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2 Maccabees
2Mac.1
[1] The Jewish brethren in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea, To their Jewish brethren in Egypt, Greeting, and good peace.
[2] May God do good to you, and may he remember his covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, his faithful servants.
[3] May he give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a strong heart and a willing spirit.
[4] May he open your heart to his law and his commandments, and may he bring peace.
[5] May he hear your prayers and be reconciled to you, and may he not forsake you in time of evil.
[6] We are now praying for you here.
[7] In
the reign of Demetrius, in the one hundred and sixty-ninth year, we Jews
wrote to you, in the critical distress which came upon us in those years
after Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and the kingdom
[8]
and burned the gate and shed innocent blood. We besought the Lord and we
were heard, and we offered sacrifice and cereal offering, and we lighted
the lamps and we set out the loaves.
[9] And now see that you keep the feast of booths in the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and eighty-eighth year.
[10] Those in Jerusalem and those in Judea and the senate and Judas,
To Aristobulus, who is of the family of the anointed priests, teacher of Ptolemy the king, and to the Jews in Egypt,
Greeting, and good health.
[11] Having been saved by God out of grave dangers we thank him greatly for taking our side against the king.
[12] For he drove out those who fought against the holy city.
[13]
For when the leader reached Persia with a force that seemed irresistible,
they were cut to pieces in the temple of Nanea by a deception employed by
the priests of Nanea.
[14] For under pretext of intending to marry
her, Antiochus came to the place together with his friends, to secure most
of its treasures as a dowry.
[15] When the priests of the temple
of Nanea had set out the treasures and Antiochus had come with a few men
inside the wall of the sacred precinct, they closed the temple as soon as
he entered it.
[16] Opening the secret door in the ceiling, they
threw stones and struck down the leader and his men, and dismembered them
and cut off their heads and threw them to the people outside.
[17] Blessed in every way be our God, who has brought judgment upon those who have behaved impiously.
[18] Since
on the twenty-fifth day of Chislev we shall celebrate the purification of
the temple, we thought it necessary to notify you, in order that you also
may celebrate the feast of booths and the feast of the fire given when Nehemiah,
who built the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices.
[19] For
when our fathers were being led captive to Persia, the pious priests of that
time took some of the fire of the altar and secretly hid it in the hollow
of a dry cistern, where they took such precautions that the place was unknown
to any one.
[20] But after many years had passed, when it
pleased God, Nehemiah, having been commissioned by the king of Persia, sent
the descendants of the priests who had hidden the fire to get it. And when
they reported to us that they had not found fire but thick liquid, he ordered
them to dip it out and bring it.
[21] And when the materials for
the sacrifices were presented, Nehemiah ordered the priests to sprinkle the
liquid on the wood and what was laid upon it.
[22] When this was
done and some time had passed and the sun, which had been clouded over, shone
out, a great fire blazed up, so that all marveled.
[23] And while
the sacrifice was being consumed, the priests offered prayer -- the priests
and every one. Jonathan led, and the rest responded, as did Nehemiah.
[24] The prayer was to this effect: "O
Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, who art awe-inspiring and strong and
just and merciful, who alone art King and art kind,
[25] who
alone art bountiful, who alone art just and almighty and eternal, who dost
rescue Israel from every evil, who didst choose the fathers and consecrate
them,
[26] accept this sacrifice on behalf of all thy people Israel and preserve thy portion and make it holy.
[27]
Gather together our scattered people, set free those who are slaves among
the Gentiles, look upon those who are rejected and despised, and let the
Gentiles know that thou art our God.
[28] Afflict those who oppress and are insolent with pride.
[29] Plant thy people in thy holy place, as Moses said."
[30] Then the priests sang the hymns.
[31]
And when the materials of the sacrifice were consumed, Nehemiah ordered that
the liquid that was left should be poured upon large stones.
[32] When this was done, a flame blazed up; but when the light from the altar shone back, it went out.
[33]
When this matter became known, and it was reported to the king of the Persians
that, in the place where the exiled priests had hidden the fire, the liquid
had appeared with which Nehemiah and his associates had burned the materials
of the sacrifice,
[34] the king investigated the matter, and enclosed the place and made it sacred.
[35] And with those persons whom the king favored he exchanged many excellent gifts.
[36] Nehemiah and his associates called this "nephthar," which means purification, but by most people it is called naphtha.
2Mac.2
[1]
One finds in the records that Jeremiah the prophet ordered those who were
being deported to take some of the fire, as has been told,
[2]
and that the prophet after giving them the law instructed those who were
being deported not to forget the commandments of the Lord, nor to be led
astray in their thoughts upon seeing the gold and silver statues and their
adornment.
[3] And with other similar words he exhorted them that the law should not depart from their hearts.
[4] It
was also in the writing that the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered
that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to
the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God.
[5] And Jeremiah came and found a cave, and he brought there
the tent and the ark and the altar of incense, and he sealed up the entrance.
[6] Some of those who followed him came up to mark the way, but could not find it.
[7]
When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: "The place shall
be unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy.
[8] And then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory
of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of
Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated."
[9] It was also made clear that being possessed of wisdom Solomon
offered sacrifice for the dedication and completion of the temple.
[10]
Just as Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire came down from heaven and devoured
the sacrifices, so also Solomon prayed, and the fire came down and consumed
the whole burnt offerings.
[11] And Moses said, "They were consumed because the sin offering had not been eaten."
[12] Likewise Solomon also kept the eight days.
[13] The
same things are reported in the records and in the memoirs of Nehemiah, and
also that he founded a library and collected the books about the kings and
prophets, and the writings of David, and letters of kings about votive offerings.
[14] In the same way Judas also collected all the books that
had been lost on account of the war which had come upon us, and they are
in our possession.
[15] So if you have need of them, send people to get them for you.
[16] Since, therefore, we are about to celebrate the purification, we write to you. Will you therefore please keep the days?
[17]
It is God who has saved all his people, and has returned the inheritance
to all, and the kingship and priesthood and consecration,
[18]
as he promised through the law. For we have hope in God that he will soon
have mercy upon us and will gather us from everywhere under heaven into his
holy place, for he has rescued us from great evils and has purified the place.
[19] The story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, and the purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the altar,
[20] and further the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator,
[21]
and the appearances which came from heaven to those who strove zealously
on behalf of Judaism, so that though few in number they seized the whole
land and pursued the barbarian hordes,
[22] and recovered the
temple famous throughout the world and freed the city and restored the laws
that were about to be abolished, while the Lord with great kindness became
gracious to them --
[23] all this, which has been set forth by Jason of Cyrene in five volumes, we shall attempt to condense into a single book.
[24]
For considering the flood of numbers involved and the difficulty there is
for those who wish to enter upon the narratives of history because of the
mass of material,
[25] we have aimed to please those who wish
to read, to make it easy for those who are inclined to memorize, and to profit
all readers.
[26] For us who have undertaken the toil of abbreviating, it is no light matter but calls for sweat and loss of sleep,
[27]
just as it is not easy for one who prepares a banquet and seeks the benefit
of others. However, to secure the gratitude of many we will gladly endure
the uncomfortable toil,
[28] leaving the responsibility for exact
details to the compiler, while devoting our effort to arriving at the outlines
of the condensation.
[29] For as the master builder of a new house
must be concerned with the whole construction, while the one who undertakes
its painting and decoration has to consider only what is suitable for its
adornment, such in my judgment is the case with us.
[30] It is
the duty of the original historian to occupy the ground and to discuss matters
from every side and to take trouble with details,
[31] but the
one who recasts the narrative should be allowed to strive for brevity of
expression and to forego exhaustive treatment.
[32] At this point
therefore let us begin our narrative, adding only so much to what has already
been said; for it is foolish to lengthen the preface while cutting short
the history itself.
2Mac.3
[1] While the holy city
was inhabited in unbroken peace and the laws were very well observed because
of the piety of the high priest Onias and his hatred of wickedness,
[2] it came about that the kings themselves honored the place and glorified the temple with the finest presents,
[3]
so that even Seleucus, the king of Asia, defrayed from his own revenues all
the expenses connected with the service of the sacrifices.
[4]
But a man named Simon, of the tribe of Benjamin, who had been made captain
of the temple, had a disagreement with the high priest about the administration
of the city market;
[5] and when he could not prevail over Onias
he went to Apollonius of Tarsus, who at that time was governor of Coelesyria
and Phoenicia.
[6] He reported to him that the treasury in Jerusalem
was full of untold sums of money, so that the amount of the funds could not
be reckoned, and that they did not belong to the account of the sacrifices,
but that it was possible for them to fall under the control of the king.
[7] When Apollonius met the king, he told him of the money about
which he had been informed. The king chose Heliodorus, who was in charge
of his affairs, and sent him with commands to effect the removal of the aforesaid
money.
[8] Heliodorus at once set out on his journey, ostensibly
to make a tour of inspection of the cities of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, but
in fact to carry out the king's purpose.
[9] When he had arrived
at Jerusalem and had been kindly welcomed by the high priest of the city,
he told about the disclosure that had been made and stated why he had come,
and he inquired whether this really was the situation.
