32 A man by the name of Lysias was a respected member of the royal family and King Antiochus put him in charge of the land from the Euphrates River to the border of Egypt.
33 Then Antiochus told him:Look after my son until I get back.
34 I am placing half of my army and all of my elephants under your command. Obey my orders, especially concerning the people of Judea and Jerusalem.
35 Destroy the army of Judas and kill anyone you find in Jerusalem. Make the whole world forget that those Jews ever lived
36 and give their land to Gentiles.
37 In the year 147 of the Syrian Kingdom, Antiochus and the rest of his army set out from the capital city of Antioch. They crossed the Euphrates River and started through Mesopotamia.
38 Nicanor, Gorgias, and Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes were three important and trusted friends of Antiochus. So Lysias chose them as army commanders.