I Maccabees 7

¹In the one hundred and fifty-first year, Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, departed from the city of Rome, and he went up with a few men to a maritime city, and he reigned there.

²And it happened that, as he entered into the house of the kingdom of his fathers, the army captured Antiochus and Lysias, to bring them to him.

³And the matter became known to him, and he said, “Do not show me their face.”

⁴And so the army killed them. And Demetrius sat upon the throne of his kingdom.

⁵And there came to him iniquitous and impious men from Israel. And Alcimus was their leader, who wanted to be made a priest.

⁶And they accused the people to the king, saying: “Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends, and he has scattered us from our land.

⁷Now, therefore, send a man, whom you trust, and let him go and see all the destruction he has done to us and to the regions of the king. And let him punish all his friends and their helpers.”

⁸And so the king chose, from among his friends, Bacchides, who ruled across the great river in the kingdom, and who was faithful to the king. And he sent him

⁹to see the destruction that Judas had done. Moreover, he appointed the wicked Alcimus to the priesthood, and he commanded him to take revenge on the sons of Israel.

¹⁰And they rose up and came forth with a great army into the land of Judah. And they sent messengers, who spoke to Judas and his brothers with words of peace, in deceitfulness.

¹¹But they did not heed their words, for they saw that they arrived with a great army.

¹²Then there assembled to Alcimus and Bacchides, a congregation of scribes, to seek just terms.

¹³And first, the Hasideans, who were among the sons of Israel, also sought peace from them.

¹⁴For they said, “A man who is a priest from the offspring of Aaron has arrived; he will not deceive us.”

¹⁵And he spoke to them peaceful words, and he swore to them, saying, “We will not carry out any evil against you or your friends.”

¹⁶And they believed him. And he captured sixty of their men and killed them in one day, according to the word that is written:

¹⁷The flesh of your saints, and their blood, they have poured out all around Jerusalem, and there was no one who would bury them.

¹⁸Then fear and trembling hovered over all the people. For they said: “There is no truth or judgment among them. For they have transgressed the agreement and the oath that they swore.”

¹⁹And Bacchides moved the camp from Jerusalem, and he took up a position at Bethzaith. And he sent and captured many of those who had fled from him, and some of the people he killed in sacrifice, and he threw them into a great pit.

²⁰Then he committed the country to Alcimus, and he left behind troops with him to assist him. And so Bacchides went away to the king.

²¹And Alcimus did what he pleased by means of his leadership of the priesthood.

²²And all those who disturbed the people assembled before him, and they obtained the land of Judah, and they caused a great scourging in Israel.

²³And Judas saw all the evils that Alcimus, and those who were with him, did to the sons of Israel, even more than the Gentiles did.

²⁴And he went out into all the parts surrounding Judea, and he took vengeance on the men who had rebelled, and they ceased to go forth into the region any longer.

²⁵But Alcimus saw that Judas, and those who were with him, prevailed. And he knew that he was not able to withstand them. And so he returned to the king, and he accused them of many crimes.

²⁶And the king sent Nicanor, one of his principal noblemen, who was a cultivator of hostility against Israel. And he commanded him to overthrow the people.

²⁷And Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great army, and he sent to Judas and his brothers words of peace, with deceitfulness,

²⁸saying: “Let there be no fighting between me and you. I will come with a few men, to see your faces with peace.”

²⁹And he came to Judas, and they greeted one another in turns, peaceably. And the enemies were prepared to abduct Judas.

³⁰And the plan became known to Judas, that he came to him with deceit. And so he became very afraid of him, and he was no longer willing to see his face.

³¹And Nicanor knew that his plan had been exposed, and he went out to meet Judas in battle near Capharsalama.

³²And there fell of the army of Nicanor nearly five thousand men, and they fled into the city of David.

³³And after these events, Nicanor ascended to mount Zion. And some of the priests of the people went out to greet him in peace, and to show him the holocausts that were offered for the king.

