26 So that the princes and elders mourned, the virgins and young men were made feeble, and the beauty of women was changed.

Apocrypha.

44 For the king had fent letters by meffengers unto Jerufalem and the cities of Juda, that they should follow the ftrange laws of the land,

45 And forbid burnt offerings, and sa

28 The land alfo was moved for the inhabitants thereof, and all the house of Jacob was covered with confufion.

29 And after two years fully expired the king fent his chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Juda, who came unto Jerufalem with a great multitude,

30 And fpake peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit : for when they had given him credence, he fell fuddenly upon the city, and fmote it very fore, and destroyed much people of Ifrael.

31 And when he had taken the spoils of the city, he fet it on fire, and pulled down the houses and walls thereof on every fide. 32 But the women and children took they captive, and poffeffed the cattle.

33 Then builded they the city of David with a great and ftrong wall, and with mighty towers, and made it a ftrong hold for them.

34 And they put therein a finful nation, wicked men, and fortified themJelves therein.

46 And pollute the fanctuary and holy people:

47 Set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and facrifice fwine's flesh, and unclean beafts:

48 That they fhould alfo leave their children uncircumcifed, and make their fouls abominable with all manner of un-. cleannefs and profanation:

49 To the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances.

50 And whofoever would not do according to the commandment of the king, he said, he should die.

51 In the felf fame manner wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed overfeers over all the people, commanding the cities of Juda to facrifice, city by city.

52 Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit, every one that forfook the law, and fo they committed evils in the land;

36 For it was a place to lie in wait against the fanctuary, and an evil adverfary to Ifrael.

37 Thus they fhed innocent blood on every fide of the fanctuary, and defiled it: 38 Infomuch that the inhabitants of Jerufalem fled because of them: whereupon the city was made an habitation of ftrangers, and became ftrange to thofe that were born in her, and her own children left her.

39 Her fanctuary was laid wafte like a wilderness, her feafts were turned into mourning, her fabbaths into reproach, her honour into contempt.

40 As had been her glory, fo was her difhonour increafed, and her excellency was turned into mourning.

41 Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all fhould be one people,

42 And every one fhould leave his laws; fo all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king.

43 Yea, many alfo of the Ifraelites confented to his religion, and facrificed unto idols, and profaned the fabbath.

54 Now the fifteenth day of the month Cafleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they fet up the abomination of defolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every fide;

55 And burnt incenfe at the doors of their houses, and in their streets.

56 And when they had rent in pieces the books of the law which they found, they burnt them with fire.

57 And wherefoever was found with any the book of the teftament, or if any confented to the law, the king's commandment was, that they fhould put him to death.

58 Thus did they by their authority unto the Ifraelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities.

59 Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did facrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God.

60 At which time according to the commandment they put to death certain women, that had caufed their children to be circumcifed.

61 And they hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houfes, and flew them that had circumcifed them. 62 Howbeit

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CHAP. II.

2 And he had five fons, Joannan, called Caddis :

3 Simon, called Thaffi :

4 Judas, who was called Maccabeus: 5 Eleazar, called Avaran, and Jonathan, whofe furname was Apphus.

6 ¶ And when he saw the blafphemies that were committed in Juda and Jerufalem,

7 He faid, Woe is me! wherefore was I born to fee this mifery of my people, and of the holy city, and to dwell there, when it was delivered into the hand of the enemy, and the fanctuary into the hand of ftrangers?

8 Her temple is become as a man without glory.

9 Her glorious veffels are carried away into captivity, her infants are flain in the streets, her young men with the fword of the enemy.

Io What nation hath not had a part in her kingdom, and gotten of her spoils? II All herornaments are taken away; of a free woman fhe is become a bond flave.

12 And, behold, our fanctuary, even our beauty and our glory, is laid waste, and the Gentiles have profaned it.

13 To what end therefore shall we live any longer?

14 Then Mattathias and his fons rent their clothes, and put on fackcloth, and mourned very fore.

15 In the mean while the king's officers, fuch as compelled the people to revolt, came into the city Modin, to make them facrifice.

