Bible in 90 Days

Sabbath Reforms Begun

¹⁵ In those days I saw in Judah men treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on asses; and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I warned them on the day when they sold food. ¹⁶ Men of Tyre also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of wares and sold them on the sabbath to the people of Judah, and in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing which you are doing, profaning the sabbath day? ¹⁸ Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this evil on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.”

¹⁹ When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the sabbath. And I set some of my servants over the gates, that no burden might be brought in on the sabbath day. ²⁰ Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. ²¹ But I warned them and said to them, “Why do you lodge before the wall? If you do so again I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. ²² And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates, to keep the sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of thy steadfast love.

Mixed Marriages Condemned

²³ In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab; ²⁴ and half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but the language of each people. ²⁵ And I contended with them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair; and I made them take oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. ²⁶ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless foreign women made even him to sin. ²⁷ Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”

²⁸ And one of the sons of Jehoi′ada, the son of Eli′ashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanbal′lat the Hor′onite; therefore I chased him from me. ²⁹ Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

³⁰ Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; ³¹ and I provided for the wood offering, at appointed times, and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

1 The book of the acts^[a] of Tobit the son of To′biel, son of Anan′iel, son of Ad′uel, son of Gab′ael, of the descendants of As′iel and the tribe of Naph′tali, ² who in the days of Shalmane′ser,^[b] king of the Assyrians, was taken into captivity from Thisbe, which is to the south of Kedesh Naph′tali in Galilee above Asher.

Tobit’s Youth and Virtuous Life

³ I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I performed many acts of charity to my brethren and countrymen who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nin′eveh. ⁴ Now when I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of Naph′tali my forefather deserted the house of Jerusalem. This was the place which had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes should sacrifice and where the temple of the dwelling of the Most High was consecrated and established for all generations for ever.

⁵ All the tribes that joined in apostasy used to sacrifice to the calf^[c] Ba′al, and so did the house of Naph′tali my forefather. ⁶ But I alone went often to Jerusalem for the feasts, as it is ordained for all Israel by an everlasting decree. Taking the first fruits and the tithes of my produce and the first shearings, I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar. ⁷ Of all my produce I would give a tenth to the sons of Levi who ministered at Jerusalem; a second tenth I would sell, and I would go and spend the proceeds each year at Jerusalem; ⁸ the third tenth I would give to those to whom it was my duty, as Deb′orah my father’s mother had commanded me, for I was left an orphan by my father. ⁹ When I became a man I married Anna, a member of our family, and by her I became the father of Tobi′as.

Taken Captive to Nineveh

¹⁰ Now when I was carried away captive to Nin′eveh, all my brethren and my relatives ate the food of the Gentiles; ¹¹ but I kept myself from eating it, ¹² because I remembered God with all my heart. ¹³ Then the Most High gave me favor and good appearance in the sight of Shalmane′ser,^[d] and I was his buyer of provisions. ¹⁴ So I used to go into Media, and once at Rages in Media I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gab′ael, the brother of Gabri′as. ¹⁵ But when Shalmane′ser^[e] died, Sennach′erib his son reigned in his place; and under him the highways were unsafe, so that I could no longer go into Media.

Courage in Burying the Dead

¹⁶ In the days of Shalmane′ser^[f] I performed many acts of charity to my brethren. ¹⁷ I would give my bread to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw any one of my people dead and thrown out behind the wall of Nin′eveh, I would bury him. ¹⁸ And if Sennach′erib the king put to death any who came fleeing from Judea, I buried them secretly. For in his anger he put many to death. When the bodies were sought by the king, they were not found. ¹⁹ Then one of the men of Nin′eveh went and informed the king about me, that I was burying them; so I hid myself. When I learned that I was being searched for, to be put to death, I left home in fear. ²⁰ Then all my property was confiscated and nothing was left to me except my wife Anna and my son Tobi′as.

²¹ But not fifty^[g] days passed before two of Sennach′erib’s^[h] sons killed him, and they fled to the mountains of Ar′arat. Then Esarhad′don,^[i] his son, reigned in his place; and he appointed Ahi′kar, the son of my brother An′ael, over all the accounts of his kingdom and over the entire administration. ²² Ahi′kar interceded for me, and I returned to Nin′eveh. Now Ahi′kar was cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts, for Esarhad′don^[j] had appointed him second to himself.^[k] He was my nephew.

2 When I arrived home and my wife Anna and my son Tobi′as were restored to me, at the feast of Pentecost, which is the sacred festival of the seven weeks, a good dinner was prepared for me and I sat down to eat. ² Upon seeing the abundance of food I said to my son, “Go and bring whatever poor man of our brethren you may find who is mindful of the Lord, and I will wait for you.” ³ But he came back and said, “Father, one of our people has been strangled and thrown into the market place.” ⁴ So before I tasted anything I sprang up and removed the body^[l] to a place of shelter until sunset. ⁵ And when I returned I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow. ⁶ Then I remembered the prophecy of Amos, how he said,

And I wept.

Tobit Becomes Blind

⁷ When the sun had set I went and dug a grave and buried the body.^{[m] 8} And my neighbors laughed at me and said, “He is no longer afraid that he will be put to death for doing this; he once ran away, and here he is burying the dead again!” ⁹ On the same night I returned from burying him, and because I was defiled I slept by the wall of the courtyard, and my face was uncovered. ¹⁰ I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall and their fresh droppings fell into my open eyes and white films formed on my eyes. I went to physicians, but they did not help me. Ahi′kar, however, took care of me until he^[n] went to Elyma′is.^[o]

Tobit’s Wife Earns Their Livelihood

¹¹ Then my wife Anna earned money at women’s work. ¹² She used to send the product to the owners. Once when they paid her wages, they also gave her a kid; ¹³ and when she returned to me it began to bleat. So I said to her, “Where did you get the kid? It is not stolen, is it? Return it to the owners; for it is not right to eat what is stolen.” ¹⁴ And she said, “It was given to me as a gift in addition to my wages.” But I did not believe her, and told her to return it to the owners; and I blushed for her. Then she replied to me, “Where are your charities and your righteous deeds? You seem to know everything!”

Tobit’s Prayer

3 Then in my grief I wept, and I prayed in anguish, saying, ² “Righteous art thou, O Lord; all thy deeds and all thy ways are mercy and truth, and thou dost render true and righteous judgment for ever. ³ Remember me and look favorably upon me; do not punish me for my sins and for my unwitting offenses and those which my fathers committed before thee. ⁴ For they disobeyed thy commandments, and thou gavest us over to plunder, captivity, and death; thou madest us a byword of reproach in all the nations among which we have been dispersed. ⁵ And now thy many judgments are true in exacting penalty from me for my sins and those of my fathers, because we did not keep thy commandments. For we did not walk in truth before thee. ⁶ And now deal with me according to thy pleasure; command my spirit to be taken up, that I may depart and become dust. For it is better for me to die than to live, because I have heard false reproaches, and great is the sorrow within me. Command that I now be released from my distress to go to the eternal abode; do not turn thy face away from me.”

Sarah Falsely Accused

⁷ On the same day, at Ecbat′ana in Media, it also happened that Sarah, the daughter of Rag′uel, was reproached by her father’s maids, ⁸ because she had been given to seven husbands, and the evil demon Asmode′us had slain each of them before he had been with her as his wife. So the maids^[p] said to her, “Do you not know that you strangle your husbands? You already have had seven and have had no benefit from^[q] any of them. ⁹ Why do you beat us? If they are dead, go with them! May we never see a son or daughter of yours!”

Sarah’s Prayer for Death

¹⁰ When she heard these things she was deeply grieved, even to the thought of hanging herself. But she said, “I am the only child of my father; if I do this, it will be a disgrace to him, and I shall bring his old age down in sorrow to the grave.”^{[r] 11} So she prayed by her window and said, “Blessed art thou, O Lord my God, and blessed is thy holy and honored name for ever. May all thy works praise thee for ever. ¹² And now, O Lord, I have turned my eyes and my face toward thee. ¹³ Command that I be released from the earth and that I hear reproach no more. ¹⁴ Thou knowest, O Lord, that I am innocent of any sin with man, ¹⁵ and that I did not stain my name or the name of my father in the land of my captivity. I am my father’s only child, and he has no child to be his heir, no near kinsman or kinsman’s^[s] son for whom I should keep myself as wife. Already seven husbands of mine are dead. Why should I live? But if it be not pleasing to thee to take my life, command that respect be shown to me and pity be taken upon me, and that I hear reproach no more.”^[t]

An Answer to Prayer

¹⁶ The prayer of both was heard in the presence of the glory of the great God. ¹⁷ And Raph′ael^[u] was sent to heal the two of them: to scale away the white films of Tobit’s eyes; to give Sarah the daughter of Rag′uel in marriage to Tobi′as the son of Tobit, and to bind Asmode′us the evil demon, because Tobi′as was entitled to possess her. At that very moment Tobit returned and entered his house and Sarah the daughter of Rag′uel came down from her upper room.

Tobit Gives Instructions to His Son

4 On that day Tobit remembered the money which he had left in trust with Gab′ael at Rages in Media, and he said to himself: ² “I have asked for death. Why do I not call my son Tobi′as so that I may explain to him about the money^[v] before I die?” ³ So he called him and said, “My son, when I die, bury me, and do not neglect your mother. Honor her all the days of your life; do what is pleasing to her, and do not grieve her. ⁴ Remember, my son, that she faced many dangers for you while you were yet unborn. When she dies, bury her beside me in the same grave.

⁵ “Remember the Lord our God all your days, my son, and refuse to sin or to transgress his commandments. Live uprightly all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing. ⁶ For if you do what is true, your ways will prosper through your deeds. ⁷ Give alms from your possessions to all who live uprightly, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from any poor man, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. ⁸ If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. ⁹ So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. ¹⁰ For charity^[w] delivers from death and keeps you from entering the darkness; ¹¹ and for all who practice it charity is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High.

¹² “Beware, my son, of all immorality.^[x] First of all take a wife from among the descendants of your fathers and do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your father’s tribe; for we are the sons of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers of old, all took wives from among their brethren. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land. ¹³ So now, my son, love your brethren, and in your heart do not disdain your brethren and the sons and daughters of your people by refusing to take a wife for yourself from among them. For in pride there is ruin and great confusion; and in shiftlessness there is loss and great want, because shiftlessness is the mother of famine. ¹⁴ Do not hold over till the next day the wages of any man who works for you, but pay him at once; and if you serve God you will receive payment.

“Watch yourself, my son, in everything you do, and be disciplined in all your conduct. ¹⁵ And what you hate, do not do to any one. Do not drink wine to excess or let drunkenness go with you on your way. ¹⁶ Give of your bread to the hungry, and of your clothing to the naked. Give all your surplus to charity, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you made it. ¹⁷ Place your bread^[y] on the grave of the righteous, but give none to sinners. ¹⁸ Seek advice from every wise man, and do not despise any useful counsel. ¹⁹ Bless the Lord God on every occasion; ask him that your ways may be made straight and that all your paths and plans may prosper. For none of the nations has understanding; but the Lord himself gives all good things, and according to his will he humbles whomever he wishes.

Money Left in Trust with Gabael

“So, my son, remember my commands, and do not let them be blotted out of your mind. ²⁰ And now let me explain to you about the ten talents of silver which I left in trust with Gab′ael the son of Gabri′as at Rages in Media. ²¹ Do not be afraid, my son, because we have become poor. You have great wealth if you fear God and refrain from every sin and do what is pleasing in his sight.”

The Angel Raph′ael

5 Then Tobi′as answered him, “Father, I will do everything that you have commanded me; ² but how can I obtain the money when I do not know the man?” ³ Then Tobit gave him the receipt, and said to him, “Find a man to go with you and I will pay him wages as long as I live; and go and get the money.” ⁴ So he went to look for a man; and he found Raph′ael, who was an angel, ⁵ but Tobi′as^[z] did not know it. Tobi′as^[aa] said to him, “Can you go with me to Rages in Media? Are you acquainted with that region?” ⁶ The angel replied, “I will go with you; I am familiar with the way, and I have stayed with our brother Gab′ael.” ⁷ Then Tobi′as said to him, “Wait for me, and I shall tell my father.” ⁸ And he said to him, “Go, and do not delay.” So he went in and said to his father, “I have found some one to go with me.” He said, “Call him to me, so that I may learn to what tribe he belongs, and whether he is a reliable man to go with you.”

⁹ So Tobi′as^[ab] invited him in; he entered and they greeted each other. ¹⁰ Then Tobit said to him, “My brother, to what tribe and family do you belong? Tell me.” ¹¹ But he answered, “Are you looking for a tribe and a family or for a man whom you will pay to go with your son?” And Tobit said to him, “I should like to know, my brother, your people and your name.” ¹² He replied, “I am Azari′as the son of the great Anani′as, one of your relatives.” ¹³ Then Tobit said to him, “You are welcome, my brother. Do not be angry with me because I tried to learn your tribe and family. You are a relative of mine, of a good and noble lineage. For I used to know Anani′as and Jathan, the sons of the great Shema′iah, when we went together to Jerusalem to worship and offered the first-born of our flocks and the tithes of our produce. They did not go astray in the error of our brethren. My brother, you come of good stock. ¹⁴ But tell me, what wages am I to pay you—a drachma a day, and expenses for yourself as for my son? ¹⁵ And besides, I will add to your wages if you both return safe and sound.” So they agreed to these terms.

¹⁶ Then he said to Tobi′as, “Get ready for the journey, and good success to you both.” So his son made the preparations for the journey. And his father said to him, “Go with this man; God who dwells in heaven will prosper your way, and may his angel attend you.” So they both went out and departed, and the young man’s dog was with them.

¹⁷ But Anna,^[ac] his mother, began to weep, and said to Tobit, “Why have you sent our child away? Is he not the staff of our hands as he goes in and out before us? ¹⁸ Do not add money to money, but consider it as rubbish as compared to our child. ¹⁹ For the life that is given to us by the Lord is enough for us.” ²⁰ And Tobit said to her, “Do not worry, my sister; he will return safe and sound, and your eyes will see him. ²¹ For a good angel will go with him; his journey will be successful, and he will come back safe and sound.” ²² So she stopped weeping.

Journey to Rages

6 Now as they proceeded on their way they came at evening to the Tigris river and camped there. ² Then the young man went down to wash himself. A fish leaped up from the river and would have swallowed the young man; ³ and the angel said to him, “Catch the fish.” So the young man seized the fish and threw it up on the land. ⁴ Then the angel said to him, “Cut open the fish and take the heart and liver and gall and put them away safely.” ⁵ So the young man did as the angel told him; and they roasted and ate the fish.

And they both continued on their way until they came near to Ecbat′ana. ⁶ Then the young man said to the angel, “Brother Azari′as, of what use is the liver and heart and gall of the fish?” ⁷ He replied, “As for the heart and the liver, if a demon or evil spirit gives trouble to any one, you make a smoke from these before the man or woman, and that person will never be troubled again. ⁸ And as for the gall, anoint with it a man who has white films in his eyes, and he will be cured.”

Raph′ael’s Instructions

⁹ When they approached Ecbat′ana,^{[ad] 10} the angel said to the young man, “Brother, today we shall stay with Rag′uel. He is your relative, and he has an only daughter named Sarah. I will suggest that she be given to you in marriage, ¹¹ because you are entitled to her and to her inheritance, for you are her only eligible kinsman. ¹² The girl is also beautiful and sensible. Now listen to my plan. I will speak to her father, and as soon as we return from Rages we will celebrate the marriage. For I know that Rag′uel, according to the law of Moses, cannot give her to another man without incurring the penalty of death, because you rather than any other man are entitled to the inheritance.”

¹³ Then the young man said to the angel, “Brother Azari′as, I have heard that the girl has been given to seven husbands and that each died in the bridal chamber. ¹⁴ Now I am the only son my father has, and I am afraid that if I go in I will die as those before me did, for a demon is in love with her, and he harms no one except those who approach her. So now I fear that I may die and bring the lives of my father and mother to the grave in sorrow on my account. And they have no other son to bury them.”

^15 [ae]But the angel said to him, “Do you not remember the words with which your father commanded you to take a wife from among your own people? Now listen to me, brother, for she will become your wife; and do not worry about the demon, for this very night she will be given to you in marriage. ¹⁶ When you enter the bridal chamber, you shall take live ashes of incense and lay upon them some of the heart and liver of the fish so as to make a smoke. ¹⁷ Then the demon will smell it and flee away, and will never again return. And when you approach her, rise up, both of you, and cry out to the merciful God, and he will save you and have mercy on you. Do not be afraid, for she was destined for you from eternity. You will save her, and she will go with you, and I suppose that you will have children by her.” When Tobi′as heard these things, he fell in love with her and yearned deeply for her.

Arrival at Home of Raguel

7 When they reached Ecbat′ana and arrived at the house of Rag′uel, Sarah met them and greeted them. They returned her greeting, and she brought them into the house. ² Then Rag′uel said to his wife Edna, “How much the young man resembles my cousin Tobit!” ³ And Rag′uel asked them, “Where are you from, brethren?” They answered him, “We belong to the sons of Naph′tali, who are captives in Nin′eveh.” ⁴ So he said to them, “Do you know our brother Tobit?” And they said, “Yes, we do.” And he asked them, “Is he in good health?” ⁵ They replied, “He is alive and in good health.” And Tobi′as said, “He is my father.” ⁶ Then Rag′uel sprang up and kissed him and wept. ⁷ And he blessed him and exclaimed, “Son of that good and noble man!” When he heard that Tobit had lost his sight, he was stricken with grief and wept. ⁸ And his wife Edna and his daughter Sarah wept. They received them very warmly; and they killed a ram from the flock and set large servings of food before them.

Marriage of Tobias and Sarah

Then Tobi′as said to Raph′ael, “Brother Azari′as, speak of those things which you talked about on the journey, and let the matter be settled.” ⁹ So he communicated the proposal to Rag′uel. And Rag′uel said to Tobi′as, “Eat, drink, and be merry; ¹⁰ for it is your right to take my child. But let me explain the true situation to you. ¹¹ I have given my daughter to seven husbands, and when each came to her he died in the night. But for the present be merry.” And Tobi′as said, “I will eat nothing here until you make a binding agreement with me.” ¹² So Rag′uel said, “Take her right now, in accordance with the law. You are her relative, and she is yours. The merciful God will guide you both for the best.” ¹³ Then he called his daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand he gave her to Tobi′as to be his wife, saying, “Here she is; take her according to the law of Moses, and take her with you to your father.” And he blessed them.^{[af] 14} Next he called his wife Edna, and took a scroll and wrote out the contract; and they set their seals to it. ¹⁵ Then they began to eat.

¹⁶ And Rag′uel called his wife Edna and said to her, “Sister, make up the other room, and take her into it.” ¹⁷ So she did as he said, and took her there; and the girl^[ag] began to weep. But the mother^[ah] comforted her daughter in her tears, and said to her, ¹⁸ “Be brave, my child; the Lord of heaven and earth grant you joy^[ai] in place of this sorrow of yours. Be brave, my daughter.”

Tobias Routs the Demon

8 When they had finished eating, they escorted Tobi′as in to her. ² As he went he remembered the words of Raph′ael, and he took the live ashes of incense and put the heart and liver of the fish upon them and made a smoke. ³ And when the demon smelled the odor he fled to the remotest parts of Egypt, and the angel bound him. ⁴ When the door was shut and the two were alone, Tobi′as got up from the bed and said, “Sister, get up, and let us pray that the Lord may have mercy upon us.”^{[aj] 5} And Tobi′as began to pray,

⁷ And now, O Lord, I am not taking this sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old together with her.” ⁸ And she said with him, “Amen.” ⁹ Then they both went to sleep for the night.

But Rag′uel arose and went and dug a grave, ¹⁰ with the thought, “Perhaps he too will die.” ¹¹ Then Rag′uel went into his house ¹² and said to his wife Edna, “Send one of the maids to see whether he is alive; and if he is not, let us bury him without any one knowing about it.” ¹³ So the maid opened the door and went in, and found them both asleep. ¹⁴ And she came out and told them that he was alive. ¹⁵ Then Rag′uel blessed God and said,

¹⁸ Then he ordered his servants to fill in the grave.

Wedding Feast

¹⁹ After this he gave a wedding feast for them which lasted fourteen days. ²⁰ And before the days of the feast were over, Rag′uel declared by oath to Tobi′as^[ak] that he should not leave until the fourteen days of the wedding feast were ended, ²¹ that then he should take half of Rag′uel’s^[al] property and return in safety to his father, and that the rest would be his “when my wife and I die.”

The Money Recovered

9 Then Tobi′as called Raph′ael and said to him, ² “Brother Azari′as, take a servant and two camels with you and go to Gab′ael at Rages in Media and get the money for me; and bring him to the wedding feast. ³ For Rag′uel has sworn that I should not leave; ⁴ but my father is counting the days, and if I delay long he will be greatly distressed.” ⁵ So Raph′ael made the journey and stayed over night with Gab′ael. He gave him the receipt, and Gab′ael^[am] brought out the money bags with their seals intact and gave them to him. ⁶ In the morning they both got up early and came to the wedding feast. And Gab′ael blessed Tobi′as and his wife.^[an][ao]

Anxiety of the Parents

10 Now his father Tobit was counting each day, and when the days for the journey had expired and they did not arrive, ² he said, “Is it possible that he has been detained?^[ap] Or is it possible that Gab′ael has died and there is no one to give him the money?” ³ And he was greatly distressed. ⁴ And his wife said to him, “The lad has perished; his long delay proves it.” Then she began to mourn for him, and said, ⁵ “Am I not distressed, my child, that I let you go, you who are the light of my eyes?” ⁶ But Tobit said to her, “Be still and stop worrying; he is well.” ⁷ And she answered him, “Be still and stop deceiving me; my child has perished.” And she went out every day to the road by which they had left; she ate nothing in the daytime, and throughout the nights she never stopped mourning for her son Tobi′as, until the fourteen days of the wedding feast had expired which Rag′uel had sworn that he should spend there.

Tobias and Sarah Start for Home

At that time Tobi′as said to Rag′uel, “Send me back, for my father and mother have given up hope of ever seeing me again.” ⁸ But his father-in-law said to him, “Stay with me, and I will send messengers to your father, and they will inform him how things are with you.” ⁹ Tobi′as replied, “No, send me back to my father.” ¹⁰ So Rag′uel arose and gave him his wife Sarah and half of his property in slaves, cattle, and money. ¹¹ And when he had blessed them he sent them away, saying, “The God of heaven will prosper you, my children, before I die.” ¹² He said also to his daughter, “Honor your father-in-law and your mother-in-law; they are now your parents. Let me hear a good report of you.” And he kissed her. And Edna said to Tobi′as, “The Lord of heaven bring you back safely, dear brother, and grant me to see your children by my daughter Sarah, that I may rejoice before the Lord. See, I am entrusting my daughter to you; do nothing to grieve her.”

Homeward Journey

11 After this Tobi′as went on his way, praising God because he had made his journey a success. And he blessed Rag′uel and his wife Edna.

So he continued on his way until they came near to Nin′eveh. ² Then Raph′ael said to Tobi′as, “Are you not aware, brother, of how you left your father? ³ Let us run ahead of your wife and prepare the house. ⁴ And take the gall of the fish with you.” So they went their way, and the dog went along behind them.

⁵ Now Anna sat looking intently down the road for her son. ⁶ And she caught sight of him coming, and said to his father, “Behold, your son is coming, and so is the man who went with him!”

Tobit’s Sight Restored

⁷ Raph′ael said, “I know, Tobi′as, that your father will open his eyes. ⁸ You therefore must anoint his eyes with the gall; and when they smart he will rub them, and will cause the white films to fall away, and he will see you.”

⁹ Then Anna ran to meet them, and embraced her son, and said to him, “I have seen you, my child; now I am ready to die.” And they both wept. ¹⁰ Tobit started toward the door, and stumbled. But his son ran to him ¹¹ and took hold of his father, and he sprinkled the gall upon his father’s eyes, saying, “Be of good cheer, father.” ¹² And when his eyes began to smart he rubbed them, ¹³ and the white films scaled off from the corners of his eyes. ¹⁴ Then he saw his son and embraced him, and he wept and said, “Blessed art thou, O God, and blessed is thy name for ever, and blessed are all thy holy angels. ¹⁵ For thou hast afflicted me, but thou hast had mercy upon me; here I see my son Tobi′as!” And his son went in rejoicing, and he reported to his father the great things that had happened to him in Media.

¹⁶ Then Tobit went out to meet his daughter-in-law at the gate of Nin′eveh, rejoicing and praising God. Those who saw him as he went were amazed because he could see. ¹⁷ And Tobit gave thanks before them that God had been merciful to him. When Tobit came near to Sarah his daughter-in-law, he blessed her, saying, “Welcome, daughter! Blessed is God who has brought you to us, and blessed are your father and your mother.” So there was rejoicing among all his brethren in Nin′eveh. ¹⁸ Ahi′kar and his nephew Nadab^[aq] came, ¹⁹ and Tobi′as’ marriage was celebrated for seven days with great festivity.

Raph′ael’s Wages

12 Tobit then called his son Tobi′as and said to him, “My son, see to the wages of the man who went with you; and he must also be given more.” ² He replied, “Father, it would do me no harm to give him half of what I have brought back. ³ For he has led me back to you safely, he cured my wife, he obtained the money for me, and he also healed you.” ⁴ The old man said, “He deserves it.” ⁵ So he called the angel and said to him, “Take half of all that you two have brought back.”

Raph′ael’s Exhortation

⁶ Then the angel^[ar] called the two of them privately and said to them: “Praise God and give thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring the works of God. Do not be slow to give him thanks. ⁷ It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God. Do good, and evil will not overtake you. ⁸ Prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. ⁹ For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity^[as] and of righteousness will have fulness of life; ¹⁰ but those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives.

Raph′ael Discloses His Identity

¹¹ “I will not conceal anything from you. I have said, ‘It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God.’ ¹² And so, when you and your daughter-in-law Sarah prayed, I brought a reminder of your prayer before the Holy One; and when you buried the dead, I was likewise present with you. ¹³ When you did not hesitate to rise and leave your dinner in order to go and lay out the dead, your good deed was not hidden from me, but I was with you. ¹⁴ So now God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. ¹⁵ I am Raph′ael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One.”

¹⁶ They were both alarmed; and they fell upon their faces, for they were afraid. ¹⁷ But he said to them, “Do not be afraid; you will be safe. But praise God for ever. ¹⁸ For I did not come as a favor on my part, but by the will of our God. Therefore praise him for ever. ¹⁹ All these days I merely appeared to you and did not eat or drink, but you were seeing a vision. ²⁰ And now give thanks to God, for I am ascending to him who sent me. Write in a book everything that has happened.” ²¹ Then they stood up; but they saw him no more. ²² So they confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and acknowledged that the angel of the Lord had appeared to them.

