1 Maccabees 1
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1After that Alexander the Macedonian, the sonne of Philippe, went forthe of the land of Chettiim, & slewe Darius King of the Persians and Medes, and reigned for him, as he had before in Grecia, 2He toke great warres in hand, and wan strong holdes, and slewe the Kings of the earth. 3So went he thorow to the ends of the worlde, and toke spoiles of many nacions, in so muche that the worlde stode in awe of him: therefore his heart was puffed vp and was hawtie. 4Now when he had gathered a mightie strong hoste, 5And had reigned ouer regions, nacions and kingdomes, they became tributaries vnto him. 6After these things he fel sicke, and knewe that he shulde dye. 7Then he called for the chief of his seruantes, which had bene broght vp with him of children, and parted his kingdome among them, while he was yet aliue. 8So Alexander had reigned twelue yeres when he dyed. 9And his seruants reigned euerie one in his roume. 10And they all caused them selues to be crowned after his death, and so did their children after them many yeres, and muche wickednes increased in the worlde. 11For out of these came the wicked roote, euen Antiochus Epiphanes the sonne of King Antiochus, which had bene an hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundreth and seuen and thirtieth yere of the kingdome of the Grekes. 12In those daies went there out of Israel wicked men, which entyced many, saying, Let vs go, and make a couenant with the heathen, that are rounde about vs: for since we departed from them, we haue had muche sorowe. 13So this deuice pleased them wel. 14And certeine of the people were readie, & went to the King which gaue them licence to do after the ordinances of the heathen. 15Then set thei vp a place of exercise at Ierusalem, according to the facions of the heathen, 16And made them selues vncircumcised, & forsoke the holy couenant, & ioyned them selues to the heathen, and were solde to do mischief. 17So when Antiochus kingdome was set in order, he went about to reigne ouer Egypt, that he might haue the dominion of two realmes. 18Therefore he entred into Egypt with a mightie companie, with charets, & elephantes, & with horsemen, & with a great nauie, 19And moued warre against Ptolemeus King of Egypt: but Ptolemeus was afraid of him, and fled, and manie were wounded to death. 20Thus Antiochus wanne many strong cities in the land of Egypt, and toke away the spoiles of the land of Egypt. 21And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he turned againe in the hundreth, fortie and thre yere, 22And went vp towarde Israel and Ierusalem with a mightie people. 23And entred proudly into the Sanctuarie, and toke away the golden altar, and the candlesticke for the light, & all the instruments thereof, & the table of the shewbread, and the powring vessels, and the bowles, & the golden basins, and the vaile, and the crownes, & the golden apparel, which was before the Temple, and brake all in pieces. 24He toke also the siluer and golde, & the precious iewels, & he toke the secret treasures that he founde, & when he had taken away all, he departed into his owne land, 25After he had murthered many men, and spoken verie proudely. 26Therefore there was a great lamentacion in euerie place of Israel. 27For the princes & the Elders mourned: the yong women, and the yong men were made feble, & the beautie of the women was changed. 28Euerie bridegrome toke him to mourning, and she that sate in the mariage chamber, was in heauines. 29The land also was moued for the inhabitants thereof: for all the house of Iacob was couered with confusion. 30After two yeres the King sent his chief taxe master into the cities of Iuda, which came to Ierusalem with a great multitude. 31Who spake peaceable wordes vnto them in disceite, & they gaue credit vnto him. 32Then he fell suddenly vpon the citie, & smote it with a great plague, & destroied muche people of Israel. 33And when he had spoiled the citie, he set fyre on it, casting downe the houses thereof, and walles thereof on euerie side. 34The women and their children toke they captiue, and led away the cattel. 35Then fortified they the citie of Dauid with a great & thicke wall, & with mightie towres, and made it a strong holde for them. 36Moreouer they set wicked people there, and vngodlie persones, and fortified them selues therein. 37And they stored it with weapons and vitailes, and gathered the spoile of Ierusalem, and laied it vp there. 38Thus became they a sore snare & were in ambushment for the Sanctuarie, and were wicked enemies euermore vnto Israel. 39For thei shed innocent blood on euerie side of the Sanctuarie & defiled the Sanctuarie, 40In so muche that the citizens of Ierusalem fled away because of them, and it became an habitacion of strangers, being desolate of them whome she had borne: for her owne children did leaue her. 41Her Sanctuarie was left waste as a wildernes: her holie daies were turned into mourning, her Sabbaths into reproche, and her honour broght to naught. 42As her glorie had bene great, so was her dishonour, and her excellencie was turned into sorowe. 43Also the King wrote vnto all his kingdome, that all the people shulde be as one, and that euerie man shulde leaue his lawes. 44And all the heathen agreed to the commandement of the King. 45Yea, many of the Israelites consented to his religion, offring vnto idoles, & defiling the Sabbath. 46So the King sent letters by the messengers vnto Ierusalem, and to the cities of Iuda, that they shulde followe the strange lawes of the countrey, 47And that they shulde forbid the burnt offrings and sacrifices, and the offrings in the Sanctuarie, 48And that they shulde defile the Sabbaths and the feasts, 49And pollute the Sanctuarie and the holie men, 50And to set vp altars, & groues, & chappels of idoles, & offer vp swines flesh, and vncleane beasts, 51And that they shulde leaue their children vncircumcised, & defile their soules with vnclennes, and pollute them selues, that they might forget the Law, & change all the ordinances, 52And that whosoeuer wolde not do according to the commandement of the King, shulde suffer death. 53In like maner wrote he thorow out all his kingdomes, and set ouerseers ouer all the people, for to compell them to do these things. 54And he commanded the cities of Iuda to do sacrifice, citie by citie. 55Then went many of the people vnto them by heapes, euery one that forsoke the Law, and so they committed euil in the land. 56And they droue the Israelites into secret places, euen wheresoeuer they colde flee for succour. 57The fiftenth day of Casleu, in the hundreth and fiue and fortieth yere, they set vp the abominacion of desolacion vpon the altar, & thei buylded altars thorow out the cities of Iuda on euerie side. 58And before the dores of the houses, and in the stretes they burnt incense. 59And the bokes of the Law, which they founde, they burnt in the fyre, and cutte in pieces. 60Whosoeuer had a boke of the Testament founde by him, or whosoeuer consented vnto the Law, the Kings commandement was, that they shulde put him to death by their autoritie, 61And they executed these things euerie moneth vpon the people of Israel that were founde in the cities. 62And in the fiue and twentieth day of the moneth, they did sacrifice vpon the altar, which was in the stead of the altar of sacrifices. 63And according to the commandement, they put certeine women to death, which had caused their children to be circumcised, 64And they hanged vp the children at their neckes, and they spoiled their houses, and slewe the circumcisers of them. 65Yet were there many in Israel, which were of courage, and determined in them selues, that they wolde not eat vncleane things, 66But chose rather to suffer death, then to be defiled with those meats: so because thei wolde not breake the holie couenant, they were put to death. 67And this tyrannie was verie sore vpon the people of Israel.