I Maccabees 3

¹Then his son Judas, called Machabeus, rose up in his stead.

²And all his brethren helped him, and all they that had joined themselves to his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel.

³And he got his people great honour, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike armour about him in battles, and protected the camp with his sword.

⁴In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey.

⁵And he pursued the wicked and sought them out, and them that troubled his people he burnt with fire:

⁶And his enemies were driven away for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled: and salvation prospered in his hand.

⁷And he grieved many kings, and made Jacob glad with his works, and his memory is blessed for ever.

⁸And he went through the cities of Juda, and destroyed the wicked out of them, and turned away wrath from Israel.

⁹And he was renowned even to the utmost part of the earth, and he gathered them that were perishing.

¹⁰And Apollonius gathered together the Gentiles, and a numerous and great army from Samaria, to make war against Israel.

¹¹And Judas understood it, and went forth to meet him: and he overthrew him, and killed him: and many fell down slain, and the rest fled away.

¹²And he took their spoils, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, and fought with it all his lifetime.

¹³And Seron, captain of the army of Syria, heard that Judas had assembled a company of the faithful, and a congregation with him,

¹⁴And he said I will get me a name, and will be glorified in the kingdom, and will overthrow Judas, and those that are with him, that have despised the edict of the king.

¹⁵And he made himself ready; and the host of the wicked went up with him, strong succours, to be revenged of the children of Israel.

¹⁶And they approached even as far as Bethoron: and Judas went forth to meet him, with a small company.

¹⁷But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas: How shall we, being few, be able to fight against so great a multitude, and so strong, and we are ready to faint with fasting today?

¹⁸And Judas said: It is an easy matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few: and there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven to deliver with a great multitude, or with a small company:

¹⁹For the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but strength cometh from heaven.

²⁰They come against us with an insolent multitude, and with pride, to destroy us, and our wives, and our children, and to take our spoils.

²¹But we will fight for our lives, and our laws:

²²And the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face, but as for you, fear them not

²³And as soon as he had made an end of speaking, he rushed suddenly upon them: and Seron, and his host were overthrown before him:

²⁴And he pursued him by the descent of Bethoron, even to the plain, and there fell of them eight hundred men, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines.

²⁵And the fear of Judas, and of his brethren, and the dread of them, fell upon all the nations round about them.

²⁶And his fame came to the king, and all nations told of the battles of Judas.

²⁷Now when king Antiochus heard these words, he was angry in his mind: and he sent, and gathered the forces of all his kingdom, an exceeding strong army.

²⁸And he opened his treasury, and gave out pay to the army for a year: and he commanded them, that they should be ready for all things.

²⁹And he perceived that the money of his treasures failed, and that the tributes of the country were small, because of the dissension, and the evil that he had brought upon the land, that he might take away the laws of old times:

³⁰And he feared that he should not have as formerly enough for charges and gifts, which he had given before with a liberal hand: for he had abounded more than the kings that had been before him.

³¹And he was greatly perplexed in mind, and purposed to go into Persia, and to take tributes of the countries, and to gather much money.

³²And he left Lysias, a nobleman of the blood royal to oversee the affairs of the kingdom from the river Euphrates even to the river of Egypt:

³³And to bring up his son, Antiochus, till he came again.

³⁴And he delivered to him half the army, and the elephants: and he gave him charge concerning all that he would have done, and concerning the inhabitants of Judea, and Jerusalem.

³⁵And 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 the memory of them from that place.

³⁶And that he should settle strangers, to dwell in all their coasts, and divide their land by lot.

³⁷So the king took the half of the army that remained, and went forth from Antioch, the chief city of his kingdom, in the hundred and forty-seventh year: and he passed over the river Euphrates, and went through the higher countries.

³⁸Then Lysias chose Ptolemee, the son of Dorymenus, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends.

³⁹And he sent with them forty thousand men, and seven thousand horsemen: to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, according to the king's orders.

⁴⁰So they went forth with all their power, and came, and pitched near Emmaus, in the plain country.

⁴¹And the merchants of the countries heard the fame of them: and they took silver and gold in abundance, and servants: and they came into the camp, to buy the children of Israel for slaves: and there were joined to them the forces of Syria, and of the land of the strangers.

⁴²And Judas, and his brethren, saw that evils were multiplied, and that the armies approached to their borders: and they knew the orders the king had given to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them.

⁴³And they said, every man to his neighbour: Let us raise up the low condition of our people, and let us fight for our people, and our sanctuary.

