2 Maccabees 10
1 Now Maccabeus and his company, the
Lord guiding them, recovered the temple and the city:
2 but the altars which the heathen had
built in the open street, and also the chapels, they pulled down.
3 And having cleansed the temple they
made another altar, and striking stones they took fire out of them, and
offered a sacrifice after two years, and set forth incense, and lights, and
shewbread. 4 When that was done, they
fell flat down, and besought the Lord that they might come no more into such
troubles; but if they sinned any more against him, that he himself would
chasten them with mercy, and that they might not be delivered unto the
blasphemous and barbarous nations.
5 Now upon the same day that the
strangers profaned the temple, on the very same day it was cleansed again,
even the five and twentieth day of the same month,
which is Casleu.
6 And they kept eight days with
gladness, as in the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore
they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the
mountains and dens like beasts.
7 Therefore they bare branches, and
fair boughs, and palms also, and sang psalms unto him that had given them good
success in cleansing his place. 8 They
ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days
should be kept of the whole nation of the Jews.
9 And this was the end of Antiochus,
called Epiphanes.
10 Now will we declare the acts of
Antiochus Eupator, who was the son of this wicked man, gathering briefly the
calamities of the wars. 11 So when he
was come to the crown, he set one Lysias over the affairs of his realm, and
appointed him chief governor of Celosyria and
Phenice.
12 For Ptolemeus, that was called
Macron, choosing rather to do justice unto the Jews for the wrong that had
been done unto them, endeavoured to continue peace with them.
13 Whereupon being accused of
the king's friends before Eupator, and called traitor
at every word, because he had left Cyprus, that Philometor had committed unto
him, and departed to Antiochus Epiphanes, and seeing that he was in no
honourable place, he was so discouraged, that he poisoned himself and died.
14 But when Gorgias was governor of
the holds, he hired soldiers, and nourished war continually with the Jews;
15 and therewithal the Idumeans,
having gotten into their hands the most commodious holds, kept the Jews
occupied, and receiving those that were banished from Jerusalem, they went
about to nourish war.
16 Then they that were with Maccabeus
made supplication, and besought God that he would be their helper; and so they
ran with violence upon the strong holds of the Idumeans,
17 and assaulting them strongly, they
won the holds, and kept off all that fought upon the wall, and slew all that
fell into their hands, and killed no fewer than twenty thousand.
18 And because certain, who were no
less than nine thousand, were fled together into two very strong castles,
having all manner of things convenient to sustain the
siege, 19 Maccabeus left Simon and
Joseph, and Zaccheus also, and them that were with him, who were enough to
besiege them, and departed himself unto those places which more needed his
help.
20 Now they that were with Simon,
being led with covetousness, were persuaded for money through certain of those
that were in the castle, and took seventy thousand drachms, and let some of
them escape. 21 But when it was told
Maccabeus what was done, he called the governors of the people together, and
accused those men, that they had sold their brethren for money, and set their
enemies free to fight against them.
22 So he slew those that were found
traitors, and immediately took the two castles.
23 And having good success with his
weapons in all things he took in hand, he slew in the two holds more than
twenty thousand.
24 Now Timotheus, whom the Jews had
overcome before, when he had gathered a great multitude of foreign forces, and
horses out of Asia not a few, came as though he would take Jewry by force of
arms. 25 But when he drew near, they
that were with Maccabeus turned themselves to pray unto God, and sprinkled
earth upon their heads, and girded their loins with sackcloth,
26 and fell down at the foot of the
altar, and besought him to be merciful to them, and to be an enemy to their
enemies, and an adversary to their adversaries, as the law declareth.
27 So after the prayer they took
their weapons, and went on further from the city: and when they drew near to
their enemies, they kept by themselves.
28 Now the sun being newly risen,
they joined both together; the one part having together with their virtue
their refuge also unto the Lord for a pledge of their success and victory: the
other side making their rage leader of their battle.
29 But when the battle waxed strong,
there appeared unto the enemies from heaven five comely men upon horses, with
bridles of gold, and two of them led the Jews,
30 and took Maccabeus betwixt them,
and covered him on every side with their weapons, and kept him safe, but shot
arrows and lightnings against the enemies: so that being confounded with
blindness, and full of trouble, they were killed.
31 And there were slain
of footmen twenty thousand and five hundred, and six
hundred horsemen.
32 As for Timotheus himself, he fled
into a very strong hold, called Gazara, where Chereas was governor.
33 But they that were with Maccabeus
laid siege against the fortress courageously four days.
34 And they that were within,
trusting to the strength of the place, blasphemed exceedingly, and uttered
wicked words.
35 Nevertheless upon the fifth day
early twenty young men of Maccabeus' company, inflamed with anger because of
the blasphemies, assaulted the wall manly, and with a fierce courage killed
all that they met withal. 36 Others
likewise ascending after them, whiles they were busied with them that were
within, burnt the towers, and kindling fires burnt the blasphemers alive; and
others broke open the gates, and, having received in the rest of the army,
took the city, 37 and killed
Timotheus, that was hid in a certain pit, and Chereas his brother, with
Apollophanes.
38 When this was done, they praised
the Lord with psalms and thanksgiving, who had done so great things for
Israel, and given them the victory.