1 Maccabees 3:1-9:22

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

II. Leadership of Judas Maccabeus

Chapter 3

Judas and His Early Victories. ¹ Then his son Judas, who was called Maccabeus, took his place. ² All his brothers and all who had joined his father supported him, and they gladly carried on Israel’s war.

¹⁰ Then Apollonius^[a] gathered together the Gentiles, along with a large army from Samaria, to fight against Israel. ¹¹ When Judas learned of it, he went out to meet him and struck and killed him. Many fell wounded, and the rest fled. ¹² They took their spoils, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius and fought with it the rest of his life.

¹³ But Seron, commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had mustered an assembly of faithful men ready for war. ¹⁴ So he said, “I will make a name for myself and win honor in the kingdom. I will wage war against Judas and his followers, who have despised the king’s command.” ¹⁵ And again a large company of renegades advanced with him to help him take revenge on the Israelites.

¹⁶ When he reached the ascent of Beth-horon,^[b] Judas went out to meet him with a few men. ¹⁷ But when they saw the army coming against them, they said to Judas: “How can we, few as we are, fight such a strong host as this? Besides, we are weak since we have not eaten today.” ¹⁸ But Judas said: “Many are easily hemmed in by a few; in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between deliverance by many or by few; ¹⁹ for victory in war does not depend upon the size of the army, but on strength that comes from Heaven.^{(A) 20} With great presumption and lawlessness they come against us to destroy us and our wives and children and to despoil us; ²¹ but we are fighting for our lives and our laws. ²² He^[c] will crush them before us; so do not fear them.” ²³ When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly upon Seron and his army, who were crushed before him. ²⁴ He pursued Seron down the descent of Beth-horon into the plain. About eight hundred^[d] of their men fell, and the rest fled to the land of the Philistines. ²⁵ Then Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and dread fell upon the Gentiles about them. ²⁶ His fame reached the king, and the Gentiles talked about the battles of Judas.

The King’s Strategy. ²⁷ When King Antiochus heard these reports, he was filled with rage; so he ordered that all the forces of his kingdom be gathered, a very strong army. ²⁸ He opened his treasury, gave his soldiers a year’s pay, and commanded them to be prepared for anything. ²⁹ But then he saw that this exhausted the money in his treasury; moreover the tribute from the province was small because of the dissension and distress he had brought upon the land by abolishing the laws which had been in effect from of old. ³⁰ He feared that, as had happened once or twice, he would not have enough for his expenses and for the gifts that he was accustomed to give with a lavish hand—more so than all previous kings. ³¹ Greatly perplexed, he decided to go to Persia and levy tribute on those provinces, and so raise a large sum of money.

³² He left Lysias, a noble of royal descent, in charge of the king’s affairs from the Euphrates River to the frontier of Egypt, ³³ and commissioned him to take care of his son Antiochus until his return. ³⁴ He entrusted to him half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him instructions concerning everything he wanted done. As for the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem, ³⁵ Lysias was to send an army against them to crush and destroy the power of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem and efface their memory from the place. ³⁶ He was to settle foreigners in all their territory and distribute their land by lot. ^37 [e]The king took the remaining half of the army and set out from Antioch, his capital, in the year one hundred and forty-seven; he crossed the Euphrates River and went through the provinces beyond.

Preparations for Battle. ^38 (B)Lysias chose Ptolemy, son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor^[f] and Gorgias, powerful men among the King’s Friends, ³⁹ and with them he sent forty thousand foot soldiers and seven thousand cavalry to invade and ravage the land of Judah according to the king’s orders. ⁴⁰ Setting out with their whole force, they came and pitched their camp near Emmaus^[g] in the plain. ⁴¹ When the merchants of the region heard of their prowess, they came to the camp, bringing a huge sum of silver and gold, along with fetters, to buy the Israelites as slaves. A force from Edom and from Philistia joined with them.

⁴² Judas and his brothers saw that evils had multiplied and that armies were encamped within their territory. They learned of the orders which the king had given to destroy and utterly wipe out the people. ⁴³ So they said to one another, “Let us raise our people from their ruin and fight for them and for our sanctuary!”

⁴⁴ The assembly gathered together to prepare for battle and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion.

^46 [h]Thus they assembled and went to Mizpah near Jerusalem, because formerly at Mizpah there was a place of prayer for Israel.^{(C) 47} That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their garments. ⁴⁸ They unrolled the scroll of the law, to learn about the things for which the Gentiles consulted the images of their idols.^{[i] 49} They brought with them the priestly garments, the first fruits, and the tithes; and they brought forward the nazirites^[j](D) who had completed the time of their vows. ⁵⁰ And they cried aloud to Heaven: “What shall we do with these, and where shall we take them? ⁵¹ For your sanctuary has been trampled on and profaned, and your priests are in mourning and humbled. ⁵² Now the Gentiles are gathered together against us to destroy us. You know what they plot against us. ⁵³ How shall we be able to resist them unless you help us?” ⁵⁴ Then they blew the trumpets and cried out loudly.