[10] The high priest explained that there were some deposits belonging to widows and orphans,
[11]
and also some money of Hyrcanus, son of Tobias, a man of very prominent position,
and that it totaled in all four hundred talents of silver and two hundred
of gold. To such an extent the impious Simon had misrepresented the facts.
[12] And he said that it was utterly impossible that wrong should
be done to those people who had trusted in the holiness of the place and
in the sanctity and inviolability of the temple which is honored throughout
the whole world.
[13] But Heliodorus, because of the king's commands
which he had, said that this money must in any case be confiscated for the
king's treasury.
[14] So he set a day and went in to direct the inspection of these funds. There was no little distress throughout the whole city.
[15]
The priests prostrated themselves before the altar in their priestly garments
and called toward heaven upon him who had given the law about deposits, that
he should keep them safe for those who had deposited them.
[16]
To see the appearance of the high priest was to be wounded at heart, for
his face and the change in his color disclosed the anguish of his soul.
[17]
For terror and bodily trembling had come over the man, which plainly showed
to those who looked at him the pain lodged in his heart.
[18]
People also hurried out of their houses in crowds to make a general supplication
because the holy place was about to be brought into contempt.
[19]
Women, girded with sackcloth under their breasts, thronged the streets. Some
of the maidens who were kept indoors ran together to the gates, and some
to the walls, while others peered out of the windows.
[20] And holding up their hands to heaven, they all made entreaty.
[21]
There was something pitiable in the prostration of the whole populace and
the anxiety of the high priest in his great anguish.
[22] While
they were calling upon the Almighty Lord that he would keep what had been
entrusted safe and secure for those who had entrusted it,
[23] Heliodorus went on with what had been decided.
[24]
But when he arrived at the treasury with his bodyguard, then and there the
Sovereign of spirits and of all authority caused so great a manifestation
that all who had been so bold as to accompany him were astounded by the power
of God, and became faint with terror.
[25] For there appeared
to them a magnificently caparisoned horse, with a rider of frightening mien,
and it rushed furiously at Heliodorus and struck at him with its front hoofs.
Its rider was seen to have armor and weapons of gold.
[26] Two
young men also appeared to him, remarkably strong, gloriously beautiful and
splendidly dressed, who stood on each side of him and scourged him continuously,
inflicting many blows on him.
[27] When he suddenly fell to the ground and deep darkness came over him, his men took him up and put him on a stretcher
[28]
and carried him away, this man who had just entered the aforesaid treasury
with a great retinue and all his bodyguard but was now unable to help himself;
and they recognized clearly the sovereign power of God.
[29] While he lay prostrate, speechless because of the divine intervention and deprived of any hope of recovery,
[30]
they praised the Lord who had acted marvelously for his own place. And the
temple, which a little while before was full of fear and disturbance, was
filled with joy and gladness, now that the Almighty Lord had appeared.
[31] Quickly
some of Heliodorus' friends asked Onias to call upon the Most High and to
grant life to one who was lying quite at his last breath.
[32]
And the high priest, fearing that the king might get the notion that some
foul play had been perpetrated by the Jews with regard to Heliodorus, offered
sacrifice for the man's recovery.
[33] While the high priest was
making the offering of atonement, the same young men appeared again to Heliodorus
dressed in the same clothing, and they stood and said, "Be very grateful
to Onias the high priest, since for his sake the Lord has granted you your
life.
[34] And see that you, who have been scourged by heaven,
report to all men the majestic power of God." Having said this they vanished.
[35] Then Heliodorus offered sacrifice to the Lord and made
very great vows to the Savior of his life, and having bidden Onias farewell,
he marched off with his forces to the king.
[36] And he bore testimony to all men of the deeds of the supreme God, which he had seen with his own eyes.
[37] When the king asked Heliodorus what sort of person would be suitable to send on another mission to Jerusalem, he replied,
[38]
"If you have any enemy or plotter against your government, send him there,
for you will get him back thoroughly scourged, if he escapes at all, for
there certainly is about the place some power of God.
[39] For
he who has his dwelling in heaven watches over that place himself and brings
it aid, and he strikes and destroys those who come to do it injury."
[40] This was the outcome of the episode of Heliodorus and the protection of the treasury.
2Mac.4
[1] The
previously mentioned Simon, who had informed about the money against his
own country, slandered Onias, saying that it was he who had incited Heliodorus
and had been the real cause of the misfortune.
[2] He dared
to designate as a plotter against the government the man who was the benefactor
of the city, the protector of his fellow countrymen, and a zealot for the
laws.
[3] When his hatred progressed to such a degree that even murders were committed by one of Simon's approved agents,
[4]
Onias recognized that the rivalry was serious and that Apollonius, the son
of Menestheus and governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, was intensifying
the malice of Simon.
[5] So he betook himself to the king, not
accusing his fellow citizens but having in view the welfare, both public
and private, of all the people.
[6] For he saw that without the
king's attention public affairs could not again reach a peaceful settlement,
and that Simon would not stop his folly.
[7] When Seleucus
died and Antiochus who was called Epiphanes succeeded to the kingdom, Jason
the brother of Onias obtained the high priesthood by corruption,
[8]
promising the king at an interview three hundred and sixty talents of silver
and, from another source of revenue, eighty talents.
[9] In addition
to this he promised to pay one hundred and fifty more if permission were
given to establish by his authority a gymnasium and a body of youth for it,
and to enrol the men of Jerusalem as citizens of Antioch.
[10] When the king assented and Jason came to office, he at once shifted his countrymen over to the Greek way of life.
[11]
He set aside the existing royal concessions to the Jews, secured through
John the father of Eupolemus, who went on the mission to establish friendship
and alliance with the Romans; and he destroyed the lawful ways of living
and introduced new customs contrary to the law.
[12] For with
alacrity he founded a gymnasium right under the citadel, and he induced the
noblest of the young men to wear the Greek hat.
[13] There was
such an extreme of Hellenization and increase in the adoption of foreign
ways because of the surpassing wickedness of Jason, who was ungodly and no
high priest,
[14] that the priests were no longer intent upon
their service at the altar. Despising the sanctuary and neglecting the sacrifices,
they hastened to take part in the unlawful proceedings in the wrestling arena
after the call to the discus,
[15] disdaining the honors prized by their fathers and putting the highest value upon Greek forms of prestige.
[16]
For this reason heavy disaster overtook them, and those whose ways of living
they admired and wished to imitate completely became their enemies and punished
them.
[17] For it is no light thing to show irreverence to the divine laws -- a fact which later events will make clear.
[18] When the quadrennial games were being held at Tyre and the king was present,
[19]
the vile Jason sent envoys, chosen as being Antiochian citizens from Jerusalem,
to carry three hundred silver drachmas for the sacrifice to Hercules. Those
who carried the money, however, thought best not to use it for sacrifice,
because that was inappropriate, but to expend it for another purpose.
[20]
So this money was intended by the sender for the sacrifice to Hercules, but
by the decision of its carriers it was applied to the construction of triremes.
[21] When Apollonius the son of Menestheus was sent to Egypt
for the coronation of Philometor as king, Antiochus learned that Philometor
had become hostile to his government, and he took measures for his own security.
Therefore upon arriving at Joppa he proceeded to Jerusalem.
[22]
He was welcomed magnificently by Jason and the city, and ushered in with
a blaze of torches and with shouts. Then he marched into Phoenicia.
[23] After
a period of three years Jason sent Menelaus, the brother of the previously
mentioned Simon, to carry the money to the king and to complete the records
of essential business.
[24] But he, when presented to the
king, extolled him with an air of authority, and secured the high priesthood
for himself, outbidding Jason by three hundred talents of silver.
[25]
After receiving the king's orders he returned, possessing no qualification
for the high priesthood, but having the hot temper of a cruel tyrant and
the rage of a savage wild beast.
[26] So Jason, who after supplanting
his own brother was supplanted by another man, was driven as a fugitive into
the land of Ammon.
[27] And Menelaus held the office, but he did not pay regularly any of the money promised to the king.
[28]
When Sostratus the captain of the citadel kept requesting payment, for the
collection of the revenue was his responsibility, the two of them were summoned
by the king on account of this issue.
[29] Menelaus left his own
brother Lysimachus as deputy in the high priesthood, while Sostratus left
Crates, the commander of the Cyprian troops.
[30] While such
was the state of affairs, it happened that the people of Tarsus and of Mallus
revolted because their cities had been given as a present to Antiochis, the
king's concubine.
[31] So the king went hastily to settle the trouble, leaving Andronicus, a man of high rank, to act as his deputy.
[32]
But Menelaus, thinking he had obtained a suitable opportunity, stole some
of the gold vessels of the temple and gave them to Andronicus; other vessels,
as it happened, he had sold to Tyre and the neighboring cities.
[33]
When Onias became fully aware of these acts he publicly exposed them, having
first withdrawn to a place of sanctuary at Daphne near Antioch.