Tobit’s Thanksgiving to God

13 Then Tobit wrote a prayer of rejoicing, and said:

Tobit’s Final Counsel

14 Here Tobit ended his words of praise. ² He was fifty-eight years old when he lost his sight, and after eight years he regained it. He gave alms, and he continued to fear the Lord God and to praise him. ³ When he had grown very old he called his son and grandsons, and said to him, “My son, take your sons; behold, I have grown old and am about to depart this life. ⁴ Go to Media, my son, for I fully believe what Jonah the prophet said about Nin′eveh, that it will be overthrown. But in Media there will be peace for a time. Our brethren will be scattered over the earth from the good land, and Jerusalem will be desolate. The house of God in it will be burned down and will be in ruins for a time. ⁵ But God will again have mercy on them, and bring them back into their land; and they will rebuild the house of God,^[aw] though it will not be like the former one until the times of the age are completed. After this they will return from the places of their captivity, and will rebuild Jerusalem in splendor. And the house of God will be rebuilt there with a glorious building for all generations for ever, just as the prophets said of it. ⁶ Then all the Gentiles will turn to fear the Lord God in truth, and will bury their idols. ⁷ All the Gentiles will praise the Lord, and his people will give thanks to God, and the Lord will exalt his people. And all who love the Lord God in truth and righteousness will rejoice, showing mercy to our brethren.

⁸ “So now, my son, leave Nin′eveh, because what the prophet Jonah said will surely happen. ⁹ But keep the law and the commandments, and be merciful and just, so that it may be well with you. ¹⁰ Bury me properly, and your mother with me. And do not live in Nin′eveh any longer. See, my son, what Nadab^[ax] did to Ahi′kar who had reared him, how he brought him from light into darkness, and with what he repaid him. But Ahi′kar was saved, and the other received repayment as he himself went down into the darkness. Ahi′kar^[ay] gave alms and escaped the deathtrap which Nadab^[az] had set for him; but Nadab^[ba] fell into the trap and perished. ¹¹ So now, my children, consider what almsgiving accomplishes and how righteousness delivers.” As he said this he died in his bed. He was a hundred and fifty-eight years old; and Tobi′as^[bb] gave him a magnificent funeral. ¹² And when Anna died he buried her with his father.

Death of Tobit and Anna

Then Tobi′as returned with his wife and his sons to Ecbat′ana, to Rag′uel his father-in-law. ¹³ He grew old with honor, and he gave his father-in-law and mother-in-law magnificent funerals. He inherited their property and that of his father Tobit. ¹⁴ He died in Ecbat′ana of Media at the age of a hundred and twenty-seven years. ¹⁵ But before he died he heard of the destruction of Nin′eveh, which Nebuchadnez′zar and Ahasu-e′rus had captured. Before his death he rejoiced over Nin′eveh.

Arphaxad Fortifies Ecbatana

1 In the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnez′zar, who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nin′eveh, in the days of Arphax′ad, who ruled over the Medes in Ecbat′ana— ² he is the king who built walls about Ecbat′ana with hewn stones three cubits thick and six cubits long; he made the walls seventy cubits high and fifty cubits wide; ³ at the gates he built towers a hundred cubits high and sixty cubits wide at the foundations; ⁴ and he made its gates, which were seventy cubits high and forty cubits wide, so that his armies could march out in force and his infantry form their ranks— ⁵ it was in those days that King Nebuchadnez′zar made war against King Arphax′ad in the great plain which is on the borders of Ragae. ⁶ He was joined by all the people of the hill country and all those who lived along the Euphra′tes and the Tigris and the Hydas′pes and in the plain where Ar′ioch ruled the Elymae′ans. Many nations joined the forces of the Chalde′ans.

Nebuchadnezzar Issues Ultimatum

⁷ Then Nebuchadnez′zar king of the Assyrians sent to all who lived in Persia and to all who lived in the west, those who lived in Cili′cia and Damas′cus and Leb′anon and Antileb′anon and all who lived along the seacoast, ⁸ and those among the nations of Carmel and Gil′ead, and Upper Galilee and the great Plain of Esdrae′lon, ⁹ and all who were in Samar′ia and its surrounding towns, and beyond the Jordan as far as Jerusalem and Bethany and Chel′ous and Kadesh and the river of Egypt, and Tah′panhes and Ra-am′ses and the whole land of Goshen, ¹⁰ even beyond Tanis and Memphis, and all who lived in Egypt as far as the borders of Ethiopia. ¹¹ But all who lived in the whole region disregarded the orders of Nebuchadnez′zar king of the Assyrians, and refused to join him in the war; for they were not afraid of him, but looked upon him as only one man,^[bc] and they sent back his messengers empty-handed and shamefaced.

Arphaxad Is Defeated

¹² Then Nebuchadnez′zar was very angry with this whole region, and swore by his throne and kingdom that he would surely take revenge on the whole territory of Cili′cia and Damas′cus and Syria, that he would kill them by the sword, and also all the inhabitants of the land of Moab, and the people of Ammon, and all Judea, and every one in Egypt, as far as the coasts of the two seas. ¹³ In the seventeenth year he led his forces against King Arphax′ad, and defeated him in battle, and overthrew the whole army of Arphax′ad, and all his cavalry and all his chariots. ¹⁴ Thus he took possession of his cities, and came to Ecbat′ana, captured its towers, plundered its markets, and turned its beauty into shame. ¹⁵ He captured Arphax′ad in the mountains of Ragae and struck him down with hunting spears; and he utterly destroyed him, to this day. ¹⁶ Then he returned with them to Nin′eveh, he and all his combined forces, a vast body of troops; and there he and his forces rested and feasted for one hundred and twenty days.

The Expedition against the West

2 In the eighteenth year, on the twenty-second day of the first month, there was talk in the palace of Nebuchadnez′zar king of the Assyrians about carrying out his revenge on the whole region, just as he said. ² He called together all his officers and all his nobles and set forth to them his secret plan and recounted fully, with his own lips, all the wickedness of the region;^{[bd] 3} and it was decided that every one who had not obeyed his command should be destroyed. ⁴ When he had finished setting forth his plan, Nebuchadnez′zar king of the Assyrians called Holofer′nes, the chief general of his army, second only to himself, and said to him,

⁵ “Thus says the Great King, the lord of the whole earth: When you leave my presence, take with you men confident in their strength, to the number of one hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and twelve thousand cavalry. ⁶ Go and attack the whole west country, because they disobeyed my orders. ⁷ Tell them to prepare earth and water, for I am coming against them in my anger, and will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of my armies, and will hand them over to be plundered by my troops,^{[be] 8} till their wounded shall fill their valleys, and every brook and river shall be filled with their dead, and overflow; ⁹ and I will lead them away captive to the ends of the whole earth. ¹⁰ You shall go and seize all their territory for me in advance. They will yield themselves to you, and you shall hold them for me till the day of their punishment. ¹¹ But if they refuse, your eye shall not spare and you shall hand them over to slaughter and plunder throughout your whole region. ¹² For as I live, and by the power of my kingdom, what I have spoken my hand will execute. ¹³ And you—take care not to transgress any of your sovereign’s commands, but be sure to carry them out just as I have ordered you; and do not delay about it.”

Campaign of Holofernes

¹⁴ So Holofer′nes left the presence of his master, and called together all the commanders, generals, and officers of the Assyrian army, ¹⁵ and mustered the picked troops by divisions as his lord had ordered him to do, one hundred and twenty thousand of them, together with twelve thousand archers on horseback, ¹⁶ and he organized them as a great army is marshaled for a campaign. ¹⁷ He collected a vast number of camels and asses and mules for transport, and innumerable sheep and oxen and goats for provision; ¹⁸ also plenty of food for every man, and a huge amount of gold and silver from the royal palace. ¹⁹ So he set out with his whole army, to go ahead of King Nebuchadnez′zar and to cover the whole face of the earth to the west with their chariots and horsemen and picked troops of infantry. ²⁰ Along with them went a mixed crowd like a swarm of locusts, like the dust of the earth—a multitude that could not be counted.

²¹ They marched for three days from Nin′eveh to the plain of Becti′leth, and camped opposite Becti′leth near the mountain which is to the north of Upper Cili′cia. ²² From there Holofer′nes^[bf] took his whole army, his infantry, cavalry, and chariots, and went up into the hill country ²³ and ravaged Put and Lud, and plundered all the people of Rassis and the Ish′maelites who lived along the desert, south of the country of the Chel′leans. ²⁴ Then he followed^[bg] the Euphra′tes and passed through Mesopota′mia and destroyed all the hilltop cities along the brook Abron, as far as the sea. ²⁵ He also seized the territory of Cili′cia, and killed every one who resisted him, and came to the southern borders of Japheth, fronting toward Arabia. ²⁶ He surrounded all the Mid′ianites, and burned their tents and plundered their sheepfolds. ²⁷ Then he went down into the plain of Damas′cus during the wheat harvest, and burned all their fields and destroyed their flocks and herds and sacked their cities and ravaged their lands and put to death all their young men with the edge of the sword.

²⁸ So fear and terror of him fell upon all the people who lived along the seacoast, at Sidon and Tyre, and those who lived in Sur and Oci′na and all who lived in Jam′nia. Those who lived in Azo′tus and As′calon feared him exceedingly.

Entreaties for Peace

3 So they sent messengers to sue for peace, and said, ² “Behold, we the servants of Nebuchadnez′zar, the Great King, lie prostrate before you. Do with us whatever you will. ³ Behold, our buildings, and all our land, and all our wheat fields, and our flocks and herds, and all our sheepfolds with their tents, lie before you; do with them whatever you please. ⁴ Our cities also and their inhabitants are your slaves; come and deal with them in any way that seems good to you.”

⁵ The men came to Holofer′nes and told him all this. ⁶ Then he went down to the seacoast with his army and stationed garrisons in the hilltop cities and took picked men from them as his allies. ⁷ And these people and all in the country round about welcomed him with garlands and dances and tambourines. ⁸ And he demolished all their shrines^[bh] and cut down their sacred groves; for it had been given to him to destroy all the gods of the land, so that all nations should worship Nebuchadnez′zar only, and all their tongues and tribes should call upon him as god.

⁹ Then he came to the edge of Esdrae′lon, near Dothan, fronting the great ridge of Judea; ¹⁰ here he camped between Geba and Scythop′olis, and remained for a whole month in order to assemble all the supplies for his army.

Judea on the Alert

4 By this time the people of Israel living in Judea heard of everything that Holofer′nes, the general of Nebuchadnez′zar the king of the Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he had plundered and destroyed all their temples; ² they were therefore very greatly terrified at his approach, and were alarmed both for Jerusalem and for the temple of the Lord their God. ³ For they had only recently returned from the captivity, and all the people of Judea were newly gathered together, and the sacred vessels and the altar and the temple had been consecrated after their profanation. ⁴ So they sent to every district of Samar′ia, and to Kona and Beth-hor′on and Belma′in and Jericho and to Choba and Aesor′a and the valley of Salem, ⁵ and immediately seized all the high hilltops and fortified the villages on them and stored up food in preparation for war—since their fields had recently been harvested. ⁶ And Jo′akim, the high priest, who was in Jerusalem at the time, wrote to the people of Bethu′lia and Betomestha′im, which faces Esdrae′lon opposite the plain near Dothan, ⁷ ordering them to seize the passes up into the hills, since by them Judea could be invaded, and it was easy to stop any who tried to enter, for the approach was narrow, only wide enough for two men at the most.

Prayer and Penance

⁸ So the Israelites did as Jo′akim the high priest and the senate of the whole people of Israel, in session at Jerusalem, had given order. ⁹ And every man of Israel cried out to God with great fervor, and they humbled themselves with much fasting. ¹⁰ They and their wives and their children and their cattle and every resident alien and hired laborer and purchased slave—they all girded themselves with sackcloth. ¹¹ And all the men and women of Israel, and their children, living at Jerusalem, prostrated themselves before the temple and put ashes on their heads and spread out their sackcloth before the Lord. ¹² They even surrounded the altar with sackcloth and cried out in unison, praying earnestly to the God of Israel not to give up their infants as prey and their wives as booty, and the cities they had inherited to be destroyed, and the sanctuary to be profaned and desecrated to the malicious joy of the Gentiles. ¹³ So the Lord heard their prayers and looked upon their affliction; for the people fasted many days throughout Judea and in Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty. ¹⁴ And Jo′akim the high priest and all the priests who stood before the Lord and ministered to the Lord, with their loins girded with sackcloth, offered the continual burnt offerings and the vows and freewill offerings of the people. ¹⁵ With ashes upon their turbans, they cried out to the Lord with all their might to look with favor upon the whole house of Israel.

Council against the Israelites

5 When Holofer′nes, the general of the Assyrian army, heard that the people of Israel had prepared for war and had closed the passes in the hills and fortified all the high hilltops and set up barricades in the plains, ² he was very angry. So he called together all the princes of Moab and the commanders of Ammon and all the governors of the coastland, ³ and said to them, “Tell me, you Canaanites, what people is this that lives in the hill country? What cities do they inhabit? How large is their army, and in what does their power or strength consist? Who rules over them as king, leading their army? ⁴ And why have they alone, of all who live in the west, refused to come out and meet me?”

Achior’s Report

⁵ Then Ach′ior, the leader of all the Am′monites, said to him, “Let my lord now hear a word from the mouth of your servant, and I will tell you the truth about this people that dwells in the nearby mountain district. No falsehood shall come from your servant’s mouth. ⁶ This people is descended from the Chalde′ans. ⁷ At one time they lived in Mesopota′mia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers who were in Chalde′a. ⁸ For they had left the ways of their ancestors, and they worshiped the God of heaven, the God they had come to know; hence they drove them out from the presence of their gods; and they fled to Mesopota′mia, and lived there for a long time. ⁹ Then their God commanded them to leave the place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan. There they settled, and prospered, with much gold and silver and very many cattle. ¹⁰ When a famine spread over Canaan they went down to Egypt and lived there as long as they had food; and there they became a great multitude—so great that they could not be counted. ¹¹ So the king of Egypt became hostile to them; he took advantage of them and set them to making bricks, and humbled them and made slaves of them. ¹² Then they cried out to their God, and he afflicted the whole land of Egypt with incurable plagues; and so the Egyptians drove them out of their sight. ¹³ Then God dried up the Red Sea before them, ¹⁴ and he led them by the way of Sinai and Ka′desh-bar′nea, and drove out all the people of the wilderness. ¹⁵ So they lived in the land of the Am′orites, and by their might destroyed all the inhabitants of Heshbon; and crossing over the Jordan they took possession of all the hill country. ¹⁶ And they drove out before them the Canaanites and the Per′izzites and the Jeb′usites and the She′chemites and all the Ger′gesites, and lived there a long time. ¹⁷ As long as they did not sin against their God they prospered, for the God who hates iniquity is with them. ¹⁸ But when they departed from the way which he had appointed for them, they were utterly defeated in many battles and were led away captive to a foreign country; the temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were captured by their enemies. ¹⁹ But now they have returned to their God, and have come back from the places to which they were scattered, and have occupied Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and have settled in the hill country, because it was uninhabited. ²⁰ Now therefore, my master and lord, if there is any unwitting error in this people and they sin against their God and we find out their offense, then we will go up and defeat them. ²¹ But if there is no transgression in their nation, then let my lord pass them by; for their Lord will defend them, and their God will protect them, and we shall be put to shame before the whole world.”

²² When Ach′ior had finished saying this, all the men standing around the tent began to complain; Holofer′nes’ officers and all the men from the seacoast and from Moab insisted that he must be put to death. ²³ “For,” they said, “we will not be afraid of the Israelites; they are a people with no strength or power for making war. ²⁴ Therefore let us go up, Lord Holofer′nes, and they will be devoured by your vast army.”

Achior Handed over to the Israelites

6 When the disturbance made by the men outside the council died down, Holofer′nes, the commander of the Assyrian army, said to Ach′ior and all the Mo′abites in the presence of all the foreign contingents:

² “And who are you, Ach′ior, and you hirelings of E′phraim, to prophesy among us as you have done today and tell us not to make war against the people of Israel because their God will defend them? Who is God except Nebuchadnez′zar? ³ He will send his forces and will destroy them from the face of the earth, and their God will not deliver them—we the king’s^[bi] servants will destroy them as one man. They cannot resist the might of our cavalry. ⁴ We will burn them up,^[bj] and their mountains will be drunk with their blood, and their fields will be full of their dead. They^[bk] cannot withstand us, but will utterly perish. So says King Nebuchadnez′zar, the lord of the whole earth. For he has spoken; none of his words shall be in vain.

⁵ “But you, Ach′ior, you Am′monite hireling, who have said these words on the day of your iniquity, you shall not see my face again from this day until I take revenge on this race that came out of Egypt. ⁶ Then the sword of my army and the spear^[bl] of my servants shall pierce your sides, and you shall fall among their wounded, when I return. ⁷ Now my slaves are going to take you back into the hill country and put you in one of the cities beside the passes, ⁸ and you will not die until you perish along with them. ⁹ If you really hope in your heart that they will not be taken, do not look downcast! I have spoken and none of my words shall fail.”

¹⁰ Then Holofer′nes ordered his slaves, who waited on him in his tent, to seize Ach′ior and take him to Bethu′lia and hand him over to the men of Israel. ¹¹ So the slaves took him and led him out of the camp into the plain, and from the plain they went up into the hill country and came to the springs below Bethu′lia. ¹² When the men of the city saw them,^[bm] they caught up their weapons and ran out of the city to the top of the hill, and all the slingers kept them from coming up by casting stones at them. ¹³ However, they got under the shelter of the hill and they bound Ach′ior and left him lying at the foot of the hill, and returned to their master.

¹⁴ Then the men of Israel came down from their city and found him; and they untied him and brought him into Bethu′lia and placed him before the magistrates of their city, ¹⁵ who in those days were Uzzi′ah the son of Micah, of the tribe of Sim′eon, and Chabris the son of Gothon′iel, and Charmis the son of Mel′chiel. ¹⁶ They called together all the elders of the city, and all their young men and their women ran to the assembly; and they set Ach′ior in the midst of all their people, and Uzzi′ah asked him what had happened. ¹⁷ He answered and told them what had taken place at the council of Holofer′nes, and all that he had said in the presence of the Assyrian leaders, and all that Holofer′nes had said so boastfully against the house of Israel. ¹⁸ Then the people fell down and worshiped God, and cried out to him, and said,

¹⁹ “O Lord God of heaven, behold their arrogance, and have pity on the humiliation of our people, and look this day upon the faces of those who are consecrated to thee.”

²⁰ Then they consoled Ach′ior, and praised him greatly. ²¹ And Uzzi′ah took him from the assembly to his own house and gave a banquet for the elders; and all that night they called on the God of Israel for help.

The Campaign against Bethulia

7 The next day Holofer′nes ordered his whole army, and all the allies who had joined him, to break camp and move against Bethu′lia, and to seize the passes up into the hill country and make war on the Israelites. ² So all their warriors moved their camp that day; their force of men of war was one hundred and seventy thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, together with the baggage and the foot soldiers handling it, a very great multitude. ³ They encamped in the valley near Bethu′lia, beside the spring, and they spread out in breadth over Dothan as far as Balba′im and in length from Bethu′lia to Cy′amon, which faces Esdrae′lon.

⁴ When the Israelites saw their vast numbers they were greatly terrified, and every one said to his neighbor, “These men will now lick up the face of the whole land; neither the high mountains nor the valleys nor the hills will bear their weight.” ⁵ Then each man took up his weapons, and when they had kindled fires on their towers they remained on guard all that night.

⁶ On the second day Holofer′nes led out all his cavalry in full view of the Israelites in Bethu′lia, ⁷ and examined the approaches to the city, and visited the springs that supplied their water, and seized them and set guards of soldiers over them, and then returned to his army.

⁸ Then all the chieftains of the people of Esau and all the leaders of the Mo′abites and the commanders of the coastland came to him and said, ⁹ “Let our lord hear a word, lest his army be defeated. ¹⁰ For these people, the Israelites, do not rely on their spears but on the height of the mountains where they live, for it is not easy to reach the tops of their mountains. ¹¹ Therefore, my lord, do not fight against them in battle array, and not a man of your army will fall. ¹² Remain in your camp, and keep all the men in your forces with you; only let your servants take possession of the spring of water that flows from the foot of the mountain— ¹³ for this is where all the people of Bethu′lia get their water. So thirst will destroy them, and they will give up their city. We and our people will go up to the tops of the nearby mountains and camp there to keep watch that not a man gets out of the city. ¹⁴ They and their wives and children will waste away with famine, and before the sword reaches them they will be strewn about in the streets where they live. ¹⁵ So you will pay them back with evil, because they rebelled and did not receive you peaceably.”

¹⁶ These words pleased Holofer′nes and all his servants, and he gave orders to do as they had said. ¹⁷ So the army of the Am′monites moved forward, together with five thousand Assyrians, and they encamped in the valley and seized the water supply and the springs of the Israelites. ¹⁸ And the sons of Esau and the sons of Ammon went up and encamped in the hill country opposite Dothan; and they sent some of their men toward the south and the east, toward Acr′aba, which is near Chusi beside the brook Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army encamped in the plain, and covered the whole face of the land, and their tents and supply trains spread out in great number, and they formed a vast multitude.

The Distress of the Israelites

¹⁹ The people of Israel cried out to the Lord their God, for their courage failed, because all their enemies had surrounded them and there was no way of escape from them. ²⁰ The whole Assyrian army, their infantry, chariots, and cavalry, surrounded them for thirty-four days, until all the vessels of water belonging to every inhabitant of Bethu′lia were empty; ²¹ their cisterns were going dry, and they did not have enough water to drink their fill for a single day, because it was measured out to them to drink. ²² Their children lost heart, and the women and young men fainted from thirst and fell down in the streets of the city and in the passages through the gates; there was no strength left in them any longer.

²³ Then all the people, the young men, the women, and the children, gathered about Uzzi′ah and the rulers of the city and cried out with a loud voice, and said before all the elders, ²⁴ “God be judge between you and us! For you have done us a great injury in not making peace with the Assyrians. ²⁵ For now we have no one to help us; God has sold us into their hands, to strew us on the ground before them with thirst and utter destruction. ²⁶ Now call them in and surrender the whole city to the army of Holofer′nes and to all his forces, to be plundered. ²⁷ For it would be better for us to be captured by them;^[bn] for we will be slaves, but our lives will be spared, and we shall not witness the death of our babes before our eyes, or see our wives and children draw their last breath. ²⁸ We call to witness against you heaven and earth and our God, the Lord of our fathers, who punishes us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers. Let him not do this day the things which we have described!”

²⁹ Then great and general lamentation arose throughout the assembly, and they cried out to the Lord God with a loud voice. ³⁰ And Uzzi′ah said to them, “Have courage, my brothers! Let us hold out for five more days; by that time the Lord our God will restore to us his mercy, for he will not forsake us utterly. ³¹ But if these days pass by, and no help comes for us, I will do what you say.”

³² Then he dismissed the people to their various posts, and they went up on the walls and towers of their city. The women and children he sent home. And they were greatly depressed in the city.

The Character of Judith

8 At that time Judith heard about these things: she was the daughter of Merar′i the son of Ox, son of Joseph, son of O′ziel, son of Elki′ah, son of Anani′as, son of Gid′eon, son of Raph′a-im, son of Ahi′tub, son of Eli′jah, son of Hilki′ah, son of El′iab, son of Nathan′ael, son of Salam′iel, son of Sarasad′ai, son of Israel.^{[bo] 2} Her husband Manas′seh, who belonged to her tribe and family, had died during the barley harvest. ³ For as he stood overseeing the men who were binding sheaves in the field, he was overcome by the burning heat, and took to his bed and died in Bethu′lia his city. So they buried him with his fathers in the field between Dothan and Bala′mon. ⁴ Judith had lived at home as a widow for three years and four months. ⁵ She set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house, and girded sackcloth about her loins and wore the garments of her widowhood. ⁶ She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except the day before the sabbath and the sabbath itself, the day before the new moon and the day of the new moon, and the feasts and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel. ⁷ She was beautiful in appearance, and had a very lovely face; and her husband Manas′seh had left her gold and silver, and men and women slaves, and cattle, and fields; and she maintained this estate. ⁸ No one spoke ill of her, for she feared God with great devotion.

Judith and the Elders

⁹ When Judith heard the wicked words spoken by the people against the ruler, because they were faint for lack of water, and when she heard all that Uzzi′ah said to them, and how he promised them under oath to surrender the city to the Assyrians after five days, ¹⁰ she sent her maid, who was in charge of all she possessed, to summon^[bp] Chabris and Charmis, the elders of her city. ¹¹ They came to her, and she said to them,

“Listen to me, rulers of the people of Bethu′lia! What you have said to the people today is not right; you have even sworn and pronounced this oath between God and you, promising to surrender the city to our enemies unless the Lord turns and helps us within so many days. ¹² Who are you, that have put God to the test this day, and are setting yourselves up in the place of^[bq] God among the sons of men? ¹³ You are putting the Lord Almighty to the test—but you will never know anything! ¹⁴ You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart, nor find out what a man is thinking; how do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and find out his mind or comprehend his thought? No, my brethren, do not provoke the Lord our God to anger. ¹⁵ For if he does not choose to help us within these five days, he has power to protect us within any time he pleases, or even to destroy us in the presence of our enemies. ¹⁶ Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God; for God is not like man, to be threatened, nor like a human being, to be won over by pleading. ¹⁷ Therefore, while we wait for his deliverance, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it pleases him.

¹⁸ “For never in our generation, nor in these present days, has there been any tribe or family or people or city of ours which worshiped gods made with hands, as was done in days gone by— ¹⁹ and that was why our fathers were handed over to the sword, and to be plundered, and so they suffered a great catastrophe before our enemies. ²⁰ But we know no other god but him, and therefore we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our nation. ²¹ For if we are captured all Judea will be captured and our sanctuary will be plundered; and he will exact of us^[br] the penalty for its desecration. ²² And the slaughter of our brethren and the captivity of the land and the desolation of our inheritance—all this he will bring upon our heads among the Gentiles, wherever we serve as slaves; and we shall be an offense and a reproach in the eyes of those who acquire us. ²³ For our slavery will not bring us into favor, but the Lord our God will turn it to dishonor.

²⁴ “Now therefore, brethren, let us set an example to our brethren, for their lives depend upon us, and the sanctuary and the temple and the altar rest upon us. ²⁵ In spite of everything let us give thanks to the Lord our God, who is putting us to the test as he did our forefathers. ²⁶ Remember what he did with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopota′mia in Syria, while he was keeping the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother. ²⁷ For he has not tried us with fire, as he did them, to search their hearts, nor has he taken revenge upon us; but the Lord scourges those who draw near to him, in order to admonish them.”

²⁸ Then Uzzi′ah said to her, “All that you have said has been spoken out of a true heart, and there is no one who can deny your words. ²⁹ Today is not the first time your wisdom has been shown, but from the beginning of your life all the people have recognized your understanding, for your heart’s disposition is right. ³⁰ But the people were very thirsty, and they compelled us to do for them what we have promised, and made us take an oath which we cannot break. ³¹ So pray for us, since you are a devout woman, and the Lord will send us rain to fill our cisterns and we will no longer be faint.”

³² Judith said to them, “Listen to me. I am about to do a thing which will go down through all generations of our descendants. ³³ Stand at the city gate tonight, and I will go out with my maid; and within the days after which you have promised to surrender the city to our enemies, the Lord will deliver Israel by my hand. ³⁴ Only, do not try to find out what I plan; for I will not tell you until I have finished what I am about to do.”

³⁵ Uzzi′ah and the rulers said to her, “Go in peace, and may the Lord God go before you, to take revenge upon our enemies.” ³⁶ So they returned from the tent and went to their posts.

