22 Judas had the guilty soldiers put to death. Then he and his troops immediately captured the two towers
23 and killed more than 20,000 enemy soldiers. Judas was successful in every battle he fought.
24 Someone named Timothy got together a powerful force of foreign soldiers, as well as a large number of cavalry from Asia. He then set out to invade Judea, even though he had already been defeated once before by the Jewish troops.
25 As Timothy's army came nearer, Judas and our troops prayed sincerely. They smeared dirt on their heads and put on clothes made of sackcloth.
26 Then they lay face down on the steps leading to the altar and prayed, “Please be kind to us and wipe out our enemies, just as our sacred Scriptures promise.”
27 After Judas and his troops had finished praying, they picked up their weapons and set out from Jerusalem on a long march. They camped not far from the enemy army,
28 and at dawn the next day the battle began. Our troops were brave and they trusted the Lord, which was a sure path to victory. But Timothy's soldiers fought only because they were angry.