1 After the agreement was signed, Lysias went back to King Antiochus, and our people started farming again.
2 But some of the local officials, especially Timothy, Apollonius, Hieronymus, and Demophon, kept causing trouble, and so did Nicanor, who was an official in Cyprus.
3 The people of Joppa also committed a terrible crime against their Jewish neighbors. They pretended to be on good terms with them and said, “We want you and your families to go sailing with us. We'll provide the ships.”
4 They accepted this invitation since the whole town of Joppa had voted to invite them. Besides, they wanted to be on good terms with the Gentiles and didn't suspect a plot. But when the ships reached the open sea, the people of Joppa drowned about 200 of the Jews.
5 When Judas heard that such cruel things had been done to his own people, he told his troops what had to be done.
6 Everyone prayed to God, who always judges fairly. Then after dark, Judas and his troops attacked the murderers and set the harbor on fire. They destroyed its ships and killed everyone they caught hiding there.