³⁴But he mocked and despised them, and he defiled them. And he spoke arrogantly,

³⁵and he swore with anger, saying, “Unless Judas and his army have been delivered into my hands, when I return in peace, I will burn this house.” And he went out with great anger.

³⁶And the priests went in and stood before the face of the altar and the temple. And weeping, they said:

³⁷“You, O Lord, have chosen this house so that your name may be invoked in it, so that it may be a house of prayer and supplication for your people.

³⁸Accomplish vindication with this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword. Remember their blasphemies, and do not allow them to continue.”

³⁹Then Nicanor departed from Jerusalem, and he positioned his camp near Bethhoron, and an army of Syria met him there.

⁴⁰And Judas took a position in Adasa with three thousand men. And Judas prayed, and he said:

⁴¹“O Lord, when those who were sent by king Sennacherib blasphemed against you, an angel went out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand of them.

⁴²Just so, crush this army in our sight today, and so let the others know that he has spoken evil against your sanctuary. And judge him according to his wickedness.”

⁴³And the armies were sent into battle together on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And the camp of Nicanor was crushed, and he himself was among the first slain in the battle.

⁴⁴So then, when his army saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw away their weapons and fled.

⁴⁵And they pursued them for one day’s journey from Adasa, even until one comes into Gazara, and they sounded the trumpets after them with signals.

⁴⁶And they went forth from all of the towns all around Judea. And they herded them with the horns, and they turned back again to them, and they were all felled with the sword, and there was not so much as one of them left behind.

⁴⁷And they took their spoils like a prey, and they cut off the head of Nicanor, and his right hand, which he had extended arrogantly, and they brought it, and hung it up opposite Jerusalem.

⁴⁸And the people rejoiced exceedingly, and they spent that day in great joy.

⁴⁹And he established that this day should be kept every year, on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar.

⁵⁰And the land of Judah was quieted for a brief time.

I Maccabees 7

¹In the hundred and one and fiftieth year Demetrius the son of Seleucus departed from Rome, and came up with a few men unto a city of the sea coast, and reigned there.

²And as he entered into the palace of his ancestors, so it was, that his forces had taken Antiochus and Lysias, to bring them unto him.

³Wherefore, when he knew it, he said, Let me not see their faces.

⁴So his host slew them. Now when Demetrius was set upon the throne of his kingdom,

⁵There came unto him all the wicked and ungodly men of Israel, having Alcimus, who was desirous to be high priest, for their captain:

⁶And they accused the people to the king, saying, Judas and his brethren have slain all thy friends, and driven us out of our own land.

⁷Now therefore send some man whom thou trustest, and let him go and see what havock he hath made among us, and in the king’s land, and let him punish them with all them that aid them.

⁸Then the king chose Bacchides, a friend of the king, who ruled beyond the flood, and was a great man in the kingdom, and faithful to the king,

⁹And him he sent with that wicked Alcimus, whom he made high priest, and commanded that he should take vengeance of the children of Israel.

¹⁰So they departed, and came with a great power into the land of Judea, where they sent messengers to Judas and his brethren with peaceable words deceitfully.

¹¹But they gave no heed to their words; for they saw that they were come with a great power.

¹²Then did there assemble unto Alcimus and Bacchides a company of scribes, to require justice.

¹³Now the Assideans were the first among the children of Israel that sought peace of them:

¹⁴For said they, One that is a priest of the seed of Aaron is come with this army, and he will do us no wrong.

¹⁵So he spake unto them, peaceably, and sware unto them, saying, we will procure the harm neither of you nor your friends.

¹⁶Whereupon they believed him: howbeit he took of them threescore men, and slew them in one day, according to the words which he wrote,

¹⁷The flesh of thy saints have they cast out, and their blood have they shed round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them.

¹⁸Wherefore the fear and dread of them fell upon all the people, who said, There is neither truth nor righteousness in them; for they have broken the covenant and oath that they made.

