasion was turned into a retreat.