1 One day, as King Antiochus the Fourth was leading his army through Mesopotamia, he heard about the Persian city of Elymais, which was famous for its treasures of silver and gold.
2 The temple in Elymais was especially rich because of the gold shields, armor, and weapons that had been left there by Alexander the Great, the first king to rule the Greeks.
3-4 Antiochus tried to capture the city of Elymais and take its treasures. But his attack failed because the people found out about his plans and fought hard against him.Antiochus was terribly frustrated and started back toward Babylonia.
5 But while he was still in Persia, a messenger came and said:The Jews have crushed the armies you sent to Judea,
6 including the huge army Lysias led there. They are now a powerful force because they have taken a lot of weapons, supplies, and other things from the armies they defeated.