2049 verses about Courage

Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, rulers of the army, heard of their exploits and of the war, what things they had done;

and they said, Let us also get us a name, and let us go fight against the Gentiles that are round about us.

And they gave charge to the men of the army that was with them, and went toward Jamnia.

And Gorgias and his men came out of the city to meet them in battle.

But they were not of the seed of those men, by whose hand deliverance was given to Israel.

And the man Judas and his kindred were glorified exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and of all the Gentiles, wherever their name was heard of;

And Judas and his kindred went forth, and fought against the children of Esau in the land toward the south; and he struck Hebron and the villages thereof, and pulled down the strongholds thereof, and burned the towers thereof round about.

and they rose up against him to battle: and he fled, and removed thence with great heaviness, to return to Babylon.

and that Lysias went first with a strong army, and was put to shame before them; and that they had waxed strong by reason of arms and power, and with store of spoils, which they took from the armies that they had cut off;

And Judas thought to destroy them, and called all the people together to besiege them.

And the number of his forces was a hundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and two and thirty elephants trained for war.

And they went through Idumaea, and encamped against Bethsura, and fought against it many days, and made engines of war; and they of Bethsura came out, and burned them with fire, and fought valiantly.

And Judas removed from the citadel, and encamped at Bethzacharias, near the king’s camp.

And the king rose early in the morning, and removed his army at full speed along the road to Bethzacharias, and his forces made them ready to battle, and sounded with the trumpets.

And they divided the beasts among the phalanxes, and they set by each elephant a thousand men armed with coats of mail, and helmets of brass on their heads; and for each beast were appointed five hundred chosen horsemen.

And towers of wood were upon them, strong and covered, one upon each beast, girded fast upon him with cunning contrivances; and upon each beast were two and thirty valiant men that fought upon them, beside his Indian

(and the residue of the horsemen he set on this side and that side at the two parts of the army), striking terror into the enemy, and protected by the phalanxes.

And a part of the king’s army was spread upon the high mountains, and some on the low ground, and they went on firmly and in order.

And Judas and his army drew near for battle, and there fell of the king’s army six hundred men.

And Eleazar, who was called Avaran, saw one of the beasts armed with royal breastplates, and he was higher than all the beasts, and the king seemed to be upon him;

and he gave himself to deliver his people, and to get him an everlasting name;

and he ran upon him courageously into the midst of the phalanx, and killed on the right hand and on the left, and they parted asunder from him on this side and on that.

And he crept under the elephant, and thrust him from beneath, and killed him; and the elephant fell to the earth upon him, and he died there.

But they of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem to meet them, and the king encamped toward Judea, and toward mount Sion.

And the king took Bethsura, and appointed a garrison there to keep it.

And they also made engines against their engines, and fought for many days.

And the king entered into mount Sion; and he saw the strength of the place, and set at nothing the oath which he had sworn, and gave commandment to pull down the wall round about.

And he removed in haste, and returned to Antioch, and found Philip master of the city; and he fought against him, and took the city by force.

And Nicanor knew that his counsel was discovered; and he went out to meet Judas in battle beside Capharsalama;

and there fell of Nicanor’s side about five hundred men, and they fled into the city of David.

And Nicanor went forth from Jerusalem, and encamped in Bethhoron, and there met him the army of Syria.

And Judas encamped in Adasa with three thousand men: and Judas prayed and said,

And on the thirteenth day of the month Adar the armies joined battle: and Nicanor’s army was discomfited, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle.

Now when his army saw that Nicanor was fallen, they cast away their arms, and fled.

And they pursued after them a day’s journey from Adasa until you come to Gazara, and they sounded an alarm after them with the solemn trumpets.

And Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they are valiant men, and have pleasure in all that join themselves to them, and make amity with all such as come to them,

and that they are valiant men. And they told him of their wars and exploits which they do among the Gauls, and how that they conquered them, and brought them under tribute;

and how that by their policy and persistence they conquered all the place (and the place was exceeding far from them), and the kings that came against them from the uttermost part of the earth, until they had discomfited them, and struck them very sore; and how the rest give them tribute year by year:

and Philip, and Perseus, king of Chittim, and those who lifted up themselves against them, did they discomfit in battle, and conquered them:

Antiochus also, the great king of Asia, who came against them to battle, having a hundred and twenty elephants, with horse, and chariots, and an exceeding great army, and he was discomfited by them,

And they went to Rome (and the way was exceeding long), and they entered into the senate house, and answered and said,

And Demetrius heard that Nicanor was fallen with his forces in battle, and he sent Bacchides and Alcimus again into the land of Judah a second time, and the right wing of his army with them:

and they removed, and went to Berea, with twenty thousand footmen and two thousand horse.

And Judas was encamped at Elasa, and three thousand chosen men with him:

and they saw the multitude of the forces, that they were many, and they feared exceedingly: and many slipped away out of the army; there were not left of them more than eight hundred men.

And Judas saw that his army slipped away, and that the battle pressed upon him, and he was sore troubled in heart, for that he had no time to gather them together, and he waxed faint.

And he said to those who were left, Let us arise and go up against our adversaries, if perhaps we may be able to fight with them.

And they would have dissuaded him, saying, We shall in no wise be able: but let us rather save our lives now: let us return again, we and our kindred, and fight against them: but we are few.

And Judas said, let it not be so that I should do this thing, to flee from them: and if our time is come, let us die manfully for our kindred’s sake, and not leave a cause of reproach against our glory.

And the army removed from the camp, and stood to encounter them, and the horse was parted into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went before the army, and all the mighty men that fought in the front of the battle.

But Bacchides was in the right wing; and the phalanx drew near on the two parts, and they blew with their trumpets.