⁵⁵ After this Judas appointed officers for the people, over thousands, over hundreds, over fifties, and over tens. ⁵⁶ He proclaimed that those who were building houses, or were just married, or were planting vineyards, and those who were afraid, could each return home, according to the law.^{(E) 57} Then the army moved off, and they camped to the south of Emmaus. ⁵⁸ Judas said: “Arm yourselves and be brave; in the morning be ready to fight these Gentiles who have assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary. ⁵⁹ It is better for us to die in battle than to witness the evils befalling our nation and our sanctuary. ⁶⁰ Whatever is willed in heaven will be done.”

Chapter 4

Victory over Gorgias. ¹ Now Gorgias took five thousand infantry and a thousand picked cavalry, and this detachment set out at night ² in order to fall upon the camp of the Jews in a surprise attack. Some from the citadel were his guides. ³ Judas heard of it and himself set out with his soldiers to attack the king’s army at Emmaus ⁴ while these forces were still scattered away from the camp. ⁵ During the night Gorgias came into the camp of Judas, and found no one there; so he sought them in the mountains, saying, “They are fleeing from us.”

⁶ But at daybreak Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand men; furthermore they lacked the helmets and swords they wanted. ⁷ They saw the army of the Gentiles,^[k] strong, breastplated, and flanked with cavalry, and made up of experienced soldiers. ^8 (F)Judas said to the men with him: “Do not fear their numbers or dread their attack. ⁹ Remember how our ancestors were saved in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army.^{(G) 10} So now let us cry to Heaven in the hope that he will favor us, remember the covenant with our ancestors, and destroy this army before us today. ¹¹ All the Gentiles shall know that there is One who redeems and delivers Israel.”

¹² When the foreigners looked up and saw them marching toward them, ¹³ they came out of their camp for battle. The men with Judas blew the trumpet, and ¹⁴ joined the battle. They crushed the Gentiles, who fled toward the plain. ¹⁵ Their whole rear guard fell by the sword, and they were pursued as far as Gazara^[l] and the plains of Idumaea, to Azotus and Jamnia. About three thousand of their men fell.

¹⁶ When Judas and the army returned from the pursuit, ¹⁷ he said to the people: “Do not be greedy for plunder; for there is a fight ahead of us, ¹⁸ and Gorgias and his army are near us on the mountain. But now stand firm against our enemies and fight them. Afterward you can freely take the plunder.”

¹⁹ As Judas was finishing this speech, a detachment^[m] appeared, looking down from the mountain. ²⁰ They saw that their army had been put to flight and their camp was burning. The smoke they saw revealed what had happened. ²¹ When they realized this, they completely lost heart; and when they also saw the army of Judas in the plain ready to attack, ²² they all fled to the land of the foreigners.^[n]

²³ Then Judas went back to plunder the camp, and they took much gold and silver, cloth dyed blue and marine purple, and great treasure. ²⁴ As they returned, they were singing hymns and glorifying Heaven, “who is good, whose mercy endures forever.”^{(H) 25} Thus Israel experienced a great deliverance that day.

Victory over Lysias. ^26 (I)But those of the foreigners who had escaped went and told Lysias all that had occurred. ²⁷ When he heard it he was disturbed and discouraged, because things had not turned out in Israel as he intended and as the king had ordered.

²⁸ So the following year he gathered together sixty thousand picked men and five thousand cavalry, to fight them. ²⁹ They came into Idumea and camped at Beth-zur,^[o] and Judas met them with ten thousand men. ³⁰ Seeing that the army was strong, he prayed thus:

“Blessed are you, Savior of Israel, who crushed the attack of the mighty one by the hand of your servant David and delivered the foreign camp into the hand of Jonathan, the son of Saul, and his armor-bearer.^{(J) 31} Give this army into the hands of your people Israel; make them ashamed of their troops and their cavalry. ³² Strike them with cowardice, weaken the boldness of their strength, and let them tremble at their own destruction. ³³ Strike them down by the sword of those who love you, that all who know your name may sing your praise.”

³⁴ Then they engaged in battle, and about five thousand of Lysias’ army fell in hand-to-hand fighting. ^35 [p]When Lysias saw the tide of the battle turning, and the increased boldness of Judas, whose men were ready either to live or to die nobly, he withdrew to Antioch and began to recruit mercenaries so as to return to Judea with greater numbers.^(K)

Purification and Rededication of the Temple. ^36 (L)Then Judas and his brothers said, “Now that our enemies have been crushed, let us go up to purify the sanctuary^[q] and rededicate it.” ³⁷ So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion. ³⁸ They found the sanctuary desolate, the altar desecrated, the gates burnt, weeds growing in the courts as in a thicket or on some mountain, and the priests’ chambers demolished.^{(M) 39} Then they tore their garments and made great lamentation; they sprinkled their heads with ashes ⁴⁰ and prostrated themselves. And when the signal was given with trumpets, they cried out to Heaven.