The Prayer of Judith

9 Then Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes on her head, and uncovered the sackcloth she was wearing; and at the very time when that evening’s incense was being offered in the house of God in Jerusalem, Judith cried out to the Lord with a loud voice, and said,

² “O Lord God of my father Sim′eon, to whom thou gavest a sword to take revenge on the strangers who had loosed the girdle^[bs] of a virgin to defile her, and uncovered her thigh to put her to shame, and polluted her womb to disgrace her; for thou hast said, ‘It shall not be done’—yet they did it. ³ So thou gavest up their rulers to be slain, and their bed, which was ashamed of the deceit they had practiced, to be stained with blood, and thou didst strike down slaves along with princes, and princes on their thrones; ⁴ and thou gavest their wives for a prey and their daughters to captivity, and all their booty to be divided among thy beloved sons, who were zealous for thee, and abhorred the pollution of their blood, and called on thee for help—O God, my God, hear me also, a widow.

⁵ “For thou hast done these things and those that went before and those that followed; thou hast designed the things that are now, and those that are to come. Yea, the things thou didst intend came to pass, ⁶ and the things thou didst will presented themselves and said, ‘Lo, we are here’; for all thy ways are prepared in advance, and thy judgment is with foreknowledge.

⁷ “Behold now, the Assyrians are increased in their might; they are exalted, with their horses and riders; they glory in the strength of their foot soldiers; they trust in shield and spear, in bow and sling, and know not that thou art the Lord who crushest wars; the Lord is thy name. ⁸ Break their strength by thy might, and bring down their power in thy anger; for they intend to defile thy sanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where thy glorious name rests, and to cast down the horn of thy altar with the sword. ⁹ Behold their pride, and send thy wrath upon their heads; give to me, a widow, the strength to do what I plan. ¹⁰ By the deceit of my lips strike down the slave with the prince and the prince with his servant; crush their arrogance by the hand of a woman.

¹¹ “For thy power depends not upon numbers, nor thy might upon men of strength; for thou art God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forlorn, savior of those without hope. ¹² Hear, O hear me, God of my father, God of the inheritance of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all thy creation, hear my prayer! ¹³ Make my deceitful words to be their wound and stripe, for they have planned cruel things against thy covenant, and against thy consecrated house, and against the top of Zion, and against the house possessed by thy children. ¹⁴ And cause thy whole nation and every tribe to know and understand that thou art God, the God of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but thou alone!”

Judith Prepares to Go to Holofernes

10 When Judith^[bt] had ceased crying out to the God of Israel, and had ended all these words, ² she rose from where she lay prostrate and called her maid and went down into the house where she lived on sabbaths and on her feast days; ³ and she removed the sackcloth which she had been wearing, and took off her widow’s garments, and bathed her body with water, and anointed herself with precious ointment, and combed her hair and put on a tiara, and arrayed herself in her gayest apparel, which she used to wear while her husband Manas′seh was living. ⁴ And she put sandals on her feet, and put on her anklets and bracelets and rings, and her earrings and all her ornaments,^[bu] and made herself very beautiful, to entice the eyes of all men who might see her. ⁵ And she gave her maid a bottle of wine and a flask of oil, and filled a bag with parched grain and a cake of dried fruit and fine bread; and she wrapped up all her vessels and gave them to her to carry.

⁶ Then they went out to the city gate of Bethu′lia, and found Uzzi′ah standing there with the elders of the city, Chabris and Charmis. ⁷ When they saw her, and noted how her face was altered and her clothing changed, they greatly admired her beauty, and said to her, ⁸ “May the God of our fathers grant you favor and fulfil your plans, that the people of Israel may glory and Jerusalem may be exalted.” And she worshiped God.

⁹ Then she said to them, “Order the gate of the city to be opened for me, and I will go out and accomplish the things about which you spoke with me.” So they ordered the young men to open the gate for her, as she had said. ¹⁰ When they had done this, Judith went out, she and her maid with her; and the men of the city watched her until she had gone down the mountain and passed through the valley and they could no longer see her.

Judith Is Captured

¹¹ The women^[bv] went straight on through the valley; and an Assyrian patrol met her ¹² and took her into custody, and asked her, “To what people do you belong, and where are you coming from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I am a daughter of the Hebrews, but I am fleeing from them, for they are about to be handed over to you to be devoured. ¹³ I am on my way to the presence of Holofer′nes the commander of your army, to give him a true report; and I will show him a way by which he can go and capture all the hill country without losing one of his men, captured or slain.”

¹⁴ When the men heard her words, and observed her face—she was in their eyes marvelously beautiful—they said to her, ¹⁵ “You have saved your life by hurrying down to the presence of our lord. Go at once to his tent; some of us will escort you and hand you over to him. ¹⁶ And when you stand before him, do not be afraid in your heart, but tell him just what you have said, and he will treat you well.”

¹⁷ They chose from their number a hundred men to accompany her and her maid, and they brought them to the tent of Holofer′nes. ¹⁸ There was great excitement in the whole camp, for her arrival was reported from tent to tent, and they came and stood around her as she waited outside the tent of Holofer′nes while they told him about her. ¹⁹ And they marveled at her beauty, and admired the Israelites, judging them by her, and every one said to his neighbor, “Who can despise these people, who have women like this among them? Surely not a man of them had better be left alive, for if we let them go they will be able to ensnare the whole world!”

Judith Is Brought before Holofernes

²⁰ Then Holofer′nes’ companions and all his servants came out and led her into the tent. ²¹ Holofer′nes was resting on his bed, under a canopy which was woven with purple and gold and emeralds and precious stones. ²² When they told him of her he came forward to the front of the tent, with silver lamps carried before him. ²³ And when Judith came into the presence of Holofer′nes^[bw] and his servants, they all marveled at the beauty of her face; and she prostrated herself and made obeisance to him, and his slaves raised her up.

11 Then Holofer′nes said to her, “Take courage, woman, and do not be afraid in your heart, for I have never hurt any one who chose to serve Nebuchadnez′zar, the king of all the earth. ² And even now, if your people who live in the hill country had not slighted me, I would never have lifted my spear against them; but they have brought all this on themselves. ³ And now tell me why you have fled from them and have come over to us—since you have come to safety. ⁴ Have courage; you will live, tonight and from now on. No one will hurt you, but all will treat you well, as they do the servants of my lord King Nebuchadnez′zar.”

Judith Explains Her Presence

⁵ Judith replied to him, “Accept the words of your servant, and let your maidservant speak in your presence, and I will tell nothing false to my lord this night. ⁶ And if you follow out the words of your maidservant, God will accomplish something through you, and my lord will not fail to achieve his purposes. ⁷ Nebuchadnez′zar the king of the whole earth lives, and as his power endures, who had sent you to direct every living soul, not only do men serve him because of you, but also the beasts of the field and the cattle and the birds of the air will live by your power under Nebuchadnez′zar and all his house. ⁸ For we have heard of your wisdom and skill, and it is reported throughout the whole world that you are the one good man in the whole kingdom, thoroughly informed and marvelous in military strategy.

⁹ “Now as for the things Ach′ior said in your council, we have heard his words, for the men of Bethu′lia spared him and he told them all he had said to you. ¹⁰ Therefore, my lord and master, do not disregard what he said, but keep it in your mind, for it is true: our nation cannot be punished, nor can the sword prevail against them, unless they sin against their God.

¹¹ “And now, in order that my lord may not be defeated and his purpose frustrated, death will fall upon them, for a sin has overtaken them by which they are about to provoke their God to anger when they do what is wrong. ¹² Since their food supply is exhausted and their water has almost given out, they have planned to kill their cattle and have determined to use all that God by his laws has forbidden them to eat. ¹³ They have decided to consume the first fruits of the grain and the tithes of the wine and oil, which they had consecrated and set aside for the priests who minister in the presence of our God at Jerusalem—although it is not lawful for any of the people so much as to touch these things with their hands. ¹⁴ They have sent men to Jerusalem, because even the people living there have been doing this, to bring back to them permission from the senate. ¹⁵ When the word reaches them and they proceed to do this, on that very day they will be handed over to you to be destroyed.

¹⁶ “Therefore, when I, your servant, learned all this, I fled from them; and God has sent me to accomplish with you things that will astonish the whole world, as many as shall hear about them. ¹⁷ For your servant is religious, and serves the God of heaven day and night; therefore, my lord, I will remain with you, and every night your servant will go out into the valley, and I will pray to God and he will tell me when they have committed their sins. ¹⁸ And I will come and tell you, and then you shall go out with your whole army, and not one of them will withstand you. ¹⁹ Then I will lead you through the middle of Judea, till you come to Jerusalem; and I will set your throne^[bx] in the midst of it; and you will lead them like sheep that have no shepherd, and not a dog will so much as open its mouth to growl at you. For this has been told me, by my foreknowledge; it was announced to me, and I was sent to tell you.”

²⁰ Her words pleased Holofer′nes and all his servants, and they marveled at her wisdom and said, ²¹ “There is not such a woman from one end of the earth to the other, either for beauty of face or wisdom of speech!” ²² And Holofer′nes said to her, “God has done well to send you before the people, to lend strength to our hands and to bring destruction upon those who have slighted my lord. ²³ You are not only beautiful in appearance, but wise in speech; and if you do as you have said, your God shall be my God, and you shall live in the house of King Nebuchadnez′zar and be renowned throughout the whole world.”

Judith as a Guest of Holofernes

12 Then he commanded them to bring her in where his silver dishes were kept, and ordered them to set a table for her with some of his own food and to serve her with his own wine. ² But Judith said, “I cannot eat it, lest it be an offense; but I will be provided from the things I have brought with me.” ³ Holofer′nes said to her, “If your supply runs out, where can we get more like it for you? For none of your people is here with us.” ⁴ Judith replied, “As your soul lives, my lord, your servant will not use up the things I have with me before the Lord carries out by my hand what he has determined to do.”

⁵ Then the servants of Holofer′nes brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight. Along toward the morning watch she arose ⁶ and sent to Holofer′nes and said, “Let my lord now command that your servant be permitted to go out and pray.” ⁷ So Holofer′nes commanded his guards not to hinder her. And she remained in the camp for three days, and went out each night to the valley of Bethu′lia, and bathed at the spring in the camp.^{[by] 8} When she came up from the spring she prayed the Lord God of Israel to direct her way for the raising up of her people. ⁹ So she returned clean and stayed in the tent until she ate her food toward evening.

Judith Attends Holofernes’ Banquet

¹⁰ On the fourth day Holofer′nes held a banquet for his slaves only, and did not invite any of his officers. ¹¹ And he said to Bago′as, the eunuch who had charge of all his personal affairs, “Go now and persuade the Hebrew woman who is in your care to join us and eat and drink with us. ¹² For it will be a disgrace if we let such a woman go without enjoying her company, for if we do not embrace her she will laugh at us.” ¹³ So Bago′as went out from the presence of Holofer′nes, and approached her and said, “This beautiful maidservant will please come to my lord and be honored in his presence, and drink wine and be merry with us, and become today like one of the daughters of the Assyrians who serve in the house of Nebuchadnez′zar.” ¹⁴ And Judith said, “Who am I, to refuse my lord? Surely whatever pleases him I will do at once, and it will be a joy to me until the day of my death!” ¹⁵ So she got up and arrayed herself in all her woman’s finery, and her maid went and spread on the ground for her before Holofer′nes the soft fleeces which she had received from Bago′as for her daily use, so that she might recline on them when she ate.

¹⁶ Then Judith came in and lay down, and Holofer′nes’ heart was ravished with her and he was moved with great desire to possess her; for he had been waiting for an opportunity to deceive her, ever since the day he first saw her. ¹⁷ So Holofer′nes said to her. “Drink now, and be merry with us!” ¹⁸ Judith said, “I will drink now, my lord, because my life means more to me today than in all the days since I was born.” ¹⁹ Then she took and ate and drank before him what her maid had prepared. ²⁰ And Holofer′nes was greatly pleased with her, and drank a great quantity of wine, much more than he had ever drunk in any one day since he was born.

Judith Beheads Holofernes

13 When evening came, his slaves quickly withdrew, and Bago′as closed the tent from outside and shut out the attendants from his master’s presence; and they went to bed, for they all were weary because the banquet had lasted long. ² So Judith was left alone in the tent , with Holofer′nes stretched out on his bed, for he was overcome with wine.

³ Now Judith had told her maid to stand outside the bedchamber and to wait for her to come out, as she did every day; for she said she would be going out for her prayers. And she had said the same thing to Bago′as. ⁴ So every one went out, and no one, either small or great, was left in the bedchamber. Then Judith, standing beside his bed, said in her heart, “O Lord God of all might, look in this hour upon the work of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. ⁵ For now is the time to help thy inheritance, and to carry out my undertaking for the destruction of the enemies who have risen up against us.”

⁶ She went up to the post at the end of the bed, above Holofer′nes’ head, and took down his sword that hung there. ⁷ She came close to his bed and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, “Give me strength this day, O Lord God of Israel!” ⁸ And she struck his neck twice with all her might, and severed his head from his body. ⁹ Then she tumbled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts; after a moment she went out, and gave Holofer′nes’ head to her maid, ¹⁰ who placed it in her food bag.

Judith Returns to Bethulia

Then the two of them went out together, as they were accustomed to go for prayer; and they passed through the camp and circled around the valley and went up the mountain to Bethu′lia and came to its gates. ¹¹ Judith called out from afar to the watchmen at the gates, “Open, open the gate! God, our God, is still with us, to show his power in Israel, and his strength against our enemies, even as he has done this day!”

¹² When the men of her city heard her voice, they hurried down to the city gate and called together the elders of the city. ¹³ They all ran together, both small and great, for it was unbelievable that she had returned; they opened the gate and admitted them, and they kindled a fire for light, and gathered around them. ¹⁴ Then she said to them with a loud voice, “Praise God, O praise him! Praise God, who has not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel, but has destroyed our enemies by my hand this very night!”

¹⁵ Then she took the head out of the bag and showed it to them, and said, “See, here is the head of Holofer′nes, the commander of the Assyrian army, and here is the canopy beneath which he lay in his drunken stupor. The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman. ¹⁶ As the Lord lives, who has protected me in the way I went, it was my face that tricked him to his destruction, and yet he committed no act of sin with me, to defile and shame me.”

¹⁷ All the people were greatly astonished, and bowed down and worshiped God, and said with one accord, “Blessed art thou, our God, who hast brought into contempt this day the enemies of thy people.”

¹⁸ And Uzzi′ah said to her, “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who has guided you to strike the head of the leader of our enemies. ¹⁹ Your hope will never depart from the hearts of men, as they remember the power of God. ²⁰ May God grant this to be a perpetual honor to you, and may he visit you with blessings, because you did not spare your own life when our nation was brought low, but have avenged our ruin, walking in the straight path before our God.” And all the people said, “So be it, so be it!”^[bz]

Judith’s Counsel

14 Then Judith said to them, “Listen to me, my brethren, and take this head and hang it upon the parapet of your wall. ² And as soon as morning comes and the sun rises, let every valiant man take his weapons and go out of the city, and set a captain over them, as if you were going down to the plain against the Assyrian outpost; only do not go down. ³ Then they will seize their arms and go into the camp and rouse the officers of the Assyrian army; and they will rush into the tent of Holofer′nes, and will not find him. Then fear will come over them, and they will flee before you, ⁴ and you and all who live within the borders of Israel shall pursue them and cut them down as they flee. ⁵ But before you do all this, bring Ach′ior the Am′monite to me, and let him see and recognize the man who despised the house of Israel and sent him to us as if to his death.”

⁶ So they summoned Ach′ior from the house of Uzzi′ah. And when he came and saw the head of Holofer′nes in the hand of one of the men at the gathering of the people, he fell down on his face and his spirit failed him. ⁷ And when they raised him up he fell at Judith’s feet, and knelt before her, and said, “Blessed are you in every tent of Judah! In every nation those who hear your name will be alarmed. ⁸ Now tell me what you have done during these days.”

Then Judith described to him in the presence of the people all that she had done, from the day she left until the moment of her speaking to them. ⁹ And when she had finished, the people raised a great shout and made a joyful noise in their city. ¹⁰ And when Ach′ior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel, remaining so to this day.

Holofernes’ Death Is Discovered

¹¹ As soon as it was dawn they hung the head of Holofer′nes on the wall, and every man took his weapons, and they went out in companies to the passes in the mountains. ¹² And when the Assyrians saw them they sent word to their commanders, and they went to the generals and the captains and to all their officers. ¹³ So they came to Holofer′nes’ tent and said to the steward in charge of all his personal affairs, “Wake up our lord, for the slaves have been so bold as to come down against us to give battle, in order to be destroyed completely.”

¹⁴ So Bago′as went in and knocked at the door of the tent, for he supposed that he was sleeping with Judith. ¹⁵ But when no one answered, he opened it and went into the bedchamber and found him thrown down on the platform dead, with his head cut off and missing. ¹⁶ And he cried out with a loud voice and wept and groaned and shouted, and rent his garments. ¹⁷ Then he went to the tent where Judith had stayed, and when he did not find her he rushed out to the people and shouted, ¹⁸ “The slaves have tricked us! One Hebrew woman has brought disgrace upon the house of King Nebuchadnez′zar! For look, here is Holofer′nes lying on the ground, and his head is not on him!”

¹⁹ When the leaders of the Assyrian army heard this, they rent their tunics and were greatly dismayed, and their loud cries and shouts arose in the midst of the camp.

The Assyrians Flee in Panic

15 When the men in the tents heard it, they were amazed at what had happened. ² Fear and trembling came over them, so that they did not wait for one another, but with one impulse all rushed out and fled by every path across the plain and through the hill country. ³ Those who had camped in the hills around Bethu′lia also took to flight. Then the men of Israel, every one that was a soldier, rushed out upon them. ⁴ And Uzzi′ah sent men to Betomastha′im and Be′bai and Choba and Kola, and to all the frontiers of Israel, to tell what had taken place and to urge all to rush out upon their enemies to destroy them. ⁵ And when the Israelites heard it, with one accord they fell upon the enemy,^[ca] and cut them down as far as Choba. Those in Jerusalem and all the hill country also came, for they were told what had happened in the camp of the enemy; and those in Gil′ead and in Galilee outflanked them with great slaughter, even beyond Damas′cus and its borders. ⁶ The rest of the people of Bethu′lia fell upon the Assyrian camp and plundered it, and were greatly enriched. ⁷ And the Israelites, when they returned from the slaughter, took possession of what remained, and the villages and towns in the hill country and in the plain got a great amount of booty, for there was a vast quantity of it.

The Israelites Celebrate Their Victory

⁸ Then Jo′akim the high priest, and the senate of the people of Israel who lived at Jerusalem, came to witness the good things which the Lord had done for Israel, and to see Judith and to greet her. ⁹ And when they met her they all blessed her with one accord and said to her, “You are the exaltation of Jerusalem,^[cb] you are the great glory of Israel, you are the great pride of our nation! ¹⁰ You have done all this singlehanded; you have done great good to Israel, and God is well pleased with it. May the Almighty Lord bless you for ever!” And all the people said, “So be it!”

¹¹ So all the people plundered the camp for thirty days. They gave Judith the tent of Holofer′nes and all his silver dishes and his beds and his bowls and all his furniture; and she took them and loaded her mule and hitched up her carts and piled the things on them.

¹² Then all the women of Israel gathered to see her, and blessed her, and some of them performed a dance for her; and she took branches in her hands and gave them to the women who were with her; ¹³ and they crowned themselves with olive wreaths, she and those who were with her; and she went before all the people in the dance, leading all the women, while all the men of Israel followed, bearing their arms and wearing garlands and with songs on their lips.

Judith Offers Her Hymn of Praise

16 Then Judith began this thanksgiving before all Israel, and all the people loudly sang this song of praise. ² And Judith said,

¹⁸ When they arrived at Jerusalem they worshiped God. As soon as the people were purified, they offered their burnt offerings, their freewill offerings, and their gifts. ¹⁹ Judith also dedicated to God all the vessels of Holofer′nes, which the people had given her; and the canopy which she took for herself from his bedchamber she gave as a votive offering to the Lord. ²⁰ So the people continued feasting in Jerusalem before the sanctuary for three months, and Judith remained with them.

The Renown and Death of Judith

²¹ After this every one returned home to his own inheritance, and Judith went to Bethu′lia, and remained on her estate, and was honored in her time throughout the whole country. ²² Many desired to marry her, but she remained a widow all the days of her life after Manas′seh her husband died and was gathered to his people. ²³ She became more and more famous, and grew old in her husband’s house, until she was one hundred and five years old. She set her maid free. She died in Bethu′lia, and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manas′seh, ²⁴ and the house of Israel mourned for her seven days. Before she died she distributed her property to all those who were next of kin to her husband Manas′seh, and to her own nearest kindred. ²⁵ And no one ever again spread terror among the people of Israel in the days of Judith, or for a long time after her death.^[ch]

Mordecai’s Dream

11 ^[ci]2 In the second year of the reign of Ahasu-e′rus^[cj] the Great, on the first day of Nisan, Mor′decai the son of Ja′ir, son of Shim′e-i, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, had a dream. ³ He was a Jew, dwelling in the city of Susa, a great man, serving in the court of the king. ⁴ He was one of the captives whom Nebuchadnez′zar king of Babylon had brought from Jerusalem with Jeconi′ah king of Judea. And this was his dream:

⁵ Behold, noise^[ck] and confusion, thunders and earthquake, tumult upon the earth! ⁶ And behold, two great dragons came forward, both ready to fight, and they roared terribly. ⁷ And at their roaring every nation prepared for war, to fight against the nation of the righteous. ⁸ And behold, a day of darkness and gloom, tribulation and distress, affliction and great tumult upon the earth! ⁹ And the whole righteous nation was troubled; they feared the evils that threatened them, and were ready to perish. ¹⁰ Then they cried to God; and from their cry, as though from a tiny spring, there came a great river, with abundant water; ¹¹ light came, and the sun rose, and the lowly were exalted and consumed those held in honor.

¹² Mor′decai saw in this dream what God had determined to do, and after he awoke he had it on his mind and sought all day to understand it in every detail.

A Plot against the King

12 ¹ Now Mor′decai took his rest in the courtyard with Gab′atha and Tharra, the two eunuchs of the king who kept watch in the courtyard. ² He overheard their conversation and inquired into their purposes, and learned that they were preparing to lay hands upon Ahasu-e′rus^[cl] the king; and he informed the king concerning them. ³ Then the king examined the two eunuchs, and when they confessed they were led to execution. ⁴ The king made a permanent record of these things, and Mor′decai wrote an account of them. ⁵ And the king ordered Mor′decai to serve in the court and rewarded him for these things. ⁶ But Haman, the son of Hammeda′tha, a Bougae′an, was in great honor with the king, and he sought to injure Mor′decai and his people because of the two eunuchs of the king.

King Ahasu-erus Deposes Queen Vashti

1 In the days of Ahasu-e′rus, the Ahasu-e′rus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, ² in those days when King Ahasu-e′rus sat on his royal throne in Susa the capital, ³ in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his princes and servants, the army chiefs^[cm] of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces being before him, ⁴ while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, a hundred and eighty days. ⁵ And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the capital, both great and small, a banquet lasting for seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. ⁶ There were white cotton curtains and blue hangings caught up with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings^[cn] and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. ⁷ Drinks were served in golden goblets, goblets of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. ⁸ And drinking was according to the law, no one was compelled; for the king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to do as every man desired. ⁹ Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the palace which belonged to King Ahasu-e′rus.

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehu′man, Biztha, Harbo′na, Bigtha and Abag′tha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served King Ahasu-e′rus as chamberlains, ¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to behold. ¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. At this the king was enraged, and his anger burned within him.

¹³ Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times—for this was the king’s procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, ¹⁴ the men next to him being Carshe′na, Shethar, Adma′tha, Tarshish, Meres, Marse′na, and Memu′can, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom—: ¹⁵ “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasu-e′rus conveyed by the eunuchs?” ¹⁶ Then Memu′can said in presence of the king and the princes, “Not only to the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also to all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasu-e′rus. ¹⁷ For this deed of the queen will be made known to all women, causing them to look with contempt upon their husbands, since they will say, ‘King Ahasu-e′rus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ ¹⁸ This very day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will be telling it to all the king’s princes, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. ¹⁹ If it please the king, let a royal order go forth from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be altered, that Vashti is to come no more before King Ahasu-e′rus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. ²⁰ So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low.” ²¹ This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memu′can proposed; ²² he sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be lord in his own house and speak according to the language of his people.

Esther Becomes Queen

2 After these things, when the anger of King Ahasu-e′rus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. ² Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. ³ And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch who is in charge of the women; let their ointments be given them. ⁴ And let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.

⁵ Now there was a Jew in Susa the capital whose name was Mor′decai, the son of Ja′ir, son of Shim′e-i, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, ⁶ who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconi′ah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnez′zar king of Babylon had carried away. ⁷ He had brought up Hadas′sah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother; the maiden was beautiful and lovely, and when her father and her mother died, Mor′decai adopted her as his own daughter. ⁸ So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many maidens were gathered in Susa the capital in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai who had charge of the women. ⁹ And the maiden pleased him and won his favor; and he quickly provided her with her ointments and her portion of food, and with seven chosen maids from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem. ¹⁰ Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mor′decai had charged her not to make it known. ¹¹ And every day Mor′decai walked in front of the court of the harem, to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

¹² Now when the turn came for each maiden to go in to King Ahasu-e′rus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women— ¹³ when the maiden went in to the king in this way she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she went, and in the morning she came back to the second harem in custody of Sha-ash′gaz the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines; she did not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

¹⁵ When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Ab′ihail the uncle of Mor′decai, who had adopted her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. ¹⁶ And when Esther was taken to King Ahasu-e′rus into his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, ¹⁷ the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ Then the king gave a great banquet to all his princes and servants; it was Esther’s banquet. He also granted a remission of taxes^[co] to the provinces, and gave gifts with royal liberality.

Mordecai Discovers a Plot

¹⁹ When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mor′decai was sitting at the king’s gate. ²⁰ Now Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mor′decai had charged her; for Esther obeyed Mor′decai just as when she was brought up by him. ²¹ And in those days, as Mor′decai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasu-e′rus. ²² And this came to the knowledge of Mor′decai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mor′decai. ²³ When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king.

Haman Undertakes to Destroy the Jews

3 After these things King Ahasu-e′rus promoted Haman the Ag′agite, the son of Hammeda′tha, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. ² And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and did obeisance to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mor′decai did not bow down or do obeisance. ³ Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mor′decai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” ⁴ And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mor′decai’s words would avail; for he had told them that he was a Jew. ⁵ And when Haman saw that Mor′decai did not bow down or do obeisance to him, Haman was filled with fury. ⁶ But he disdained to lay hands on Mor′decai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mor′decai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mor′decai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasu-e′rus.

⁷ In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasu-e′rus, they cast Pur, that is the lot, before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. ⁸ Then Haman said to King Ahasu-e′rus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not for the king’s profit to tolerate them. ⁹ If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.” ¹⁰ So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Ag′agite, the son of Hammeda′tha, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹ And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

¹² Then the king’s secretaries were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the princes of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language; it was written in the name of King Ahasu-e′rus and sealed with the king’s ring. ¹³ Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

The King’s Letter

13 This is a copy of the letter: “The Great King, Ahasu-e′rus,^[cp] to the rulers of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia and to the governors under them, writes thus:

² “Having become ruler of many nations and master of the whole world, not elated with presumption of authority but always acting reasonably and with kindness, I have determined to settle the lives of my subjects in lasting tranquillity and, in order to make my kingdom peaceable and open to travel throughout all its extent, to re-establish the peace which all men desire.