[34]
Therefore Menelaus, taking Andronicus aside, urged him to kill Onias. Andronicus
came to Onias, and resorting to treachery offered him sworn pledges and gave
him his right hand, and in spite of his suspicion persuaded Onias to come
out from the place of sanctuary; then, with no regard for justice, he immediately
put him out of the way.
[35] For this reason not only Jews, but many also of other nations, were grieved and displeased at the unjust murder of the man.
[36]
When the king returned from the region of Cilicia, the Jews in the city appealed
to him with regard to the unreasonable murder of Onias, and the Greeks shared
their hatred of the crime.
[37] Therefore Antiochus was grieved
at heart and filled with pity, and wept because of the moderation and good
conduct of the deceased;
[38] and inflamed with anger, he immediately
stripped off the purple robe from Andronicus, tore off his garments, and
led him about the whole city to that very place where he had committed the
outrage against Onias, and there he dispatched the bloodthirsty fellow. The
Lord thus repaid him with the punishment he deserved.
[39] When
many acts of sacrilege had been committed in the city by Lysimachus with
the connivance of Menelaus, and when report of them had spread abroad, the
populace gathered against Lysimachus, because many of the gold vessels had
already been stolen.
[40] And since the crowds were becoming
aroused and filled with anger, Lysimachus armed about three thousand men
and launched an unjust attack, under the leadership of a certain Auranus,
a man advanced in years and no less advanced in folly.
[41] But
when the Jews became aware of Lysimachus' attack, some picked up stones,
some blocks of wood, and others took handfuls of the ashes that were lying
about, and threw them in wild confusion at Lysimachus and his men.
[42]
As a result, they wounded many of them, and killed some, and put them all
to flight; and the temple robber himself they killed close by the treasury.
[43] Charges were brought against Menelaus about this incident.
[44] When the king came to Tyre, three men sent by the senate presented the case before him.
[45] But Menelaus, already as good as beaten, promised a substantial bribe to Ptolemy son of Dorymenes to win over the king.
[46] Therefore Ptolemy, taking the king aside into a colonnade as if for refreshment, induced the king to change his mind.
[47]
Menelaus, the cause of all the evil, he acquitted of the charges against
him, while he sentenced to death those unfortunate men, who would have been
freed uncondemned if they had pleaded even before Scythians.
[48] And so those who had spoken for the city and the villages and the holy vessels quickly suffered the unjust penalty.
[49] Therefore even the Tyrians, showing their hatred of the crime, provided magnificently for their funeral.
[50]
But Menelaus, because of the cupidity of those in power, remained in office,
growing in wickedness, having become the chief plotter against his fellow
citizens.
2Mac.5
[1] About this time Antiochus made his second invasion of Egypt.
[2]
And it happened that over all the city, for almost forty days, there appeared
golden-clad horsemen charging through the air, in companies fully armed with
lances and drawn swords --
[3] troops of horsemen drawn up, attacks
and counterattacks made on this side and on that, brandishing of shields,
massing of spears, hurling of missiles, the flash of golden trappings, and
armor of all sorts.
[4] Therefore all men prayed that the apparition might prove to have been a good omen.
[5] When
a false rumor arose that Antiochus was dead, Jason took no less than a thousand
men and suddenly made an assault upon the city. When the troops upon the
wall had been forced back and at last the city was being taken, Menelaus
took refuge in the citadel.
[6] But Jason kept relentlessly
slaughtering his fellow citizens, not realizing that success at the cost
of one's kindred is the greatest misfortune, but imagining that he was setting
up trophies of victory over enemies and not over fellow countrymen.
[7]
He did not gain control of the government, however; and in the end got only
disgrace from his conspiracy, and fled again into the country of the Ammonites.
[8] Finally he met a miserable end. Accused before Aretas the
ruler of the Arabs, fleeing from city to city, pursued by all men, hated
as a rebel against the laws, and abhorred as the executioner of his country
and his fellow citizens, he was cast ashore in Egypt;
[9] and
he who had driven many from their own country into exile died in exile, having
embarked to go to the Lacedaemonians in hope of finding protection because
of their kinship.
[10] He who had cast out many to lie unburied
had no one to mourn for him; he had no funeral of any sort and no place in
the tomb of his fathers.
[11] When news of what had happened
reached the king, he took it to mean that Judea was in revolt. So, raging
inwardly, he left Egypt and took the city by storm.
[12] And he commanded his soldiers to cut down relentlessly every one they met and to slay those who went into the houses.
[13] Then there was killing of young and old, destruction of boys, women, and children, and slaughter of virgins and infants.
[14]
Within the total of three days eighty thousand were destroyed, forty thousand
in hand-to-hand fighting; and as many were sold into slavery as were slain.
[15] Not content with this, Antiochus dared to enter the most
holy temple in all the world, guided by Menelaus, who had become a traitor
both to the laws and to his country.
[16] He took the holy
vessels with his polluted hands, and swept away with profane hands the votive
offerings which other kings had made to enhance the glory and honor of the
place.
[17] Antiochus was elated in spirit, and did not perceive
that the Lord was angered for a little while because of the sins of those
who dwelt in the city, and that therefore he was disregarding the holy place.
[18] But if it had not happened that they were involved in many
sins, this man would have been scourged and turned back from his rash act
as soon as he came forward, just as Heliodorus was, whom Seleucus the king
sent to inspect the treasury.
[19] But the Lord did not choose the nation for the sake of the holy place, but the place for the sake of the nation.
[20]
Therefore the place itself shared in the misfortunes that befell the nation
and afterward participated in its benefits; and what was forsaken in the
wrath of the Almighty was restored again in all its glory when the great
Lord became reconciled.
[21] So Antiochus carried off eighteen
hundred talents from the temple, and hurried away to Antioch, thinking in
his arrogance that he could sail on the land and walk on the sea, because
his mind was elated.
[22] And he left governors to afflict
the people: at Jerusalem, Philip, by birth a Phrygian and in character more
barbarous than the man who appointed him;
[23] and at Gerizim,
Andronicus; and besides these Menelaus, who lorded it over his fellow citizens
worse than the others did. In his malice toward the Jewish citizens,
[24]
Antiochus sent Apollonius, the captain of the Mysians, with an army of twenty-two
thousand, and commanded him to slay all the grown men and to sell the women
and boys as slaves.
[25] When this man arrived in Jerusalem, he
pretended to be peaceably disposed and waited until the holy sabbath day;
then, finding the Jews not at work, he ordered his men to parade under arms.
[26] He put to the sword all those who came out to see them, then
rushed into the city with his armed men and killed great numbers of people.
[27] But Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, got away
to the wilderness, and kept himself and his companions alive in the mountains
as wild animals do; they continued to live on what grew wild, so that they
might not share in the defilement.
2Mac.6
[1] Not
long after this, the king sent an Athenian senator to compel the Jews to
forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of God,
[2]
and also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and call it the temple of Olympian
Zeus, and to call the one in Gerizim the temple of Zeus the Friend of Strangers,
as did the people who dwelt in that place.
[3] Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil.
[4]
For the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who
dallied with harlots and had intercourse with women within the sacred precincts,
and besides brought in things for sacrifice that were unfit.
[5] The altar was covered with abominable offerings which were forbidden by the laws.
[6] A man could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the feasts of his fathers, nor so much as confess himself to be a Jew.
[7] On
the monthly celebration of the king's birthday, the Jews were taken, under
bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Dionysus
came, they were compelled to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus,
wearing wreaths of ivy.
[8] At the suggestion of Ptolemy a
decree was issued to the neighboring Greek cities, that they should adopt
the same policy toward the Jews and make them partake of the sacrifices,
[9] and should slay those who did not choose to change over to
Greek customs. One could see, therefore, the misery that had come upon them.
[10] For example, two women were brought in for having circumcised
their children. These women they publicly paraded about the city, with their
babies hung at their breasts, then hurled them down headlong from the wall.
[11] Others who had assembled in the caves near by, to observe
the seventh day secretly, were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together,
because their piety kept them from defending themselves, in view of their
regard for that most holy day.
[12] Now I urge those who read
this book not to be depressed by such calamities, but to recognize that these
punishments were designed not to destroy but to discipline our people.
[13] In fact, not to let the impious alone for long, but to punish them immediately, is a sign of great kindness.
[14]
For in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them
until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal
in this way with us,
[15] in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height.
[16] Therefore he never withdraws his mercy from us. Though he disciplines us with calamities, he does not forsake his own people.
[17] Let what we have said serve as a reminder; we must go on briefly with the story.
[18] Eleazar,
one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of noble
presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine's flesh.
[19]
But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went
up to the the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh,
[20] as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.
[21] Those
who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside, because
of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat
of his own providing, proper for him to use, and pretend that he was eating
the flesh of the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king,
[22] so that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them.
[23]
But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old
age and the gray hairs which he had reached with distinction and his excellent
life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law,
he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Hades.
[24] "Such
pretense is not worthy of our time of life," he said, "lest many of the young
should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an alien
religion,
[25] and through my pretense, for the sake of living
a brief moment longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile
and disgrace my old age.
[26] For even if for the present I should
avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die I shall not escape
the hands of the Almighty.
