II Maccabees 15

¹Forsothe as Nycanor foond that Judas was in the place of Samarie, he thouyte for to ioyne batel in the dai of sabat with al fersnesse.

²Forsothe whanne Jewis, that sueden hym bi nede, seiden, Do thou not so fersli and hethenli, but yyue thou onour to the dai of halewyng, and worschipe thou hym, that biholdith alle thingis.

³And he vnblesside, axide, If ther is a myyti in heuene, that comaundide the dai of sabatis for to be don?

⁴And whanne thei answeriden, Ther is a quyk Lord, and he is myyti in heuene, that comaundide the seuenthe dai for to be don.

⁵And he seide, And Y am myyti on erthe, which comaunde armeris for to be takun, and nedis of the kyng for to be fillid. Netheles he gat not, for to perfourme counsel.

⁶And sotheli Nycanor was enhaunsid with souereyn pride, and thouyte for to ordeyne a comyn victorie of Judas.

⁷Forsothe Judas Machabeus tristide euere more with al hope, that help schulde come to hym of the Lord,

⁸and he monestide hise, that thei schulden not inwardli drede at the comyng to of naciouns, but schulden haue in mynde the helpis don to hem of heuene, and now schulden hope that the victorie schulde come to hem of Almiyti.

⁹And he spak to hem of the lawe, and profetis, and monestide, `ether warnyde, of batels which thei diden bifore, and ordeynede hem rediere.

¹⁰And so whanne the soulis of hem weren reisid, he schewide to gidere the falsnesse of hethene men, and brekyng of othis.

¹¹Forsothe he armede ech of hem, not bi strengthing of scheld and schaft, but with beste wordis and monestyngis, and expownede a sweuene worthi of bileue, bi which he gladide alle.

¹²Sotheli the visioun was sich. Judas siy Onyas, that was hiyeste prest, a good man and benygne, schamefast in siyt, and mylde in maneres, and fair in speche, and which was exercisid in vertues fro a child, holdynge forth the hondis for to preie for al the puple of Jewis.

¹³After this thing that also anothir man apperide, wondurful in age and glorie, and in hauynge of greet fairnesse aboute hym.

¹⁴Forsothe he siy Onyas answerynge for to haue seid, This is the louyere of britheren, and of the puple of Israel; this is he, that myche preieth for the puple, and al the hooli citee, Jeremye, `the profet of God.

¹⁵Forsothe he siy that Jeremye hath streyt forth the riythond, and hath youun a goldun swerd to Judas, and seide,

¹⁶Take thou the hooli swerd, a yift of God, in which thou schalt caste doun the aduersaries of my puple Israel.

¹⁷Therfor thei weren monestid with ful good wordis of Judas, of whiche fersnesse miyte be enhaunsid, and soules of yonge men be coumfortid, and thei ordeyneden for to fiyte, and turmente togidere strongli, that vertu schulde deme of nedis, `ether causis, for that the hooli citee and temple weren in perel.

¹⁸For whi for wyues, and sones, and also for britheren, and cosyns, was lesse bisynesse, but the moste and firste drede was holynesse of the temple.

¹⁹But not leste bisynesse hadde hem that weren in citee, for these that schulden asaile, `ether fiyte togidere.

²⁰And whanne now alle men hopiden dom to be, and enemyes come, and the oost was ordeined, beestis and horse men put togidere in couenable place,

²¹Machabeus bihelde the comyng of multitude, and dyuerse apparel of armeris, and fersnesse of beestis, and he stretchide out the hondis to heuene, and clepide to help the Lord doynge greet wondris, which not bi power of armeris, but as it plesith to hym, yyueth victorie to worthi men.

²²Forsothe he seide, clepynge to help in this maner, Thou Lord, that sentist thin aungel vndur Ezechie, kyng of Juda, and hast slayn of the tentis, `ether oostis, of Sennacherib, an hundrid thousynde foure score and fyue thousynde; and now,

²³lordschipere of heuenes, sende thou thi good aungel bifore vs, in drede and tremblynge of greetnesse of thin arm, that thei drede,

²⁴that comen with blasfemye ayens thin hooli puple. And sotheli thus he perfitli preiede.

