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[420]
BUT when Demetrius was informed of the death of Nicanor, and of the
destruction of the army that was with him, he sent Bacchides again with
an army into Judea, who marched out of Antioch, and came into Judea, and
pitched his camp at Arbela, a city of Galilee; and having besieged and
taken those that were there in caves, (for many of the people fled into
such places,) he removed, and made all the haste he could to Jerusalem.
And when he had learned that Judas had pitched his camp at a certain village
whose name was Bethzetho, he led his army against him: they were twenty
thousand foot-men, and two thousand horsemen. Now Judas had no more soldiers
than one thousand. 1
When these saw the multitude of Bacchides's men, they were afraid, and
left their camp, and fled all away, excepting eight hundred. Now when Judas
was deserted by his own soldiers, and the enemy pressed upon him, and gave
him no time to gather his army together, he was disposed to fight with
Bacchides's army, though he had but eight hundred men with him; so he exhorted
these men to undergo the danger courageously, and encouraged them to attack
the enemy. And when they said they were not a body sufficient to fight
so great an army, and advised that they should retire now, and save themselves
and that when he had gathered his own men together, then he should fall
upon the enemy afterwards, his answer was this: "Let not the sun ever
see such a thing, that I should show my back to the enemy and although
this be the time that will bring me to my end, and I must die in this battle,
I will rather stand to it courageously, and bear whatsoever comes upon
me, than by now running away bring reproach upon my former great actions,
or tarnish their glory." This was the speech he made to those that
remained with him, whereby he encouraged them to attack the enemy.
1 That this copy of Josephus, as he wrote it, had here not one thousand, but three thousand, with 1 Macc 9:5, is very plain, because though the main part ran away at first, even in Josephus, as well as in 1 Macc. 9:6, yet, as there, so here, eight hundred are said to have remained with Judas, which would be absurd, if the whole number had been no more than one thousand.
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