[27] Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age
[28] and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws." When he had said this, he went at once to the rack.
[29]
And those who a little before had acted toward him with good will now changed
to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer
madness.
[30] When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned
aloud and said: "It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though
I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in
my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things
because I fear him."
[31] So in this way he died, leaving in
his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the
young but to the great body of his nation.
2Mac.7
[1] It
happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were
being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake
of unlawful swine's flesh.
[2] One of them, acting as their
spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are
ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our fathers."
[3] The king fell into a rage, and gave orders that pans and caldrons be heated.
[4]
These were heated immediately, and he commanded that the tongue of their
spokesman be cut out and that they scalp him and cut off his hands and feet,
while the rest of the brothers and the mother looked on.
[5] When
he was utterly helpless, the king ordered them to take him to the fire, still
breathing, and to fry him in a pan. The smoke from the pan spread widely,
but the brothers and their mother encouraged one another to die nobly, saying,
[6] "The Lord God is watching over us and in truth has compassion
on us, as Moses declared in his song which bore witness against the people
to their faces, when he said, `And he will have compassion on his servants.'"
[7] After the first brother had died in this way, they brought
forward the second for their sport. They tore off the skin of his head with
the hair, and asked him, "Will you eat rather than have your body punished
limb by limb?"
[8] He replied in the language of his fathers,
and said to them, "No." Therefore he in turn underwent tortures as the first
brother had done.
[9] And when he was at his last breath, he said,
"You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King
of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because
we have died for his laws."
[10] After him, the third was the
victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue
and courageously stretched forth his hands,
[11] and said
nobly, "I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them,
and from him I hope to get them back again."
[12] As a result
the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man's spirit,
for he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
[13] When he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way.
[14]
And when he was near death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the
hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again
by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!"
[15] Next they brought forward the fifth and maltreated him.
[16]
But he looked at the king, and said, "Because you have authority among men,
mortal though you are, you do what you please. But do not think that God
has forsaken our people.
[17] Keep on, and see how his mighty power will torture you and your descendants!"
[18] After
him they brought forward the sixth. And when he was about to die, he said,
"Do not deceive yourself in vain. For we are suffering these things on our
own account, because of our sins against our own God. Therefore astounding
things have happened.
[19] But do not think that you will go unpunished for having tried to fight against God!"
[20] The
mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable memory. Though she
saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with good courage
because of her hope in the Lord.
[21] She encouraged each
of them in the language of their fathers. Filled with a noble spirit, she
fired her woman's reasoning with a man's courage, and said to them,
[22]
"I do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave
you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements within each of you.
[23] Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning
of man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life
and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake
of his laws."
[24] Antiochus felt that he was being treated
with contempt, and he was suspicious of her reproachful tone. The youngest
brother being still alive, Antiochus not only appealed to him in words, but
promised with oaths that he would make him rich and enviable if he would
turn from the ways of his fathers, and that he would take him for his friend
and entrust him with public affairs.
[25] Since the young
man would not listen to him at all, the king called the mother to him and
urged her to advise the youth to save himself.
[26] After much urging on his part, she undertook to persuade her son.
[27]
But, leaning close to him, she spoke in their native tongue as follows, deriding
the cruel tyrant: "My son, have pity on me. I carried you nine months in
my womb, and nursed you for three years, and have reared you and brought
you up to this point in your life, and have taken care of you.
[28]
I beseech you, my child, to look at the heaven and the earth and see everything
that is in them, and recognize that God did not make them out of things that
existed. Thus also mankind comes into being.
[29] Do not fear
this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death, so that in
God's mercy I may get you back again with your brothers."
[30] While
she was still speaking, the young man said, "What are you waiting for? I
will not obey the king's command, but I obey the command of the law that
was given to our fathers through Moses.
[31] But you, who have contrived all sorts of evil against the Hebrews, will certainly not escape the hands of God.
[32] For we are suffering because of our own sins.
[33]
And if our living Lord is angry for a little while, to rebuke and discipline
us, he will again be reconciled with his own servants.
[34] But
you, unholy wretch, you most defiled of all men, do not be elated in vain
and puffed up by uncertain hopes, when you raise your hand against the children
of heaven.
[35] You have not yet escaped the judgment of the almighty, all-seeing God.
[36]
For our brothers after enduring a brief suffering have drunk of everflowing
life under God's covenant; but you, by the judgment of God, will receive
just punishment for your arrogance.
[37] I, like my brothers,
give up body and life for the laws of our fathers, appealing to God to show
mercy soon to our nation and by afflictions and plagues to make you confess
that he alone is God,
[38] and through me and my brothers to bring to an end the wrath of the Almighty which has justly fallen on our whole nation."
[39] The king fell into a rage, and handled him worse than the others, being exasperated at his scorn.
[40] So he died in his integrity, putting his whole trust in the Lord.
[41] Last of all, the mother died, after her sons.
[42] Let this be enough, then, about the eating of sacrifices and the extreme tortures.
2Mac.8
[1] But
Judas, who was also called Maccabeus, and his companions secretly entered
the villages and summoned their kinsmen and enlisted those who had continued
in the Jewish faith, and so they gathered about six thousand men.
[2]
They besought the Lord to look upon the people who were oppressed by all,
and to have pity on the temple which had been profaned by ungodly men,
[3]
and to have mercy on the city which was being destroyed and about to be leveled
to the ground, and to hearken to the blood that cried out to him,
[4]
and to remember also the lawless destruction of the innocent babies and the
blasphemies committed against his name, and to show his hatred of evil.
[5] As
soon as Maccabeus got his army organized, the Gentiles could not withstand
him, for the wrath of the Lord had turned to mercy.
[6] Coming
without warning, he would set fire to towns and villages. He captured strategic
positions and put to flight not a few of the enemy.
[7] He found the nights most advantageous for such attacks. And talk of his valor spread everywhere.
[8] When
Philip saw that the man was gaining ground little by little, and that he
was pushing ahead with more frequent successes, he wrote to Ptolemy, the
governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, for aid to the king's government.
[9]
And Ptolemy promptly appointed Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of the king's
chief friends, and sent him, in command of no fewer than twenty thousand
Gentiles of all nations, to wipe out the whole race of Judea. He associated
with him Gorgias, a general and a man of experience in military service.
[10] Nicanor determined to make up for the king the tribute due
to the Romans, two thousand talents, by selling the captured Jews into slavery.
[11] And he immediately sent to the cities on the seacoast, inviting
them to buy Jewish slaves and promising to hand over ninety slaves for a
talent, not expecting the judgment from the Almighty that was about to overtake
him.
[12] Word came to Judas concerning Nicanor's invasion; and when he told his companions of the arrival of the army,
[13] those who were cowardly and distrustful of God's justice ran off and got away.
[14]
Others sold all their remaining property, and at the same time besought the
Lord to rescue those who had been sold by the ungodly Nicanor before he ever
met them,
[15] if not for their own sake, yet for the sake of
the covenants made with their fathers, and because he had called them by
his holy and glorious name.
[16] But Maccabeus gathered his men
together, to the number six thousand, and exhorted them not to be frightened
by the enemy and not to fear the great multitude of Gentiles who were wickedly
coming against them, but to fight nobly,
[17] keeping before their
eyes the lawless outrage which the Gentiles had committed against the holy
place, and the torture of the derided city, and besides, the overthrow of
their ancestral way of life.
[18] "For they trust to arms and
acts of daring," he said, "but we trust in the Almighty God, who is able
with a single nod to strike down those who are coming against us and even
the whole world."
[19] Moreover, he told them of the times
when help came to their ancestors; both the time of Sennacherib, when one
hundred and eighty-five thousand perished,
[20] and the time
of the battle with the Galatians that took place in Babylonia, when eight
thousand in all went into the affair, with four thousand Macedonians; and
when the Macedonians were hard pressed, the eight thousand, by the help that
came to them from heaven, destroyed one hundred and twenty thousand and took
much booty.
[21] With these words he filled them with good
courage and made them ready to die for their laws and their country; then
he divided his army into four parts.
[22] He appointed his
brothers also, Simon and Joseph and Jonathan, each to command a division,
putting fifteen hundred men under each.
[23] Besides, he appointed
Eleazar to read aloud from the holy book, and gave the watchword, "God's
help"; then, leading the first division himself, he joined battle with Nicanor.
[24] With the Almighty as their ally, they slew more than nine
thousand of the enemy, and wounded and disabled most of Nicanor's army, and
forced them all to flee.
[25] They captured the money of those
who had come to buy them as slaves. After pursuing them for some distance,
they were obliged to return because the hour was late.
[26] For it was the day before the sabbath, and for that reason they did not continue their pursuit.
[27]
And when they had collected the arms of the enemy and stripped them of their
spoils, they kept the sabbath, giving great praise and thanks to the Lord,
who had preserved them for that day and allotted it to them as the beginning
of mercy.
[28] After the sabbath they gave some of the spoils
to those who had been tortured and to the widows and orphans, and distributed
the rest among themselves and their children.
