1 Maccabees 3
1 Then his son Judas, called
Maccabeus, rose up in his stead. 2 And
all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that held with his father,
and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel.
3 So he gat his people great honour,
and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike harness about him,
and he made battles, protecting the host with his sword.
4 In his acts he was like a lion, and
like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey.
5 For he pursued the wicked, and
sought them out, and burnt up those that vexed his people.
6 Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear
of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation
prospered in his hand.
7 He grieved also many kings, and made
Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed for ever.
8 Moreover he went through the cities
of Juda, destroying the ungodly out of them, and turning away wrath from
Israel: 9 so that he was renowned unto
the utmost part of the earth, and he received unto him such as were ready to
perish.
10 Then Apollonius gathered the
Gentiles together, and a great host out of Samaria, to fight against Israel.
11 Which thing when Judas perceived,
he went forth to meet him, and so he smote him, and slew him: many also fell
down slain, but the rest fled.
12 Wherefore Judas took their spoils,
and Apollonius' sword also, and therewith he fought all his life long.
13 Now when Seron, a prince of the
army of Syria, heard say that Judas had gathered unto him a multitude and
company of the faithful to go out with him to war;
14 he said, I will get me a name and
honour in the kingdom; for I will go fight with Judas and them that are with
him, who despise the king's commandment.
15 So he made him ready to go up, and
there went with him a mighty host of the ungodly to help him, and to be
avenged of the children of Israel.
16 And when he came near to the going
up of Bethhoron, Judas went forth to meet him with a small company:
17 who, when they saw the host coming
to meet them, said unto Judas, How shall we be able, being so few, to fight
against so great a multitude and so strong, seeing we
are ready to faint with fasting all this day?
18 Unto whom Judas answered, It is no
hard matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and with
the God of heaven it is all one, to deliver with a
great multitude, or a small company;
19 for the victory of battle standeth
not in the multitude of an host; but strength cometh from heaven.
20 They come against us in much pride
and iniquity to destroy us, and our wives and children, and to spoil us:
21 but we fight for our lives and our
laws. 22 Wherefore the Lord himself
will overthrow them before our face: and as for you, be ye not afraid of them.
23 Now as soon as he had left off
speaking, he leaped suddenly upon them, and so Seron and his host were
overthrown before him. 24 And they
pursued them from the going down of Bethhoron unto the plain, where were slain
about eight hundred men of them; and the residue fled into the land of the
Philistines. 25 Then began the fear
of Judas and his brethren, and exceeding great dread, to fall upon the nations
round about them: 26 insomuch as his
fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas.
27 Now when king Antiochus heard
these things, he was full of indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered
together all the forces of his realm, even a very
strong army. 28 He opened also his
treasure, and gave his soldiers pay for a year, commanding them to be ready
whensoever he should need them.
29 Nevertheless, when he saw that the
money of his treasures failed, and that the tributes in the country were
small, because of the dissension and plague, which he had brought upon the
land in taking away the laws which had been of old time;
30 he feared that he should not be
able to bear the charges any longer, nor to have such gifts to give so
liberally as he did before: for he had abounded above the kings that were
before him.
31 Wherefore, being greatly perplexed
in his mind, he determined to go into Persia, there to take the tributes of
the countries, and to gather much money.
32 So he left Lysias, a nobleman, and
one of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the king from the river
Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt:
33 and to bring up his son Antiochus,
until he came again.
34 Moreover he delivered unto him the
half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all things that
he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Juda and Jerusalem;
35 to wit,
that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength
of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from
that place; 36 and that he should
place strangers in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot.
37 So the king took the half of the
forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred
forty and seventh year; and he passed the river Euphrates, and went through
the high countries.
38 Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the
son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty
men of the king's friends: 39 and
with them he sent forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horsemen, to go
into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, as the king commanded.
40 So they went forth with all their
power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plain country.
41 And the merchants of the country,
hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, with servants, and
came into the camp to buy the children of Israel for slaves: a power also of
Syria and of the land of the Philistines joined themselves unto them.
42 Now when Judas and his brethren
saw that miseries were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themselves
in their borders; for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy
the people, and utterly abolish them;
43 they said one to another, Let us
restore the decayed estate of our people, and let us fight for our people and
the sanctuary.
44 Then the congregation gathered
together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and
ask mercy and compassion.
45 Now Jerusalem was laid void as a
wilderness, there was none of her children that went in or out: the sanctuary
also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold; the heathen had their
habitation in that place; and joy was taken from Jacob, and the pipe with the
harp ceased. 46 Wherefore the
Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against
Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel.
47 Then they fasted that day, and put
on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes,
48 and laid open the book of the law,
wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images.
49 They brought also the priest's
garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes: and the Nazarites they stirred
up, who had accomplished their days.
50 Then cried they with a loud voice
toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry
them away? 51 For thy sanctuary is
trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low.
52 And, lo, the heathen are assembled
together against us to destroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou
knowest. 53 How shall we be able to
stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help?
54 Then sounded they with trumpets,
and cried with a loud voice.
55 And after this Judas ordained
captains over the people, even captains over
thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.
56 But as for such as were building
houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful,
those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house,
according to the law.
57 So the camp removed, and pitched
upon the south side of Emmaus. 58 And
Judas said, Arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and see that ye be in
readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations, that are
assembled together against us to destroy us and our sanctuary:
59 for it is better for us to die in
battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary.
60 Nevertheless, as the will
of God is in heaven, so let him do.