³ “When I asked my counselors how this might be accomplished, Haman, who excels among us in sound judgment, and is distinguished for his unchanging good will and steadfast fidelity, and has attained the second place in the kingdom, ⁴ pointed out to us that among all the nations in the world there is scattered a certain hostile people, who have laws contrary to those of every nation and continually disregard the ordinances of the kings, so that the unifying of the kingdom which we honorably intend cannot be brought about. ⁵ We understand that this people, and it alone, stands constantly in opposition to all men, perversely following a strange manner of life and laws, and is ill-disposed to our government, doing all the harm they can so that our kingdom may not attain stability.

⁶ “Therefore we have decreed that those indicated to you in the letters of Haman, who is in charge of affairs and is our second father, shall all, with their wives and children, be utterly destroyed by the sword of their enemies, without pity or mercy, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, of this present year, ⁷ so that those who have long been and are now hostile may in one day go down in violence to Hades, and leave our government completely secure and untroubled hereafter.”

3 ¹⁴ A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. ¹⁵ The couriers went in haste by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the capital. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Susa was perplexed.

Esther Agrees to Help the Jews

4 When Mor′decai learned all that had been done, Mor′decai rent his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry; ² he went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. ³ And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ When Esther’s maids and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mor′decai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. ⁵ Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mor′decai to learn what this was and why it was. ⁶ Hathach went out to Mor′decai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, ⁷ and Mor′decai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ Mor′decai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people,^[cq] “Remembering the days of your lowliness, when you were cared for by me, because Haman, who is next to the king, spoke against us for our destruction. Beseech the Lord and speak to the king concerning us and deliver us from death.” ⁹ And Hathach went and told Esther what Mor′decai had said. ¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mor′decai, saying, ¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law; all alike are to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter that he may live. And I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” ¹² And they told Mor′decai what Esther had said. ¹³ Then Mor′decai told them to return answer to Esther, “Think not that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴ For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mor′decai, ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” ¹⁷ Mor′decai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Mordecai’s Prayer

13 ⁸ Then Mor′decai^[cr] prayed to the Lord, calling to remembrance all the works of the Lord. He said:

⁹ “O Lord, Lord, King who rulest over all things, for the universe is in thy power and there is no one who can oppose thee if it is thy will to save Israel. ¹⁰ For thou hast made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under heaven, ¹¹ and thou art Lord of all, and there is no one who can resist thee, who art the Lord. ¹² Thou knowest all things; thou knowest, O Lord, that it was not in insolence or pride or for any love of glory that I did this, and refused to bow down to this proud Haman. ¹³ For I would have been willing to kiss the soles of his feet, to save Israel! ¹⁴ But I did this, that I might not set the glory of man above the glory of God, and I will not bow down to any one but to thee, who art my Lord; and I will not do these things in pride. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord God and King, God of Abraham, spare thy people; for the eyes of our foes are upon us^[cs] to annihilate us, and they desire to destroy the inheritance that has been thine from the beginning. ¹⁶ Do not neglect thy portion, which thou didst redeem for thyself out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁷ Hear my prayer, and have mercy upon thy inheritance; turn our mourning into feasting, that we may live and sing praise to thy name, O Lord; do not destroy the mouth of those who praise thee.”

¹⁸ And all Israel cried out mightily, for their death was before their eyes.

Esther’s Prayer

14 And Esther the queen, seized with deathly anxiety, fled to the Lord; ² she took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she utterly humbled her body, and every part that she loved to adorn she covered with her tangled hair. ³ And she prayed to the Lord God of Israel, and said:

“O my Lord, thou only art our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee, ⁴ for my danger is in my hand. ⁵ Ever since I was born I have heard in the tribe of my family that thou, O Lord, didst take Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers from among all their ancestors, for an everlasting inheritance, and that thou didst do for them all that thou didst promise. ⁶ And now we have sinned before thee, and thou hast given us into the hands of our enemies, ⁷ because we glorified their gods. Thou art righteous, O Lord! ⁸ And now they are not satisfied that we are in bitter slavery, but they have covenanted with their idols ⁹ to abolish what thy mouth has ordained and to destroy thy inheritance, to stop the mouths of those who praise thee and to quench thy altar and the glory of thy house, ¹⁰ to open the mouths of the nations for the praise of vain idols, and to magnify for ever a mortal king. ¹¹ O Lord, do not surrender thy scepter to what has no being; and do not let them mock at our downfall; but turn their plan against themselves, and make an example of the man who began this against us. ¹² Remember, O Lord; make thyself known in this time of our affliction, and give me courage, O King of the gods and Master of all dominion! ¹³ Put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hate the man who is fighting against us, so that there may be an end of him and those who agree with him. ¹⁴ But save us by thy hand, and help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee, O Lord. ¹⁵ Thou hast knowledge of all things; and thou knowest that I hate the splendor of the wicked and abhor the bed of the uncircumcised and of any alien. ¹⁶ Thou knowest my necessity—that I abhor the sign of my proud position, which is upon my head on the days when I appear in public. I abhor it like a menstruous rag, and I do not wear it on the days when I am at leisure. ¹⁷ And thy servant has not eaten at Haman’s table, and I have not honored the king’s feast or drunk the wine of the libations. ¹⁸ Thy servant has had no joy since the day that I was brought here until now, except in thee, O Lord God of Abraham. ¹⁹ O God, whose might is over all, hear the voice of the despairing, and save us from the hands of evildoers. And save me from my fear!”

Esther’s Banquet

5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, opposite the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace opposite the entrance to the palace; ² and when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she found favor in his sight and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter.

Esther Is Received by the King

15 ^[ct]On the third day, when she ended her prayer, she took off the garments in which she had worshiped, and arrayed herself in splendid attire. ² Then, majestically adorned, after invoking the aid of the all-seeing God and Savior, she took her two maids with her, ³ leaning daintily on one, ⁴ while the other followed carrying her train. ⁵ She was radiant with perfect beauty, and she looked happy, as if beloved, but her heart was frozen with fear. ⁶ When she had gone through all the doors, she stood before the king. He was seated on his royal throne, clothed in the full array of his majesty, all covered with gold and precious stones. And he was most terrifying.

⁷ Lifting his face, flushed with splendor, he looked at her in fierce anger. And the queen faltered, and turned pale and faint, and collapsed upon the head of the maid who went before her. ⁸ Then God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in alarm he sprang from his throne and took her in his arms until she came to herself. And he comforted her with soothing words, and said to her, ⁹ “What is it, Esther? I am your brother. Take courage; ¹⁰ you shall not die, for our law applies only to the people.^[cu] Come near.”

¹¹ Then he raised the golden scepter and touched it to her neck; ¹² and he embraced her, and said, “Speak to me.” ¹³ And she said to him, “I saw you, my lord, like an angel of God, and my heart was shaken with fear at your glory. ¹⁴ For you are wonderful, my lord, and your countenance is full of grace.” ¹⁵ But as she was speaking, she fell fainting. ¹⁶ And the king was agitated, and all his servants sought to comfort her.

5 ³ And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” ⁴ And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come this day to a dinner that I have prepared for the king.” ⁵ Then said the king, “Bring Haman quickly, that we may do as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the dinner that Esther had prepared. ⁶ And as they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” ⁷ But Esther said, “My petition and my request is: ⁸ If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition and fulfil my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow^[cv] to the dinner which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”

Haman Plans to Have Mordecai Hanged

⁹ And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mor′decai in the king’s gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mor′decai. ¹⁰ Nevertheless Haman restrained himself, and went home; and he sent and fetched his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and the servants of the king. ¹² And Haman added, “Even Queen Esther let no one come with the king to the banquet she prepared but myself. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. ¹³ Yet all this does me no good, so long as I see Mor′decai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” ¹⁴ Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mor′decai hanged upon it; then go merrily with the king to the dinner.” This counsel pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

The King Honors Mordecai

6 On that night the king could not sleep; and he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ² And it was found written how Mor′decai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands upon King Ahasu-e′rus. ³ And the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mor′decai for this?” The king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴ And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mor′decai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him. ⁵ So the king’s servants told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” ⁶ So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” ⁷ And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, ⁸ let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set; ⁹ and let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes; let him^[cw] array the man whom the king delights to honor, and let him^[cx] conduct the man on horseback through the open square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’” ¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, “Make haste, take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mor′decai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” ¹¹ So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he arrayed Mor′decai and made him ride through the open square of the city, proclaiming, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

¹² Then Mor′decai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. ¹³ And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had befallen him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mor′decai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him.”

Haman’s Downfall and Mordecai’s Advancement

¹⁴ While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and brought Haman in haste to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

7 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. ² And on the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” ³ Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. ⁴ For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” ⁵ Then King Ahasu-e′rus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, that would presume to do this?” ⁶ And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was in terror before the king and the queen. ⁷ And the king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. ⁸ And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was; and the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Then said Harbo′na, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, “Moreover, the gallows which Haman has prepared for Mor′decai, whose word saved the king, is standing in Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” ¹⁰ And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mor′decai. Then the anger of the king abated.

8 On that day King Ahasu-e′rus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mor′decai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her; ² and the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mor′decai. And Esther set Mor′decai over the house of Haman.

Esther Saves the Jews

³ Then Esther spoke again to the king; she fell at his feet and besought him with tears to avert the evil design of Haman the Ag′agite and the plot which he had devised against the Jews. ⁴ And the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, ⁵ and Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Ag′agite, the son of Hammeda′tha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. ⁶ For how can I endure to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?” ⁷ Then King Ahasu-e′rus said to Queen Esther and to Mor′decai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he would lay hands on the Jews. ⁸ And you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring; for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”

⁹ The king’s secretaries were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and an edict was written according to all that Mor′decai commanded concerning the Jews to the satraps and the governors and the princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. ¹⁰ The writing was in the name of King Ahasu-e′rus and sealed with the king’s ring, and letters were sent by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king’s service, bred from the royal stud. ¹¹ By these the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to slay, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, with their children and women, and to plunder their goods, ¹² upon one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasu-e′rus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.

The Decree of Ahasu-erus

16 The following is a copy of this letter:

“The Great King, Ahasu-e′rus,^[cy] to the rulers of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven satrapies, and to those who are loyal to our government, greeting.

² “The more often they are honored by the too great kindness of their benefactors, the more proud do many men become. ³ They not only seek to injure our subjects, but in their inability to stand prosperity they even undertake to scheme against their own benefactors. ⁴ They not only take away thankfulness from among men, but, carried away by the boasts of those who know nothing of goodness, they suppose that they will escape the evil-hating justice of God, who always sees everything. ⁵ And often many of those who are set in places of authority have been made in part responsible for the shedding of innocent blood, and have been involved in irremediable calamities, by the persuasion of friends who have been entrusted with the administration of public affairs, ⁶ when these men by the false trickery of their evil natures beguile the sincere good will of their sovereigns.

⁷ “What has been wickedly accomplished through the pestilent behavior of those who exercise authority unworthily, can be seen not so much from the more ancient records which we hand on as from investigation of matters close at hand. ⁸ For the future we will take care to render our kingdom quiet and peaceable for all men, ⁹ by changing our methods and always judging what comes before our eyes with more equitable consideration. ¹⁰ For Haman, the son of Hammeda′tha, a Macedo′nian (really an alien to the Persian blood, and quite devoid of our kindliness), having become our guest, ¹¹ so far enjoyed the good will that we have for every nation that he was called our father and was continually bowed down to by all as the person second to the royal throne. ¹² But, unable to restrain his arrogance, he undertook to deprive us of our kingdom and our life, ¹³ and with intricate craft and deceit asked for the destruction of Mor′decai, our savior and perpetual benefactor, and of Esther, the blameless partner of our kingdom, together with their whole nation. ¹⁴ He thought that in this way he would find us undefended and would transfer the kingdom of the Persians to the Macedo′nians.

¹⁵ “But we find that the Jews, who were consigned to annihilation by this thrice accursed man, are not evildoers but are governed by most righteous laws ¹⁶ and are sons of the Most High, the most mighty living God, who has directed the kingdom both for us and for our fathers in the most excellent order.

¹⁷ “You will therefore do well not to put in execution the letters sent by Haman the son of Hammeda′tha, ¹⁸ because the man himself who did these things has been hanged at the gate of Susa, with all his household. For God, who rules over all things, has speedily inflicted on him the punishment he deserved.

¹⁹ “Therefore post a copy of this letter publicly in every place, and permit the Jews to live under their own laws. ²⁰ And give them reinforcements, so that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, on that very day they may defend themselves against those who attack them at the time of their affliction. ²¹ For God, who rules over all things, has made this day to be a joy to his chosen people instead of a day of destruction for them.

²² “Therefore you shall observe this with all good cheer as a notable day among your commemorative festivals, ²³ so that both now and hereafter it may mean salvation for us and the loyal Persians, but that for those who plot against us it may be a reminder of destruction.

²⁴ “Every city and country, without exception, which does not act accordingly, shall be destroyed in wrath with spear and fire. It shall be made not only impassable for men, but also most hateful for all time to beasts and birds.”

8 ¹³ A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, and by proclamation to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to avenge themselves upon their enemies. ¹⁴ So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king’s service, rode out in haste, urged by the king’s command; and the decree was issued in Susa the capital.

¹⁵ Then Mor′decai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a mantle of fine linen and purple, while the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. ¹⁶ The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. ¹⁷ And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict came, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.

Destruction of the Enemies of the Jews

9 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be executed, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to get the mastery over them, but which had been changed to a day when the Jews should get the mastery over their foes, ² the Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasu-e′rus to lay hands on such as sought their hurt. And no one could make a stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples. ³ All the princes of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal officials also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mor′decai had fallen upon them. ⁴ For Mor′decai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for the man Mor′decai grew more and more powerful. ⁵ So the Jews smote all their enemies with the sword, slaughtering, and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. ⁶ In Susa the capital itself the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men, ⁷ and also slew Parshan-da′tha and Dalphon and Aspa′tha ⁸ and Pora′tha and Ada′lia and Arida′tha ⁹ and Parmash′ta and Ar′isai and Ar′idai and Vaiza′tha, ¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammeda′tha, the enemy of the Jews; but they laid no hand on the plunder.

¹¹ That very day the number of those slain in Susa the capital was reported to the king. ¹² And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the capital the Jews have slain five hundred men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” ¹³ And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day’s edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.” ¹⁴ So the king commanded this to be done; a decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. ¹⁵ The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they slew three hundred men in Susa; but they laid no hands on the plunder.

¹⁶ Now the other Jews who were in the king’s provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies, and slew seventy-five thousand of those who hated them; but they laid no hands on the plunder. ¹⁷ This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁸ But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁹ Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the open towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting and holiday-making, and a day on which they send choice portions to one another.

The Feast of Purim Inaugurated

²⁰ And Mor′decai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasu-e′rus, both near and far, ²¹ enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, ²² as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending choice portions to one another and gifts to the poor.

²³ So the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mor′decai had written to them. ²⁴ For Haman the Ag′agite, the son of Hammeda′tha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is the lot, to crush and destroy them; ²⁵ but when Esther came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his wicked plot which he had devised against the Jews should come upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. ²⁶ Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. And therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had befallen them, ²⁷ the Jews ordained and took it upon themselves and their descendants and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, ²⁸ that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every family, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

²⁹ Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Ab′ihail, and Mor′decai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. ³⁰ Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasu-e′rus, in words of peace and truth, ³¹ that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mor′decai the Jew and Queen Esther enjoined upon the Jews, and as they had laid down for themselves and for their descendants, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. ³² The command of Queen Esther fixed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.

10 King Ahasu-e′rus laid tribute on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. ² And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mor′decai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? ³ For Mor′decai the Jew was next in rank to King Ahasu-e′rus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brethren, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.

Mordecai’s Dream Fulfilled

⁴ And Mor′decai said, “These things have come from God. ⁵ For I remember the dream that I had concerning these matters, and none of them has failed to be fulfilled. ⁶ The tiny spring which became a river, and there was light and the sun and abundant water—the river is Esther, whom the king married and made queen. ⁷ The two dragons are Haman and myself. ⁸ The nations are those that gathered to destroy the name of the Jews. ⁹ And my nation, this is Israel, who cried out to God and were saved. The Lord has saved his people; the Lord has delivered us from all these evils; God has done great signs and wonders, which have not occurred among the nations. ¹⁰ For this purpose he made two lots, one for the people of God and one for all the nations. ¹¹ And these two lots came to the hour and moment and day of decision before God and among all the nations. ¹² And God remembered his people and vindicated his inheritance. ¹³ So they will observe these days in the month of Adar, on the fourteenth and fifteenth of that month, with an assembly and joy and gladness before God, from generation to generation for ever among his people Israel.”

Postscript

11 ¹ In the fourth year of the reign of Ptol′emy and Cleopatra, Dosith′eus, who said that he was a priest and a Levite,^[cz] and Ptol′emy his son brought to Egypt^[da] the preceeding Letter of Purim, which they said was genuine and had been translated by Lysim′achus the son of Ptol′emy, one of the residents of Jerusalem.

Job and His Family

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God, and turned away from evil. ² There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. ³ He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. ⁴ His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each on his day; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Attack on Job’s Character

⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^[db] also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “Whence have you come?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nought? ¹⁰ Hast thou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face.” ¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

Job Loses Property and Children

¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house; ¹⁴ and there came a messenger to Job, and said, “The oxen were plowing and the asses feeding beside them; ¹⁵ and the Sabe′ans fell upon them and took them, and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, “The Chalde′ans formed three companies, and made a raid upon the camels and took them, and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house; ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshiped. ²¹ And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Attack on Job’s Health

2 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “Whence have you come?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ³ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause.” ⁴ Then Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. ⁵ But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.” ⁶ And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power; only spare his life.”

⁷ So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸ And he took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.

⁹ Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God, and die.” ¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job’s Three Friends

¹¹ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eli′phaz the Te′manite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Na′amathite. They made an appointment together to come to condole with him and comfort him. ¹² And when they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him; and they raised their voices and wept; and they rent their robes and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. ¹³ And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

Job Curses the Day He Was Born

3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ² And Job said:

Eliphaz Speaks: Job Has Sinned

4 Then Eli′phaz the Te′manite answered:

Job Is Corrected by God

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

6 Then Job answered:

Job: My Suffering Is without End

Alexander the Great

1 After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated^[dq] Dari′us, king of the Persians and the Medes, he succeeded him as king. (He had previously become king of Greece.) ² He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and put to death the kings of the earth. ³ He advanced to the ends of the earth, and plundered many nations. When the earth became quiet before him, he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up. ⁴ He gathered a very strong army and ruled over countries, nations, and princes, and they became tributary to him.

⁵ After this he fell sick and perceived that he was dying. ⁶ So he summoned his most honored officers, who had been brought up with him from youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. ⁷ And after Alexander had reigned twelve years, he died.

⁸ Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place. ⁹ They all put on crowns after his death, and so did their sons after them for many years; and they caused many evils on the earth.

Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews

¹⁰ From them came forth a sinful root, Anti′ochus Epiph′anes, son of Anti′ochus the king; he had been a hostage in Rome. He began to reign in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.^[dr]

¹¹ In those days lawless men came forth from Israel, and misled many, saying, “Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us, for since we separated from them many evils have come upon us.” ¹² This proposal pleased them, ¹³ and some of the people eagerly went to the king. He authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom, ¹⁵ and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.

Antiochus in Egypt

¹⁶ When Anti′ochus saw that his kingdom was established, he determined to become king of the land of Egypt, that he might reign over both kingdoms. ¹⁷ So he invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots and elephants and cavalry and with a large fleet. ¹⁸ He engaged Ptol′emy king of Egypt in battle, and Ptol′emy turned and fled before him, and many were wounded and fell. ¹⁹ And they captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt, and he plundered the land of Egypt.

Persecution of the Jews

²⁰ After subduing Egypt, Anti′ochus returned in the one hundred and forty-third year.^[ds] He went up against Israel and came to Jerusalem with a strong force. ²¹ He arrogantly entered the sanctuary and took the golden altar, the lampstand for the light, and all its utensils. ²² He took also the table for the bread of the Presence, the cups for drink offerings, the bowls, the golden censers, the curtain, the crowns, and the gold decoration on the front of the temple; he stripped it all off. ²³ He took the silver and the gold, and the costly vessels; he took also the hidden treasures which he found. ²⁴ Taking them all, he departed to his own land.

The Occupation of Jerusalem

²⁹ Two years later the king sent to the cities of Judah a chief collector of tribute, and he came to Jerusalem with a large force. ³⁰ Deceitfully he spoke peaceable words to them, and they believed him; but he suddenly fell upon the city, dealt it a severe blow, and destroyed many people of Israel. ³¹ He plundered the city, burned it with fire, and tore down its houses and its surrounding walls. ³² And they took captive the women and children, and seized the cattle. ³³ Then they fortified the city of David with a great strong wall and strong towers, and it became their citadel. ³⁴ And they stationed there a sinful people, lawless men. These strengthened their position; ³⁵ they stored up arms and food, and collecting the spoils of Jerusalem they stored them there, and became a great snare.

Installation of Gentile Cults

⁴¹ Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, ⁴² and that each should give up his customs. ⁴³ All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king. Many even from Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath. ⁴⁴ And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, ⁴⁵ to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and feasts, ⁴⁶ to defile the sanctuary and the priests, ⁴⁷ to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, ⁴⁸ and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, ⁴⁹ so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances. ⁵⁰ “And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die.”

⁵¹ In such words he wrote to his whole kingdom. And he appointed inspectors over all the people and commanded the cities of Judah to offer sacrifice, city by city. ⁵² Many of the people, every one who forsook the law, joined them, and they did evil in the land; ⁵³ they drove Israel into hiding in every place of refuge they had.

⁵⁴ Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year,^[dt] they erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah, ⁵⁵ and burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. ⁵⁶ The books of the law which they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. ⁵⁷ Where the book of the covenant was found in the possession of any one, or if any one adhered to the law, the decree of the king condemned him to death. ⁵⁸ They kept using violence against Israel, against those found month after month in the cities. ⁵⁹ And on the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar which was upon the altar of burnt offering. ⁶⁰ According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their children circumcised, ⁶¹ and their families and those who circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mothers’ necks.

⁶² But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. ⁶³ They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. ⁶⁴ And very great wrath came upon Israel.

Mattathias and His Sons

2 In those days Mattathi′as the son of John, son of Sim′eon, a priest of the sons of Jo′arib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Mo′de-in. ² He had five sons, John surnamed Gaddi, ³ Simon called Thassi, ⁴ Judas called Maccabe′us, ⁵ Elea′zar called Av′aran, and Jonathan called Apphus. ⁶ He saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, ⁷ and said,

¹⁴ And Mattathi′as and his sons rent their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly.

Pagan Worship Refused

¹⁵ Then the king’s officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the city of Mo′de-in to make them offer sacrifice. ¹⁶ Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathi′as and his sons were assembled. ¹⁷ Then the king’s officers spoke to Mattathi′as as follows: “You are a leader, honored and great in this city, and supported by sons and brothers. ¹⁸ Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the men of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts.”

¹⁹ But Mattathi′as answered and said in a loud voice: “Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to do his commandments, departing each one from the religion of his fathers, ²⁰ yet I and my sons and my brothers will live by the covenant of our fathers. ²¹ Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. ²² We will not obey the king’s words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left.”

²³ When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice upon the altar in Mo′de-in, according to the king’s command. ²⁴ When Mattathi′as saw it, be burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him upon the altar. ²⁵ At the same time he killed the king’s officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. ²⁶ Thus he burned with zeal for the law, as Phin′ehas did against Zimri the son of Salu.

²⁷ Then Mattathi′as cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: “Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!” ²⁸ And he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the city.

²⁹ Then many who were seeking righteousness and justice went down to the wilderness to dwell there, ³⁰ they, their sons, their wives, and their cattle, because evils pressed heavily upon them. ³¹ And it was reported to the king’s officers, and to the troops in Jerusalem the city of David, that men who had rejected the king’s command had gone down to the hiding places in the wilderness. ³² Many pursued them, and overtook them; they encamped opposite them and prepared for battle against them on the sabbath day. ³³ And they said to them, “Enough of this! Come out and do what the king commands, and you will live.” ³⁴ But they said, “We will not come out, nor will we do what the king commands and so profane the sabbath day.” ³⁵ Then the enemy^[dw] hastened to attack them. ³⁶ But they did not answer them or hurl a stone at them or block up their hiding places, ³⁷ for they said, “Let us all die in our innocence; heaven and earth testify for us that you are killing us unjustly.” ³⁸ So they attacked them on the sabbath, and they died, with their wives and children and cattle, to the number of a thousand persons.

³⁹ When Mattathi′as and his friends learned of it, they mourned for them deeply. ⁴⁰ And each said to his neighbor: “If we all do as our brethren have done and refuse to fight with the Gentiles for our lives and for our ordinances, they will quickly destroy us from the earth.” ⁴¹ So they made this decision that day: “Let us fight against every man who comes to attack us on the sabbath day; let us not all die as our brethren died in their hiding places.”

Counter-Attack

⁴² Then there united with them a company of Haside′ans, mighty warriors of Israel, every one who offered himself willingly for the law. ⁴³ And all who became fugitives to escape their troubles joined them and reinforced them. ⁴⁴ They organized an army, and struck down sinners in their anger and lawless men in their wrath; the survivors fled to the Gentiles for safety. ⁴⁵ And Mattathi′as and his friends went about and tore down the altars; ⁴⁶ they forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised boys that they found within the borders of Israel. ⁴⁷ They hunted down the arrogant men, and the work prospered in their hands. ⁴⁸ They rescued the law out of the hands of the Gentiles and kings, and they never let the sinner gain the upper hand.

The Last Words of Mattathias

⁴⁹ Now the days drew near for Mattathi′as to die, and he said to his sons: “Arrogance and reproach have now become strong; it is a time of ruin and furious anger. ⁵⁰ Now, my children, show zeal for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of our fathers.

⁵¹ “Remember the deeds of the fathers, which they did in their generations; and receive great honor and an everlasting name. ⁵² Was not Abraham found faithful when tested, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness? ⁵³ Joseph in the time of his distress kept the commandment, and became lord of Egypt. ⁵⁴ Phin′ehas our father, because he was deeply zealous, received the covenant of everlasting priesthood. ⁵⁵ Joshua, because he fulfilled the command, became a judge in Israel. ⁵⁶ Caleb, because he testified in the assembly, received an inheritance in the land. ⁵⁷ David, because he was merciful, inherited the throne of the kingdom for ever. ⁵⁸ Eli′jah because of great zeal for the law was taken up into heaven. ⁵⁹ Hanani′ah, Azari′ah, and Mish′a-el believed and were saved from the flame. ⁶⁰ Daniel because of his innocence was delivered from the mouth of the lions.

⁶¹ “And so observe, from generation to generation, that none who put their trust in him will lack strength. ⁶² Do not fear the words of a sinner, for his splendor will turn into dung and worms. ⁶³ Today he will be exalted, but tomorrow he will not be found, because he has returned to the dust, and his plans will perish. ⁶⁴ My children, be courageous and grow strong in the law, for by it you will gain honor.

