⁶ Coming without warning, he would set fire to towns and villages. He captured strategic positions and put to flight not a few of the enemy.^(A)

¹⁸ When at least nine thousand took refuge in two very strong towers well equipped to withstand a siege, ¹⁹ Maccabeus left Simon and Joseph, and also Zacchaeus and his troops, a force sufficient to besiege them, and he himself set off for places where he was more urgently needed.^{(A) 20} But those with Simon, who were money-hungry, were bribed by some of those who were in the towers and on receiving seventy thousand drachmas let some of them slip away.^{(B) 21} When word of what had happened came to Maccabeus, he gathered the leaders of the people and accused these men of having sold their kindred for money by setting their enemies free to fight against them. ²² Then he killed these men who had turned traitor and immediately captured the two towers. ²³ Having success at arms in everything he undertook, he destroyed more than twenty thousand in the two strongholds.^(C)

³⁶ During the distraction, others came up in the same way, wheeled around against the defenders, and set fire to the towers; they kindled fires and burned the blasphemers alive. Others broke open the gates and let in the rest of the force, and they occupied the city.^(A)