16 And when many of Ifrael came unto them, Mattathias alfo and his fons came together.

17 Then anfwered the king's officers, and faid to Mattathias on this wife, Thou art a ruler, and an honourable and great man in this city, and ftrengthened with fons and brethren:

18 Now therefore come thou first, and fulfil the king's commandment, like as

Apocrypha.

all the heathen have done, yea, and the men of Juda alfo, and fuch as remain at Jerufalem: fo fhalt thou and thy house be in the number of the king's friends, and thou and thy chileren shall be honoured with filver and gold, and many rewards.

19 Then Mattathias anfwered and fpake with a loud voice, Though all the nations that are under the king's dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give confent to his commandments:

20 Yet will I and my fons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers.

21 God forbid that we fhould forfake the law and the ordinances.

22 We will not hearken to the king's words, to go from our religion, either on the right hand, or the left.

23 Now when he had left fpeaking thefe words, there came one of the Jews in the fight of all to facrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king's commandment.

24 Which thing when Mattathias faw, he was inflamed with zeal, and his reins trembled, neither could he forbear to fhew his anger according to judgment: wherefore he ran, and flew him upon the altar.

25 Alfo the king's commiffioner, who compelled men to facrifice, he killed at that time, and the altar he pulled down..

26 Thus dealt he zealously for the law of God, like as Phinees did unto Zambri the fon of Salom.

27 And Mattathias cried through out the city with a loud voice, faying, Whofoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him foly low me.

28 So he and his fons fled into the mountains, and left all that ever they had in the city.

29 Then many that sought after justice and judgment went down into the wil dernefs to dwell there:

30 Both they, and their children, and their wives, and their cattle; becaufe afflictions increased fore upon them.

31 Now when it was told the king's fervants, and the hoft that was at Jerufalem, in the city of David, that certain men, who had broken the king's commandment, were gone down into the fecret places in the wilderness,

32 They purfued after them a great number, and having overtaken them, they camped against them, and made war against them on the fabbath day.

33 And they faid unto them, Let that which ye have done hitherto fuffice; *L4

come

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THEN

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his fword.

4 In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey. 5 For he pursued the wicked, and fought them out, and burnt up thofe that vexed his people.

6 Wherefore the wicked fhrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because falvation profpered in his hand.

7 He grieved alfo many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is bleffed for ever.

8 Moreover he went thro' the cities of Juda, deftroying the ungodly out of them, and turning away wrath from Ifrael:

9 So that he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth, and he received unto him fuch as were ready to perish.

10 Then Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great hoft out of Samaria, to fight against Ifrael.

II Which thing when Judas perceived, he went forth to meet him, and fo he fmote him, and flew him: many alfo fell down flain, but the reft fled.

12 Wherefore Judas took their spoils, and Apollonius' fword alfo, and therewith he fought all his life long.

13 Now when Seron, a prince of the army of Syria, heard fay that Judas had gathered unto him a multitude and company of the faithful to go out with him to war;

14 He faid, I will get me a name and honour in the kingdom; for I will go fight with Judas and them that are with him, who defpife the king's command

ment.

15 So he made him ready to go up, and there went with him a mighty hoft of the ungodly to help him, and to be avenged of the children of Ifrael.

16 And when he came near to the going up of Bethhoron, Judas went forth to meet him with a small company:

17 Who, when they faw the hoft coming to meet them, faid unto Judas, How fhall we be able, being fo few, to fight against fo great a multitude and fo ftrong, feeing we are ready to faint with fafting all this day?

18 Unto whom Judas anfwered, It is

19 For the victory of battle standeth not in the multitude of an hoft; but ftrength cometh from heaven.

20 They come against us in much pride and iniquity to destroy us, and our wives and children, and to fpoil us:

21 But we fight for our lives and our laws.

22 Wherefore the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: and as for you, be ye not afraid of them.

23 Now as foon as he had left off speaking, he leapt fuddenly upon them, and fo Seron and his hoft was overthrown before him.

24 And they pursued them from the going down of Bethhoron unto the plain, where were flain about eight hundred men of them; and the refidue fled into the land of the Philiftines.