⁶⁵ “Now behold, I know that Sim′eon your brother is wise in counsel; always listen to him; he shall be your father. ⁶⁶ Judas Maccabe′us has been a mighty warrior from his youth; he shall command the army for you and fight the battle against the peoples.^{[dx] 67} You shall rally about you all who observe the law, and avenge the wrong done to your people. ⁶⁸ Pay back the Gentiles in full, and heed what the law commands.”

⁶⁹ Then he blessed them, and was gathered to his fathers. ⁷⁰ He died in the one hundred and forty-sixth year^[dy] and was buried in the tomb of his fathers at Mo′de-in. And all Israel mourned for him with great lamentation.

The Early Victories of Judas

3 Then Judas his son, who was called Maccabe′us, took command in his place. ² All his brothers and all who had joined his father helped him; they gladly fought for Israel.

¹⁰ But Apollo′nius gathered together Gentiles and a large force from Samar′ia to fight against Israel. ¹¹ When Judas learned of it, he went out to meet him, and he defeated and killed him. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled. ¹² Then they seized their spoils; and Judas took the sword of Apollo′nius, and used it in battle the rest of his life.

¹³ Now when Seron, the commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had gathered a large company, including a body of faithful men who stayed with him and went out to battle, ¹⁴ he said, “I will make a name for myself and win honor in the kingdom. I will make war on Judas and his companions, who scorn the king’s command.” ¹⁵ And again a strong army of ungodly men went up with him to help him, to take vengeance on the sons of Israel.

¹⁶ When he approached the ascent of Beth-hor′on, Judas went out to meet him with a small company. ¹⁷ But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, “How can we, few as we are, fight against so great and strong a multitude? And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing today.” ¹⁸ Judas replied, “It is easy for many to be hemmed in by few, for in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between saving by many or by few. ¹⁹ It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven. ²⁰ They come against us in great pride and lawlessness to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to despoil us; ²¹ but we fight for our lives and our laws. ²² He himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of them.”

²³ When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him. ²⁴ They pursued them^[ea] down the descent of Beth-hor′on to the plain; eight hundred of them fell, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines. ²⁵ Then Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell upon the Gentiles round about them. ²⁶ His fame reached the king, and the Gentiles talked of the battles of Judas.

The Policy of Antiochus

²⁷ When king Anti′ochus heard these reports, he was greatly angered; and he sent and gathered all the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army. ²⁸ And he opened his coffers and gave a year’s pay to his forces, and ordered them to be ready for any need. ²⁹ Then he saw that the money in the treasury was exhausted, and that the revenues from the country were small because of the dissension and disaster which he had caused in the land by abolishing the laws that had existed from the earliest days. ³⁰ He feared that he might not have such funds as he had before for his expenses and for the gifts which he used to give more lavishly than preceding kings. ³¹ He was greatly perplexed in mind, and determined to go to Persia and collect the revenues from those regions and raise a large fund.

³² He left Lys′ias, a distinguished man of royal lineage, in charge of the king’s affairs from the river Euphra′tes to the borders of Egypt. ³³ Lys′ias was also to take care of Anti′ochus his son until he returned. ³⁴ And he turned over to Lys′ias^[eb] half of his troops and the elephants, and gave him orders about all that he wanted done. As for the residents of Judea and Jerusalem, ³⁵ Lys′ias was to send a force against them to wipe out and destroy the strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem; he was to banish the memory of them from the place, ³⁶ settle aliens in all their territory, and distribute their land. ³⁷ Then the king took the remaining half of his troops and departed from Antioch his capital in the one hundred and forty-seventh year.^[ec] He crossed the Euphra′tes river and went through the upper provinces.

Preparations for Battle

³⁸ Lys′ias chose Ptol′emy the son of Dorym′enes, and Nica′nor and Gor′gias, mighty men among the friends of the king, ³⁹ and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded. ⁴⁰ So they departed with their entire force, and when they arrived they encamped near Emma′us in the plain. ⁴¹ When the traders of the region heard what was said of them, they took silver and gold in immense amounts, and fetters,^[ed] and went to the camp to get the sons of Israel for slaves. And forces from Syria and the land of the Philistines joined with them.

⁴² Now Judas and his brothers saw that misfortunes had increased and that the forces were encamped in their territory. They also learned what the king had commanded to do to the people to cause their final destruction. ⁴³ But they said to one another, “Let us repair the destruction of our people, and fight for our people and the sanctuary.” ⁴⁴ And the congregation assembled to be ready for battle, and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion.

⁴⁶ So they assembled and went to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because Israel formerly had a place of prayer in Mizpah. ⁴⁷ They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and rent their clothes. ⁴⁸ And they opened the book of the law to inquire into those matters about which the Gentiles were consulting the images of their idols. ⁴⁹ They also brought the garments of the priesthood and the first fruits and the tithes, and they stirred up the Naz′irites who had completed their days; ⁵⁰ and they cried aloud to Heaven, saying,

⁵⁴ Then they sounded the trumpets and gave a loud shout. ⁵⁵ After this Judas appointed leaders of the people, in charge of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens. ⁵⁶ And he said to those who were building houses, or were betrothed, or were planting vineyards, or were fainthearted, that each should return to his home, according to the law. ⁵⁷ Then the army marched out and encamped to the south of Emma′us.

⁵⁸ And Judas said, “Gird yourselves and be valiant. Be ready early in the morning to fight with 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 see the misfortunes of our nation and of the sanctuary. ⁶⁰ But as his will in heaven may be, so he will do.”

The Battle at Emmaus

4 Now Gor′gias took five thousand infantry and a thousand picked cavalry, and this division moved out by night ² to fall upon the camp of the Jews and attack them suddenly. Men from the citadel were his guides. ³ But Judas heard of it, and he and his mighty men moved out to attack the king’s force in Emma′us ⁴ while the division was still absent from the camp. ⁵ When Gor′gias entered the camp of Judas by night, he found no one there, so he looked for them in the hills, because he said, “These men are fleeing from us.”

⁶ At daybreak Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand men, but they did not have armor and swords such as they desired. ⁷ And they saw the camp of the Gentiles, strong and fortified, with cavalry round about it; and these men were trained in war. ⁸ But Judas said to the men who were with him, “Do not fear their numbers or be afraid when they charge. ⁹ Remember how our fathers were saved at the Red Sea, when Pharaoh with his forces pursued them. ¹⁰ And now let us cry to Heaven, to see whether he will favor us and remember his covenant with our fathers and crush this army before us today. ¹¹ Then all the Gentiles will know that there is one who redeems and saves Israel.”

¹² When the foreigners looked up and saw them coming against them, ¹³ they went forth from their camp to battle. Then the men with Judas blew their trumpets ¹⁴ and engaged in battle. The Gentiles were crushed and fled into the plain, ¹⁵ and all those in the rear fell by the sword. They pursued them to Gazar′a, and to the plains of Idume′a, and to Azo′tus and Jam′nia; and three thousand of them fell. ¹⁶ Then Judas and his force turned back from pursuing them, ¹⁷ and he said to the people, “Do not be greedy for plunder, for there is a battle before us; ¹⁸ Gor′gias and his force are near us in the hills. But stand now against our enemies and fight them, and afterward seize the plunder boldly.”

¹⁹ Just as Judas was finishing this speech, a detachment appeared, coming out of the hills. ²⁰ They saw that their army^[ee] had been put to flight, and that the Jews^[ef] were burning the camp, for the smoke that was seen showed what had happened. ²¹ When they perceived this they were greatly frightened, and when they also saw the army of Judas drawn up in the plain for battle, ²² they all fled into the land of the Philistines. ²³ Then Judas returned to plunder the camp, and they seized much gold and silver, and cloth dyed blue and sea purple, and great riches. ²⁴ On their return they sang hymns and praises to Heaven, for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever. ²⁵ Thus Israel had a great deliverance that day.

First Campaign of Lysias

²⁶ Those of the foreigners who escaped went and reported to Lys′ias all that had happened. ²⁷ When he heard it, he was perplexed and discouraged, for things had not happened to Israel as he had intended, nor had they turned out as the king had commanded him. ²⁸ But the next year he mustered sixty thousand picked infantrymen and five thousand cavalry to subdue them. ²⁹ They came into Idume′a and encamped at Beth-zur,^[eg] and Judas met them with ten thousand men.

³⁰ When he saw that the army was strong, he prayed, saying, “Blessed art thou, O Savior of Israel, who didst crush the attack of the mighty warrior by the hand of thy servant David, and didst give the camp of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan, the son of Saul, and of the man who carried his armor. ³¹ So do thou hem in this army by the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be ashamed of their troops and their cavalry. ³² Fill them with cowardice; melt the boldness of their strength; let them tremble in their destruction. ³³ Strike them down with the sword of those who love thee, and let all who know thy name praise thee with hymns.”

³⁴ Then both sides attacked, and there fell of the army of Lys′ias five thousand men; they fell in action.^{[eh] 35} And when Lys′ias saw the rout of his troops and observed the boldness which inspired those of Judas, and how ready they were either to live or to die nobly, he departed to Antioch and enlisted mercenaries, to invade Judea again with an even larger army.

Cleansing and Dedication of the Temple

³⁶ Then said Judas and his brothers, “Behold, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” ³⁷ So all the army assembled and they went up to Mount Zion. ³⁸ And they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins. ³⁹ Then they rent their clothes, and mourned with great lamentation, and sprinkled themselves with ashes. ⁴⁰ They fell face down on the ground, and sounded the signal on the trumpets, and cried out to Heaven. ⁴¹ Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary.

⁴² He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, ⁴³ and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. ⁴⁴ They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. ⁴⁵ And they thought it best to tear it down, lest it bring reproach upon them, for the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, ⁴⁶ and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them. ⁴⁷ Then they took unhewn^[ei] stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. ⁴⁸ They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. ⁴⁹ They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. ⁵⁰ Then they burned incense on the altar and lighted the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. ⁵¹ They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.

⁵² Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-eighth year,^{[ej] 53} they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering which they had built. ⁵⁴ At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. ⁵⁵ All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. ⁵⁶ So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and offered burnt offerings with gladness; they offered a sacrifice of deliverance and praise. ⁵⁷ They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and furnished them with doors. ⁵⁸ There was very great gladness among the people, and the reproach of the Gentiles was removed.

⁵⁹ Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with gladness and joy for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.

⁶⁰ At that time they fortified Mount Zion with high walls and strong towers round about, to keep the Gentiles from coming and trampling them down as they had done before. ⁶¹ And he stationed a garrison there to hold it. He also^[ek] fortified Beth-zur, so that the people might have a stronghold that faced Idume′a.

Wars with Neighboring Peoples

5 When the Gentiles round about heard that the altar had been built and the sanctuary dedicated as it was before, they became very angry, ² and they determined to destroy the descendants of Jacob who lived among them. So they began to kill and destroy among the people. ³ But Judas made war on the sons of Esau in Idume′a, at Akrabatte′ne, because they kept lying in wait for Israel. He dealt them a heavy blow and humbled them and despoiled them. ⁴ He also remembered the wickedness of the sons of Baean, who were a trap and a snare to the people and ambushed them on the highways. ⁵ They were shut up by him in their towers; and he encamped against them, vowed their complete destruction, and burned with fire their^[el] towers and all who were in them. ⁶ Then he crossed over to attack the Am′monites, where he found a strong band and many people with Timothy as their leader. ⁷ He engaged in many battles with them and they were crushed before him; he struck them down. ⁸ He also took Jazer and its villages; then he returned to Judea.

Liberation of Galilean Jews

⁹ Now the Gentiles in Gil′ead gathered together against the Israelites who lived in their territory, and planned to destroy them. But they fled to the stronghold of Dath′ema, ¹⁰ and sent to Judas and his brothers a letter which said, “The Gentiles around us have gathered together against us to destroy us. ¹¹ They are preparing to come and capture the stronghold to which we have fled, and Timothy is leading their forces. ¹² Now then come and rescue us from their hands, for many of us have fallen, ¹³ and all our brethren who were in the land of Tob have been killed; the enemy^[em] have captured their wives and children and goods, and have destroyed about a thousand men there.”

¹⁴ While the letter was still being read, behold, other messengers, with their garments rent, came from Galilee and made a similar report; ¹⁵ they said that against them had gathered together men of Ptolema′is and Tyre and Sidon, and all Galilee of the Gentiles,^[en] “to annihilate us.” ¹⁶ When Judas and the people heard these messages, a great assembly was called to determine what they should do for their brethren who were in distress and were being attacked by enemies.^{[eo] 17} Then Judas said to Simon his brother, “Choose your men and go and rescue your brethren in Galilee; I and Jonathan my brother will go to Gil′ead.” ¹⁸ But he left Joseph, the son of Zechari′ah, and Azari′ah, a leader of the people, with the rest of the forces, in Judea to guard it; ¹⁹ and he gave them this command, “Take charge of this people, but do not engage in battle with the Gentiles until we return.” ²⁰ Then three thousand men were assigned to Simon to go to Galilee, and eight thousand to Judas for Gil′ead.

²¹ so Simon went to Galilee and fought many battles against the Gentiles, and the Gentiles were crushed before him. ²² He pursued them to the gate of Ptolema′is, and as many as three thousand of the Gentiles fell, and he despoiled them. ²³ Then he took the Jews^[ep] of Galilee and Arbat′ta, with their wives and children, and all they possessed, and led them to Judea with great rejoicing.

Judas and Jonathan in Gilead

²⁴ Judas Maccabe′us and Jonathan his brother crossed the Jordan and went three days’ journey into the wilderness. ²⁵ They encountered the Nabate′ans, who met them peaceably and told them all that had happened to their brethren in Gil′ead: ²⁶ “Many of them have been shut up in Bozrah and Bosor, in Al′ema and Chaspho, Maked and Car′naim”—all these cities were strong and large— ²⁷ “and some have been shut up in the other cities of Gil′ead; the enemy^[eq] are getting ready to attack the strongholds tomorrow and take and destroy all these men in one day.”

²⁸ Then Judas and his army quickly turned back by the wilderness road to Bozrah; and he took the city, and killed every male by the edge of the sword; then he seized all its spoils and burned it with fire. ²⁹ He departed from there at night, and they went all the way to the stronghold of Dath′ema.^{[er] 30} At dawn they looked up, and behold, a large company, that could not be counted, carrying ladders and engines of war to capture the stronghold, and attacking the Jews within.^{[es] 31} So Judas saw that the battle had begun and that the cry of the city went up to Heaven with trumpets and loud shouts, ³² and he said to the men of his forces, “Fight today for your brethren!” ³³ Then he came up behind them in three companies, who sounded their trumpets and cried aloud in prayer. ³⁴ And when the army of Timothy realized that it was Maccabe′us, they fled before him, and he dealt them a heavy blow. As many as eight thousand of them fell that day.

³⁵ Next he turned aside to Al′ema,^[et][eu] and fought against it and took it; and he killed every male in it, plundered it, and burned it with fire. ³⁶ From there he marched on and took Chaspho, Maked, and Bosor, and the other cities of Gil′ead.

³⁷ After these things Timothy gathered another army and encamped opposite Raphon, on the other side of the stream. ³⁸ Judas sent men to spy out the camp, and they reported to him, “All the Gentiles around us have gathered to him; it is a very large force. ³⁹ They also have hired Arabs to help them, and they are encamped across the stream, ready to come and fight against you.” And Judas went to meet them.

⁴⁰ Now as Judas and his army drew near to the stream of water, Timothy said to the officers of his forces, “If he crosses over to us first, we will not be able to resist him, for he will surely defeat us. ⁴¹ But if he shows fear and camps on the other side of the river, we will cross over to him and defeat him.” ⁴² When Judas approached the stream of water, he stationed the scribes of the people at the stream and gave them this command, “Permit no man to encamp, but make them all enter the battle.” ⁴³ Then he crossed over against them first, and the whole army followed him. All the Gentiles were defeated before him, and they threw away their arms and fled into the sacred precincts at Car′naim. ⁴⁴ But he took the city and burned the sacred precincts with fire, together with all who were in them. Thus Car′naim was conquered; they could stand before Judas no longer.

The Return to Jerusalem

⁴⁵ Then Judas gathered together all the Israelites in Gil′ead, the small and the great, with their wives and children and goods, a very large company, to go to the land of Judah. ⁴⁶ So they came to Ephron. This was a large and very strong city on the road, and they could not go round it to the right or to the left; they had to go through it. ⁴⁷ But the men of the city shut them out and blocked up the gates with stones. ⁴⁸ And Judas sent them this friendly message, “Let us pass through your land to get to our land. No one will do you harm; we will simply pass by on foot.” But they refused to open to him. ⁴⁹ Then Judas ordered proclamation to be made to the army that each should encamp where he was. ⁵⁰ So the men of the forces encamped, and he fought against the city all that day and all the night, and the city was delivered into his hands. ⁵¹ He destroyed every male by the edge of the sword, and razed and plundered the city. Then he passed through the city over the slain.

⁵² And they crossed the Jordan into the large plain before Beth-shan. ⁵³ And Judas kept rallying the laggards and encouraging the people all the way till he came to the land of Judah. ⁵⁴ So they went up to Mount Zion with gladness and joy, and offered burnt offerings, because not one of them had fallen before they returned in safety.

Joseph and Azariah Defeated

⁵⁵ Now while Judas and Jonathan were in Gil′ead and Simon his brother was in Galilee before Ptolema′is, ⁵⁶ Joseph, the son of Zechari′ah, and Azari′ah, the commanders of the forces, heard of their brave deeds and of the heroic war they had fought. ⁵⁷ So they said, “Let us also make a name for ourselves; let us go and make war on the Gentiles around us.” ⁵⁸ And they issued orders to the men of the forces that were with them, and they marched against Jam′nia. ⁵⁹ And Gor′gias and his men came out of the city to meet them in battle. ⁶⁰ Then Joseph and Azari′ah were routed, and were pursued to the borders of Judea; as many as two thousand of the people of Israel fell that day. ⁶¹ Thus the people suffered a great rout because, thinking to do a brave deed, they did not listen to Judas and his brothers. ⁶² But they did not belong to the family of those men through whom deliverance was given to Israel.

⁶³ The man Judas and his brothers were greatly honored in all Israel and among all the Gentiles, wherever their name was heard. ⁶⁴ Men gathered to them and praised them.

Success at Hebron and Philistia

⁶⁵ Then Judas and his brothers went forth and fought the sons of Esau in the land to the south. He struck Hebron and its villages and tore down its strongholds and burned its towers round about. ⁶⁶ Then he marched off to go into the land of the Philistines, and passed through Mar′isa.^{[ev][ew] 67} On that day some priests, who wished to do a brave deed, fell in battle, for they went out to battle unwisely. ⁶⁸ But Judas turned aside to Azo′tus in the land of the Philistines;^[ex] he tore down their altars, and the graven images of their gods he burned with fire; he plundered the cities and returned to the land of Judah.

The Last Days of Antiochus Epiphanes

6 King Anti′ochus was going through the upper provinces when he heard that Elyma′is in Persia was a city famed for its wealth in silver and gold. ² Its temple was very rich, containing golden shields, breastplates, and weapons left there by Alexander, the son of Philip, the Macedonian king who first reigned over the Greeks. ³ So he came and tried to take the city and plunder it, but he could not, because his plan became known to the men of the city ⁴ and they withstood him in battle. So he fled and in great grief departed from there to return to Babylon.

⁵ Then some one came to him in Persia and reported that the armies which had gone into the land of Judah had been routed; ⁶ that Lys′ias had gone first with a strong force, but had turned and fled before the Jews;^[ey] that the Jews^[ez] had grown strong from the arms, supplies, and abundant spoils which they had taken from the armies they had cut down; ⁷ that they had torn down the abomination which he had erected upon the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, and also Beth-zur, his city.

⁸ When the king heard this news, he was astounded and badly shaken. He took to his bed and became sick from grief, because things had not turned out for him as he had planned. ⁹ He lay there for many days, because deep grief continually gripped him, and he concluded that he was dying. ¹⁰ So he called all his friends and said to them, “Sleep departs from my eyes and I am downhearted with worry. ¹¹ I said to myself, ‘To what distress I have come! And into what a great flood I now am plunged! For I was kind and beloved in my power.’ ¹² But now I remember the evils I did in Jerusalem. I seized all her vessels of silver and gold; and I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without good reason. ¹³ I know that it is because of this that these evils have come upon me; and behold, I am perishing of deep grief in a strange land.”

¹⁴ Then he called for Philip, one of his friends, and made him ruler over all his kingdom. ¹⁵ He gave him the crown and his robe and the signet, that he might guide Anti′ochus his son and bring him up to be king. ¹⁶ Thus Anti′ochus the king died there in the one hundred and forty-ninth year.^{[fa] 17} And when Lys′ias learned that the king was dead, he set up Anti′ochus the king’s^[fb] son to reign. Lys′ias^[fc] had brought him up as a boy, and he named him Eu′pator.

Renewed Attacks from Syria

¹⁸ Now the men in the citadel kept hemming Israel in around the sanctuary. They were trying in every way to harm them and strengthen the Gentiles. ¹⁹ So Judas decided to destroy them, and assembled all the people to besiege them. ²⁰ They gathered together and besieged the citadel^[fd] in the one hundred and fiftieth year;^[fe] and he built siege towers and other engines of war. ²¹ But some of the garrison escaped from the siege and some of the ungodly Israelites joined them. ²² They went to the king and said, “How long will you fail to do justice and to avenge our brethren? ²³ We were happy to serve your father, to live by what he said and to follow his commands. ²⁴ For this reason the sons of our people besieged the citadel^[ff] and became hostile to us; moreover, they have put to death as many of us as they have caught, and they have seized our inheritances. ²⁵ And not against us alone have they stretched out their hands, but also against all the lands on their borders. ²⁶ And behold, today they have encamped against the citadel in Jerusalem to take it; they have fortified both the sanctuary and Beth-zur; ²⁷ and unless you quickly prevent them, they will do still greater things, and you will not be able to stop them.”

²⁸ The king was enraged when he heard this. He assembled all his friends, the commanders of his forces and those in authority.^{[fg] 29} And mercenary forces came to him from other kingdoms and from islands of the seas. ³⁰ The number of his forces was a hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants accustomed to war. ³¹ They came through Idume′a and encamped against Beth-zur, and for many days they fought and built engines of war; but the Jews^[fh] sallied out and burned these with fire, and fought manfully.

The Battle at Beth-zechariah

³² Then Judas marched away from the citadel and encamped at Beth-zechari′ah, opposite the camp of the king. ³³ Early in the morning the king rose and took his army by a forced march along the road to Beth-zechari′ah, and his troops made ready for battle and sounded their trumpets. ³⁴ They showed the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries, to arouse them for battle. ³⁵ And they distributed the beasts among the phalanxes; with each elephant they stationed a thousand men armed with coats of mail, and with brass helmets on their heads; and five hundred picked horsemen were assigned to each beast. ³⁶ These took their position beforehand wherever the beast was; wherever it went they went with it, and they never left it. ³⁷ And upon the elephants^[fi] were wooden towers, strong and covered; they were fastened upon each beast by special harness, and upon each were four^[fj] armed men who fought from there, and also its Indian driver. ³⁸ The rest of the horsemen were stationed on either side, on the two flanks of the army, to harass the enemy while being themselves protected by the phalanxes. ³⁹ When the sun shone upon the shields of gold and brass, the hills were ablaze with them and gleamed like flaming torches.

⁴⁰ Now a part of the king’s army was spread out on the high hills, and some troops were on the plain, and they advanced steadily and in good order. ⁴¹ All who heard the noise made by their multitude, by the marching of the multitude and the clanking of their arms, trembled, for the army was very large and strong. ⁴² But Judas and his army advanced to the battle, and six hundred men of the king’s army fell. ⁴³ And Elea′zar, called Av′aran, saw that one of the beasts was equipped with royal armor. It was taller than all the others, and he supposed that the king was upon it. ⁴⁴ So he gave his life to save his people and to win for himself an everlasting name. ⁴⁵ He courageously ran into the midst of the phalanx to reach it; he killed men right and left, and they parted before him on both sides. ⁴⁶ He got under the elephant, stabbed it from beneath, and killed it; but it fell to the ground upon him and there he died. ⁴⁷ And when the Jews^[fk] saw the royal might and the fierce attack of the forces, they turned away in flight.

The Siege of the Temple

⁴⁸ The soldiers of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem against them, and the king encamped in Judea and at Mount Zion. ⁴⁹ He made peace with the men of Beth-zur, and they evacuated the city, because they had no provisions there to withstand a siege, since it was a sabbatical year for the land. ⁵⁰ So the king took Beth-zur and stationed a guard there to hold it. ⁵¹ Then he encamped before the sanctuary for many days. He set up siege towers, engines of war to throw fire and stones, machines to shoot arrows, and catapults. ⁵² The Jews^[fl] also made engines of war to match theirs, and fought for many days. ⁵³ But they had no food in storage,^[fm] because it was the seventh year; those who found safety in Judea from the Gentiles had consumed the last of the stores. ⁵⁴ Few men were left in the sanctuary, because famine had prevailed over the rest and they had been scattered, each to his own place.

Syria Offers Terms

⁵⁵ Then Lys′ias heard that Philip, whom King Anti′ochus while still living had appointed to bring up Anti′ochus his son to be king, ⁵⁶ had returned from Persia and Media with the forces that had gone with the king, and that he was trying to seize control of the government. ⁵⁷ So he quickly gave orders to depart, and said to the king, to the commanders of the forces, and to the men, “We daily grow weaker, our food supply is scant, the place against which we are fighting is strong, and the affairs of the kingdom press urgently upon us. ⁵⁸ Now then let us come to terms with these men, and make peace with them and with all their nation, ⁵⁹ and agree to let them live by their laws as they did before; for it was on account of their laws which we abolished that they became angry and did all these things.”

⁶⁰ The speech pleased the king and the commanders, and he sent to the Jews^[fn] an offer of peace, and they accepted it. ⁶¹ So the king and the commanders gave them their oath. On these conditions the Jews^[fo] evacuated the stronghold. ⁶² But when the king entered Mount Zion and saw what a strong fortress the place was, he broke the oath he had sworn and gave orders to tear down the wall all around. ⁶³ Then he departed with haste and returned to Antioch. He found Philip in control of the city, but he fought against him, and took the city by force.

Expedition of Bacchides and Alcimus

7 In the one hundred and fifty-first year^[fp] Deme′trius the son of Seleu′cus set forth from Rome, sailed with a few men to a city by the sea, and there began to reign. ² As he was entering the royal palace of his fathers, the army seized Anti′ochus and Lys′ias to bring them to him. ³ But when this act became known to him, he said, “Do not let me see their faces!” ⁴ So the army killed them, and Deme′trius took his seat upon the throne of his kingdom.

⁵ Then there came to him all the lawless and ungodly men of Israel; they were led by Al′cimus, who wanted to be high priest. ⁶ And they brought to the king this accusation against the people: “Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends, and have driven us out of our land. ⁷ Now then send a man whom you trust; let him go and see all the ruin which Judas^[fq] has brought upon us and upon the land of the king, and let him punish them and all who help them.”

