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[12]
But when Bacchides knew that Jonathan had pitched his camp among
the lakes of Jordan, he observed when their sabbath day came, and then
assaulted him, [as supposing that he would not fight because of the law
for resting on that day]: but he exhorted his companions [to fight]; and
told them that their lives were at stake, since they were encompassed by
the river, and by their enemies, and had no way to escape, for that their
enemies pressed upon them from before, and the river was behind them. So
after he had prayed to God to give them the victory, he joined battle with
the enemy, of whom he overthrew many; and as he saw Bacchides coming up
boldly to him, he stretched out his right hand to smite him; but the other
foreseeing and avoiding the stroke, Jonathan with his companions leaped
into the river, and swam over it, and by that means escaped beyond Jordan
while the enemies did not pass over that river; but Bacchides returned
presently to the citadel at Jerusalem, having lost about two thousand of
his army. He also fortified many cities of Judea, whose walls had been
demolished; Jericho, and Emmaus, and Betboron, and Bethel, and Tinma, and
Pharatho, and Tecoa, and Gazara, and built towers in every one of these
cities, and encompassed them with strong walls, that were very large also,
and put garrisons into them, that they might issue out of them, and do
mischief to the Jews. He also fortified the citadel at Jerusalem more than
all the rest. Moreover, he took the sons of the principal Jews as pledges,
and hut them up in the citadel, and in that manner guarded it.
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