15:41. And he placed there horsemen, and an army: that they might issue forth, and make incursions upon the ways of Judea, as the king had commanded him. 1 Machabees Chapter 16 The sons of Simon defeat the troops of Antiochus. Simon with two of his sons are treacherously murdered by Ptolemee his son in law. 16:1. Then John came up from Gazara, and told Simon, his father, what Cendebeus had done against their people. John... He was afterwards surnamed Hircanus, and succeeded his father in both his dignities of high priest and prince. He conquered the Edomites, and obliged them to a conformity with the Jews in religion; and destroyed the schismatical temple of the Samaritans. 16:2. And Simon called his two eldest sons, Judas and John, and said to them: I and my brethren, and my father's house, have fought against the enemies of Israel from our youth even to this day: and things have prospered so well in our hands, that we have delivered Israel oftentimes. 16:3. And now I am old, but be you instead of me, and my brethren, and go out, and fight for our nation: and the help from heaven be with you. 16:4. Then he chose out of the country twenty thousand fighting men, and horsemen, and they went forth against Cendebeus: and they rested in Modin. 16:5. And they arose in the morning, and went into the plain: and behold a very great army of footmen and horsemen came against them, and there was a running river between them. 16:6. And he and his people pitched their camp over against them, and he saw that the people were afraid to go over the river, so he went over first: then the men seeing him, passed over after him. He... Viz., John. 16:7. And he divided the people, and set the horsemen in the midst of the footmen: but the horsemen of the enemies were very numerous. 16:8. And they sounded the holy trumpets: and Cendebeus and his army were put to flight: and there fell many of them wounded, and the rest fled into the strong hold. 16:9. At that time, Judas, John's brother, was wounded: but John pursued after them, till he came to Cedron, which he had built: Cedron... Otherwise called Gedon, the city that Cendebeus was fortifying. 16:10. And they fled even to the towers that were in the fields of Azotus, and he burnt them with fire. And there fell of them two thousand men, and he returned into Judea in peace. 16:11. Now Ptolemee, the son of Abobus, was appointed captain in the plain of Jericho, and he had abundance of silver and gold. 16:12. For he was son in law of the high priest. 16:13. And his heart was lifted up, and he designed to make himself master of the country, and he purposed treachery against Simon and his sons, to destroy them. 16:14. Now Simon, as he was going through the cities that were in the country of Judea, and taking care for the good ordering of them, went down to Jericho, he and Mathathias and Judas, his sons, in the year one hundred and seventy-seven, the eleventh month: the same is the month Sabath.