[29] When they had
done this, they made common supplication and besought the merciful Lord to
be wholly reconciled with his servants.
[30] In encounters
with the forces of Timothy and Bacchides they killed more than twenty thousand
of them and got possession of some exceedingly high strongholds, and they
divided very much plunder, giving to those who had been tortured and to the
orphans and widows, and also to the aged, shares equal to their own.
[31]
Collecting the arms of the enemy, they stored them all carefully in strategic
places, and carried the rest of the spoils to Jerusalem.
[32] They killed the commander of Timothy's forces, a most unholy man, and one who had greatly troubled the Jews.
[33]
While they were celebrating the victory in the city of their fathers, they
burned those who had set fire to the sacred gates, Callisthenes and some
others, who had fled into one little house; so these received the proper
recompense for their impiety.
[34] The thrice-accursed Nicanor, who had brought the thousand merchants to buy the Jews,
[35]
having been humbled with the help of the Lord by opponents whom he regarded
as of the least account, took off his splendid uniform and made his way alone
like a runaway slave across the country till he reached Antioch, having succeeded
chiefly in the destruction of his own army!
[36] Thus he who had
undertaken to secure tribute for the Romans by the capture of the people
of Jerusalem proclaimed that the Jews had a Defender, and that therefore
the Jews were invulnerable, because they followed the laws ordained by him.
2Mac.9
[1] About that time, as it happened, Antiochus had retreated in disorder from the region of Persia.
[2]
For he had entered the city called Persepolis, and attempted to rob the temples
and control the city. Therefore the people rushed to the rescue with arms,
and Antiochus and his men were defeated, with the result that Antiochus was
put to flight by the inhabitants and beat a shameful retreat.
[3] While he was in Ecbatana, news came to him of what had happened to Nicanor and the forces of Timothy.
[4]
Transported with rage, he conceived the idea of turning upon the Jews the
injury done by those who had put him to flight; so he ordered his charioteer
to drive without stopping until he completed the journey. But the judgment
of heaven rode with him! For in his arrogance he said, "When I get there
I will make Jerusalem a cemetery of Jews."
[5] But the all-seeing
Lord, the God of Israel, struck him an incurable and unseen blow. As soon
as he ceased speaking he was seized with a pain in his bowels for which there
was no relief and with sharp internal tortures --
[6] and that very justly, for he had tortured the bowels of others with many and strange inflictions.
[7]
Yet he did not in any way stop his insolence, but was even more filled with
arrogance, breathing fire in his rage against the Jews, and giving orders
to hasten the journey. And so it came about that he fell out of his chariot
as it was rushing along, and the fall was so hard as to torture every limb
of his body.
[8] Thus he who had just been thinking that he could
command the waves of the sea, in his superhuman arrogance, and imagining
that he could weigh the high mountains in a balance, was brought down to
earth and carried in a litter, making the power of God manifest to all.
[9]
And so the ungodly man's body swarmed with worms, and while he was still
living in anguish and pain, his flesh rotted away, and because of his stench
the whole army felt revulsion at his decay.
[10] Because of his
intolerable stench no one was able to carry the man who a little while before
had thought that he could touch the stars of heaven.
[11] Then
it was that, broken in spirit, he began to lose much of his arrogance and
to come to his senses under the scourge of God, for he was tortured with
pain every moment.
[12] And when he could not endure his own stench,
he uttered these words: "It is right to be subject to God, and no mortal
should think that he is equal to God."
[13] Then the abominable fellow made a vow to the Lord, who would no longer have mercy on him, stating
[14] that the holy city, which he was hastening to level to the ground and to make a cemetery, he was now declaring to be free;
[15]
and the Jews, whom he had not considered worth burying but had planned to
throw out with their children to the beasts, for the birds to pick, he would
make, all of them, equal to citizens of Athens;
[16] and the holy
sanctuary, which he had formerly plundered, he would adorn with the finest
offerings; and the holy vessels he would give back, all of them, many times
over; and the expenses incurred for the sacrifices he would provide from
his own revenues;
[17] and in addition to all this he also would become a Jew and would visit every inhabited place to proclaim the power of God.
[18]
But when his sufferings did not in any way abate, for the judgment of God
had justly come upon him, he gave up all hope for himself and wrote to the
Jews the following letter, in the form of a supplication. This was its content:
[19] "To his worthy Jewish citizens, Antiochus their king and
general sends hearty greetings and good wishes for their health and prosperity.
[20] If you and your children are well and your affairs are as you wish, I am glad. As my hope is in heaven,
[21]
I remember with affection your esteem and good will. On my way back from
the region of Persia I suffered an annoying illness, and I have deemed it
necessary to take thought for the general security of all.
[22] I do not despair of my condition, for I have good hope of recovering from my illness,
[23] but I observed that my father, on the occasions when he made expeditions into the upper country, appointed his successor,
[24]
so that, if anything unexpected happened or any unwelcome news came, the
people throughout the realm would not be troubled, for they would know to
whom the government was left.
[25] Moreover, I understand how
the princes along the borders and the neighbors to my kingdom keep watching
for opportunities and waiting to see what will happen. So I have appointed
my son Antiochus to be king, whom I have often entrusted and commended to
most of you when I hastened off to the upper provinces; and I have written
to him what is written here.
[26] I therefore urge and beseech
you to remember the public and private services rendered to you and to maintain
your present good will, each of you, toward me and my son.
[27] For I am sure that he will follow my policy and will treat you with moderation and kindness."
[28] So
the murderer and blasphemer, having endured the more intense suffering, such
as he had inflicted on others, came to the end of his life by a most pitiable
fate, among the mountains in a strange land.
[29] And Philip,
one of his courtiers, took his body home; then, fearing the son of Antiochus,
he betook himself to Ptolemy Philometor in Egypt.
2Mac.10
[1] Now Maccabeus and his followers, the Lord leading them on, recovered the temple and the city;
[2]
and they tore down the altars which had been built in the public square by
the foreigners, and also destroyed the sacred precincts.
[3] They
purified the sanctuary, and made another altar of sacrifice; then, striking
fire out of flint, they offered sacrifices, after a lapse of two years, and
they burned incense and lighted lamps and set out the bread of the Presence.
[4] And when they had done this, they fell prostrate and besought
the Lord that they might never again fall into such misfortunes, but that,
if they should ever sin, they might be disciplined by him with forbearance
and not be handed over to blasphemous and barbarous nations.
[5]
It happened that on the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned
by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that is,
on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was Chislev.
[6]
And they celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the
feast of booths, remembering how not long before, during the feast of booths,
they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals.
[7]
Therefore bearing ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds
of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success
to the purifying of his own holy place.
[8] They decreed by public ordinance and vote that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days every year.
[9] Such then was the end of Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes.
[10] Now
we will tell what took place under Antiochus Eupator, who was the son of
that ungodly man, and will give a brief summary of the principal calamities
of the wars.
[11] This man, when he succeeded to the kingdom,
appointed one Lysias to have charge of the government and to be chief governor
of Coelesyria and Phoenicia.
[12] Ptolemy, who was called Macron,
took the lead in showing justice to the Jews because of the wrong that had
been done to them, and attempted to maintain peaceful relations with them.
[13] As a result he was accused before Eupator by the king's friends.
He heard himself called a traitor at every turn, because he had abandoned
Cyprus, which Philometor had entrusted to him, and had gone over to Antiochus
Epiphanes. Unable to command the respect due his office, he took poison and
ended his life.
[14] When Gorgias became governor of the region,
he maintained a force of mercenaries, and at every turn kept on warring against
the Jews.
[15] Besides this, the Idumeans, who had control
of important strongholds, were harassing the Jews; they received those who
were banished from Jerusalem, and endeavored to keep up the war.
[16]
But Maccabeus and his men, after making solemn supplication and beseeching
God to fight on their side, rushed to the strongholds of the Idumeans.
[17]
Attacking them vigorously, they gained possession of the places, and beat
off all who fought upon the wall, and slew those whom they encountered, killing
no fewer than twenty thousand.
[18] When no less than nine thousand took refuge in two very strong towers well equipped to withstand a siege,
[19]
Maccabeus left Simon and Joseph, and also Zacchaeus and his men, a force
sufficient to besiege them; and he himself set off for places where he was
more urgently needed.
[20] But the men with Simon, who were money-hungry,
were bribed by some of those who were in the towers, and on receiving seventy
thousand drachmas let some of them slip away.
[21] When word of
what had happened came to Maccabeus, he gathered the leaders of the people,
and accused these men of having sold their brethren for money by setting
their enemies free to fight against them.
[22] Then he slew these men who had turned traitor, and immediately captured the two towers.
[23] Having success at arms in everything he undertook, he destroyed more than twenty thousand in the two strongholds.
[24] Now
Timothy, who had been defeated by the Jews before, gathered a tremendous
force of mercenaries and collected the cavalry from Asia in no small number.
He came on, intending to take Judea by storm.
[25] As he drew
near, Maccabeus and his men sprinkled dust upon their heads and girded their
loins with sackcloth, in supplication to God.