⁴¹ Judas appointed men to attack those in the citadel, while he purified the sanctuary. ⁴² He chose blameless priests, devoted to the law; ⁴³ these purified the sanctuary and carried away the stones of the defilement to an unclean place. ⁴⁴ They deliberated what ought to be done with the altar for burnt offerings that had been desecrated.^{(N) 45} They decided it best to tear it down, lest it be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it; so they tore down the altar. ⁴⁶ They stored the stones in a suitable place on the temple mount, until the coming of a prophet who could determine what to do with them.^{(O) 47} Then they took uncut stones, according to the law, and built a new altar like the former one.^{(P) 48} They also repaired the sanctuary and the interior of the temple and consecrated the courts. ⁴⁹ They made new sacred vessels and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple.^{(Q) 50} Then they burned incense on the altar and lighted the lamps on the lampstand, and these illuminated the temple. ⁵¹ They also put loaves on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.

⁵² They rose early on the morning of the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, that is, the month of Kislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight,^{[r] 53} and offered sacrifice according to the law on the new altar for burnt offerings that they had made.^{(R) 54} On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had desecrated it, on that very day it was rededicated with songs, harps, lyres, and cymbals. ⁵⁵ All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven, who had given them success.

⁵⁶ For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. ⁵⁷ They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields; they repaired the gates and the priests’ chambers and furnished them with doors. ⁵⁸ There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed. ⁵⁹ Then Judas and his brothers and the entire assembly of Israel decreed that every year for eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Kislev,^(S) the days of the dedication^[s] of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary.

⁶⁰ At that time they built high walls and strong towers around Mount Zion, to prevent the Gentiles from coming and trampling it as they had done before. ⁶¹ Judas also placed a garrison there to protect it, and likewise fortified Beth-zur, that the people might have a stronghold facing Idumea.

Chapter 5

Victories over Hostile Neighbors.^{[t] 1 (T)}When the nations round about heard that the altar had been rebuilt and the sanctuary restored as before, they were enraged. ² So they decided to destroy the descendants of Jacob who were among them, and they began to kill and eradicate the people. ^3 (U)Then Judas attacked the Edomites^[u] at Akrabattene in Idumea, because they were blockading Israel; he dealt them a heavy blow, humbled and despoiled them. ⁴ He also remembered the malice of the Baeanites,^[v] who had become a snare and a stumbling block to the people by ambushing them along the roads. ⁵ He forced them to take refuge in towers, which he besieged; he put them under the ban and burned down their towers along with all who were in them. ^6 [w](V)Then he crossed over to the Ammonites, where he found a strong army and a large body of people with Timothy as their leader. ⁷ He fought many battles with them, routed them, and struck them down. ⁸ After seizing Jazer and its villages, he returned to Judea.

Liberation of Jews in Galilee and Gilead. ⁹ The Gentiles in Gilead assembled to destroy the Israelites who were in their territory; these then fled to the stronghold of Dathema.^{[x] 10} They sent a letter to Judas and his brothers saying: “The Gentiles around us have assembled against us to destroy us, ¹¹ and they are preparing to come and seize this stronghold to which we have fled. Timothy is the leader of their army. ¹² Come at once to rescue us from them, for many of us have fallen. ¹³ All our kindred who were in the territory of the Tobiads^[y] have been killed; the Gentiles have captured their wives, their children and their goods, and they have slain there about a thousand men.”^(W)

¹⁴ While they were reading this letter, suddenly other messengers, with garments torn, arrived from Galilee to deliver a similar message: ¹⁵ that “the inhabitants of Ptolemais,^[z] Tyre, and Sidon, and the whole of Gentile Galilee have joined forces to destroy us.” ¹⁶ When Judas and the people heard this, a great assembly convened to consider what they should do for their kindred who were in distress and being attacked by enemies.

¹⁷ Judas said to his brother Simon: “Choose men for yourself, and go, rescue your kindred in Galilee; my brother Jonathan and I will go to Gilead.”

¹⁸ He left Joseph, son of Zechariah, and Azariah, leader of the people, with the rest of the army in Judea to guard it. ¹⁹ He commanded them, “Take charge of these people, but do not join battle against the Gentiles until we return.” ²⁰ Three thousand men were allotted to Simon to go into Galilee, and eight thousand men to Judas, for Gilead.

²¹ Simon went into Galilee and fought many battles with the Gentiles. They were crushed before him, ²² and he pursued them to the very gate of Ptolemais. About three thousand of the Gentiles fell, and he gathered their spoils. ²³ He took with him the Jews who were in Galilee and in Arbatta,^[aa] with their wives and children and all that they had, and brought them to Judea with great rejoicing.

