1 Maccabees 6
1 About that time king Antiochus
travelling through the high countries heard say, that Elymais in the country
of Persia was a city greatly renowned for riches, silver, and gold;
2 and that there was in it a very rich
temple, wherein were coverings of gold, and breastplates, and shields, which
Alexander, son of Philip, the Macedonian king, who
reigned first among the Grecians, had left there:
3 wherefore he came and sought to take
the city, and to spoil it; but he was not able, because they of the city,
having had warning thereof, 4 rose up
against him in battle: so he fled, and departed thence with great heaviness,
and returned to Babylon.
5 Moreover there came one who brought
him tidings into Persia, that the armies, which went against the land of
Judea, were put to flight: 6 and that
Lysias, who went forth first with a great power, was driven away of the Jews;
and that they were made strong by the armour, and power, and store of spoils,
which they had gotten of the armies, whom they had destroyed:
7 also that they had pulled down the
abomination, which he had set up upon the altar in Jerusalem, and that they
had compassed about the sanctuary with high walls, as before, and his city
Bethsura.
8 Now when the king heard these words,
he was astonished and sore moved: whereupon he laid him down upon his bed, and
fell sick for grief, because it had not befallen him as he looked for.
9 And there he continued many days:
for his grief was ever more and more, and he made account that he should die.
10 Wherefore he called for all his
friends, and said unto them, The sleep is gone from mine eyes, and my heart
faileth for very care. 11 And I
thought with myself, Into what tribulation am I come, and how great a flood
of misery is it wherein now I am! for I was bountiful
and beloved in my power. 12 But now I
remember the evils that I did at Jerusalem, and that I took all the vessels of
gold and silver that were therein, and sent to destroy the inhabitants of
Judea without a cause. 13 I perceive
therefore that for this cause these troubles are come upon me, and, behold, I
perish through great grief in a strange land.
14 Then called he for Philip, one of
his friends, whom he made ruler over all his realm.
15 And gave him the crown, and his
robe, and his signet, to the end he should bring up his son Antiochus, and
nourish him up for the kingdom. 16 So
king Antiochus died there in the hundred forty and ninth year.
17 Now when Lysias knew that the king
was dead, he set up Antiochus his son, whom he had brought up being young, to
reign in his stead, and his name he called Eupator.
18 About this time they that were in
the tower shut up the Israelites round about the sanctuary, and sought always
their hurt, and the strengthening of the heathen.
19 Wherefore Judas, purposing to
destroy them, called all the people together to besiege them.
20 So they came together, and
besieged them in the hundred and fiftieth year, and he made mounts for shot
against them, and other engines.
21 Howbeit certain of them that were
besieged got forth, unto whom some ungodly men of Israel joined themselves:
22 and they went unto the king, and
said, How long will it be ere thou execute judgment, and avenge our brethren?
23 We have been willing to serve thy
father, and to do as he would have us, and to obey his commandments;
24 for which cause they of our nation
besiege the tower, and are alienated from us: moreover as many of us as they
could light on they slew, and spoiled our inheritance.
25 Neither have they stretched out
their hand against us only, but also against all their borders.
26 And, behold, this day are they
besieging the tower at Jerusalem, to take it: the sanctuary also and Bethsura
have they fortified. 27 Wherefore if
thou dost not prevent them quickly, they will do greater things than these,
neither shalt thou be able to rule them.
28 Now when the king heard this, he
was angry, and gathered together all his friends, and the captains of his
army, and those that had charge of the horse.
29 There came also unto him from
other kingdoms, and from isles of the sea, bands of hired soldiers.
30 So that the number of his army was
an hundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and two and thirty
elephants exercised in battle.
31 These went through Idumea, and
pitched against Bethsura, which they assaulted many days, making engines; but
they of Bethsura came out, and burned them with fire,
and fought valiantly.
32 Upon this Judas removed from the
tower, and pitched in Bethzacharias, over against the king's camp.