[26] Falling upon
the steps before the altar, they besought him to be gracious to them and
to be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their adversaries, as
the law declares.
[27] And rising from their prayer they took
up their arms and advanced a considerable distance from the city; and when
they came near to the enemy they halted.
[28] Just as dawn was
breaking, the two armies joined battle, the one having as pledge of success
and victory not only their valor but their reliance upon the Lord, while
the other made rage their leader in the fight.
[29] When the
battle became fierce, there appeared to the enemy from heaven five resplendent
men on horses with golden bridles, and they were leading the Jews.
[30]
Surrounding Maccabeus and protecting him with their own armor and weapons,
they kept him from being wounded. And they showered arrows and thunderbolts
upon the enemy, so that, confused and blinded, they were thrown into disorder
and cut to pieces.
[31] Twenty thousand five hundred were slaughtered, besides six hundred horsemen.
[32] Timothy himself fled to a stronghold called Gazara, especially well garrisoned, where Chaereas was commander.
[33] Then Maccabeus and his men were glad, and they besieged the fort for four days.
[34] The men within, relying on the strength of the place, blasphemed terribly and hurled out wicked words.
[35]
But at dawn of the fifth day, twenty young men in the army of Maccabeus,
fired with anger because of the blasphemies, bravely stormed the wall and
with savage fury cut down every one they met.
[36] Others who
came up in the same way wheeled around against the defenders and set fire
to the towers; they kindled fires and burned the blasphemers alive. Others
broke open the gates and let in the rest of the force, and they occupied
the city.
[37] They killed Timothy, who was hidden in a cistern, and his brother Chaereas, and Apollophanes.
[38]
When they had accomplished these things, with hymns and thanksgivings they
blessed the Lord who shows great kindness to Israel and gives them the victory.
2Mac.11
[1] Very soon after this, Lysias, the king's
guardian and kinsman, who was in charge of the government, being vexed at
what had happened,
[2] gathered about eighty thousand men
and all his cavalry and came against the Jews. He intended to make the city
a home for Greeks,
[3] and to levy tribute on the temple as he
did on the sacred places of the other nations, and to put up the high priesthood
for sale every year.
[4] He took no account whatever of the power
of God, but was elated with his ten thousands of infantry, and his thousands
of cavalry, and his eighty elephants.
[5] Invading Judea, he approached Beth-zur, which was a fortified place about five leagues from Jerusalem, and pressed it hard.
[6] When
Maccabeus and his men got word that Lysias was besieging the strongholds,
they and all the people, with lamentations and tears, besought the Lord to
send a good angel to save Israel.
[7] Maccabeus himself was
the first to take up arms, and he urged the others to risk their lives with
him to aid their brethren. Then they eagerly rushed off together.
[8]
And there, while they were still near Jerusalem, a horseman appeared at their
head, clothed in white and brandishing weapons of gold.
[9] And
they all together praised the merciful God, and were strengthened in heart,
ready to assail not only men but the wildest beasts or walls of iron.
[10] They advanced in battle order, having their heavenly ally, for the Lord had mercy on them.
[11]
They hurled themselves like lions against the enemy, and slew eleven thousand
of them and sixteen hundred horsemen, and forced all the rest to flee.
[12] Most of them got away stripped and wounded, and Lysias himself escaped by disgraceful flight.
[13]
And as he was not without intelligence, he pondered over the defeat which
had befallen him, and realized that the Hebrews were invincible because the
mighty God fought on their side. So he sent to them
[14] and persuaded
them to settle everything on just terms, promising that he would persuade
the king, constraining him to be their friend.
[15] Maccabeus,
having regard for the common good, agreed to all that Lysias urged. For the
king granted every request in behalf of the Jews which Maccabeus delivered
to Lysias in writing.
[16] The letter written to the Jews by Lysias was to this effect:
"Lysias to the people of the Jews, greeting.
[17]
John and Absalom, who were sent by you, have delivered your signed communication
and have asked about the matters indicated therein.
[18] I have informed the king of everything that needed to be brought before him, and he has agreed to what was possible.
[19] If you will maintain your good will toward the government, I will endeavor for the future to help promote your welfare.
[20] And concerning these matters and their details, I have ordered these men and my representatives to confer with you.
[21] Farewell. The one hundred and forty-eighth year, Dioscorinthius twenty-fourth."
[22] The king's letter ran thus:
"King Antiochus to his brother Lysias, greeting.
[23]
Now that our father has gone on to the gods, we desire that the subjects
of the kingdom be undisturbed in caring for their own affairs.
[24]
We have heard that the Jews do not consent to our father's change to Greek
customs but prefer their own way of living and ask that their own customs
be allowed them.
[25] Accordingly, since we choose that this nation
also be free from disturbance, our decision is that their temple be restored
to them and that they live according to the customs of their ancestors.
[26]
You will do well, therefore, to send word to them and give them pledges of
friendship, so that they may know our policy and be of good cheer and go
on happily in the conduct of their own affairs."
[27] To the nation the king's letter was as follows:
"King Antiochus to the senate of the Jews and to the other Jews, greeting.
[28] If you are well, it is as we desire. We also are in good health.
[29] Menelaus has informed us that you wish to return home and look after your own affairs.
[30] Therefore those who go home by the thirtieth day of Xanthicus will have our pledge of friendship and full permission
[31]
for the Jews to enjoy their own food and laws, just as formerly, and none
of them shall be molested in any way for what he may have done in ignorance.
[32] And I have also sent Menelaus to encourage you.
[33] Farewell. The one hundred and forty-eighth year, Xanthicus fifteenth."
[34] The Romans also sent them a letter, which read thus:
"Quintus Memmius and Titus Manius, envoys of the Romans, to the people of the Jews, greeting.
[35] With regard to what Lysias the kinsman of the king has granted you, we also give consent.
[36]
But as to the matters which he decided are to be referred to the king, as
soon as you have considered them, send some one promptly, so that we may
make proposals appropriate for you. For we are on our way to Antioch.
[37] Therefore make haste and send some men, so that we may have your judgment.
[38] Farewell. The one hundred and forty-eighth year, Xanthicus fifteenth."
2Mac.12
[1] When this agreement had been reached, Lysias returned to the king, and the Jews went about their farming.
[2] But
some of the governors in various places, Timothy and Apollonius the son of
Gennaeus, as well as Hieronymus and Demophon, and in addition to these Nicanor
the governor of Cyprus, would not let them live quietly and in peace.
[3]
And some men of Joppa did so ungodly a deed as this: they invited the Jews
who lived among them to embark, with their wives and children, on boats which
they had provided, as though there were no ill will to the Jews;
[4]
and this was done by public vote of the city. And when they accepted, because
they wished to live peaceably and suspected nothing, the men of Joppa took
them out to sea and drowned them, not less than two hundred.
[5] When Judas heard of the cruelty visited on his countrymen, he gave orders to his men
[6]
and, calling upon God the righteous Judge, attacked the murderers of his
brethren. He set fire to the harbor by night, and burned the boats, and massacred
those who had taken refuge there.
[7] Then, because the city's gates were closed, he withdrew, intending to come again and root out the whole community of Joppa.
[8] But learning that the men in Jamnia meant in the same way to wipe out the Jews who were living among them,
[9]
he attacked the people of Jamnia by night and set fire to the harbor and
the fleet, so that the glow of the light was seen in Jerusalem, thirty miles
distant.
[10] When they had gone more than a mile from there,
on their march against Timothy, not less than five thousand Arabs with five
hundred horsemen attacked them.
[11] After a hard fight Judas
and his men won the victory, by the help of God. The defeated nomads besought
Judas to grant them pledges of friendship, promising to give him cattle and
to help his people in all other ways.
[12] Judas, thinking that
they might really be useful in many ways, agreed to make peace with them;
and after receiving his pledges they departed to their tents.
[13] He
also attacked a certain city which was strongly fortified with earthworks
and walls, and inhabited by all sorts of Gentiles. Its name was Caspin.
[14]
And those who were within, relying on the strength of the walls and on their
supply of provisions, behaved most insolently toward Judas and his men, railing
at them and even blaspheming and saying unholy things.
[15] But
Judas and his men, calling upon the great Sovereign of the world, who without
battering-rams or engines of war overthrew Jericho in the days of Joshua,
rushed furiously upon the walls.
[16] They took the city by the
will of God, and slaughtered untold numbers, so that the adjoining lake,
a quarter of a mile wide, appeared to be running over with blood.
[17] When they had gone ninety-five miles from there, they came to Charax, to the Jews who are called Toubiani.
[18]
They did not find Timothy in that region, for he had by then departed from
the region without accomplishing anything, though in one place he had left
a very strong garrison.
[19] Dositheus and Sosipater, who were
captains under Maccabeus, marched out and destroyed those whom Timothy had
left in the stronghold, more than ten thousand men.
[20] But Maccabeus
arranged his army in divisions, set men in command of the divisions, and
hastened after Timothy, who had with him a hundred and twenty thousand infantry
and two thousand five hundred cavalry.
[21] When Timothy learned
of the approach of Judas, he sent off the women and the children and also
the baggage to a place called Carnaim; for that place was hard to besiege
and difficult of access because of the narrowness of all the approaches.