25 Then began the fear of Judas and his brethren, and an exceeding great dread, to fall upon the nations round about them:

26 Infomuch as his fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas.

27 Now when king Antiochus heard these things, he was full of indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered together all the forces of his realm, even a very strong army.

28 He opened alfo his treasure, and gave his foldiers pay for a year, commanding them to be ready whenfoever he fhould need them.

29 Nevertheless, when he saw that the money of his treafures failed, and that the tributes in the country were finall, because of the diffenfion and plague, which he had brought upon the land in taking away the laws which had been of old time;

30 He feared that he fhould not be able to bear the charges any longer, nor to have fuch gifts to give fo liberally as he did before: for he had abounded above the kings that were before him.

31 Wherefore, being greatly perplexed in his mind, he determined to go into Perfia, there to take the tributes of the countries, and to gather much money.

32 So he left Lyfias, a nobleman, and one of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the king from the river Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt:

33 And to bring up his fon Antiochus, until he came again.

34 Moreover he delivered unto him the

Apocrypha.

the half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all things that he would have done, as alfo concerning them that dwelt in Juda and Jerufalem: 35 To wit, that he should fend an army against them, to deftroy and root out the ftrength of Ifrael, and the remnant of Jerufalem, and to take away their memorial from that place;

36 And that he should place ftrangers in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot.

37 So the king took the half of the forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred forty and feventh year; and having paffed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries.

38 Then Lyfias chofe Ptolomee the fon of Dorymenes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends:

39 And with them he fent forty thoufand footmen, and feven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Juda, and to deftroy it, as the king commanded.

40 So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus, in the plain country.

41 And the merchants of the country, hearing the fame of them, took filver and gold very much, with fervants, and came into the camp to buy the children of Ifrael for flaves: a power alfo of Syria and of the land of the Philiftines joined themselves unto them.

42 Now when Judas and his brethren faw that miferies were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themfelves in their borders; for they knew how the king had given commandment to deftroy the people, and utterly abolish them;

43 They faid one to another, Let us reftore the decayed eftate of our people, and let us fight for our people and the fanctuary.

44 Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and afk mercy and compaffion.

45 Now Jerufalem lay void as a wildernefs, there was none of her children that went in or out; the fanctuary alfo was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold; the heathen had their habitation in that place, and joy was taken from Jacob, and the pipe with the harp ceafed. 46 Wherefore the Ifraelites affembled themselves together, and came to Mafpha, over againft Jerufalem; for in Mafpha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Ifrael.

47 Then they fafted that day, and put on fackcloth, and caft afhes upon their heads, and rent their clothes,

Аростурка.

48 And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had fought to paint the likeness of their images.

49 They brought alfo the priests' garments, and the first fruits, and the tithes: and the Nazarites they ftirred up, who had accomplished their days.

50 Then cried they with a loud voice toward heaven, faying, What shall we do with these, and whither fhall we carry them away?

51 For thy fanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heavinefs, and brought low.

52 And, lo, the heathen are affembled together againft us to deftroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou knoweft.

53 How fhall we be able to stand againft them, except thou, O God, be our help? 54 Then founded they with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice.

55 And after this Judas ordained captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.

56 But as for fuch as were building houfes, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law.

57 So the camp removed, and pitched upon the fouth fide of Emmaus.

58 And Judas faid, Arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and fee that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations, that are affembled together against us, to destroy us and our fanctuary.

59 For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our fanctuary.

60 Neverthelefs, as the will of God is in heaven, fo let him do. CHAP. IV.

6 Judas defeateth the plot, 14 and forces of Gorgias, 23 and Spoileth their tents, c.

T HEN took Gorgias five thousand footmen, and a thousand of the best horfemen, and removed out of the camp by night;

2 To the end he might rufh in upon the camp of the Jews, and fmite them fuddenly. And the men of the fortrefs were his guides.

3 Now when Judas heard thereof, he himfelf removed, and the valiant men with him, that he might fmite the king's army which was at Emmaus,

4 While as yet the forces were dif perfed from the camp.

5 In the mean feafon came Gorgias by