⁸ So the king chose Bac′chides, one of the king’s friends, governor of the province Beyond the River; he was a great man in the kingdom and was faithful to the king. ⁹ And he sent him, and with him the ungodly Al′cimus, whom he made high priest; and he commanded him to take vengeance on the sons of Israel. ¹⁰ So they marched away and came with a large force into the land of Judah; and he sent messengers to Judas and his brothers with peaceable but treacherous words. ¹¹ But they paid no attention to their words, for they saw that they had come with a large force.

¹² Then a group of scribes appeared in a body before Al′cimus and Bac′chides to ask for just terms. ¹³ The Haside′ans were first among the sons of Israel to seek peace from them, ¹⁴ for they said, “A priest of the line of Aaron has come with the army, and he will not harm us.” ¹⁵ And he spoke peaceable words to them and swore this oath to them, “We will not seek to injure you or your friends.” ¹⁶ So they trusted him; but he seized sixty of them and killed them in one day, in accordance with the word which was written,

¹⁸ Then the fear and dread of them fell upon all the people, for they said, “There is no truth or justice in them, for they have violated the agreement and the oath which they swore.”

¹⁹ Then Bac′chides departed from Jerusalem and encamped in Beth-zaith. And he sent and seized many of the men who had deserted to him,^[fr] and some of the people, and killed them and threw them into the great pit. ²⁰ He placed Al′cimus in charge of the country and left with him a force to help him; then Bac′chides went back to the king.

²¹ Al′cimus strove for the high priesthood, ²² and all who were troubling their people joined him. They gained control of the land of Judah and did great damage in Israel. ²³ And Judas saw all the evil that Al′cimus and those with him had done among the sons of Israel; it was more than the Gentiles had done. ²⁴ So Judas^[fs] went out into all the surrounding parts of Judea, and took vengeance on the men who had deserted, and he prevented those in the city^[ft] from going out into the country. ²⁵ When Al′cimus saw that Judas and those with him had grown strong, and realized that he could not withstand them, he returned to the king and brought wicked charges against them.

Nicanor in Judea

²⁶ Then the king sent Nica′nor, one of his honored princes, who hated and detested Israel, and he commanded him to destroy the people. ²⁷ So Nica′nor came to Jerusalem with a large force, and treacherously sent to Judas and his brothers this peaceable message, ²⁸ “Let there be no fighting between me and you; I shall come with a few men to see you face to face in peace.” ²⁹ So he came to Judas, and they greeted one another peaceably. But the enemy were ready to seize Judas. ³⁰ It became known to Judas that Nica′nor^[fu] had come to him with treacherous intent, and he was afraid of him and would not meet him again. ³¹ When Nica′nor learned that his plan had been disclosed, he went out to meet Judas in battle near Capharsal′ama. ³² About five hundred men of the army of Nica′nor fell, and the rest^[fv] fled into the city of David.

Nicanor Threatens the Temple

³³ After these events Nica′nor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests came out of the sanctuary, and some of the elders of the people, to greet him peaceably and to show him the burnt offering that was being offered for the king. ³⁴ But he mocked them and derided them and defiled them and spoke arrogantly, ³⁵ and in anger he swore this oath, “Unless Judas and his army are delivered into my hands this time, then if I return safely I will burn up this house.” And he went out in great anger. ³⁶ Then the priests went in and stood before the altar and the temple, and they wept and said,

The Death of Nicanor

³⁹ Now Nica′nor went out from Jerusalem and encamped in Beth-hor′on, and the Syrian army joined him. ⁴⁰ And Judas encamped in Ad′asa with three thousand men. Then Judas prayed and said, ⁴¹ “When the messengers from the king spoke blasphemy, thy angel went forth and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians.^{[fw] 42} So also crush this army before us today; let the rest learn that Nica′nor^[fx] has spoken wickedly against thy sanctuary, and judge him according to this wickedness.” ⁴³ So the armies met in battle on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. The army of Nica′nor was crushed, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle. ⁴⁴ When his army saw that Nica′nor had fallen, they threw down their arms and fled. ⁴⁵ The Jews^[fy] pursued them a day’s journey, from Ad′asa as far as Gazar′a, and as they followed kept sounding the battle call on the trumpets. ⁴⁶ And men came out of all the villages of Judea round about, and they out-flanked the enemy^[fz] and drove them back to their pursuers,^[ga] so that they all fell by the sword; not even one of them was left. ⁴⁷ Then the Jews^[gb] seized the spoils and the plunder, and they cut off Nica′nor’s head and the right hand which he had so arrogantly stretched out, and brought them and displayed them just outside Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ The people rejoiced greatly and celebrated that day as a day of great gladness. ⁴⁹ And they decreed that this day should be celebrated each year on the thirteenth day of Adar. ⁵⁰ So the land of Judah had rest for a few days.

A Eulogy of the Romans

8 Now Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they were very strong and were well-disposed toward all who made an alliance with them, that they pledged friendship to those who came to them, ² and that they were very strong. Men told him of their wars and of the brave deeds which they were doing among the Gauls, how they had defeated them and forced them to pay tribute, ³ and what they had done in the land of Spain to get control of the silver and gold mines there, ⁴ and how they had gained control of the whole region by their planning and patience, even though the place was far distant from them. They also subdued the kings who came against them from the ends of the earth, until they crushed them and inflicted great disaster upon them; the rest paid them tribute every year. ⁵ Philip, and Per′seus king of the Macedonians,^[gc] and the others who rose up against them, they crushed in battle and conquered. ⁶ They also defeated Anti′ochus the Great, king of Asia, who went to fight against them with a hundred and twenty elephants and with cavalry and chariots and a very large army. He was crushed by them; ⁷ they took him alive and decreed that he and those who should reign after him should pay a heavy tribute and give hostages and surrender some of their best provinces, ⁸ the country of India and Media and Lydia. These they took from him and gave to Eu′menes the king. ⁹ The Greeks planned to come and destroy them, ¹⁰ but this became known to them, and they sent a general against the Greeks^[gd] and attacked them. Many of them were wounded and fell, and the Romans^[ge] took captive their wives and children; they plundered them, conquered the land, tore down their strongholds, and enslaved them to this day. ¹¹ The remaining kingdoms and islands, as many as ever opposed them, they destroyed and enslaved; ¹² but with their friends and those who rely on them they have kept friendship. They have subdued kings far and near, and as many as have heard of their fame have feared them. ¹³ Those whom they wish to help and to make kings, they make kings, and those whom they wish they depose; and they have been greatly exalted. ¹⁴ Yet for all this not one of them has put on a crown or worn purple as a mark of pride, ¹⁵ but they have built for themselves a senate chamber, and every day three hundred and twenty senators constantly deliberate concerning the people, to govern them well. ¹⁶ They trust one man each year to rule over them and to control all their land; they all heed the one man, and there is no envy or jealousy among them.

An Alliance with Rome

¹⁷ So Judas chose Eupol′emus the son of John, son of Accos, and Jason the son of Elea′zar, and sent them to Rome to establish friendship and alliance, ¹⁸ and to free themselves from the yoke; for they saw that the kingdom of the Greeks was completely enslaving Israel. ¹⁹ They went to Rome, a very long journey; and they entered the senate chamber and spoke as follows: ²⁰ “Judas, who is also called Maccabe′us, and his brothers and the people of the Jews have sent us to you to establish alliance and peace with you, that we may be enrolled as your allies and friends.” ²¹ The proposal pleased them, ²² and this is a copy of the letter which they wrote in reply, on bronze tablets, and sent to Jerusalem to remain with them there as a memorial of peace and alliance:

²³ “May all go well with the Romans and with the nation of the Jews at sea and on land for ever, and may sword and enemy be far from them. ²⁴ If war comes first to Rome or to any of their allies in all their dominion, ²⁵ the nation of the Jews shall act as their allies wholeheartedly, as the occasion may indicate to them. ²⁶ And to the enemy who makes war they shall not give or supply grain, arms, money, or ships, as Rome has decided; and they shall keep their obligations without receiving any return. ²⁷ In the same way, if war comes first to the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall willingly act as their allies, as the occasion may indicate to them. ²⁸ And to the enemy allies shall be given no grain, arms, money, or ships, as Rome has decided; and they shall keep these obligations and do so without deceit. ²⁹ Thus on these terms the Romans make a treaty with the Jewish people. ³⁰ If after these terms are in effect both parties shall determine to add or delete anything, they shall do so at their discretion, and any addition or deletion that they may make shall be valid.

³¹ “And concerning the wrongs which King Deme′trius is doing to them we have written to him as follows, ‘Why have you made your yoke heavy upon our friends and allies the Jews? ³² If now they appeal again for help against you, we will defend their rights and fight you on sea and on land.’”

Bacchides Returns to Judea

9 When Deme′trius heard that Nica′nor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bac′chides and Al′cimus into the land of Judah a second time, and with them the right wing of the army. ² They went by the road which leads to Gilgal and encamped against Mes′aloth in Arbe′la, and they took it and killed many people. ³ In the first month of the one hundred and fifty-second year^[gf] they encamped against Jerusalem; ⁴ then they marched off and went to Berea with twenty thousand foot soldiers and two thousand cavalry.

⁵ Now Judas was encamped in El′asa, and with him were three thousand picked men. ⁶ When they saw the huge number of the enemy forces, they were greatly frightened, and many slipped away from the camp, until no more than eight hundred of them were left.

⁷ When Judas saw that his army had slipped away and the battle was imminent, he was crushed in spirit, for he had no time to assemble them. ⁸ He became faint, but he said to those who were left, “Let us rise and go up against our enemies. We may be able to fight them.” ⁹ But they tried to dissuade him, saying, “We are not able. Let us rather save our own lives now, and let us come back with our brethren and fight them; we are too few.” ¹⁰ But Judas said, “Far be it from us to do such a thing as to flee from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our brethren, and leave no cause to question our honor.”

The Last Battle of Judas

¹¹ Then the army of Bac′chides^[gg] marched out from the camp and took its stand for the encounter. The cavalry was divided into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, as did all the chief warriors. ¹² Bac′chides was on the right wing. Flanked by the two companies, the phalanx advanced to the sound of the trumpets; and the men with Judas also blew their trumpets. ¹³ The earth was shaken by the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning till evening.

¹⁴ Judas saw that Bac′chides and the strength of his army were on the right; then all the stouthearted men went with him, ¹⁵ and they crushed the right wing, and he pursued them as far as Mount Azo′tus. ¹⁶ When those on the left wing saw that the right wing was crushed, they turned and followed close behind Judas and his men. ¹⁷ The battle became desperate, and many on both sides were wounded and fell. ¹⁸ Judas also fell, and the rest fled.

¹⁹ Then Jonathan and Simon took Judas their brother and buried him in the tomb of their fathers at Mo′de-in, ²⁰ and wept for him. And all Israel made great lamentation for him; they mourned many days and said,

²² Now the rest of the acts of Judas, and his wars and the brave deeds that he did, and his greatness, have not been recorded, for they were very many.

Jonathan Succeeds Judas

²³ After the death of Judas, the lawless emerged in all parts of Israel; all the doers of injustice appeared. ²⁴ In those days a very great famine occurred, and the country deserted with them to the enemy. ²⁵ And Bac′chides chose the ungodly and put them in charge of the country. ²⁶ They sought and searched for the friends of Judas, and brought them to Bac′chides, and he took vengeance on them and made sport of them. ²⁷ Thus there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them.

²⁸ Then all the friends of Judas assembled and said to Jonathan, ²⁹ “Since the death of your brother Judas there has been no one like him to go against our enemies and Bac′chides, and to deal with those of our nation who hate us. ³⁰ So now we have chosen you today to take his place as our ruler and leader, to fight our battle.” ³¹ And Jonathan at that time accepted the leadership and took the place of Judas his brother.

The Campaigns of Jonathan

³² When Bac′chides learned of this, he tried to kill him. ³³ But Jonathan and Simon his brother and all who were with him heard of it, and they fled into the wilderness of Teko′a and camped by the water of the pool of Asphar. ³⁴ Bac′chides found this out on the sabbath day, and he with all his army crossed the Jordan.

³⁵ And Jonathan^[gh] sent his brother as leader of the multitude and begged the Nabate′ans, who were his friends, for permission to store with them the great amount of baggage which they had. ³⁶ But the sons of Jambri from Me′deba came out and seized John and all that he had, and departed with it.

³⁷ After these things it was reported to Jonathan and Simon his brother, “The sons of Jambri are celebrating a great wedding, and are conducting the bride, a daughter of one of the great nobles of Canaan, from Nad′abath^[gi] with a large escort.” ³⁸ And they remembered the blood of John their brother, and went up and hid under cover of the mountain. ³⁹ They raised their eyes and looked, and saw a tumultuous procession with much baggage; and the bridegroom came out with his friends and his brothers to meet them with tambourines and musicians and many weapons. ⁴⁰ Then they rushed upon them from the ambush and began killing them. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled to the mountain; and they took all their goods. ⁴¹ Thus the wedding was turned into mourning and the voice of their musicians into a funeral dirge. ⁴² And when they had fully avenged the blood of their brother, they returned to the marshes of the Jordan.

⁴³ When Bac′chides heard of this, he came with a large force on the sabbath day to the banks of the Jordan. ⁴⁴ And Jonathan said to those with him, “Let us rise up now and fight for our lives, for today things are not as they were before. ⁴⁵ For look! the battle is in front of us and behind us; the water of the Jordan is on this side and on that, with marsh and thicket; there is no place to turn. ⁴⁶ Cry out now to Heaven that you may be delivered from the hands of our enemies.” ⁴⁷ So the battle began, and Jonathan stretched out his hand to strike Bac′chides, but he eluded him and went to the rear. ⁴⁸ Then Jonathan and the men with him leaped into the Jordan and swam across to the other side, and the enemy^[gj] did not cross the Jordan to attack them. ⁴⁹ And about one thousand of Bac′chides’ men fell that day.

Bacchides Builds Fortifications

⁵⁰ Bac′chides^[gk] then returned to Jerusalem and built strong cities in Judea: the fortress in Jericho, and Emma′us, and Beth-hor′on, and Bethel, and Timnath, and^[gl] Phar′athon, and Tephon, with high walls and gates and bars. ⁵¹ And he placed garrisons in them to harass Israel. ⁵² He also fortified the city of Beth-zur, and Gazar′a, and the citadel, and in them he put troops and stores of food. ⁵³ And he took the sons of the leading men of the land as hostages and put them under guard in the citadel at Jerusalem.

⁵⁴ In the one hundred and fifty-third year,^[gm] in the second month, Al′cimus gave orders to tear down the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary. He tore down the work of the prophets! ⁵⁵ But he only began to tear it down, for at that time Al′cimus was stricken and his work was hindered; his mouth was stopped and he was paralyzed, so that he could no longer say a word or give commands concerning his house. ⁵⁶ And Al′cimus died at that time in great agony. ⁵⁷ When Bac′chides saw that Al′cimus was dead, he returned to the king, and the land of Judah had rest for two years.

The End of the War

⁵⁸ Then all the lawless plotted and said, “See! Jonathan and his men are living in quiet and confidence. So now let us bring Bac′chides back, and he will capture them all in one night.” ⁵⁹ And they went and consulted with him. ⁶⁰ He started to come with a large force, and secretly sent letters to all his allies in Judea, telling them to seize Jonathan and his men; but they were unable to do it, because their plan became known. ⁶¹ And Jonathan’s men^[gn] seized about fifty of the men of the country who were leaders in this treachery, and killed them.

⁶² Then Jonathan with his men, and Simon, withdrew to Beth-ba′si in the wilderness; he rebuilt the parts of it that had been demolished, and they fortified it. ⁶³ When Bac′chides learned of this, he assembled all his forces, and sent orders to the men of Judea. ⁶⁴ Then he came and encamped against Beth-ba′si; he fought against it for many days and made machines of war.

⁶⁵ But Jonathan left Simon his brother in the city, while he went out into the country; and he went with only a few men. ⁶⁶ He struck down Odome′ra and his brothers and the sons of Phasi′ron in their tents. ⁶⁷ Then he^[go] began to attack and went into battle with his forces; and Simon and his men sallied out from the city and set fire to the machines of war. ⁶⁸ They fought with Bac′chides, and he was crushed by them. They distressed him greatly, for his plan and his expedition had been in vain. ⁶⁹ So he was greatly enraged at the lawless men who had counseled him to come into the country, and he killed many of them. Then he decided to depart to his own land.

⁷⁰ When Jonathan learned of this, he sent ambassadors to him to make peace with him and obtain release of the captives. ⁷¹ He agreed, and did as he said; and he swore to Jonathan^[gp] that he would not try to harm him as long as he lived. ⁷² He restored to him the captives whom he had formerly taken from the land of Judah; then he turned and departed to his own land, and came no more into their territory. ⁷³ Thus the sword ceased from Israel. And Jonathan dwelt in Michmash. And Jonathan began to judge the people, and he destroyed the ungodly out of Israel.

Revolt of Alexander Epiphanes

10 In the one hundred and sixtieth year^[gq] Alexander Epiph′anes, the son of Anti′ochus, landed and occupied Ptolema′is. They welcomed him, and there he began to reign. ² When Deme′trius the king heard of it, he assembled a very large army and marched out to meet him in battle. ³ And Deme′trius sent Jonathan a letter in peaceable words to honor him; ⁴ for he said, “Let us act first to make peace with him^[gr] before he makes peace with Alexander against us, ⁵ for he will remember all the wrongs which we did to him and to his brothers and his nation.” ⁶ So Deme′trius^[gs] gave him authority to recruit troops, to equip them with arms, and to become his ally; and he commanded that the hostages in the citadel should be released to him.

⁷ Then Jonathan came to Jerusalem and read the letter in the hearing of all the people and of the men in the citadel. ⁸ They were greatly alarmed when they heard that the king had given him authority to recruit troops. ⁹ But the men in the citadel released the hostages to Jonathan, and he returned them to their parents.

¹⁰ And Jonathan dwelt in Jerusalem and began to rebuild and restore the city. ¹¹ He directed those who were doing the work to build the walls and encircle Mount Zion with squared stones, for better fortification; and they did so.

¹² Then the foreigners who were in the strongholds that Bac′chides had built fled; ¹³ each left his place and departed to his own land. ¹⁴ Only in Beth-zur did some remain who had forsaken the law and the commandments, for it served as a place of refuge.

¹⁵ Now Alexander the king heard of all the promises which Deme′trius had sent to Jonathan, and men told him of the battles that Jonathan^[gt] and his brothers had fought, of the brave deeds that they had done, and of the troubles that they had endured. ¹⁶ So he said, “Shall we find another such man? Come now, we will make him our friend and ally.” ¹⁷ And he wrote a letter and sent it to him, in the following words:

Jonathan Becomes High Priest

¹⁸ “King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greeting. ¹⁹ We have heard about you, that you are a mighty warrior and worthy to be our friend. ²⁰ And so we have appointed you today to be the high priest of your nation; you are to be called the king’s friend” (and he sent him a purple robe and a golden crown) “and you are to take our side and keep friendship with us.”

²¹ So Jonathan put on the holy garments in the seventh month of the one hundred and sixtieth year,^[gu] at the feast of tabernacles, and he recruited troops and equipped them with arms in abundance. ²² When Deme′trius heard of these things he was grieved and said, ²³ “What is this that we have done? Alexander has gotten ahead of us in forming a friendship with the Jews to strengthen himself. ²⁴ I also will write them words of encouragement and promise them honor and gifts, that I may have their help.” ²⁵ So he sent a message to them in the following words:

A Letter from Demetrius to Jonathan

“King Deme′trius to the nation of the Jews, greeting. ²⁶ Since you have kept your agreement with us and have continued your friendship with us, and have not sided with our enemies, we have heard of it and rejoiced. ²⁷ And now continue still to keep faith with us, and we will repay you with good for what you do for us. ²⁸ We will grant you many immunities and give you gifts.

²⁹ “And now I free you and exempt all the Jews from payment of tribute and salt tax and crown levies, ³⁰ and instead of collecting the third of the grain and the half of the fruit of the trees that I should receive, I release them from this day and henceforth. I will not collect them from the land of Judah or from the three districts added to it from Samar′ia and Galilee, from this day and for all time. ³¹ And let Jerusalem and her environs, her tithes and her revenues, be holy and free from tax. ³² I release also my control of the citadel in Jerusalem and give it to the high priest, that he may station in it men of his own choice to guard it. ³³ And every one of the Jews taken as a captive from the land of Judah into any part of my kingdom, I set free without payment; and let all officials cancel also the taxes on their cattle.

³⁴ “And all the feasts and sabbaths and new moons and appointed days, and the three days before a feast and the three after a feast—let them all be days of immunity and release for all the Jews who are in my kingdom. ³⁵ No one shall have authority to exact anything from them or annoy any of them about any matter.

³⁶ “Let Jews be enrolled in the king’s forces to the number of thirty thousand men, and let the maintenance be given them that is due to all the forces of the king. ³⁷ Let some of them be stationed in the great strongholds of the king, and let some of them be put in positions of trust in the kingdom. Let their officers and leaders be of their own number, and let them live by their own laws, just as the king has commanded in the land of Judah.

³⁸ “As for the three districts that have been added to Judea from the country of Samar′ia, let them be so annexed to Judea that they are considered to be under one ruler and obey no other authority but the high priest. ³⁹ Ptolema′is and the land adjoining it I have given as a gift to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, to meet the necessary expenses of the sanctuary. ⁴⁰ I also grant fifteen thousand shekels of silver yearly out of the king’s revenues from appropriate places. ⁴¹ And all the additional funds which the government officials have not paid as they did in the first years,^[gv] they shall give from now on for the service of the temple.^{[gw] 42} Moreover, the five thousand shekels of silver which my officials^[gx] have received every year from the income of the services of the temple, this too is canceled, because it belongs to the priests who minister there. ⁴³ And whoever takes refuge at the temple in Jerusalem, or in any of its precincts, because he owes money to the king or has any debt, let him be released and receive back all his property in my kingdom.

⁴⁴ “Let the cost of rebuilding and restoring the structures of the sanctuary be paid from the revenues of the king. ⁴⁵ And let the cost of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and fortifying it round about, and the cost of rebuilding the walls in Judea, also be paid from the revenues of the king.”

Death of Demetrius

⁴⁶ When Jonathan and the people heard these words, they did not believe or accept them, because they remembered the great wrongs which Deme′trius^[gy] had done in Israel and how he had greatly oppressed them. ⁴⁷ They favored Alexander, because he had been the first to speak peaceable words to them, and they remained his allies all his days.

⁴⁸ Now Alexander the king assembled large forces and encamped opposite Deme′trius. ⁴⁹ The two kings met in battle, and the army of Deme′trius fled, and Alexander^[gz] pursued him and defeated them. ⁵⁰ He pressed the battle strongly until the sun set, and Deme′trius fell on that day.

Treaty of Ptolemy and Alexander

⁵¹ Then Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptol′emy king of Egypt with the following message: ⁵² “Since I have returned to my kingdom and have taken my seat on the throne of my fathers, and established my rule—for I crushed Deme′trius and gained control of our country; ⁵³ I met him in battle, and he and his army were crushed by us, and we have taken our seat on the throne of his kingdom— ⁵⁴ now therefore let us establish friendship with one another; give me now your daughter as my wife, and I will become your son-in-law, and will make gifts to you and to her in keeping with your position.”

⁵⁵ Ptol′emy the king replied and said, “Happy was the day on which you returned to the land of your fathers and took your seat on the throne of their kingdom. ⁵⁶ And now I will do for you as you wrote, but meet me at Ptolema′is, so that we may see one another, and I will become your father-in-law, as you have said.”

⁵⁷ So Ptol′emy set out from Egypt, he and Cleopatra his daughter, and came to Ptolema′is in the one hundred and sixty-second year.^{[ha] 58} Alexander the king met him, and Ptol′emy^[hb] gave him Cleopatra his daughter in marriage, and celebrated her wedding at Ptolema′is with great pomp, as kings do.

⁵⁹ Then Alexander the king wrote to Jonathan to come to meet him. ⁶⁰ So he went with pomp to Ptolema′is and met the two kings; he gave them and their friends silver and gold and many gifts, and found favor with them. ⁶¹ A group of pestilent men from Israel, lawless men, gathered together against him to accuse him; but the king paid no attention to them. ⁶² The king gave orders to take off Jonathan’s garments and to clothe him in purple, and they did so. ⁶³ The king also seated him at his side; and he said to his officers, “Go forth with him into the middle of the city and proclaim that no one is to bring charges against him about any matter, and let no one annoy him for any reason.” ⁶⁴ And when his accusers saw the honor that was paid him, in accordance with the proclamation, and saw him clothed in purple, they all fled. ⁶⁵ Thus the king honored him and enrolled him among his chief friends, and made him general and governor of the province. ⁶⁶ And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem in peace and gladness.

Apollonius Is Defeated by Jonathan

⁶⁷ In the one hundred and sixty-fifth year^[hc] Deme′trius the son of Deme′trius came from Crete to the land of his fathers. ⁶⁸ When Alexander the king heard of it, he was greatly grieved and returned to Antioch. ⁶⁹ And Deme′trius appointed Apollo′nius the governor of Coelesyria, and he assembled a large force and encamped against Jam′nia. Then he sent the following message to Jonathan the high priest:

⁷⁰ “You are the only one to rise up against us, and I have become a laughingstock and reproach because of you. Why do you assume authority against us in the hill country? ⁷¹ If you now have confidence in your forces, come down to the plain to meet us, and let us match strength with each other there, for I have with me the power of the cities. ⁷² Ask and learn who I am and who the others are that are helping us. Men will tell you that you cannot stand before us, for your fathers were twice put to flight in their own land. ⁷³ And now you will not be able to withstand my cavalry and such an army in the plain, where there is no stone or pebble, or place to flee.”

⁷⁴ When Jonathan heard the words of Apollo′nius, his spirit was aroused. He chose ten thousand men and set out from Jerusalem, and Simon his brother met him to help him. ⁷⁵ He encamped before Joppa, but the men of the city closed its gates, for Apollo′nius had a garrison in Joppa. ⁷⁶ So they fought against it, and the men of the city became afraid and opened the gates, and Jonathan gained possession of Joppa.

⁷⁷ When Apollo′nius heard of it, he mustered three thousand cavalry and a large army, and went to Azo′tus as though he were going farther. At the same time he advanced into the plain, for he had a large troop of cavalry and put confidence in it. ⁷⁸ Jonathan^[hd] pursued him to Azo′tus, and the armies engaged in battle. ⁷⁹ Now Apollo′nius had secretly left a thousand cavalry behind them. ⁸⁰ Jonathan learned that there was an ambush behind him, for they surrounded his army and shot arrows at his men from early morning till late afternoon. ⁸¹ But his men stood fast, as Jonathan commanded, and the enemy’s^[he] horses grew tired.

⁸² Then Simon brought forward his force and engaged the phalanx in battle (for the cavalry was exhausted); they were overwhelmed by him and fled, ⁸³ and the cavalry was dispersed in the plain. They fled to Azo′tus and entered Beth-da′gon, the temple of their idol, for safety. ⁸⁴ But Jonathan burned Azo′tus and the surrounding towns and plundered them; and the temple of Dagon, and those who had taken refuge in it he burned with fire. ⁸⁵ The number of those who fell by the sword, with those burned alive, came to eight thousand men.