²⁵Forsothe Nycanor, and thei that weren with hym, moueden to with trumpis and songis.

²⁶Judas forsothe, and thei that weren with hym, clepiden God to help bi preieris, and wenten togidere.

²⁷Sotheli thei fiytynge with hond, but preiynge God in hertis, castiden doun fyue and thretti thousynde, not lesse, and delitiden greetli bi presence of God.

²⁸And whanne thei hadden ceessid, and with ioye turneden ayen, thei knewen that Nycanor hadde falle, with his armeris.

²⁹Therfor whanne cry was maad, and perturbacioun styride, bi cuntre vois thei blessiden the Lord almyyti.

³⁰Forsothe Judas, that bi alle thingis in bodi and soule was redi for to die for citeseyns, bad, that the heed of Nycanor, and hond with the schuldre gird of, schulde be brouyt forth to Jerusalem.

³¹Whidur whanne he fulli cam, whanne men of his lynage weren clepid togidere, and prestis to the auter, he clepide also hem that weren in the hiy tour.

³²And whanne the heed of Nycanor was schewid, and the cursid hond, which he holdynge forth ayens the hooli hous of almyyti God greetli gloriede,

³³also he comaundide the tunge of vnpitouse Nycanor kit of, for to be youun to briddis gobet mel; forsothe he comaundide the hond of the wood man for to be hangid vp ayens the temple.

³⁴Therfor alle blessiden the Lord of heuene, and seiden, Blessid be the Lord, that kepte his place vndefoulid.

³⁵Forsothe he hangide vp Nycanoris heed in the hiyeste tour, that it were knowun, and an opyn signe of the help of God.

³⁶Therfor alle men by comyn counsel demyden in no maner for to passe this dai with out solempnytee,

³⁷but for to haue solempnyte in the threttenthe dai of the moneth Adar, that is seid, bi vois of Sirie, the firste dai of Mardocheus.

³⁸Therfor whanne these thingis weren don ayens Nicanor, and of tho tymes whanne the citee was weldid of Ebrews, also Y in these thingis schal make an ende of word.

³⁹And sotheli if wel and as it acordith to the stori, this thing and Y wolc; if ellis lesse worthili, it is to foryyue to me.

⁴⁰Sotheli as for to drynke euere more wyn, ether euere more watir, it is contrarie, but for to vse chaungeable, `ether `now oon, now another, is delitable; so to men redynge, if the word be euer more souyt to ech part, it schal not be plesynge; therfor here it schal be endid.

II Maccabees 15

¹But Nicanor, hearing that Judas and his company were in the strong places about Samaria, resolved without any danger to set upon them on the sabbath day.

²Nevertheless the Jews that were compelled to go with him said, O destroy not so cruelly and barbarously, but give honour to that day, which he, that seeth all things, hath honoured with holiness above all other days.

³Then the most ungracious wretch demanded, if there were a Mighty one in heaven, that had commanded the sabbath day to be kept.

⁴And when they said, There is in heaven a living Lord, and mighty, who commanded the seventh day to be kept:

⁵Then said the other, And I also am mighty upon earth, and I command to take arms, and to do the king’s business. Yet he obtained not to have his wicked will done.

⁶So Nicanor in exceeding pride and haughtiness determined to set up a publick monument of his victory over Judas and them that were with him.

⁷But Maccabeus had ever sure confidence that the Lord would help him:

⁸Wherefore he exhorted his people not to fear the coming of the heathen against them, but to remember the help which in former times they had received from heaven, and now to expect the victory and aid, which should come unto them from the Almighty.

⁹And so comforting them out of the law and the prophets, and withal putting them in mind of the battles that they won afore, he made them more cheerful.

¹⁰And when he had stirred up their minds, he gave them their charge, shewing them therewithal the falsehood of the heathen, and the breach of oaths.

