ountry, and how he has punished them and all
who helped them. So the king chose Bacchides, one of the king's Friends,
who was ruler in the province beyond the River Euphrates, and was a great
man in the kingdom, and faithful to the king. He sent him and also that
godless Alcimus, and confirmed him in the high priesthood, and commanded
him to take vengeance upon the Israelites. So they set out and came with a
great army into the land of Judah, and he sent messengers to Judas and his
brothers with words of peace, deceitfully. But they paid no attention to
their words for they saw that these men had come with a great army. Then
there were gathered together to Alcimus and Bacchides a company of
scribes, to seek for justice. And the Hasideans were the first among the
Israelites who sought peace with them; for they said, One who is a
descendant of Aaron has come with the forces and he will do us no wrong.
And he spoke words of peace to them, and took oath to them, saying, We
will seek the hurt neither of you nor of your friends. And they put
confidence in him. But he seized sixty of them, and slew them in one day,
as it is written in the Scriptures,

The flesh of thy saints...
And their blood they poured out round about Jerusalem;
And there was no man to bury them.

And the fear and hatred of them fell upon all the people, for they said,
There is neither truth nor justice in them; for they have broken the
covenant and the oaths which they made.

[Sidenote: I Macc. 7:13-26]
And when Judas saw that Alcimus and his company had done more mischief
among the Israelites than the heathen, he went out into the whole
territory of Judea round about and took vengeance on the men who had
deserted from him, and they were restrained from going forth into the
country. But when Alcimus saw that Judas and his company were growing
strong and knew that he was not able to withstand them, he returned to the
king and brought evil charges against them. So the king sent Nicanor, one
of his honored princes, a man who hated Israel and was their enemy, and
commanded him to destroy the people.

[Sidenote: I Macc. 7:27-32]
When Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great army, he sent to Judas and his
brother a message of peaceful words with deceitful intent, saying, Let
there be no battle between us. I will come with a few men, that I may see
your faces in peace. And he came to Judas, and they saluted one another
peaceably. But the enemies were prepared