few men who shall be with you, and come with me to Ptolemais, and I will give it to you with the rest of the strongholds and the rest of the forces and all the king’s officers, and I will set out on my way back, for this is the cause of my coming.  Then he trusted him and did even as he said, and sent away his forces so that they departed into the land of Judah.  But he reserved for himself three thousand men, of whom he left two thousand in Galilee, while one thousand went with him.

[Sidenote:  I Macc. 12:48-53] Now as soon as Jonathan entered Ptolemais, the people of Ptolemais shut the gates and laid hands on him, and they slew with the sword all who came in with him.  And Tryphon sent forces and horsemen into Galilee, and into the great plain, to destroy all of Jonathan’s men.  But they perceived that he had been taken and had perished, and those who were with him, and they encouraged one another and marched in closed ranks, prepared to fight.  And when those who were pursuing them saw that they were ready to fight for their lives, they turned back again.  Thus they all came safely into the land of Judah, and they mourned for Jonathan and those who were with him, and they were greatly afraid.  And all Israel mourned bitterly.  Then all the heathen who were round about them sought to destroy them utterly, for they said, They have no ruler nor any to help them, now therefore let us fight against them and wipe out the memory of them from among men.

[Sidenote:  I Macc. 13:1-11] Now when Simon heard that Tryphon had collected a vast army to come into the land of Judah to destroy it utterly, and saw that the people trembled and were greatly afraid, he went up to Jerusalem and gathered the people together, and encouraged them and said to them, You yourselves know all the things that I and my brothers, and my father’s house, have done for the laws and the sanctuary, and the battles and times of distress through which we have passed.  In this cause all my brothers have perished for Israel’s sake, and I alone am left.  And now be it far from me that I should spare my own life, in any time of affliction; for I am not better than my brothers.  Rather I will take revenge for my nation, and for the sanctuary, and for our wives and children, because all the heathen are gathered to destroy us out of pure hatred.  And the courage of the people rose as they heard these words.  And they answered with a loud voice, saying, You are our leader instead of Judas and Jonathan your brothers.  Fight our battles, and we will do all that you command.  So he gathered together all the warriors and made haste to finish the walls of Jerusalem, and fortified the entire length of it.  And he sent Jonathan the son of Absalom at the head of a large army to Joppa, and he drove out those who were in it, and stayed there in it.

[Sidenote:  I Macc. 13:20-22] And after this Tryphon came to invade the land and destroy it, and he went round about by the way that goes to Adora; and Simon and his army marched opposite and abreast of him to every place wherever he went.  And the people of the citadel sent to Tryphon ambassadors urging him to come by forced marches through the wilderness to them and to send them supplies.  So Tryphon made ready all his cavalry to go.  But that night a very deep snow fell, so that he did not come because of the snow.