^24 (X)Judas Maccabeus and his brother Jonathan crossed the Jordan and marched for three days through the wilderness. ²⁵ There they met some Nabateans,^[ab] who received them peaceably and told them all that had happened to their kindred in Gilead: ²⁶ “Many of them are shut up in Bozrah, in Bosor near Alema, in Chaspho, Maked, and Carnaim”—all of these are large, fortified cities— ²⁷ “and some are shut up in other cities of Gilead. Tomorrow their enemies plan to attack the strongholds and to seize and destroy all these people in one day.”

²⁸ Thereupon Judas suddenly changed direction with his army, marched across the wilderness to Bozrah, and captured the city. He put every male to the sword, took all their spoils, and set fire to the city. ^29 [ac]He led his army from that place by night, and they marched toward the stronghold. ³⁰ When morning came, they looked ahead and saw a countless multitude, with ladders and machines for capturing the stronghold, beginning to attack. ³¹ When Judas perceived that the struggle had begun and that the noise of the battle was resounding to heaven with trumpet blasts and loud shouting, ³² he said to the men of his army, “Fight for our kindred today.” ³³ He came up behind them with three columns blowing their trumpets and crying out in prayer. ³⁴ When the army of Timothy realized that it was Maccabeus, they fled before him, and he inflicted on them a great defeat. About eight thousand of their men fell that day.

³⁵ Then he turned toward Alema^[ad] and attacked and captured it; he killed every male, took spoils, and burned it down. ³⁶ From there he moved on and took Chaspho, Maked, Bosor, and the other cities of Gilead.

^37 (Y)After these events Timothy assembled another army and camped opposite Raphon, on the other side of the wadi. ³⁸ Judas sent men to spy on the camp, and they reported to him: “All the Gentiles around us have rallied to him, making a very large force; ³⁹ they have also hired Arabians to help them, and have camped beyond the wadi, ready to attack you.” So Judas went forward to meet them.

⁴⁰ As Judas and his army were approaching the flowing wadi, Timothy said to the officers of his army: “If he crosses over to us first, we shall not be able to resist him; he will certainly defeat us.^{(Z) 41} But if he is hesitant and camps on the other side of the river, we will cross over to him and defeat him.” ⁴² But when Judas reached the flowing wadi, he stationed the officers of the people beside it and gave them this order: “Do not allow anyone to encamp; all must go into battle.” ⁴³ He was the first to cross to the attack, with all the people behind him, and all the Gentiles were crushed before them. They threw away their arms and fled to the temple enclosure at Carnaim. ⁴⁴ But Judas’ troops captured the city and burnt the temple enclosure with all who were in it. So Carnaim was subdued, and Judas met with no more resistance.

Return to Jerusalem. ^45 (AA)Then Judas assembled all the Israelites, great and small, who were in Gilead, with their wives and children and their goods, a very large company, to go into the land of Judah. ⁴⁶ When they reached Ephron,^[ae] a large and strongly fortified city along the way, they found it impossible to go around it on either the right or the left; they would have to march right through it.^{(AB) 47} But the people in the city shut them out and blocked up the gates with stones. ⁴⁸ Then Judas sent them this peaceful message: “Let us cross your territory in order to reach our own; no one will harm you; we will only march through.” But they would not open to him. ⁴⁹ So Judas ordered a proclamation to be made in the camp that everyone should take up positions where they were. ⁵⁰ When the men of the army took up their positions, he assaulted the city all that day and night, and it was delivered into his hand. ⁵¹ He put every male to the sword, leveled the city, took spoils and passed through it over the slain.

⁵² Then they crossed the Jordan to the great plain in front of Beth-shan; ⁵³ and Judas kept gathering the stragglers and encouraging the people the whole way, until he reached the land of Judah. ⁵⁴ They ascended Mount Zion in joy and gladness and sacrificed burnt offerings, because not one of them had fallen; they had returned in safety.

Joseph and Azariah Defeated. ⁵⁵ In those days when Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Gilead, and Simon his brother was in Galilee opposite Ptolemais, ⁵⁶ Joseph, son of Zechariah, and Azariah, the leaders of the army, heard about the brave deeds and the fighting that they were doing. ⁵⁷ They said, “Let us also make a name for ourselves by going out and fighting against the Gentiles around us.” ⁵⁸ They gave orders to those of their army who were with them, and marched against Jamnia.^{[af] 59} But Gorgias and his men came out of the city to meet them in battle. ⁶⁰ Joseph and Azariah were routed and were pursued to the frontiers of Judea, and about two thousand Israelites fell that day. ⁶¹ It was a great setback for the people, because they had not obeyed Judas and his brothers, thinking that they would do brave deeds. ⁶² But they were not of the family through whom Israel’s deliverance was given.

Victories at Hebron and Azotus. ⁶³ The valiant Judas and his brothers were greatly honored in all Israel and among all the Gentiles, wherever their name was heard; ⁶⁴ and people gathered about them and praised them.