⁴⁴And the assembly was gathered, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion.

⁴⁵Now Jerusalem was not inhabited, but was like a desert: there was none of her children that went in or out: and the sanctuary was trodden down: and the children of strangers were in the castle, there was the habitation of the Gentiles: and joy was taken away from Jacob, and the pipe and harp ceased there.

⁴⁶And they assembled together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem: for in Maspha was a place of prayer heretofore in Israel.

⁴⁷And they fasted that day, and put on haircloth, and put ashes upon their heads: and they rent their garments:

⁴⁸And they laid open the books of the law, in which the Gentiles searched for the likeness of their idols:

⁴⁹And they brought the priestly ornaments, and the first fruits and tithes, and stirred up the Nazarites that had fulfilled their days:

⁵⁰And they cried with a loud voice toward heaven, saying: What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them?

⁵¹For thy holies are trodden down, and are profaned, and thy priests are in mourning, and are brought low.

⁵²And behold the nations are come together against us, to destroy us: thou knowest what they intend against us.

⁵³How shall we be able to stand before their face, unless thou, O God, help us?

⁵⁴Then they sounded with trumpets, and cried out with a loud voice.

⁵⁵And after this, Judas appointed captains over the people, over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.

⁵⁶And he said to them that were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, that they should return every man to his house, according to the law.

⁵⁷So they removed the camp, and pitched on the south side of Emmaus.

⁵⁸And Judas said: Gird yourselves, and be valiant men, and be ready against the morning, that you may fight with these nations that are assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary.

⁵⁹For it is better for us to die in battle, than to see the evils of our nation, and of the holies:

⁶⁰Nevertheless, as it shall be the will of God in heaven, so be it done.

I Maccabees 3

¹Then his son Judas, called Maccabeus, rose up in his stead.

²And all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that held with his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel.

³So 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.

⁴In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion’s whelp roaring for his prey.

⁵For He pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that vexed his people.

⁶Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his hand.

⁷He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed for ever.

⁸Moreover he went through the cities of Juda, destroying the ungodly out of them, and turning away wrath from Israel:

⁹So that he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth, and he received unto him such as were ready to perish.

¹⁰Then Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host out of Samaria, to fight against Israel.

¹¹Which 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.

¹²Wherefore Judas took their spoils, and Apollonius’ sword also, and therewith he fought all his life long.

¹³Now 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;

¹⁴He 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.

¹⁵So 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.

¹⁶And when he came near to the going up of Bethhoron, Judas went forth to meet him with a small company:

¹⁷Who, 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?

¹⁸Unto 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:

¹⁹For the victory of battle standeth not in the multitude of an host; but strength cometh from heaven.

²⁰They come against us in much pride and iniquity to destroy us, and our wives and children, and to spoil us:

²¹But we fight for our lives and our laws.

²²Wherefore the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: and as for you, be ye not afraid of them.

²³Now as soon as he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and so Seron and his host was overthrown before him.

²⁴And 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.

²⁵Then began the fear of Judas and his brethren, and an exceeding great dread, to fall upon the nations round about them:

²⁶Insomuch as his fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas.

²⁷Now 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.

²⁸He opened also his treasure, and gave his soldiers pay for a year, commanding them to be ready whensoever he should need them.

²⁹Nevertheless, 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;

³⁰He 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.

³¹Wherefore, 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.

³²So 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:

³³And to bring up his son Antiochus, until he came again.

³⁴Moreover 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:

³⁵To 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;

³⁶And that he should place strangers in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot.

³⁷So the king took the half of the forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred forty and seventh year; and having passed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries.

³⁸Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenes, Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king’s friends:

³⁹And 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.

⁴⁰So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plain country.

⁴¹And 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.

⁴²Now 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;

⁴³They said one to another, Let us restore the decayed fortune of our people, and let us fight for our people and the sanctuary.

⁴⁴Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion.

⁴⁵Now Jerusalem lay 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.

⁴⁶Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel.

⁴⁷Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes,

⁴⁸And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images.

⁴⁹They brought also the priests’ garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes: and the Nazarites they stirred up, who had accomplished their days.

⁵⁰Then cried they with a loud voice toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away?

⁵¹For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low.

⁵²And lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou knowest.

⁵³How shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help?

⁵⁴Then sounded they with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice.

⁵⁵And after this Judas ordained captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.

⁵⁶But 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.

⁵⁷So the camp removed, and pitched upon the south side of Emmaus.

⁵⁸And 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:

⁵⁹For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary.

⁶⁰Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, so let him do.