⁸⁶ Then Jonathan departed from there and encamped against As′kalon, and the men of the city came out to meet him with great pomp. ⁸⁷ And Jonathan and those with him returned to Jerusalem with much booty. ⁸⁸ When Alexander the king heard of these things, he honored Jonathan still more; ⁸⁹ and he sent to him a golden buckle, such as it is the custom to give to the kinsmen of kings. He also gave him Ekron and all its environs as his possession.

Ptolemy Invades Syria

11 Then the king of Egypt gathered great forces, like the sand by the seashore, and many ships; and he tried to get possession of Alexander’s kingdom by trickery and add it to his own kingdom. ² He set out for Syria with peaceable words, and the people of the cities opened their gates to him and went to meet him, for Alexander the king had commanded them to meet him, since he was Alexander’s^[hf] father-in-law. ³ But when Ptol′emy entered the cities he stationed forces as a garrison in each city.

⁴ When he^[hg] approached Azo′tus, they showed him the temple of Dagon burned down, and Azo′tus and its suburbs destroyed, and the corpses lying about, and the charred bodies of those whom Jonathan^[hh] had burned in the war, for they had piled them in heaps along his route. ⁵ They also told the king what Jonathan had done, to throw blame on him; but the king kept silent. ⁶ Jonathan met the king at Joppa with pomp, and they greeted one another and spent the night there. ⁷ And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river called Eleu′therus; then he returned to Jerusalem.

⁸ So King Ptol′emy gained control of the coastal cities as far as Seleu′cia by the sea, and he kept devising evil designs against Alexander. ⁹ He sent envoys to Deme′trius the king, saying, “Come, let us make a covenant with each other, and I will give you in marriage my daughter who was Alexander’s wife, and you shall reign over your father’s kingdom. ¹⁰ For I now regret that I gave him my daughter, for he has tried to kill me.” ¹¹ He threw blame on Alexander^[hi] because he coveted his kingdom. ¹² So he took his daughter away from him and gave her to Deme′trius. He was estranged from Alexander, and their enmity became manifest.

¹³ Then Ptol′emy entered Antioch and put on the crown of Asia. Thus he put two crowns upon his head, the crown of Egypt and that of Asia. ¹⁴ Now Alexander the king was in Cili′cia at that time, because the people of that region were in revolt. ¹⁵ And Alexander heard of it and came against him in battle. Ptol′emy marched out and met him with a strong force, and put him to flight. ¹⁶ So Alexander fled into Arabia to find protection there, and King Ptol′emy was exalted. ¹⁷ And Zab′diel the Arab cut off the head of Alexander and sent it to Ptol′emy. ¹⁸ But King Ptol′emy died three days later, and his troops in the strongholds were killed by the inhabitants of the strongholds. ¹⁹ So Deme′trius became king in the one hundred and sixty-seventh year.^[hj]

Jonathan’s Diplomacy

²⁰ In those days Jonathan assembled the men of Judea to attack the citadel in Jerusalem, and he built many engines of war to use against it. ²¹ But certain lawless men who hated their nation went to the king and reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the citadel. ²² When he heard this he was angry, and as soon as he heard it he set out and came to Ptolema′is; and he wrote Jonathan not to continue the siege, but to meet him for a conference at Ptolema′is as quickly as possible.

²³ When Jonathan heard this, he gave orders to continue the siege; and he chose some of the elders of Israel and some of the priests, and put himself in danger, ²⁴ for he went to the king at Ptolema′is, taking silver and gold and clothing and numerous other gifts. And he won his favor. ²⁵ Although certain lawless men of his nation kept making complaints against him, ²⁶ the king treated him as his predecessors had treated him; he exalted him in the presence of all his friends. ²⁷ He confirmed him in the high priesthood and in as many other honors as he had formerly had, and made him to be regarded as one of his chief friends. ²⁸ Then Jonathan asked the king to free Judea and the three districts of Samar′ia^[hk] from tribute, and promised him three hundred talents. ²⁹ The king consented, and wrote a letter to Jonathan about all these things; its contents were as follows:

³⁰ “King Deme′trius to Jonathan his brother and to the nation of the Jews, greeting. ³¹ This copy of the letter which we wrote concerning you to Las′thenes our kinsman we have written to you also, so that you may know what it says. ³² ‘King Deme′trius to Las′thenes his father, greeting. ³³ To the nation of the Jews, who are our friends and fulfil their obligations to us, we have determined to do good, because of the good will they show toward us. ³⁴ We have confirmed as their possession both the territory of Judea and the three districts of Aphair′ema and Lydda and Rath′amin; the latter, with all the region bordering them, were added to Judea from Samar′ia. To all those who offer sacrifice in Jerusalem, we have granted release from^[hl] the royal taxes which the king formerly received from them each year, from the crops of the land and the fruit of the trees. ³⁵ And the other payments henceforth due to us of the tithes, and the taxes due to us, and the salt pits and the crown taxes due to us—from all these we shall grant them release. ³⁶ And not one of these grants shall be canceled from this time forth for ever. ³⁷ Now therefore take care to make a copy of this, and let it be given to Jonathan and put up in a conspicuous place on the holy mountain.’”

The Intrigue of Trypho

³⁸ Now when Deme′trius the king saw that the land was quiet before him and that there was no opposition to him, he dismissed all his troops, each man to his own place, except the foreign troops which he had recruited from the islands of the nations. So all the troops who had served his fathers hated him. ³⁹ Now Trypho had formerly been one of Alexander’s supporters. He saw that all the troops were murmuring against Deme′trius. So he went to Imalku′e the Arab, who was bringing up Anti′ochus, the young son of Alexander, ⁴⁰ and insistently urged him to hand Anti′ochus^[hm] over to him, to become king in place of his father. He also reported to Imalku′e^[hn] what Deme′trius had done and told of the hatred which the troops of Deme′trius^[ho] had for him; and he stayed there many days.

⁴¹ Now Jonathan sent to Deme′trius the king the request that he remove the troops of the citadel from Jerusalem, and the troops in the strongholds; for they kept fighting against Israel. ⁴² And Deme′trius sent this message to Jonathan, “Not only will I do these things for you and your nation, but I will confer great honor on you and your nation, if I find an opportunity. ⁴³ Now then you will do well to send me men who will help me, for all my troops have revolted.” ⁴⁴ So Jonathan sent three thousand stalwart men to him at Antioch, and when they came to the king, the king rejoiced at their arrival.

⁴⁵ Then the men of the city assembled within the city, to the number of a hundred and twenty thousand, and they wanted to kill the king. ⁴⁶ But the king fled into the palace. Then the men of the city seized the main streets of the city and began to fight. ⁴⁷ So the king called the Jews to his aid, and they all rallied about him and then spread out through the city; and they killed on that day as many as a hundred thousand men. ⁴⁸ They set fire to the city and seized much spoil on that day, and they saved the king. ⁴⁹ When the men of the city saw that the Jews had gained control of the city as they pleased, their courage failed and they cried out to the king with this entreaty, ⁵⁰ “Grant us peace, and make the Jews stop fighting against us and our city.” ⁵¹ And they threw down their arms and made peace. So the Jews gained glory in the eyes of the king and of all the people in his kingdom, and they returned to Jerusalem with much spoil.

⁵² So Deme′trius the king sat on the throne of his kingdom, and the land was quiet before him. ⁵³ But he broke his word about all that he had promised; and he became estranged from Jonathan and did not repay the favors which Jonathan^[hp] had done him, but oppressed him greatly.

Trypho Seizes Power

⁵⁴ After this Trypho returned, and with him the young boy Anti′ochus, who began to reign and put on the crown. ⁵⁵ All the troops that Deme′trius had cast off gathered around him, and they fought against Deme′trius,^[hq] and he fled and was routed. ⁵⁶ And Trypho captured the elephants^[hr] and gained control of Antioch. ⁵⁷ Then the young Anti′ochus wrote to Jonathan, saying, “I confirm you in the high priesthood and set you over the four districts and make you one of the friends of the king.” ⁵⁸ And he sent him gold plate and a table service, and granted him the right to drink from gold cups and dress in purple and wear a gold buckle. ⁵⁹ Simon his brother he made governor from the Ladder of Tyre to the borders of Egypt.

Campaigns of Jonathan and Simon

⁶⁰ Then Jonathan set forth and traveled beyond the river and among the cities, and all the army of Syria gathered to him as allies. When he came to As′kalon, the people of the city met him and paid him honor. ⁶¹ From there he departed to Gaza, but the men of Gaza shut him out. So he besieged it and burned its suburbs with fire and plundered them. ⁶² Then the people of Gaza pleaded with Jonathan, and he made peace with them, and took the sons of their rulers as hostages and sent them to Jerusalem. And he passed through the country as far as Damas′cus.

⁶³ Then Jonathan heard that the officers of Deme′trius had come to Kadesh in Galilee with a large army, intending to remove him from office. ⁶⁴ He went to meet them, but left his brother Simon in the country. ⁶⁵ Simon encamped before Beth-zur and fought against it for many days and hemmed it in. ⁶⁶ Then they asked him to grant them terms of peace, and he did so. He removed them from there, took possession of the city, and set a garrison over it.

⁶⁷ Jonathan and his army encamped by the waters of Gennes′aret. Early in the morning they marched to the plain of Hazor, ⁶⁸ and behold, the army of the foreigners met him in the plain; they had set an ambush against him in the mountains, but they themselves met him face to face. ⁶⁹ Then the men in ambush emerged from their places and joined battle. ⁷⁰ All the men with Jonathan fled; not one of them was left except Mattathi′as the son of Ab′salom and Judas the son of Chalphi, commanders of the forces of the army. ⁷¹ Jonathan rent his garments and put dust on his head, and prayed. ⁷² Then he turned back to the battle against the enemy^[hs] and routed them, and they fled. ⁷³ When his men who were fleeing saw this, they returned to him and joined him in the pursuit as far as Kadesh, to their camp, and there they encamped. ⁷⁴ As many as three thousand of the foreigners fell that day. And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.

Alliances with Rome and Sparta

12 Now when Jonathan saw that the time was favorable for him, he chose men and sent them to Rome to confirm and renew the friendship with them. ² He also sent letters to the same effect to the Spartans and to other places. ³ So they went to Rome and entered the senate chamber and said, “Jonathan the high priest and the Jewish nation have sent us to renew the former friendship and alliance with them.” ⁴ And the Romans^[ht] gave them letters to the people in every place, asking them to provide for the envoys^[hu] safe conduct to the land of Judah.

⁵ This is a copy of the letter which Jonathan wrote to the Spartans: ⁶ “Jonathan the high priest, the senate of the nation, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people to their brethren the Spartans, greeting. ⁷ Already in time past a letter was sent to Oni′as the high priest from Ari′us,^[hv] who was king among you, stating that you are our brethren, as the appended copy shows. ⁸ Oni′as welcomed the envoy with honor, and received the letter, which contained a clear declaration of alliance and friendship. ⁹ Therefore, though we have no need of these things, since we have as encouragement the holy books which are in our hands, ¹⁰ we have undertaken to send to renew our brotherhood and friendship with you, so that we may not become estranged from you, for considerable time has passed since you sent your letter to us. ¹¹ We therefore remember you constantly on every occasion, both in our feasts and on other appropriate days, at the sacrifices which we offer and in our prayers, as it is right and proper to remember brethren. ¹² And we rejoice in your glory. ¹³ But as for ourselves, many afflictions and many wars have encircled us; the kings round about us have waged war against us. ¹⁴ We were unwilling to annoy you and our other allies and friends with these wars, ¹⁵ for we have the help which comes from Heaven for our aid; and we were delivered from our enemies and our enemies were humbled. ¹⁶ We therefore have chosen Nume′nius the son of Anti′ochus and Antip′ater the son of Jason, and have sent them to Rome to renew our former friendship and alliance with them. ¹⁷ We have commanded them to go also to you and greet you and deliver to you this letter from us concerning the renewal of our brotherhood. ¹⁸ And now please send us a reply to this.”

¹⁹ This is a copy of the letter which they sent to Oni′as: ²⁰ “Ari′us, king of the Spartans, to Oni′as the high priest, greeting. ²¹ It has been found in writing concerning the Spartans and the Jews that they are brethren and are of the family of Abraham. ²² And now that we have learned this, please write us concerning your welfare; ²³ we on our part write to you that your cattle and your property belong to us, and ours belong to you. We therefore command that our envoys^[hw] report to you accordingly.”

Further Campaigns of Jonathan and Simon

²⁴ Now Jonathan heard that the commanders of Deme′trius had returned, with a larger force than before, to wage war against him. ²⁵ So he marched away from Jerusalem and met them in the region of Hamath, for he gave them no opportunity to invade his own country. ²⁶ He sent spies to their camp, and they returned and reported to him that the enemy^[hx] were being drawn up in formation to fall upon the Jews^[hy] by night. ²⁷ So when the sun set, Jonathan commanded his men to be alert and to keep their arms at hand so as to be ready all night for battle, and he stationed outposts around the camp. ²⁸ When the enemy heard that Jonathan and his men were prepared for battle, they were afraid and were terrified at heart; so they kindled fires in their camp and withdrew.^{[hz] 29} But Jonathan and his men did not know it until morning, for they saw the fires burning. ³⁰ Then Jonathan pursued them, but he did not overtake them, for they had crossed the Eleu′therus river. ³¹ So Jonathan turned aside against the Arabs who are called Zabade′ans, and he crushed them and plundered them. ³² Then he broke camp and went to Damas′cus, and marched through all that region.

³³ Simon also went forth and marched through the country as far as As′kalon and the neighboring strongholds. He turned aside to Joppa and took it by surprise, ³⁴ for he had heard that they were ready to hand over the stronghold to the men whom Deme′trius had sent. And he stationed a garrison there to guard it.

³⁵ When Jonathan returned he convened the elders of the people and planned with them to build strongholds in Judea, ³⁶ to build the walls of Jerusalem still higher, and to erect a high barrier between the citadel and the city to separate it from the city, in order to isolate it so that its garrison^[ia] could neither buy nor sell. ³⁷ So they gathered together to build up the city; part of the wall on the valley to the east had fallen, and he repaired the section called Chaphena′tha. ³⁸ And Simon built Ad′ida in the Shephe′lah; he fortified it and installed gates with bolts.

Trypho Captures Jonathan

³⁹ Then Trypho attempted to become king of Asia and put on the crown, and to raise his hand against Anti′ochus the king. ⁴⁰ He feared that Jonathan might not permit him to do so, but might make war on him, so he kept seeking to seize and kill him, and he marched forth and came to Beth-shan. ⁴¹ Jonathan went out to meet him with forty thousand picked fighting men, and he came to Beth-shan. ⁴² When Trypho saw that he had come with a large army, he was afraid to raise his hand against him. ⁴³ So he received him with honor and commended him to all his friends, and he gave him gifts and commanded his friends and his troops to obey him as they would himself. ⁴⁴ Then he said to Jonathan, “Why have you wearied all these people when we are not at war? ⁴⁵ Dismiss them now to their homes and choose for yourself a few men to stay with you, and come with me to Ptolema′is. I will hand it over to you as well as the other strongholds and the remaining troops and all the officials, and will turn round and go home. For that is why I am here.”

⁴⁶ Jonathan^[ib] trusted him and did as he said; he sent away the troops, and they returned to the land of Judah. ⁴⁷ He kept with himself three thousand men, two thousand of whom he left in Galilee, while a thousand accompanied him. ⁴⁸ But when Jonathan entered Ptolema′is, the men of Ptolema′is closed the gates and seized him, and all who had entered with him they killed with the sword.

⁴⁹ Then Trypho sent troops and cavalry into Galilee and the Great Plain to destroy all Jonathan’s soldiers. ⁵⁰ But they realized that Jonathan^[ic] had been seized and had perished along with his men, and they encouraged one another and kept marching in close formation, ready for battle. ⁵¹ When their pursuers saw that they would fight for their lives, they turned back. ⁵² So they all reached the land of Judah safely, and they mourned for Jonathan and his companions and were in great fear; and all Israel mourned deeply. ⁵³ And all the nations round about them tried to destroy them, for they said, “They have no leader or helper. Now therefore let us make war on them and blot out the memory of them from among men.”

Simon Takes Command

13 Simon heard that Trypho had assembled a large army to invade the land of Judah and destroy it, ² and he saw that the people were trembling and fearful. So he went up to Jerusalem, and gathering the people together ³ he encouraged them, saying to them, “You yourselves know what great things I and my brothers and the house of my father have done for the laws and the sanctuary; you know also the wars and the difficulties which we have seen. ⁴ By reason of this all my brothers have perished for the sake of Israel, and I alone am left. ⁵ And now, far be it from me to spare my life in any time of distress, for I am not better than my brothers. ⁶ But I will avenge my nation and the sanctuary and your wives and children, for all the nations have gathered together out of hatred to destroy us.”

⁷ The spirit of the people was rekindled when they heard these words, ⁸ and they answered in a loud voice, “You are our leader in place of Judas and Jonathan your brother. ⁹ Fight our battles, and all that you say to us we will do.” ¹⁰ So he assembled all the warriors and hastened to complete the walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it on every side. ¹¹ He sent Jonathan the son of Ab′salom to Joppa, and with him a considerable army; he drove out its occupants and remained there.

Deceit and Treachery of Trypho

¹² Then Trypho departed from Ptolema′is with a large army to invade the land of Judah, and Jonathan was with him under guard. ¹³ And Simon encamped in Ad′ida, facing the plain. ¹⁴ Trypho learned that Simon had risen up in place of Jonathan his brother, and that he was about to join battle with him, so he sent envoys to him and said, ¹⁵ “It is for the money that Jonathan your brother owed the royal treasury, in connection with the offices he held, that we are detaining him. ¹⁶ Send now a hundred talents of silver and two of his sons as hostages, so that when released he will not revolt against us, and we will release him.”

¹⁷ Simon knew that they were speaking deceitfully to him, but he sent to get the money and the sons, lest he arouse great hostility among the people, who might say, ¹⁸ “Because Simon^[id] did not send him the money and the sons, he perished.” ¹⁹ So he sent the sons and the hundred talents, but Trypho^[ie] broke his word and did not release Jonathan.

²⁰ After this Trypho came to invade the country and destroy it, and he circled around by the way to Ador′a. But Simon and his army kept marching along opposite him to every place he went. ²¹ Now the men in the citadel kept sending envoys to Trypho urging him to come to them by way of the wilderness and to send them food. ²² So Trypho got all his cavalry ready to go, but that night a very heavy snow fell, and he did not go because of the snow. He marched off and went into the land of Gil′ead. ²³ When he approached Bas′kama, he killed Jonathan, and he was buried there. ²⁴ Then Trypho turned back and departed to his own land.

Jonathan’s Tomb

²⁵ And Simon sent and took the bones of Jonathan his brother, and buried him in Mo′de-in, the city of his fathers. ²⁶ All Israel bewailed him with great lamentation, and mourned for him many days. ²⁷ And Simon built a monument over the tomb of his father and his brothers; he made it high that it might be seen, with polished stone at the front and back. ²⁸ He also erected seven pyramids, opposite one another, for his father and mother and four brothers. ²⁹ And for the pyramids^[if] he devised an elaborate setting, erecting about them great columns, and upon the columns he put suits of armor for a permanent memorial, and beside the suits of armor carved ships, so that they could be seen by all who sail the sea. ³⁰ This is the tomb which he built in Mo′de-in; it remains to this day.

Judea Gains Independence

³¹ Trypho dealt treacherously with the young king Anti′ochus; he killed him ³² and became king in his place, putting on the crown of Asia; and he brought great calamity upon the land. ³³ But Simon built up the strongholds of Judea and walled them all around, with high towers and great walls and gates and bolts, and he stored food in the strongholds. ³⁴ Simon also chose men and sent them to Deme′trius the king with a request to grant relief to the country, for all that Trypho did was to plunder. ³⁵ Deme′trius the king sent him a favorable reply to this request, and wrote him a letter as follows, ³⁶ “King Deme′trius to Simon, the high priest and friend of kings, and to the elders and nation of the Jews, greeting. ³⁷ We have received the gold crown and the palm branch which you^[ig] sent, and we are ready to make a general peace with you and to write to our officials to grant you release from tribute. ³⁸ All the grants that we have made to you remain valid, and let the strongholds that you have built be your possession. ³⁹ We pardon any errors and offenses committed to this day, and cancel the crown tax which you owe; and whatever other tax has been collected in Jerusalem shall be collected no longer. ⁴⁰ And if any of you are qualified to be enrolled in our bodyguard,^[ih] let them be enrolled, and let there be peace between us.”

⁴¹ In the one hundred and seventieth year^[ii] the yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel, ⁴² and the people began to write in their documents and contracts, “In the first year of Simon the great high priest and commander and leader of the Jews.”

The Capture of Gazara by Simon

⁴³ In those days Simon^[ij] encamped against Gazar′a^[ik] and surrounded it with troops. He made a siege engine, brought it up to the city, and battered and captured one tower. ⁴⁴ The men in the siege engine leaped out into the city, and a great tumult arose in the city. ⁴⁵ The men in the city, with their wives and children, went up on the wall with their clothes rent, and they cried out with a loud voice, asking Simon to make peace with them; ⁴⁶ they said, “Do not treat us according to our wicked acts but according to your mercy.” ⁴⁷ So Simon reached an agreement with them and stopped fighting against them. But he expelled them from the city and cleansed the houses in which the idols were, and then entered it with hymns and praise. ⁴⁸ He cast out of it all uncleanness, and settled in it men who observed the law. He also strengthened its fortifications and built in it a house for himself.

Simon Regains the Citadel at Jerusalem

⁴⁹ The men in the citadel at Jerusalem were prevented from going out to the country and back to buy and sell. So they were very hungry, and many of them perished from famine. ⁵⁰ Then they cried to Simon to make peace with them, and he did so. But he expelled them from there and cleansed the citadel from its pollutions. ⁵¹ On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year,^[il] the Jews^[im] entered it with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel. ⁵² And Simon^[in] decreed that every year they should celebrate this day with rejoicing. He strengthened the fortifications of the temple hill alongside the citadel, and he and his men dwelt there. ⁵³ And Simon saw that John his son had reached manhood, so he made him commander of all the forces, and he dwelt in Gazar′a.

Capture of Demetrius

14 In the one hundred and seventy-second year^[io] Deme′trius the king assembled his forces and marched into Media to secure help, so that he could make war against Trypho. ² When Ar′saces the king of Persia and Media heard that Deme′trius had invaded his territory, he sent one of his commanders to take him alive. ³ And he went and defeated the army of Deme′trius, and seized him and took him to Ar′saces, who put him under guard.

Eulogy of Simon

Diplomacy with Rome and Sparta

¹⁶ It was heard in Rome, and as far away as Sparta, that Jonathan had died, and they were deeply grieved. ¹⁷ When they heard that Simon his brother had become high priest in his place, and that he was ruling over the country and the cities in it, ¹⁸ they wrote to him on bronze tablets to renew with him the friendship and alliance which they had established with Judas and Jonathan his brothers. ¹⁹ And these were read before the assembly in Jerusalem.

²⁰ This is a copy of the letter which the Spartans sent: “The rulers and the city of the Spartans to Simon the high priest and to the elders and the priests and the rest of the Jewish people, our brethren, greeting. ²¹ The envoys who were sent to our people have told us about your glory and honor, and we rejoiced at their coming. ²² And what they said we have recorded in our public decrees, as follows, ‘Nume′nius the son of Anti′ochus and Antip′ater the son of Jason, envoys of the Jews, have come to us to renew their friendship with us. ²³ It has pleased our people to receive these men with honor and to put a copy of their words in the public archives, so that the people of the Spartans may have a record of them. And they have sent a copy of this to Simon the high priest.’”

²⁴ After this Simon sent Nume′nius to Rome with a large gold shield weighing a thousand minas, to confirm the alliance with the Romans.^[iq]

Official Honors for Simon

²⁵ When the people heard these things they said, “How shall we thank Simon and his sons? ²⁶ For he and his brothers and the house of his father have stood firm; they have fought and repulsed Israel’s enemies and established its freedom.” ²⁷ So they made a record on bronze tablets and put it upon pillars on Mount Zion.

This is a copy of what they wrote: “On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the one hundred and seventy-second year,^[ir] which is the third year of Simon the great high priest, ²⁸ in As′aramel,^[is] in the great assembly of the priests and the people and the rulers of the nation and the elders of the country, the following was proclaimed to us:

²⁹ “Since wars often occurred in the country, Simon the son of Mattathi′as, a priest of the sons^[it] of Jo′arib, and his brothers, exposed themselves to danger and resisted the enemies of their nation, in order that their sanctuary and the law might be perserved; and they brought great glory to their nation. ³⁰ Jonathan rallied the^[iu] nation, and became their high priest, and was gathered to his people. ³¹ And when their enemies decided to invade their country and lay hands on their sanctuary, ³² then Simon rose up and fought for his nation. He spent great sums of his own money; he armed the men of his nation’s forces and paid them wages. ³³ He fortified the cities of Judea, and Beth-zur on the borders of Judea, where formerly the arms of the enemy had been stored, and he placed there a garrison of Jews. ³⁴ He also fortified Joppa, which is by the sea, and Gazar′a, which is on the borders of Azo′tus, where the enemy formerly dwelt. He settled Jews there, and provided in those cities^[iv] whatever was necessary for their restoration.

³⁵ “The people saw Simon’s faithfulness^[iw] and the glory which he had resolved to win for his nation, and they made him their leader and high priest, because he had done all these things and because of the justice and loyalty which he had maintained toward his nation. He sought in every way to exalt his people. ³⁶ And in his days things prospered in his hands, so that the Gentiles were put out of the^[ix] country, as were also the men in the city of David in Jerusalem, who had built themselves a citadel from which they used to sally forth and defile the environs of the sanctuary and do great damage to its purity. ³⁷ He settled Jews in it, and fortified it for the safety of the country and of the city, and built the walls of Jerusalem higher.

³⁸ “In view of these things King Deme′trius confirmed him in the high priesthood, ³⁹ and he made him one of the king’s^[iy] friends and paid him high honors. ⁴⁰ For he had heard that the Jews were addressed by the Romans as friends and allies and brethren, and that the Romans^[iz] had received the envoys of Simon with honor.

⁴¹ “And^[ja] the Jews and their priests decided that Simon should be their leader and high priest for ever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise, ⁴² and that he should be governor over them and that he should take charge of the sanctuary and appoint men over its tasks and over the country and the weapons and the strongholds, and that he should take charge of the sanctuary, ⁴³ and that he should be obeyed by all, and that all contracts in the country should be written in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple and wear gold.

⁴⁴ “And none of the people or priests shall be permitted to nullify any of these decisions or to oppose what he says, or to convene an assembly in the country without his permission, or to be clothed in purple or put on a gold buckle. ⁴⁵ Whoever acts contrary to these decisions or nullifies any of them shall be liable to punishment.”

⁴⁶ And all the people agreed to grant Simon the right to act in accord with these decisions. ⁴⁷ So Simon accepted and agreed to be high priest, to be commander and ethnarch of the Jews and priests, and to be protector of them all.^{[jb] 48} And they gave orders to inscribe this decree upon bronze tablets, to put them up in a conspicuous place in the precincts of the sanctuary, ⁴⁹ and to deposit copies of them in the treasury, so that Simon and his sons might have them.