^65 (AC)Then Judas and his brothers went out and attacked the Edomites in the land toward the south; he took Hebron and its villages, and he destroyed its strongholds and burned the towers around it. ⁶⁶ He then set out for the land of the foreigners and passed through Marisa. ⁶⁷ On that day some priests fell in battle who had gone out rashly to fight in their desire to do brave deeds. ⁶⁸ Judas then turned toward Azotus in the land of the foreigners. He destroyed their altars and burned the carved images of their gods; and after plundering their cities he returned to the land of Judah.

Chapter 6

^1 (AD)As King Antiochus passed through the eastern provinces, he heard that in Persia there was a city, Elam,^[ag] famous for its wealth in silver and gold, ² and that its temple was very rich, containing gold helmets, breastplates, and weapons left there by the first king of the Greeks, Alexander, son of Philip, king of Macedon. ³ He went therefore and tried to capture and loot the city. But he could not do so, because his plan became known to the people of the city ⁴ who rose up in battle against him. So he fled and in great dismay withdrew from there to return to Babylon.

⁵ While he was in Persia, a messenger brought him news that the armies that had gone into the land of Judah had been routed; ⁶ that Lysias had gone at first with a strong army and been driven back; that the people of Judah had grown strong by reason of the arms, wealth, and abundant spoils taken from the armies they had cut down; ⁷ that they had pulled down the abomination which he had built upon the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded with high walls both the sanctuary, as it had been before, and his city of Beth-zur.^(AE)

⁸ When the king heard this news, he was astonished and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed. ⁹ There he remained many days, assailed by waves of grief, for he thought he was going to die. ¹⁰ So he called in all his Friends and said to them: “Sleep has departed from my eyes, and my heart sinks from anxiety. ¹¹ I said to myself: ‘Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule.’ ¹² But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. ¹³ I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land.”

¹⁴ Then he summoned Philip, one of his Friends, and put him in charge of his whole kingdom. ¹⁵ He gave him his diadem, his robe, and his signet ring, so that he might guide the king’s son Antiochus and bring him up to be king. ¹⁶ So King Antiochus died there in the one hundred and forty-ninth year.^{[ah] 17} When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he set up the king’s son Antiochus,^[ai] whom he had reared as a child, to be king in his place; and he gave him the title Eupator.^(AF)

Siege of the Citadel. ¹⁸ Those in the citadel were hemming Israel in around the sanctuary, continually trying to harm them and to strengthen the Gentiles.^{(AG) 19} And so Judas planned to destroy them, and assembled the people to besiege them. ²⁰ So in the one hundred and fiftieth year^[aj] they assembled and besieged the citadel, for which purpose he constructed platforms and siege engines. ²¹ But some of the besieged escaped, and some renegade Israelites joined them. ²² They went to the king and said: “How long will you fail to do justice and to avenge our kindred? ²³ We agreed to serve your father and to follow his orders and obey his edicts. ²⁴ And for this our own people have become our enemies; they have put to death as many of us as they could find and have seized our inheritances. ²⁵ They have acted aggressively not only against us, but throughout their whole territory. ²⁶ Look! Today they have besieged the citadel in Jerusalem in order to capture it, and they have fortified the sanctuary and Beth-zur. ²⁷ Unless you act quickly to prevent them, they will do even worse things than these, and you will not be able to stop them.”

^28 (AH)When the king heard this he was enraged, and he called together all his Friends, the officers of his army, and the commanders of the cavalry. ²⁹ Mercenary forces also came to him from other kingdoms and from the islands of the seas. ³⁰ His army numbered a hundred thousand footsoldiers, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war. ³¹ They passed through Idumea and camped before Beth-zur. For many days they attacked it; they constructed siege engines, but the besieged made a sortie and burned these, and they fought bravely.

Battle of Beth-zechariah. ³² Then Judas marched away from the citadel and moved his camp to Beth-zechariah,^[ak] opposite the king’s camp. ³³ The king, rising before dawn, moved his force hastily along the road to Beth-zechariah; and the troops prepared for battle and sounded the trumpet. ³⁴ They made the elephants drunk on the juice of grapes and mulberries to get them ready to fight. ³⁵ The beasts were distributed along the phalanxes, each elephant having assigned to it a thousand men in coats of mail, with bronze helmets on their heads, and five hundred picked cavalry. ³⁶ These accompanied the beast wherever it was; wherever it moved, they moved too and never left it. ³⁷ Each elephant was outfitted with a strong wooden tower, fastened to it by a harness; each tower held three soldiers who fought from it, besides the Indian driver. ³⁸ The remaining cavalry were stationed on one or the other of the two flanks of the army, to harass the enemy and to be protected by the phalanxes. ³⁹ When the sun shone on the gold and bronze shields, the mountains gleamed with their brightness and blazed like flaming torches. ⁴⁰ Part of the king’s army spread out along the heights, while some were on low ground, and they marched forward steadily in good order. ⁴¹ All who heard the noise of their numbers, the tramp of their marching, and the clanging of the arms, trembled; for the army was very great and strong.

