48-49 Antiochus the Fifth surrounded Jerusalem with part of his army, while the rest of his troops set up camp everywhere in Judea. All of this happened during the Seventh Year, when the Jews do not plant crops.Antiochus attacked the town of Beth-Zur. Its people soon ran out of food and had to stop fighting, so they surrendered and left their town.
50 Then Antiochus stationed his own soldiers there.
51 Meanwhile, his army was still attacking the troops stationed in the temple. They built movable towers and weapons that hurled fire, stones, arrows, and other deadly objects.
52 The Jews then built the same kinds of weapons and fought back for several days.
53 But it was the year when they had let the fields rest, and they ran out of supplies, because they had given what little food they had stored in the temple to those who had run away from the Gentiles and had come to Judea.
54 Most of the people went home, because they were starving. Only a small group was left in the temple.
55-56 Before Antiochus the Fourth died, he had made his friend Philip promise that the younger Antiochus would take his place as king. Philip wanted control of the kingdom, and so he brought back the part of the army that had been in Persia and Media.When Lysias found out what Philip was doing,