¹¹Thus he armed every one of them, not so much with defence of shields and spears, as with comfortable and good words: and beside that, he told them a dream worthy to be believed, as if it had been so indeed, which did not a little rejoice them.

¹²And this was his vision: That Onias, who had been high priest, a virtuous and a good man, reverend in conversation, gentle in condition, well spoken also, and exercised from a child in all points of virtue, holding up his hands prayed for the whole body of the Jews.

¹³This done, in like manner there appeared a man with gray hairs, and exceeding glorious, who was of a wonderful and excellent majesty.

¹⁴Then Onias answered, saying, This is a lover of the brethren, who prayeth much for the people, and for the holy city, to wit, Jeremias the prophet of God.

¹⁵Whereupon Jeremias holding forth his right hand gave to Judas a sword of gold, and in giving it spake thus,

¹⁶Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with the which thou shalt wound the adversaries.

¹⁷Thus being well comforted by the words of Judas, which were very good, and able to stir them up to valour, and to encourage the hearts of the young men, they determined not to pitch camp, but courageously to set upon them, and manfully to try the matter by conflict, because the city and the sanctuary and the temple were in danger.

¹⁸For the care that they took for their wives, and their children, their brethren, and folks, was in least account with them: but the greatest and principal fear was for the holy temple.

¹⁹Also they that were in the city took not the least care, being troubled for the conflict abroad.

²⁰And now, when as all looked what should be the trial, and the enemies were already come near, and the army was set in array, and the beasts conveniently placed, and the horsemen set in wings,

²¹Maccabeus seeing the coming of the multitude, and the divers preparations of armour, and the fierceness of the beasts, stretched out his hands toward heaven, and called upon the Lord that worketh wonders, knowing that victory cometh not by arms, but even as it seemeth good to him, he giveth it to such as are worthy:

²²Therefore in his prayer he said after this manner; O Lord, thou didst send thine angel in the time of Ezekias king of Judea, and didst slay in the host of Sennacherib an hundred fourscore and five thousand:

²³Wherefore now also, O Lord of heaven, send a good angel before us for a fear and dread unto them;

²⁴And through the might of thine arm let those be stricken with terror, that come against thy holy people to blaspheme. And he ended thus.

²⁵Then Nicanor and they that were with him came forward with trumpets and songs.

²⁶But Judas and his company encountered the enemies with invocation and prayer.

²⁷So that fighting with their hands, and praying unto God with their hearts, they slew no less than thirty and five thousand men: for through the appearance of God they were greatly cheered.

²⁸Now when the battle was done, returning again with joy, they knew that Nicanor lay dead in his harness.

²⁹Then they made a great shout and a noise, praising the Almighty in their own language.

³⁰And Judas, who was ever the chief defender of the citizens both in body and mind, and who continued his love toward his countrymen all his life, commanded to strike off Nicanor’s head, and his hand with his shoulder, and bring them to Jerusalem.

³¹So when he was there, and called them of his nation together, and set the priests before the altar, he sent for them that were of the tower,

³²And shewed them vile Nicanor’s head, and the hand of that blasphemer, which with proud brags he had stretched out against the holy temple of the Almighty.

³³And when he had cut out the tongue of that ungodly Nicanor, he commanded that they should give it by pieces unto the fowls, and hang up the reward of his madness before the temple.

³⁴So every man praised toward the heaven the glorious Lord, saying, Blessed be he that hath kept his own place undefiled.

³⁵He hanged also Nicanor’s head upon the tower, an evident and manifest sign unto all of the help of the Lord.

³⁶And they ordained all with a common decree in no case to let that day pass without solemnity, but to celebrate the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, which in the Syrian tongue is called Adar, the day before Mardocheus’ day.

³⁷Thus went it with Nicanor: and from that time forth the Hebrews had the city in their power. And here will I make an end.

³⁸And if I have done well, and as is fitting the story, it is that which I desired: but if slenderly and meanly, it is that which I could attain unto.

³⁹For as it is hurtful to drink wine or water alone; and as wine mingled with water is pleasant, and delighteth the taste: even so speech finely framed delighteth the ears of them that read the story. And here shall be an end.