⁴² Judas with his army advanced to fight, and six hundred men of the king’s army fell. ⁴³ Eleazar, called Avaran, saw one of the beasts covered with royal armor and bigger than any of the others, and so he thought the king was on it.^{(AI) 44} He gave up his life to save his people and win an everlasting name for himself. ⁴⁵ He dashed courageously up to it in the middle of the phalanx, killing men right and left, so that they parted before him. ⁴⁶ He ran under the elephant, stabbed it and killed it. The beast fell to the ground on top of him, and he died there. ⁴⁷ But when Judas’ troops saw the strength of the royal army and the ardor of its forces, they retreated from them.

The Siege of Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ Some of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem to attack them, and the king established camps in Judea and at Mount Zion. ⁴⁹ He made peace with the people of Beth-zur, and they evacuated the city, because they had no food there to enable them to withstand a siege, for that was a sabbath year in the land.^{[al](AJ) 50} The king took Beth-zur and stationed a garrison there to hold it. ⁵¹ For many days he besieged the sanctuary, setting up platforms and siege engines, fire-throwers, catapults and mechanical bows for shooting arrows and projectiles. ⁵² The defenders countered by setting up siege engines of their own, and kept up the fight a long time. ⁵³ But there were no provisions in the storerooms, because it was the seventh year, and the reserves had been eaten up by those who had been rescued from the Gentiles and brought to Judea. ⁵⁴ Few men remained in the sanctuary because the famine was too much for them; the rest scattered, each to his own home.

Peace Treaty. ^55 (AK)Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus, before his death, had appointed to train his son Antiochus to be king, ⁵⁶ had returned from Persia and Media with the army that accompanied the king, and that he was seeking to take over the government. ⁵⁷ So he hastily decided to withdraw. He said to the king, the leaders of the army, and the soldiers: “We are growing weaker every day, our provisions are scanty, the place we are besieging is strong, and it is our duty to take care of the affairs of the kingdom.^{(AL) 58} Therefore let us now come to terms with these people and make peace with them and all their nation. ⁵⁹ Let us grant them freedom to live according to their own laws as formerly; it was on account of their laws, which we abolished, that they became enraged and did all these things.”

⁶⁰ The proposal pleased the king and the leaders; he sent peace terms to the Jews, and they accepted. ⁶¹ So the king and the leaders swore an oath to them, and on these terms the Jews evacuated the fortification. ⁶² But when the king entered Mount Zion and saw how the place was fortified, he broke the oath he had sworn and gave orders to tear down the encircling wall. ⁶³ Then he departed in haste and returned to Antioch, where he found Philip in control of the city. He fought against him and took the city by force.

Chapter 7

Expedition of Bacchides and Alcimus. ^1 (AM)In the one hundred and fifty-first year,^[am] Demetrius, son of Seleucus, set out from Rome, arrived with a few men at a coastal city, and began to rule there. ² As he was entering the royal palace of his ancestors, the soldiers seized Antiochus and Lysias to bring them to him. ³ When he was informed of this, he said, “Do not show me their faces.” ⁴ So the soldiers killed them, and Demetrius assumed the royal throne.

⁵ Then all the lawless men and renegades of Israel came to him. They were led by Alcimus,^[an] who desired to be high priest. ⁶ They made this accusation to the king against the people: “Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends and have driven us out of our land. ⁷ So now, send a man whom you trust to go and see all the destruction Judas has wrought on us and on the king’s territory, and let him punish them and all their supporters.”

⁸ So the king chose Bacchides, one of the King’s Friends, who ruled the province of West-of-Euphrates, a great man in the kingdom, and faithful to the king. ⁹ He sent him and the renegade Alcimus, to whom he granted the high priesthood, with orders to take revenge on the Israelites. ¹⁰ They set out and, on arriving in the land of Judah with a great army, sent messengers who spoke deceitfully to Judas and his brothers in peaceful terms. ¹¹ But these paid no attention to their words, seeing that they had come with a great army.

¹² A group of scribes, however, gathered about Alcimus and Bacchides to ask for a just agreement. ^13 (AN)The Hasideans were the first among the Israelites to seek peace with them, ¹⁴ for they said, “A priest of the line of Aaron has come with the army, and he will not do us any wrong.” ¹⁵ He spoke with them peacefully and swore to them, “We will not seek to injure you or your friends.” ¹⁶ So they trusted him. But he arrested sixty of them and killed them in one day, according to the words that he wrote:^[ao]

¹⁸ Then fear and dread of them came upon all the people, who said: “There is no truth or justice among them; they violated the agreement and the oath that they swore.”

¹⁹ Bacchides withdrew from Jerusalem and camped in Beth-zaith.^[ap] He had many of the men who deserted to him arrested and some of the people. He killed them and threw them into a great cistern. ²⁰ He handed the province over to Alcimus, leaving troops to help him, while he himself returned to the king.