Letter of Antiochus VII

15 Anti′ochus, the son of Deme′trius the king, sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to all the nation; ² its contents were as follows: “King Anti′ochus to Simon the high priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the Jews, greeting. ³ Whereas certain pestilent men have gained control of the kingdom of our fathers, and I intend to lay claim to the kingdom so that I may restore it as it formerly was, and have recruited a host of mercenary troops and have equipped warships, ⁴ and intend to make a landing in the country so that I may proceed against those who have destroyed our country and those who have devastated many cities in my kingdom, ⁵ now therefore I confirm to you all the tax remissions that the kings before me have granted you, and release from all the other payments from which they have released you. ⁶ I permit you to mint your own coinage as money for your country, ⁷ and I grant freedom to Jerusalem and the sanctuary. All the weapons which you have prepared and the strongholds which you have built and now hold shall remain yours. ⁸ Every debt you owe to the royal treasury and any such future debts shall be canceled for you from henceforth and for all time. ⁹ When we gain control of our kingdom, we will bestow great honor upon you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will become manifest in all the earth.”

¹⁰ In the one hundred and seventy-fourth year^[jc] Anti′ochus set out and invaded the land of his fathers. All the troops rallied to him, so that there were few with Trypho. ¹¹ Anti′ochus pursued him, and he came in his flight to Dor, which is by the sea; ¹² for he knew that troubles had converged upon him, and his troops had deserted him. ¹³ So Anti′ochus encamped against Dor, and with him were a hundred and twenty thousand warriors and eight thousand cavalry. ¹⁴ He surrounded the city, and the ships joined battle from the sea; he pressed the city hard from land and sea, and permitted no one to leave or enter it.

Rome Supports the Jews

¹⁵ Then Nume′nius and his companions arrived from Rome, with letters to the kings and countries, in which the following was written: ¹⁶ “Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptol′emy, greeting. ¹⁷ The envoys of the Jews have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our ancient friendship and alliance. They had been sent by Simon the high priest and by the people of the Jews, ¹⁸ and have brought a gold shield weighing a thousand minas. ¹⁹ We therefore have decided to write to the kings and countries that they should not seek their harm or make war against them and their cities and their country, or make alliance with those who war against them. ²⁰ And it has seemed good to us to accept the shield from them. ²¹ Therefore if any pestilent men have fled to you from their country, hand them over to Simon the high priest, that he may punish them according to their law.”

²² The consul^[jd] wrote the same thing to Deme′trius the king and to At′talus and Ariar′athes and Ar′saces, ²³ and to all the countries, and to Sam′psames,^[je] and to the Spartans, and to Delos, and to Myndos, and to Sic′yon, and to Ca′ria, and to Samos, and to Pamphyl′ia, and to Lyc′ia, and to Halicarnas′sus, and to Rhodes, and to Phase′lis, and to Cos, and to Side, and to Ar′adus and Gorty′na and Cnidus and Cyprus and Cyre′ne. ²⁴ They also sent a copy of these things to Simon the high priest.

Antiochus VII Threatens Simon

²⁵ Anti′ochus the king besieged Dor anew,^[jf] continually throwing his forces against it and making engines of war; and he shut Trypho up and kept him from going out or in. ²⁶ And Simon sent to Anti′ochus two thousand picked men, to fight for him, and silver and gold and much military equipment. ²⁷ But he refused to receive them, and he broke all the agreements he formerly had made with Simon,^[jg] and became estranged from him. ²⁸ He sent to him Athenob′ius, one of his friends, to confer with him, saying, “You hold control of Joppa and Gazar′a and the citadel in Jerusalem; they are cities of my kingdom. ²⁹ You have devastated their territory, you have done great damage in the land, and you have taken possession of many places in my kingdom. ³⁰ Now then, hand over the cities which you have seized and the tribute money of the places which you have conquered outside the borders of Judea; ³¹ or else give me for them five hundred talents of silver, and for the destruction that you have caused and the tribute money of the cities, five hundred talents more. Otherwise we will come and conquer you.”

³² So Athenob′ius the friend of the king came to Jerusalem, and when he saw the splendor of Simon, and the sideboard with its gold and silver plate, and his great magnificence, he was amazed. He reported to him the words of the king, ³³ but Simon gave him this reply: “We have neither taken foreign land nor seized foreign property, but only the inheritance of our fathers, which at one time had been unjustly taken by our enemies. ³⁴ Now that we have the opportunity, we are firmly holding the inheritance of our fathers. ³⁵ As for Joppa and Gazar′a, which you demand, they were causing great damage among the people and to our land; for them we will give a hundred talents.” Athenob′ius^[jh] did not answer him a word, ³⁶ but returned in wrath to the king and reported to him these words and the splendor of Simon and all that he had seen. And the king was greatly angered.

Victory over Cendebeus

³⁷ Now Trypho embarked on a ship and escaped to Ortho′sia. ³⁸ Then the king made Cendebe′us commander-in-chief of the coastal country, and gave him troops of infantry and cavalry. ³⁹ He commanded him to encamp against Judea, and commanded him to build up Kedron and fortify its gates, and to make war on the people; but the king pursued Trypho. ⁴⁰ So Cendebe′us came to Jam′nia and began to provoke the people and invade Judea and take the people captive and kill them. ⁴¹ He built up Kedron and stationed there horsemen and troops, so that they might go out and make raids along the highways of Judea, as the king had ordered him.

16 John went up from Gazar′a and reported to Simon his father what Cendebe′us had done. ² And Simon called in his two older sons Judas and John, and said to them: “I and my brothers and the house of my father have fought the wars of Israel from our youth until this day, and things have prospered in our hands so that we have delivered Israel many times. ³ But now I have grown old, and you by His mercy are mature in years. Take my place and my brother’s, and go out and fight for our nation, and may the help which comes from Heaven be with you.”

⁴ So John^[ji] chose out of the country twenty thousand warriors and horsemen, and they marched against Cendebe′us and camped for the night in Mo′de-in. ⁵ Early in the morning they arose and marched into the plain, and behold, a large force of infantry and horsemen was coming to meet them; and a stream lay between them. ⁶ Then he and his army lined up against them. And he saw that the soldiers were afraid to cross the stream, so he crossed over first; and when his men saw him, they crossed over after him. ⁷ Then he divided the army and placed the horsemen in the midst of the infantry, for the cavalry of the enemy were very numerous. ⁸ And they sounded the trumpets, and Cendebe′us and his army were put to flight, and many of them were wounded and fell; the rest fled into the stronghold. ⁹ At that time Judas the brother of John was wounded, but John pursued them until Cendebe′us^[jj] reached Kedron, which he had built. ¹⁰ They also fled into the towers that were in the fields of Azo′tus, and John^[jk] burned it with fire, and about two thousand of them fell. And he returned to Judea safely.

Murder of Simon and His Sons

¹¹ Now Ptol′emy the son of Abu′bus had been appointed governor over the plain of Jericho, and he had much silver and gold, ¹² for he was son-in-law of the high priest. ¹³ His heart was lifted up; he determined to get control of the country, and made treacherous plans against Simon and his sons, to do away with them. ¹⁴ Now Simon was visiting the cities of the country and attending to their needs, and he went down to Jericho with Mattathi′as and Judas his sons, in the one hundred and seventy-seventh year,^[jl] in the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat. ¹⁵ The son of Abu′bus received them treacherously in the little stronghold called Dok, which he had built; he gave them a great banquet, and hid men there. ¹⁶ When Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptol′emy and his men rose up, took their weapons, and rushed in against Simon in the banquet hall, and they killed him and his two sons and some of his servants. ¹⁷ So he committed an act of great treachery and returned evil for good.

John Succeeds Simon

¹⁸ Then Ptol′emy wrote a report about these things and sent it to the king, asking him to send troops to aid him and to turn over to him the cities and the country. ¹⁹ He sent other men to Gazar′a to do away with John; he sent letters to the captains asking them to come to him so that he might give them silver and gold and gifts; ²⁰ and he sent other men to take possession of Jerusalem and the temple hill. ²¹ But some one ran ahead and reported to John at Gazar′a that his father and brothers had perished, and that “he has sent men to kill you also.” ²² When he heard this, he was greatly shocked; and he seized the men who came to destroy him and killed them, for he had found out that they were seeking to destroy him.

²³ The rest of the acts of John and his wars and the brave deeds which he did, and the building of the walls which he built, and his achievements, ²⁴ behold, they are written in the chronicles of his high priesthood, from the time that he became high priest after his father.

A Letter to the Jews in Egypt

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 Deme′trius, in the one hundred and sixty-ninth year,^[jm] 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.^[jn]

A Letter to Aristobulus

¹⁰ Those in Jerusalem and those in Judea and the senate and Judas,

To Aristobu′lus, who is of the family of the anointed priests, teacher of Ptol′emy 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.^{[jo] 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 Nane′a by a deception employed by the priests of Nane′a. ¹⁴ For under pretext of intending to marry her, Anti′ochus 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 Nane′a had set out the treasures and Anti′ochus 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.

Fire Consumes Nehemiah’s Sacrifice

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 Nehemi′ah, who built the temple and 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, Nehemi′ah, 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, Nehemi′ah 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 Nehemi′ah. 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, Nehemi′ah 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 Nehemi′ah 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 Nehemi′ah and his associates called this “nephthar,” which means purification, but by most people it is called naphtha.^[jp]

Jeremiah Hides the Tent, Ark, and Altar

2 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^[jq] 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 Nehemi′ah, 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.

The Compiler’s Preface

¹⁹ The story of Judas Maccabe′us and his brothers, and the purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the altar, ²⁰ and further the wars against Anti′ochus Epiph′anes and his son Eu′pator, 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 Cyre′ne 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.

Arrival of Heliodorus in Jerusalem

3 While the holy city was inhabited in unbroken peace and the laws were very well observed because of the piety of the high priest Oni′as 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 Seleu′cus, 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 Oni′as he went to Apollo′nius of Tarsus,^[jr] who at that time was governor of Coelesyria and Phoenic′ia. 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 Apollo′nius met the king, he told him of the money about which he had been informed. The king^[js] chose Heliodor′us, who was in charge of his affairs, and sent him with commands to effect the removal of the aforesaid money. ⁸ Heliodor′us at once set out on his journey, ostensibly to make a tour of inspection of the cities of Coelesyria and Phoenic′ia, 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^[jt] 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 Hyrca′nus, son of Tobi′as, 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 Heliodor′us, 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.

The Lord Protects His Temple

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 Heliodor′us 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 Heliodor′us 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.

Onias Prays for Heliodorus

³¹ Quickly some of Heliodor′us’ friends asked Oni′as 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 Heliodor′us, 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 Heliodor′us, dressed in the same clothing, and they stood and said, “Be very grateful to Oni′as 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.

The Conversion of Heliodorus

³⁵ Then Heliodor′us offered sacrifice to the Lord and made very great vows to the Savior of his life, and having bidden Oni′as 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 Heliodor′us 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 Heliodor′us and the protection of the treasury.

Simon Accuses Onias

4 The previously mentioned Simon, who had informed about the money against^[ju] his own country, slandered Oni′as, saying that it was he who had incited Heliodor′us 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 Oni′as recognized that the rivalry was serious and that Apollo′nius, the son of Menes′theus^[jv] and governor of Coelesyria and Phoenic′ia, 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.

Jason’s Reforms

⁷ When Seleu′cus died and Anti′ochus who was called Epiph′anes succeeded to the kingdom, Jason the brother of Oni′as obtained the high priesthood by corruption, ⁸ promising the king at an interview^[jw] 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^[jx] 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 Eupole′mus, 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^[jy] 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.

Jason Introduces Greek Customs

¹⁸ When the quadrennial games were being held at Tyre and the king was present, ¹⁹ the vile Jason sent envoys, chosen as being Antioch′ian citizens from Jerusalem, to carry three hundred silver drachmas for the sacrifice to Her′cules. 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 Her′cules, but by the decision of its carriers it was applied to the construction of triremes.

²¹ When Apollo′nius the son of Menes′theus was sent to Egypt for the coronation^[jz] of Philome′tor as king, Anti′ochus learned that Philome′tor^[ka] 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 Phoenic′ia.

Menelaus Becomes High Priest

²³ After a period of three years Jason sent Menela′us, 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 Menela′us held the office, but he did not pay regularly any of the money promised to the king. ²⁸ When So′stratus 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 Menela′us left his own brother Lysim′achus as deputy in the high priesthood, while So′stratus left Crates, the commander of the Cyprian troops.^[kb]

The Murder of Onias

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 Anti′ochis, the king’s concubine. ³¹ So the king went hastily to settle the trouble, leaving Androni′cus, a man of high rank, to act as his deputy. ³² But Menela′us, thinking he had obtained a suitable opportunity, stole some of the gold vessels of the temple and gave them to Androni′cus; other vessels, as it happened, he had sold to Tyre and the neighboring cities. ³³ When Oni′as became fully aware of these acts he publicly exposed them, having first withdrawn to a place of sanctuary at Daphne near Antioch. ³⁴ Therefore Menela′us, taking Androni′cus aside, urged him to kill Oni′as. Androni′cus^[kc] came to Oni′as, and resorting to treachery offered him sworn pledges and gave him his right hand, and in spite of his suspicion persuaded Oni′as^[kd] to come out from the place of sanctuary; then, with no regard for justice, he immediately put him out of the way.^{[ke] 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 Cilic′ia, the Jews in the city^[kf] appealed to him with regard to the unreasonable murder of Oni′as, and the Greeks shared their hatred of the crime. ³⁷ Therefore Anti′ochus 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 Androni′cus, tore off his garments, and led him about the whole city to that very place where he had committed the outrage against Oni′as, and there he dispatched the bloodthirsty fellow. The Lord thus repaid him with the punishment he deserved.

Unpopularity of Lysimachus and Menelaus

³⁹ When many acts of sacrilege had been committed in the city by Lysim′achus with the connivance of Menela′us, and when report of them had spread abroad, the populace gathered against Lysim′achus, because many of the gold vessels had already been stolen. ⁴⁰ And since the crowds were becoming aroused and filled with anger, Lysim′achus armed about three thousand men and launched an unjust attack, under the leadership of a certain Aura′nus,^[kg] a man advanced in years and no less advanced in folly. ⁴¹ But when the Jews^[kh] became aware of Lysim′achus’ 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 Lysim′achus 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 Menela′us about this incident. ⁴⁴ When the king came to Tyre, three men sent by the senate presented the case before him. ⁴⁵ But Menela′us, already as good as beaten, promised a substantial bribe to Ptol′emy son of Dorym′enes to win over the king. ⁴⁶ Therefore Ptol′emy, taking the king aside into a colonnade as if for refreshment, induced the king to change his mind. ⁴⁷ Menela′us, 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 Scyth′ians. ⁴⁸ And so those who had spoken for the city and the villages^[ki] and the holy vessels quickly suffered the unjust penalty. ⁴⁹ Therefore even the Tyr′ians, showing their hatred of the crime, provided magnificently for their funeral. ⁵⁰ But Menela′us, because of the cupidity of those in power, remained in office, growing in wickedness, having become the chief plotter against his fellow citizens.

Jason Tries to Regain Control

5 About this time Anti′ochus 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 Anti′ochus 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, Menela′us 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 Am′monites. ⁸ Finally he met a miserable end. Accused^[kj] before Ar′etas 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 Lacedaemo′nians 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.

Pillage of the Temple

¹⁵ Not content with this, Anti′ochus^[kk] dared to enter the most holy temple in all the world, guided by Menela′us, 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 Anti′ochus 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 Heliodor′us was, whom Seleu′cus 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 Anti′ochus 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 Phryg′ian and in character more barbarous than the man who appointed him; ²³ and at Geri′zim, Androni′cus; and besides these Menela′us, who lorded it over his fellow citizens worse than the others did. In his malice toward the Jewish citizens,^{[kl] 24} Anti′ochus^[km] sent Apollo′nius, the captain of the My′sians, 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 Maccabe′us, 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.

The Suppression of Judaism

6 Not long after this, the king sent an Athenian^[kn] senator^[ko] 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 Geri′zim 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^[kp] were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Diony′sus came, they were compelled to walk in the procession in honor of Diony′sus, wearing wreaths of ivy. ⁸ At the suggestion of Ptol′emy 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.

Providential Significance of the Persecution

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.

The Martyrdom of Eleazar

¹⁸ Elea′zar, 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 Elea′zar 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^[kq] 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.^{[kr] 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.

The Martyrdom of Seven Brothers

7 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^[ks] 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^[kt] 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,^[ku] 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,^[kv] 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^[kw] 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 Anti′ochus felt that he was being treated with contempt, and he was suspicious of her reproachful tone. The youngest brother being still alive, Anti′ochus^[kx] 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.^{[ky] 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.^[kz] 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^[la] 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,^[lb] 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^[lc] 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.

The Revolt of Judas Maccabeus

8 But Judas, who was also called Maccabe′us, 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 Maccabe′us 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 Ptol′emy, the governor of Coelesyria and Phoenic′ia, for aid to the king’s government. ⁹ And Ptol′emy^[ld] promptly appointed Nica′nor the son of Patroc′lus, 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 Gor′gias, a general and a man of experience in military service. ¹⁰ Nica′nor 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.

Preparation for Battle

¹² Word came to Judas concerning Nica′nor’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 Nica′nor 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 Maccabe′us gathered his men together, to the number of 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^[le] 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 Sennach′erib, 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.

Judas Defeats Nicanor

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 Elea′zar to read aloud^[lf] from the holy book, and gave the watchword, “God’s help”; then, leading the first division himself, he joined battle with Nica′nor.

²⁴ With the Almighty as their ally, they slew more than nine thousand of the enemy, and wounded and disabled most of Nica′nor’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.

Judas Defeats Timothy and Bacchides

³⁰ In encounters with the forces of Timothy and Bac′chides 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,^[lg] 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, Callis′thenes and some others, who had fled into one little house; so these received the proper recompense for their impiety.^[lh]

³⁴ The thrice-accursed Nica′nor, 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.

The Last Campaign of Antiochus Epiphanes

9 About that time, as it happened, Anti′ochus had retreated in disorder from the region of Persia. ² For he had entered the city called Persep′olis, and attempted to rob the temples and control the city. Therefore the people rushed to the rescue with arms, and Anti′ochus and his men were defeated,^[li] with the result that Anti′ochus was put to flight by the inhabitants and beat a shameful retreat. ³ While he was in Ecbat′ana, news came to him of what had happened to Nica′nor 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.”^[lj]

Antiochus Makes a Promise 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:

Antiochus’s Letter and Death

¹⁹ “To his worthy Jewish citizens, Anti′ochus 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 Anti′ochus 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 most 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 Anti′ochus, he betook himself to Ptol′emy Philome′tor in Egypt.

Purification of the Temple

10 Now Maccabe′us 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 Anti′ochus, who was called Epiph′anes.

Accession of Antiochus Eupator

¹⁰ Now we will tell what took place under Anti′ochus Eu′pator, 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 Lys′ias to have charge of the government and to be chief governor of Coelesyria and Phoenic′ia. ¹² Ptol′emy, 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 Eu′pator by the king’s friends. He heard himself called a traitor at every turn, because he had abandoned Cyprus, which Philome′tor had entrusted to him, and had gone over to Anti′ochus Epiph′anes. Unable to command the respect due his office,^[lk] he took poison and ended his life.

Campaign in Idumea

¹⁴ When Gor′gias 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 Idume′ans, 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 Maccabe′us and his men, after making solemn supplication and beseeching God to fight on their side, rushed to the strongholds of the Idume′ans. 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 Maccabe′us left Simon and Joseph, and also Zacchae′us 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 Maccabe′us, 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.

Judas Defeats Timothy

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, Maccabe′us 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 Maccabe′us 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 Gazar′a, especially well garrisoned, where Chae′reas was commander. ³³ Then Maccabe′us 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 Maccabe′us, 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 Chae′reas, and Apolloph′anes. 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.

Lys′ias Besieges Beth-zur

11 Very soon after this, Lys′ias, 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^[ll] from Jerusalem, and pressed it hard.

⁶ When Maccabe′us and his men got word that Lys′ias^[lm] 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 Maccabe′us 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 Lys′ias 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.^{[ln] 15} Maccabe′us, having regard for the common good, agreed to all that Lys′ias urged. For the king granted every request in behalf of the Jews which Maccabe′us delivered to Lys′ias in writing.

Lys′ias Makes Peace with the Jews

¹⁶ The letter written to the Jews by Lys′ias was to this effect:

“Lys′ias to the people of the Jews, greeting. ¹⁷ John and Ab′salom, 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,^[lo] Dioscorin′thius twenty-fourth.”

²² The king’s letter ran thus:

“King Anti′ochus to his brother Lys′ias, 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 Anti′ochus 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 Menela′us 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 Xan′thicus 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 Menela′us to encourage you. ³³ Farewell. The one hundred and forty-eighth year,^[lp] Xan′thicus fifteenth.”

³⁴ The Romans also sent them a letter, which read thus:

“Quintus Mem′mius and Titus Man′ius, envoys of the Romans, to the people of the Jews, greeting. ³⁵ With regard to what Lys′ias 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,^[lq] Xan′thicus fifteenth.”

Incidents at Joppa and Jamnia

12 When this agreement had been reached, Lys′ias returned to the king, and the Jews went about their farming.

² But some of the governors in various places, Timothy and Apollo′nius the son of Gennae′us, as well as Hiero′nymus and De′mophon, and in addition to these Nica′nor 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;^{[lr] 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^[ls] 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 Jam′nia meant in the same way to wipe out the Jews who were living among them, ⁹ he attacked the people of Jam′nia by night and set fire to the harbor and the fleet, so that the glow of the light was seen in Jerusalem, thirty miles^[lt] distant.

The Campaign in Gilead

¹⁰ When they had gone more than a mile^[lu] 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^[lv] 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^[lw] 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^[lx] wide, appeared to be running over with blood.

Judas Defeats Timothy’s Army

¹⁷ When they had gone ninety-five miles^[ly] from there, they came to Charax, to the Jews who are called Toubia′ni. 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 Dosith′eus and Sosip′ater, who were captains under Maccabe′us, marched out and destroyed those whom Timothy had left in the stronghold, more than ten thousand men. ²⁰ But Maccabe′us arranged his army in divisions, set men^[lz] 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 Car′naim; 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 Dosith′eus and Sosip′ater 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.

Judas Wins Other Victories

²⁶ Then Judas^[ma] marched against Car′naim and the temple of Atar′gatis, and slaughtered twenty-five thousand people. ²⁷ After the rout and destruction of these, he marched also against Ephron, a fortified city where Lys′ias dwelt with multitudes of people of all nationalities.^[mb] 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^[mc] 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 Scythop′olis, which is seventy-five miles^[md] from Jerusalem. ³⁰ But when the Jews who dwelt there bore witness to the good will which the people of Scythop′olis 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.

Judas Defeats Gorgias

³² After the feast called Pentecost, they hastened against Gor′gias, the governor of Idume′a. 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 Dosith′eus, one of Bace′nor’s men, who was on horseback and was a strong man, caught hold of Gor′gias, 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 Gor′gias escaped and reached Mar′isa.

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 Gor′gias’ men when they were not expecting it, and put them to flight.

Prayers for Those Killed in Battle

³⁸ Then Judas assembled his army and went to the city of Adul′lam. 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 Jam′nia, 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.^[me]

Menelaus Is Put to Death

13 In the one hundred and forty-ninth year^[mf] word came to Judas and his men that Anti′ochus Eu′pator was coming with a great army against Judea, ² and with him Lys′ias, 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 Menela′us also joined them and with utter hypocrisy urged Anti′ochus 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 Anti′ochus against the scoundrel; and when Lys′ias informed him that this man was to blame for all the trouble, he ordered them to take him to Beroe′a 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 Menela′us 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.

A Battle Near the City of Modein

⁹ The king with barbarous arrogance was coming to show to the Jews things far worse than those that had been done^[mg] 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 Mo′de-in. 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^[mh] 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.

Antiochus Makes a Treaty with the Jews

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,^[mi] and was defeated. ²⁰ Judas sent in to the garrison whatever was necessary. ²¹ But Rhod′ocus, 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 Maccabe′us, left Hegemon′ides as governor from Ptolema′is to Gerar, ²⁵ and went to Ptolema′is. The people of Ptolema′is were indignant over the treaty; in fact they were so angry that they wanted to annul its terms.^{[mj] 26} Lys′ias 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.

Al′cimus Speaks against Judas

14 Three years later, word came to Judas and his men that Deme′trius, the son of Seleu′cus, had sailed into the harbor of Trip′olis with a strong army and a fleet, ² and had taken possession of the country, having made away with Anti′ochus and his guardian Lys′ias.

³ Now a certain Al′cimus, 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 Deme′trius in about the one hundred and fifty-first year,^[mk] 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 Deme′trius 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 Haside′ans, whose leader is Judas Maccabe′us, 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 Deme′trius still more. ¹² And he immediately chose Nica′nor, 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 Al′cimus as high priest of the greatest temple. ¹⁴ And the Gentiles throughout Judea, who had fled before^[ml] Judas, flocked to join Nica′nor, thinking that the misfortunes and calamities of the Jews would mean prosperity for themselves.

Nicanor Makes Friends with Judas

¹⁵ When the Jews^[mm] heard of Nica′nor’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^[mn] set out from there immediately and engaged them in battle at a village called Dessau.^{[mo] 17} Simon, the brother of Judas, had encountered Nica′nor, but had been temporarily^[mp] checked because of the sudden consternation created by the enemy.

¹⁸ Nevertheless Nica′nor, 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 Posido′nius and Theod′otus and Mattathi′as 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^[mq] 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 Nica′nor 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.

Nicanor Turns against Judas

²⁶ But when Al′cimus noticed their good will for one another, he took the covenant that had been made and went to Deme′trius. He told him that Nica′nor 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 Nica′nor, stating that he was displeased with the covenant and commanding him to send Maccabe′us to Antioch as a prisoner without delay.

²⁸ When this message came to Nica′nor, 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 Maccabe′us, noticing that Nica′nor 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 Nica′nor.

³¹ When the latter became aware that he had been cleverly outwitted by the man, he went to the great^[mr] 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 Diony′sus.”

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.”

Razis Dies for His Country

³⁷ A certain Razis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, was denounced to Nica′nor 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 Nica′nor, 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^[ms] 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^[mt] 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.

Nicanor’s Arrogance

15 When Nica′nor heard that Judas and his men were in the region of Samar′ia, 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.

Judas Prepares the Jews for Battle

⁶ This Nica′nor in his utter boastfulness and arrogance had determined to erect a public monument of victory over Judas and his men. ⁷ But Maccabe′us 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,^[mu] which was worthy of belief.

¹² What he saw was this: Oni′as, 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 Oni′as 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.

The Defeat and Death of Nicanor

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 Maccabe′us, perceiving the hosts that were before him and the varied supply of arms and the savagery of the elephants,^[mv] 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^[mw] 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 Hezeki′ah king of Judea, and he slew fully a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of Sennach′erib. 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 Nica′nor 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 Nica′nor, 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 Nica′nor’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 Nica′nor’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 Nica′nor 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 Nica′nor’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 Mor′decai’s day.

The Compiler’s Epilogue

³⁷ This, then, is how matters turned out with Nica′nor. 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.