33 Then the king rising very early
marched fiercely with his host toward Bethzacharias, where his armies made
them ready to battle, and sounded the trumpets.
34 And to the end they might provoke
the elephants to fight, they shewed them the blood of grapes and mulberries.
35 Moreover they divided the beasts
among the armies, and for every elephant they appointed a thousand men, armed
with coats of mail, and with helmets of brass on their heads; and beside this,
for every beast were ordained five hundred horsemen of the best.
36 These were ready at every
occasion: wheresoever the beast was, and whithersoever the beast went, they
went also, neither departed they from him.
37 And upon the beasts were there
strong towers of wood, which covered every one of them, and were girt fast
unto them with devices: there were also upon every one two and thirty strong
men, that fought upon them, beside the Indian that ruled him.
38 As for the remnant of the
horsemen, they set them on this side and that side at the two parts of the
host, giving them signs what to do, and being harnessed all over amidst the
ranks. 39 Now when the sun shone upon
the shields of gold and brass, the mountains glistered therewith, and shined
like lamps of fire. 40 So part of the
king's army being spread upon the high mountains, and part on the valleys
below, they marched on safely and in order.
41 Wherefore all that heard the noise
of their multitude, and the marching of the company, and the rattling of the
harness, were moved: for the army was very great and mighty.
42 Then Judas and his host drew near,
and entered into battle, and there were slain of the king's army six hundred
men. 43 Eleazar also,
surnamed Savaran, perceiving that one of the beasts,
armed with royal harness, was higher than all the rest, and supposing that the
king was upon him, 44 put himself in
jeopardy, to the end he might deliver his people, and get him a perpetual
name: 45 wherefore he ran upon him
courageously through the midst of the battle, slaying on the right hand and on
the left, so that they were divided from him on both sides.
46 Which done, he crept under the
elephant, and thrust him under, and slew him: whereupon the elephant fell down
upon him, and there he died.
47 Howbeit
the rest of the Jews seeing the strength of the king,
and the violence of his forces, turned away from them.
48 Then the king's army went up to
Jerusalem to meet them, and the king pitched his tents against Judea, and
against mount Sion. 49 But with them
that were in Bethsura he made peace: for they came out of the city, because
they had no victuals there to endure the siege, it being a year of rest to the
land.
50 So the king took Bethsura, and set
a garrison there to keep it. 51 As
for the sanctuary, he besieged it many days: and set there artillery with
engines and instruments to cast fire and stones, and pieces to cast darts and
slings. 52 Whereupon they also made
engines against their engines, and held them battle a long season.
53 Yet at the last, their vessels
being without victuals, (for that it was the seventh year, and they in Judea,
that were delivered from the Gentiles, had eaten up the residue of the store;)
54 there were but a few left in the
sanctuary, because the famine did so prevail against them, that they were fain
to disperse themselves, every man to his own place.
55 At that time Lysias heard say,
that Philip, whom Antiochus the king, whiles he lived, had appointed to bring
up his son Antiochus, that he might be king,
56 was returned out of Persia and
Media, and the king's host also that went with him, and that he sought to take
unto him the ruling of affairs.
57 Wherefore he went in all haste,
and said to the king and the captains of the host and the company, We decay
daily, and our victuals are but small, and the place we lay siege unto is
strong, and the affairs of the kingdom lie upon us:
58 now therefore let us be friends
with these men, and make peace with them, and with all their nation;
59 and covenant with them, that they
shall live after their laws, as they did before: for they are therefore
displeased, and have done all these things, because we abolished their laws.
60 So the king and the princes were
content: wherefore he sent unto them to make peace; and they accepted thereof.
61 Also the king and the princes made
an oath unto them: whereupon they went out of the strong hold.
62 Then the king entered into mount
Sion: but when he saw the strength of the place, he brake his oath that he had
made, and gave commandment to pull down the wall round about.
63 Afterward departed he in all
haste, and returned unto Antiochia, where he found Philip to be master of the
city: so he fought against him, and took the city by force.