[22] But when Judas' first division appeared, terror and fear
came over the enemy at the manifestation to them of him who sees all things;
and they rushed off in flight and were swept on, this way and that, so that
often they were injured by their own men and pierced by the points of their
swords.
[23] And Judas pressed the pursuit with the utmost vigor,
putting the sinners to the sword, and destroyed as many as thirty thousand
men.
[24] Timothy himself fell into the hands of Dositheus
and Sosipater and their men. With great guile he besought them to let him
go in safety, because he held the parents of most of them and the brothers
of some and no consideration would be shown them.
[25] And
when with many words he had confirmed his solemn promise to restore them
unharmed, they let him go, for the sake of saving their brethren.
[26] Then Judas marched against Carnaim and the temple of Atargatis, and slaughtered twenty-five thousand people.
[27]
After the rout and destruction of these, he marched also against Ephron,
a fortified city where Lysias dwelt with multitudes of people of all nationalities.
Stalwart young men took their stand before the walls and made a vigorous
defense; and great stores of war engines and missiles were there.
[28]
But the Jews called upon the Sovereign who with power shatters the might
of his enemies, and they got the city into their hands, and killed as many
as twenty-five thousand of those who were within it.
[29] Setting out from there, they hastened to Scythopolis, which is seventy-five miles from Jerusalem.
[30]
But when the Jews who dwelt there bore witness to the good will which the
people of Scythopolis had shown them and their kind treatment of them in
times of misfortune,
[31] they thanked them and exhorted them
to be well disposed to their race in the future also. Then they went up to
Jerusalem, as the feast of weeks was close at hand.
[32] After the feast called Pentecost, they hastened against Gorgias, the governor of Idumea.
[33] And he came out with three thousand infantry and four hundred cavalry.
[34] When they joined battle, it happened that a few of the Jews fell.
[35]
But a certain Dositheus, one of Bacenor's men, who was on horseback and was
a strong man, caught hold of Gorgias, and grasping his cloak was dragging
him off by main strength, wishing to take the accursed man alive, when one
of the Thracian horsemen bore down upon him and cut off his arm; so Gorgias
escaped and reached Marisa.
[36] As Esdris and his men had
been fighting for a long time and were weary, Judas called upon the Lord
to show himself their ally and leader in the battle.
[37]
In the language of their fathers he raised the battle cry, with hymns; then
he charged against Gorgias' men when they were not expecting it, and put
them to flight.
[38] Then Judas assembled his army and went
to the city of Adullam. As the seventh day was coming on, they purified themselves
according to the custom, and they kept the sabbath there.
[39] On
the next day, as by that time it had become necessary, Judas and his men
went to take up the bodies of the fallen and to bring them back to lie with
their kinsmen in the sepulchres of their fathers.
[40] Then
under the tunic of every one of the dead they found sacred tokens of the
idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. And it became clear
to all that this was why these men had fallen.
[41] So they all blessed the ways of the Lord, the righteous Judge, who reveals the things that are hidden;
[42]
and they turned to prayer, beseeching that the sin which had been committed
might be wholly blotted out. And the noble Judas exhorted the people to keep
themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had
happened because of the sin of those who had fallen.
[43] He also
took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas
of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing
this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection.
[44] For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would
rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead.
[45] But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid
up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.
Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from
their sin.
2Mac.13
[1] In the one hundred and forty-ninth
year word came to Judas and his men that Antiochus Eupator was coming with
a great army against Judea,
[2] and with him Lysias, his guardian,
who had charge of the government. Each of them had a Greek force of one hundred
and ten thousand infantry, five thousand three hundred cavalry, twenty-two
elephants, and three hundred chariots armed with scythes.
[3] Menelaus
also joined them and with utter hypocrisy urged Antiochus on, not for the
sake of his country's welfare, but because he thought that he would be established
in office.
[4] But the King of kings aroused the anger of
Antiochus against the scoundrel; and when Lysias informed him that this man
was to blame for all the trouble, he ordered them to take him to Beroea and
to put him to death by the method which is the custom in that place.
[5]
For there is a tower in that place, fifty cubits high, full of ashes, and
it has a rim running around it which on all sides inclines precipitously
into the ashes.
[6] There they all push to destruction any man guilty of sacrilege or notorious for other crimes.
[7] By such a fate it came about that Menelaus the lawbreaker died, without even burial in the earth.
[8]
And this was eminently just; because he had committed many sins against the
altar whose fire and ashes were holy, he met his death in ashes.
[9] The
king with barbarous arrogance was coming to show the Jews things far worse
than those that had been done in his father's time.
[10] But
when Judas heard of this, he ordered the people to call upon the Lord day
and night, now if ever to help those who were on the point of being deprived
of the law and their country and the holy temple,
[11] and not to let the people who had just begun to revive fall into the hands of the blasphemous Gentiles.
[12]
When they had all joined in the same petition and had besought the merciful
Lord with weeping and fasting and lying prostrate for three days without
ceasing, Judas exhorted them and ordered them to stand ready.
[13] After
consulting privately with the elders, he determined to march out and decide
the matter by the help of God before the king's army could enter Judea and
get possession of the city.
[14] So, committing the decision
to the Creator of the world and exhorting his men to fight nobly to the death
for the laws, temple, city, country, and commonwealth, he pitched his camp
near Modein.
[15] He gave his men the watchword, "God's victory,"
and with a picked force of the bravest young men, he attacked the king's
pavilion at night and slew as many as two thousand men in the camp. He stabbed
the leading elephant and its rider.
[16] In the end they filled the camp with terror and confusion and withdrew in triumph.
[17] This happened, just as day was dawning, because the Lord's help protected him.
[18] The king, having had a taste of the daring of the Jews, tried strategy in attacking their positions.
[19] He advanced against Beth-zur, a strong fortress of the Jews, was turned back, attacked again, and was defeated.
[20] Judas sent in to the garrison whatever was necessary.
[21]
But Rhodocus, a man from the ranks of the Jews, gave secret information to
the enemy; he was sought for, caught, and put in prison.
[22]
The king negotiated a second time with the people in Beth-zur, gave pledges,
received theirs, withdrew, attacked Judas and his men, was defeated;
[23]
he got word that Philip, who had been left in charge of the government, had
revolted in Antioch; he was dismayed, called in the Jews, yielded and swore
to observe all their rights, settled with them and offered sacrifice, honored
the sanctuary and showed generosity to the holy place.
[24] He received Maccabeus, left Hegemonides as governor from Ptolemais to Gerar,
[25]
and went to Ptolemais. The people of Ptolemais were indignant over the treaty;
in fact they were so angry that they wanted to annul its terms.
[26]
Lysias took the public platform, made the best possible defense, convinced
them, appeased them, gained their good will, and set out for Antioch. This
is how the king's attack and withdrawal turned out.
2Mac.14
[1] Three
years later, word came to Judas and his men that Demetrius, the son of Seleucus,
had sailed into the harbor of Tripolis with a strong army and a fleet,
[2] and had taken possession of the country, having made away with Antiochus and his guardian Lysias.
[3] Now
a certain Alcimus, who had formerly been high priest but had wilfully defiled
himself in the times of separation, realized that there was no way for him
to be safe or to have access again to the holy altar,
[4]
and went to King Demetrius in about the one hundred and fifty-first year,
presenting to him a crown of gold and a palm, and besides these some of the
customary olive branches from the temple. During that day he kept quiet.
[5] But he found an opportunity that furthered his mad purpose
when he was invited by Demetrius to a meeting of the council and was asked
about the disposition and intentions of the Jews. He answered:
[6] "Those
of the Jews who are called Hasideans, whose leader is Judas Maccabeus, are
keeping up war and stirring up sedition, and will not let the kingdom attain
tranquillity.
[7] Therefore I have laid aside my ancestral glory -- I mean the high priesthood -- and have now come here,
[8]
first because I am genuinely concerned for the interests of the king, and
second because I have regard also for my fellow citizens. For through the
folly of those whom I have mentioned our whole nation is now in no small
misfortune.
[9] Since you are acquainted, O king, with the details
of this matter, deign to take thought for our country and our hard-pressed
nation with the gracious kindness which you show to all.
[10] For as long as Judas lives, it is impossible for the government to find peace."
[11] When he had said this, the rest of the king's friends, who were hostile to Judas, quickly inflamed Demetrius still more.
[12] And he immediately chose Nicanor, who had been in command of the elephants, appointed him governor of Judea, and sent him off
[13] with orders to kill Judas and scatter his men, and to set up Alcimus as high priest of the greatest temple.
[14]
And the Gentiles throughout Judea, who had fled before Judas, flocked to
join Nicanor, thinking that the misfortunes and calamities of the Jews would
mean prosperity for themselves.
[15] When the Jews heard of
Nicanor's coming and the gathering of the Gentiles, they sprinkled dust upon
their heads and prayed to him who established his own people for ever and
always upholds his own heritage by manifesting himself.
[16] At the command of the leader, they set out from there immediately and engaged them in battle at a village called Dessau.
