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.
7 The Jews have always despised the “Horrible Thing” you placed on their altar in Jerusalem. Now they have torn it down and once again built high walls around their temple and turned your town of Beth-Zur into a fortress.
8 Antiochus was so shocked and discouraged by this report that he got sick and had to stay in bed
9 for many days. He never got over the shock, and just before he died,