²¹ Alcimus struggled to maintain his high priesthood, ²² and all those who were troubling the people gathered about him. They took possession of the land of Judah and caused great distress in Israel. ²³ When Judas saw all the evils that Alcimus and those with him were bringing upon the Israelites, even more than the Gentiles had, ²⁴ he went about all the borders of Judea and took revenge on the men who had deserted, preventing them from going out into the country. ²⁵ But when Alcimus saw that Judas and his followers were gaining strength and realized that he could not resist them, he returned to the king and accused them of grave crimes.

Defeat of Nicanor. ^26 (AP)Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his honored officers, who was a bitter enemy of Israel, with orders to destroy the people. ²⁷ Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a large force and deceitfully sent to Judas^[aq] and his brothers this peaceable message: ²⁸ “Let there be no fight between me and you. I will come with a few men to meet you face to face in peace.”

²⁹ So he came to Judas, and they greeted one another peaceably. But Judas’ enemies were prepared to seize him. ³⁰ When he became aware that Nicanor had come to him with deceit in mind, Judas was afraid of him and would not meet him again.^{(AQ) 31} When Nicanor saw that his plan had been discovered, he went out to fight Judas near Capharsalama.^{[ar] 32} About five hundred men of Nicanor’s army fell; the rest fled to the City of David.^[as]

^33 (AR)After this, Nicanor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests from the sanctuary and some of the elders of the people came out to greet him peaceably and to show him the burnt offering that was being sacrificed for the king. ³⁴ But he mocked and ridiculed them, defiled them,^[at] and spoke arrogantly. ³⁵ In a rage he swore: “If Judas and his army are not delivered to me at once, when I return victorious I will burn this temple down.” He went away in great anger. ^36 (AS)The priests, however, went in and stood before the altar and the sanctuary. They wept and said: ³⁷ “You have chosen this house to bear your name, to be a house of prayer and supplication for your people. ³⁸ Take revenge on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword. Remember their blasphemies, and do not let them continue.”

³⁹ Nicanor left Jerusalem and camped at Beth-horon, where the Syrian army joined him. ⁴⁰ But Judas camped in Adasa^[au] with three thousand men. Here Judas uttered this prayer: ^41 (AT)“When they who were sent by the king^[av] blasphemed, your angel went out and killed a hundred and eighty-five thousand of them.^{(AU) 42} In the same way, crush this army before us today, and let the rest know that Nicanor spoke wickedly against your sanctuary; judge him according to his wickedness.”

⁴³ The armies met in battle on the thirteenth day of the month Adar. Nicanor’s army was crushed, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle.^{(AV) 44} When his army saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw down their weapons and fled. ⁴⁵ The Jews pursued them a day’s journey from Adasa to near Gazara, blowing the trumpets behind them as signals. ⁴⁶ From all the surrounding villages of Judea people came out and outflanked them. They turned them back, and all the enemies fell by the sword; not a single one escaped.

⁴⁷ Then the Jews collected the spoils and the plunder; they cut off Nicanor’s head and his right arm, which he had lifted up so arrogantly. These they brought and displayed in the sight of Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ The people rejoiced greatly, and observed that day as a day of much joy. ⁴⁹ They decreed that it should be observed every year on the thirteenth of Adar.^{[aw] 50} And so for a few days^[ax] the land of Judah was at rest.

Chapter 8

Eulogy of the Romans. ^1 [ay]Judas had heard of the reputation of the Romans. They were valiant fighters and acted amiably to all who took their side. They established a friendly alliance with all who applied to them. ² He was also told of their battles and the brave deeds that they performed against the Gauls,^[az] conquering them and forcing them to pay tribute; ³ and what they did in Spain to get possession of the silver and gold mines there. ⁴ By planning and persistence they subjugated the whole region, although it was very remote from their own. They also subjugated the kings who had come against them from the far corners of the earth until they crushed them and inflicted on them severe defeat. The rest paid tribute to them every year. ⁵ Philip^[ba] and Perseus, king of the Macedonians, and the others who opposed them in battle they overwhelmed and subjugated. ⁶ Antiochus^[bb] the Great, king of Asia, who fought against them with a hundred and twenty elephants and with cavalry and chariots and a very great army, was defeated by them. ⁷ They took him alive and obliged him and the kings who succeeded him to pay a heavy tribute, to give hostages and to cede ⁸ Lycia, Mysia, and Lydia^[bc] from among their best provinces. The Romans took these from him and gave them to King Eumenes. ^9 [bd]When the Greeks planned to come and destroy them, ¹⁰ the Romans discovered it, and sent against the Greeks a single general who made war on them. Many were wounded and fell, and the Romans took their wives and children captive. They plundered them, took possession of their land, tore down their strongholds and reduced them to slavery even to this day. ¹¹ All the other kingdoms and islands that had ever opposed them they destroyed and enslaved; with their friends, however, and those who relied on them, they maintained friendship. ¹² They subjugated kings both near and far, and all who heard of their fame were afraid of them. ¹³ Those whom they wish to help and to make kings, they make kings; and those whom they wish, they depose; and they were greatly exalted. ¹⁴ Yet with all this, none of them put on a diadem or wore purple as a display of grandeur. ¹⁵ But they made for themselves a senate chamber, and every day three hundred and twenty men took counsel, deliberating on all that concerned the people and their well-being. ¹⁶ They entrust their government to one man^[be] every year, to rule over their entire land, and they all obey that one, and there is no envy or jealousy among them.

Treaty with the Romans. ¹⁷ So Judas chose Eupolemus, son of John, son of Accos, and Jason, son of Eleazar, and sent them to Rome to establish friendship and alliance with them.^{(AW) 18} He did this to lift the yoke from Israel, for it was obvious that the kingdom of the Greeks was subjecting them to slavery. ¹⁹ After making a very long journey to Rome, the envoys entered the senate chamber and spoke as follows: ²⁰ “Judas, called Maccabeus, and his brothers, with the Jewish people, have sent us to you to establish alliance and peace with you, and to be enrolled among your allies and friends.” ²¹ The proposal pleased the Romans, ²² and this is a copy of the reply they inscribed on bronze tablets and sent to Jerusalem,^[bf] to remain there with the Jews as a record of peace and alliance:^(AX)

²³ “May it be well with the Romans and the Jewish nation at sea and on land forever; may sword and enemy be far from them. ²⁴ But if war is first made on Rome, or any of its allies in any of their dominions, ²⁵ the Jewish nation will fight along with them wholeheartedly, as the occasion shall demand; ²⁶ and to those who wage war they shall not give or provide grain, weapons, money, or ships, as seems best to Rome. They shall fulfill their obligations without receiving any recompense. ²⁷ In the same way, if war is made first on the Jewish nation, the Romans will fight along with them willingly, as the occasion shall demand, ²⁸ and to those who attack them there shall not be given grain, weapons, money, or ships, as seems best to Rome. They shall fulfill their obligations without deception. ²⁹ On these terms the Romans have made an agreement with the Jewish people. ³⁰ But if both parties hereafter agree to add or take away anything, they shall do as they choose, and whatever they shall add or take away shall be valid.

³¹ “Moreover, concerning the wrongs that King Demetrius is doing to them, we have written to him thus: ‘Why have you made your yoke heavy upon our friends and allies the Jews? ³² If they petition against you again, we will enforce justice and make war on you by sea and land.’”

Chapter 9

Death of Judas. ¹ When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he again sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah, along with the right wing of his army. ² They took the road to Galilee, and camping opposite the ascent at Arbela, they captured it^[bg] and killed many people. ³ In the first month of the one hundred and fifty-second year,^[bh] they encamped against Jerusalem. ⁴ Then they set out for Berea with twenty thousand men and two thousand cavalry. ⁵ Judas, with three thousand picked men, had camped at Elasa. ⁶ When they saw the great number of the troops, they were very much afraid, and many slipped away from the camp, until only eight hundred of them remained.

⁷ When Judas saw that his army was melting away just as the battle was imminent, he was brokenhearted, because he had no time to gather them together. ⁸ In spite of his discouragement he said to those who remained: “Let us go forward to meet our enemies; perhaps we can put up a good fight against them.” ⁹ They tried to dissuade him, saying: “We certainly cannot. Let us save our own lives now, and come back with our kindred, and then fight against them. Now we are too few.” ¹⁰ But Judas said: “Far be it from me to do such a thing as to flee from them! If our time has come, let us die bravely for our kindred and not leave a stain upon our honor!”

¹¹ Then the army of Bacchides moved out of camp and took its position for combat. The cavalry were divided into two squadrons, and the slingers and the archers came on ahead of the army, and in the front line were all the best warriors. Bacchides was on the right wing. ¹² Flanked by the two squadrons, the phalanx attacked as they blew their trumpets. Those who were on Judas’ side also blew their trumpets. ¹³ The earth shook with the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning until evening.

¹⁴ When Judas saw that Bacchides was on the right, with the main force of his army, all the most stouthearted rallied to him, ¹⁵ and the right wing was crushed; Judas pursued them as far as the mountain slopes.^{[bi] 16} But when those on the left wing saw that the right wing was crushed, they closed in behind Judas and those with him. ¹⁷ The battle became intense, and many on both sides fell wounded. ¹⁸ Then Judas fell, and the rest fled.

¹⁹ Jonathan and Simon took their brother Judas and buried him in the tomb of their ancestors at Modein. ²⁰ All Israel wept for him with great lamentation. They mourned for him many days, and they said, ²¹ “How the mighty one has fallen, the savior of Israel!”^{(AY) 22} The other acts of Judas, his battles, the brave deeds he performed, and his greatness have not been recorded; but they were very many.