[17]
Simon, the brother of Judas, had encountered Nicanor, but had been temporarily
checked because of the sudden consternation created by the enemy.
[18] Nevertheless
Nicanor, hearing of the valor of Judas and his men and their courage in battle
for their country, shrank from deciding the issue by bloodshed.
[19] Therefore he sent Posidonius and Theodotus and Mattathias to give and receive pledges of friendship.
[20]
When the terms had been fully considered, and the leader had informed the
people, and it had appeared that they were of one mind, they agreed to the
covenant.
[21] And the leaders set a day on which to meet by themselves.
A chariot came forward from each army; seats of honor were set in place;
[22] Judas posted armed men in readiness at key places to prevent
sudden treachery on the part of the enemy; they held the proper conference.
[23] Nicanor stayed on in Jerusalem and did nothing out of the way, but dismissed the flocks of people that had gathered.
[24] And he kept Judas always in his presence; he was warmly attached to the man.
[25] And he urged him to marry and have children; so he married, settled down, and shared the common life.
[26] But
when Alcimus noticed their good will for one another, he took the covenant
that had been made and went to Demetrius. He told him that Nicanor was disloyal
to the government, for he had appointed that conspirator against the kingdom,
Judas, to be his successor.
[27] The king became excited and,
provoked by the false accusations of that depraved man, wrote to Nicanor,
stating that he was displeased with the covenant and commanding him to send
Maccabeus to Antioch as a prisoner without delay.
[28] When
this message came to Nicanor, he was troubled and grieved that he had to
annul their agreement when the man had done no wrong.
[29] Since it was not possible to oppose the king, he watched for an opportunity to accomplish this by a stratagem.
[30]
But Maccabeus, noticing that Nicanor was more austere in his dealings with
him and was meeting him more rudely than had been his custom, concluded that
this austerity did not spring from the best motives. So he gathered not a
few of his men, and went into hiding from Nicanor.
[31] When
the latter became aware that he had been cleverly outwitted by the man, he
went to the great and holy temple while the priests were offering the customary
sacrifices, and commanded them to hand the man over.
[32] And when they declared on oath that they did not know where the man was whom he sought,
[33]
he stretched out his right hand toward the sanctuary, and swore this oath:
"If you do not hand Judas over to me as a prisoner, I will level this precinct
of God to the ground and tear down the altar, and I will build here a splendid
temple to Dionysus."
[34] Having said this, he went away. Then
the priests stretched forth their hands toward heaven and called upon the
constant Defender of our nation, in these words:
[35] "O Lord of all, who hast need of nothing, thou wast pleased that there be a temple for thy habitation among us;
[36] so now, O holy One, Lord of all holiness, keep undefiled for ever this house that has been so recently purified."
[37] A
certain Razis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, was denounced to Nicanor as
a man who loved his fellow citizens and was very well thought of and for
his good will was called father of the Jews.
[38] For in former
times, when there was no mingling with the Gentiles, he had been accused
of Judaism, and for Judaism he had with all zeal risked body and life.
[39] Nicanor, wishing to exhibit the enmity which he had for the Jews, sent more than five hundred soldiers to arrest him;
[40] for he thought that by arresting him he would do them an injury.
[41]
When the troops were about to capture the tower and were forcing the door
of the courtyard, they ordered that fire be brought and the doors burned.
Being surrounded, Razis fell upon his own sword,
[42] preferring to die nobly rather than to fall into the hands of sinners and suffer outrages unworthy of his noble birth.
[43]
But in the heat of the struggle he did not hit exactly, and the crowd was
now rushing in through the doors. He bravely ran up on the wall, and manfully
threw himself down into the crowd.
[44] But as they quickly drew back, a space opened and he fell in the middle of the empty space.
[45]
Still alive and aflame with anger, he rose, and though his blood gushed forth
and his wounds were severe he ran through the crowd; and standing upon a
steep rock,
[46] with his blood now completely drained from him,
he tore out his entrails, took them with both hands and hurled them at the
crowd, calling upon the Lord of life and spirit to give them back to him
again. This was the manner of his death.
2Mac.15
[1] When
Nicanor heard that Judas and his men were in the region of Samaria, he made
plans to attack them with complete safety on the day of rest.
[2]
And when the Jews who were compelled to follow him said, "Do not destroy
so savagely and barbarously, but show respect for the day which he who sees
all things has honored and hallowed above other days,"
[3] the thrice-accursed wretch asked if there were a sovereign in heaven who had commanded the keeping of the sabbath day.
[4] And when they declared, "It is the living Lord himself, the Sovereign in heaven, who ordered us to observe the seventh day,"
[5]
he replied, "And I am a sovereign also, on earth, and I command you to take
up arms and finish the king's business." Nevertheless, he did not succeed
in carrying out his abominable design.
[6] This Nicanor in
his utter boastfulness and arrogance had determined to erect a public monument
of victory over Judas and his men.
[7] But Maccabeus did not cease to trust with all confidence that he would get help from the Lord.
[8]
And he exhorted his men not to fear the attack of the Gentiles, but to keep
in mind the former times when help had come to them from heaven, and now
to look for the victory which the Almighty would give them.
[9]
Encouraging them from the law and the prophets, and reminding them also of
the struggles they had won, he made them the more eager.
[10]
And when he had aroused their courage, he gave his orders, at the same time
pointing out the perfidy of the Gentiles and their violation of oaths.
[11]
He armed each of them not so much with confidence in shields and spears as
with the inspiration of brave words, and he cheered them all by relating
a dream, a sort of vision, which was worthy of belief.
[12] What
he saw was this: Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of
modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained
from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched
hands for the whole body of the Jews.
[13] Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority.
[14]
And Onias spoke, saying, "This is a man who loves the brethren and prays
much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God."
[15] Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave to Judas a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him thus:
[16] "Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down your adversaries."
[17] Encouraged
by the words of Judas, so noble and so effective in arousing valor and awaking
manliness in the souls of the young, they determined not to carry on a campaign
but to attack bravely, and to decide the matter, by fighting hand to hand
with all courage, because the city and the sanctuary and the temple were
in danger.
[18] Their concern for wives and children, and
also for brethren and relatives, lay upon them less heavily; their greatest
and first fear was for the consecrated sanctuary.
[19] And those who had to remain in the city were in no little distress, being anxious over the encounter in the open country.
[20] When
all were now looking forward to the coming decision, and the enemy was already
close at hand with their army drawn up for battle, the elephants strategically
stationed and the cavalry deployed on the flanks,
[21] Maccabeus,
perceiving the hosts that were before him and the varied supply of arms and
the savagery of the elephants, stretched out his hands toward heaven and
called upon the Lord who works wonders; for he knew that it is not by arms,
but as the Lord decides, that he gains the victory for those who deserve
it.
[22] And he called upon him in these words: "O Lord, thou
didst send thy angel in the time of Hezekiah king of Judea, and he slew fully
a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of Sennacherib.
[23] So now, O Sovereign of the heavens, send a good angel to carry terror and trembling before us.
[24]
By the might of thy arm may these blasphemers who come against thy holy people
be struck down." With these words he ended his prayer.
[25] Nicanor and his men advanced with trumpets and battle songs;
[26] and Judas and his men met the enemy in battle with invocation to God and prayers.
[27]
So, fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they laid
low no less than thirty-five thousand men, and were greatly gladdened by
God's manifestation.
[28] When the action was over and they were returning with joy, they recognized Nicanor, lying dead, in full armor.
[29] Then there was shouting and tumult, and they blessed the Sovereign Lord in the language of their fathers.
[30]
And the man who was ever in body and soul the defender of his fellow citizens,
the man who maintained his youthful good will toward his countrymen, ordered
them to cut off Nicanor's head and arm and carry them to Jerusalem.
[31]
And when he arrived there and had called his countrymen together and stationed
the priests before the altar, he sent for those who were in the citadel.
[32] He showed them the vile Nicanor's head and that profane man's
arm, which had been boastfully stretched out against the holy house of the
Almighty;
[33] and he cut out the tongue of the ungodly Nicanor
and said that he would give it piecemeal to the birds and hang up these rewards
of his folly opposite the sanctuary.
[34] And they all, looking
to heaven, blessed the Lord who had manifested himself, saying, "Blessed
is he who has kept his own place undefiled."
[35] And he hung Nicanor's head from the citadel, a clear and conspicuous sign to every one of the help of the Lord.
[36]
And they all decreed by public vote never to let this day go unobserved,
but to celebrate the thirteenth day of the twelfth month -- which is called
Adar in the Syrian language -- the day before Mordecai's day.
[37] This,
then, is how matters turned out with Nicanor. And from that time the city
has been in the possession of the Hebrews. So I too will here end my story.
[38] If it is well told and to the point, that is what I myself
desired; if it is poorly done and mediocre, that was the best I could do.
[39] For just as it is harmful to drink wine alone, or, again,
to drink water alone, while wine mixed with water is sweet and delicious
and enhances one's enjoyment, so also the style of the story delights the
ears of those who read the work. And here will be the end.