And the men of Judas’ side, even they sounded with their trumpets, and the earth shook with the shout of the armies, and the battle was joined, and continued from morning until evening.

And Judas saw that Bacchides and the strength of his army were on the right side, and there went with him all that were brave in heart,

and the right wing was discomfited by them, and he pursued after them to the mount Azotus.

And those who were on the left wing saw that the right wing was discomfited, and they turned and followed upon the footsteps of Judas and of those that were with him:

And the rest of the acts of Judas, and his wars, and the valiant deeds which he did, and his greatness, they are not written; for they were exceeding many.

Now therefore we have chosen you this day to be our prince and leader in his stead, that you may fight our battles.

And Jonathan took the governance upon him at that time, and rose up in the stead of his brother Judas.

And Jonathan, and Simon his brother, and all that were with him, knew it; and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoah, and encamped by the water of the pool Asphar.

And Jonathan sent his brother, a leader of the multitude, and implored his friends the Nabathaeans, that they might leave with them their baggage, which was much.

And Jonathan said to his company, Let us stand up now and fight for our lives, for it is not with us today, as yesterday and the day before.

For, behold, the battle is before us and behind us; moreover the water of the Jordan is on this side and on that side, and marsh and wood; and there is no place to escape.

And the battle was joined, and Jonathan stretched forth his hand to strike Bacchides, and he turned away back from him.

And Jonathan and those who were with him leapt into the Jordan, and swam over to the other side: and they did not pass over Jordan against them.

and he returned to Jerusalem. And they built strong cities in Judea, the stronghold that was in Jericho, and Emmaus, and Bethhoron, and Bethel, and Timnath, Pharathon, and Tephon, with high walls and gates and bars.

And Jonathan, and Simon, and those who were with him, got them away to Bethbasi, which is in the wilderness, and he built up that which had been pulled down thereof, and they made it strong.

And Jonathan left his brother Simon in the city, and went forth into the country, and he went with a few men.

And they began to strike them, and to go up with their forces. And Simon and those who were with him went out of the city, and set on fire the engines of war,

and fought against Bacchides, and he was discomfited by them, and they afflicted him sore; for his counsel was in vain, and his inroad.

And the sword ceased from Israel. And Jonathan lived at Michmash; and Jonathan began to judge the people; and he destroyed the ungodly out of Israel.

And king Demetrius heard thereof, and he gathered together exceeding great forces, and went forth to meet him in battle.

And the strangers, that were in the strongholds which Bacchides had built, fled away;

And king Alexander heard all the promises which Demetrius had sent to Jonathan: and they told him of the battles and the valiant deeds which he and his kindred had done, and of the toils which they had endured;

We have heard of you, that you are a mighty man of valour, and meet to be our Friend.

And king Alexander gathered together great forces, and encamped near Demetrius.

And he strengthened the battle exceedingly until the sun went down: and Demetrius fell that day.

yes, I joined the battle with him, and he and his army were discomfited by us, and we sat upon the throne of his kingdom:

Now therefore, if you trust in your forces, come down to us into the plain, and there let us try the matter together; for with me is the power of the cities.

And now you shall not be able to abide the horse and such an army as this in the plain, where is neither stone nor flint, nor place to flee to.

Now when Jonathan heard the words of Apollonius, he was moved in his mind, and he chose out ten thousand men, and went forth from Jerusalem, and Simon his brother met him for to help him.

And he encamped against Joppa: and they of the city shut him out, because Apollonius had a garrison in Joppa:

and they fought against it. And they of the city were afraid, and opened to him: and Jonathan became master of Joppa.

And Apollonius heard, and he gathered an army of three thousand horse, and a great army, and went to Azotus as though he were on a journey, and therewithal drew onward into the plain, because he had a multitude of horse, and trusted therein.

And he pursued after him to Azotus, and the armies joined battle.

And Simon drew forth his army, and joined battle with the phalanx (for the horsemen were spent), and they were discomfited by him, and fled.

And from thence Jonathan removed, and encamped against Ascalon, and they of the city came forth to meet him with great pomp.

And Jonathan, with those who were on his side, returned to Jerusalem, having many spoils.

But king Alexander was in Cilicia at that season, because they of those parts were in revolt.

And Alexander heard of it, and he came against him in war: and Ptolemy led forth his army, and met him with a strong force, and put him to flight.

In those days Jonathan gathered together them of Judea, to take the citadel that was at Jerusalem: and he made many engines of war against it.

But when Jonathan heard this, he commanded to besiege it still: and he chose certain of the elders of Israel and of the priests, and put himself in peril,

And Jonathan sent to king Demetrius, that he should cast out of Jerusalem them of the citadel, and those who were in the strongholds; for they fought against Israel continually.

Now therefore you shall do well, if you send me men who shall fight for me; for all my forces are revolted.

And Jonathan sent him three thousand valiant men to Antioch: and they came to the king, and the king was glad at their coming.

And the king fled into the court of the palace, and they of the city seized the passages of the city, and began to fight.

And they of the city saw that the Jews had made themselves masters of the city as they would, and they waxed faint in their hearts, and they cried out to the king with supplication, saying,

And there were gathered to him all the forces which Demetrius had sent away with disgrace, and they fought against him, and he fled and was put to the rout.

And Jonathan went forth, and took his journey beyond the river and through the cities; and all the forces of Syria gathered themselves to him for to be his confederates. And he came to Ascalon, and they of the city met him honorably.

And Jonathan heard that Demetrius’ princes were come to Kedesh, which is in Galilee, with a great army, purposing to remove him from his office;

And Simon encamped against Bethsura, and fought against it many days, and shut it up: