1 Maccabees 1:20-28
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Robbery of the Temple. 20 (A)After Antiochus had defeated Egypt in the one hundred and forty-third year,[a] he returned and went up against Israel and against Jerusalem with a strong force. 21 He insolently entered the sanctuary[b] and took away the golden altar, the lampstand for the light with all its utensils, 22 the offering table, the cups and bowls, the golden censers, and the curtain. The cornices and the golden ornament on the facade of the temple—he stripped it all off. 23 And he took away the silver and gold and the precious vessels; he also took all the hidden treasures he could find. 24 Taking all this, he went back to his own country. He shed much blood and spoke with great arrogance.
25 And there was great mourning throughout all Israel,
26 and the rulers and the elders groaned.
Young women and men languished,
and the beauty of the women faded.
27 Every bridegroom took up lamentation,
while the bride sitting in her chamber mourned,
28 And the land quaked on account of its inhabitants,
and all the house of Jacob was clothed with shame.
Footnotes
- 1:20 Defeated Egypt in the one hundred and forty-third year: 169 B.C. No mention is made in 1 Maccabees of the second expedition to Egypt a year later, described in 2 Mc 5:1, 11; Dn 11:25, 29 records both.
- 1:21 Entered the sanctuary: to pay his soldiers, Antiochus seized the sacred vessels and the money deposited at the Temple (see 2 Mc 3:10–11).
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