¹⁹After this, removed Bacchides from Jerusalem, and pitched his tents in Bezeth, where he sent and took many of the men that had forsaken him, and certain of the people also, and when he had slain them, he cast them into the great pit.

²⁰Then committed he the country to Alcimus, and left with him a power to aid him: so Bacchides went to the king.

²¹But Alcimus contended for the high priesthood.

²²And unto him resorted all such as troubled the people, who, after they had gotten the land of Juda into their power, did much hurt in Israel.

²³Now when Judas saw all the mischief that Alcimus and his company had done among the Israelites, even above the heathen,

²⁴He went out into all the coasts of Judea round about, and took vengeance of them that had revolted from him, so that they durst no more go forth into the country.

²⁵On the other side, when Alcimus saw that Judas and his company had gotten the upper hand, and knew that he was not able to abide their force, he went again to the king, and said all the worst of them that he could.

²⁶Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his honourable princes, a man that bare deadly hate unto Israel, with commandment to destroy the people.

²⁷So Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great force; and sent unto Judas and his brethren deceitfully with friendly words, saying,

²⁸Let there be no battle between me and you; I will come with a few men, that I may see you in peace.

²⁹He came therefore to Judas, and they saluted one another peaceably. Howbeit the enemies were prepared to take away Judas by violence.

³⁰Which thing after it was known to Judas, to wit, that he came unto him with deceit, he was sore afraid of him, and would see his face no more.

³¹Nicanor also, when he saw that his counsel was discovered, went out to fight against Judas beside Capharsalama:

³²Where there were slain of Nicanor’s side about five thousand men, and the rest fled into the city of David.

³³After this went Nicanor up to mount Sion, and there came out of the sanctuary certain of the priests and certain of the elders of the people, to salute him peaceably, and to shew him the burnt sacrifice that was offered for the king.

³⁴But he mocked them, and laughed at them, and abused them shamefully, and spake proudly,

³⁵And sware in his wrath, saying, Unless Judas and his host be now delivered into my hands, if ever I come again in safety, I will burn up this house: and with that he went out in a great rage.

³⁶Then the priests entered in, and stood before the altar and the temple, weeping, and saying,

³⁷Thou, O Lord, didst choose this house to be called by thy name, and to be a house of prayer and petition for thy people:

³⁸Be avenged of this man and his host, and let them fall by the sword: remember their blasphemies, and suffer them not to continue any longer.

³⁹So Nicanor went out of Jerusalem, and pitched his tents in Bethhoron, where an host out of Syria met him.

⁴⁰But Judas pitched in Adasa with three thousand men, and there he prayed, saying,

⁴¹O Lord, when they that were sent from the king of the Assyrians blasphemed, thine angel went out, and smote an hundred fourscore and five thousand of them.

⁴²Even so destroy thou this host before us this day, that the rest may know that he hath spoken blasphemously against thy sanctuary, and judge thou him according to his wickedness.

⁴³So the thirteenth day of the month Adar the hosts joined battle: but Nicanor’s host was discomfited, and he himself was first slain in the battle.

⁴⁴Now when Nicanor’s host saw that he was slain, they cast away their weapons, and fled.

⁴⁵Then they pursued after them a day’s journey, from Adasa unto Gazera, sounding an alarm after them with their trumpets.

⁴⁶Whereupon they came forth out of all the towns of Judea round about, and closed them in; so that they, turning back upon them that pursued them, were all slain with the sword, and not one of them was left.

⁴⁷Afterwards they took the spoils, and the prey, and smote off Nicanors head, and his right hand, which he stretched out so proudly, and brought them away, and hanged them up toward Jerusalem.

⁴⁸For this cause the people rejoiced greatly, and they kept that day a day of great gladness.

⁴⁹Moreover they ordained to keep yearly this day, being the thirteenth of Adar.

⁵⁰Thus the land of Juda was in rest a little while.