1 About this time, King Antiochus began a second invasion of Egypt.
2 And for more than 40 days, the people of Jerusalem saw visions of cavalry in gold armor, galloping through the air. The cavalry rode in companies, and the riders were holding spears and swords.
3 They lined up like armies facing one another, then they attacked and counterattacked. Gold ornaments and all kinds of armor glittered and sparkled in the sunlight. Shields flashed, and spears and arrows filled the sky.
4 Everyone prayed that these visions meant something good.
5 Soon a rumor spread around that King Antiochus was dead. Right away, Jason got together a force of over 1,000 soldiers and made a surprise attack on Jerusalem, defeating the troops that Menelaus had stationed on the city walls. After this, they captured the city and forced Menelaus to retreat to the fortress overlooking the temple.
6 But Jason kept on killing more Jews, without realizing that a victory which destroys your own people is the worst possible defeat. He seemed to think he had won a battle against enemies rather than against other Jews.
7 But Jason wasn't able to take control of the government. In fact, he was so disgraced by what he had done that he had to run for his life once again to the country of the Ammonites.