24. And for this our own people have become our enemies; they have put to death as many of us as they could find and have seized our inheritances.
25. They have acted aggressively not only against us, but throughout their whole territory.
26. Look! Today they have besieged the citadel in Jerusalem in order to capture it, and they have fortified the sanctuary and Beth-zur.
27. Unless you act quickly to prevent them, they will do even worse things than these, and you will not be able to stop them.”
28. When the king heard this he was enraged, and he called together all his Friends, the officers of his army, and the commanders of the cavalry.
29. Mercenary forces also came to him from other kingdoms and from the islands of the seas.
30. His army numbered a hundred thousand footsoldiers, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war.
31. They passed through Idumea and camped before Beth-zur. For many days they attacked it; they constructed siege engines, but the besieged made a sortie and burned these, and they fought bravely.