1 Maccabees 2
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1IN those dayes stode vp Mattathias the Priest, the sonne of Ioannes, the sonne of Simeon, of the sonnes of Ioarib of Ierusalem, and dwelt in Modin. 2And he had fiue sonnes, Ioanan called Gaddis, 3Simon called Thassi, 4Iudas which was called Maccabeus, 5Eleazar called Abaron, & Ionathan, whose name was Apphus. 6Now he sawe the blasphemies, which were committed in Iuda and Ierusalem: 7And he said, Wo is me: wherefore was I borne, to se this destruction of my people, and the destruction of the holy citie, and thus to sit stil? it is deliuered into the hands of the enemies, 8And the Sanctuarie is in the hands of strangers: her Temple is, as a man that hathe no renoume. 9Her glorious vessels are caryed away into captiuitie: her infants are slayne in the stretes, and her yong men are fallen by the sworde of the enemies. 10What people is it, that hathe not some possession in her kingdome, or hathe not gotten of her spoyles? 11All her glorie is taken away: of a fre woman, she is become an handmaid. 12Beholde, our Sanctuarie & our beautie, and honor is desolate, and the Gentiles haue defiled it. 13What helpeth it vs then to liue anie longer? 14And Mattathias rent his clothes, he, and his sonnes, and put sackecloth vpon them, and mourned verie sore. 15¶ Then came men from the King to the citie of Modin to compell them to forsake God, and to sacrifice. 16So manie of the Israelites consented vnto them: but Mattathias and his sonnes assembled together. 17Then spake the commissioners of the King, and said vnto Mattathias, Thou art the chief and an honorable man, & great in this citie, and hast many children and brethren. 18Come thou therefore first, and fulfil the Kings commandement, as all the heathen haue done, and also the men of Iuda, and suche as remaine at Ierusalem: so shalt thou and thy familie be in the Kings fauour & thou and thy children shalbe enriched with siluer & golde, & with manie rewards. 19Then Mattathias answered & said with a loude voyce, Thogh all nacions that are vnder the Kings dominion, obey him, and fall away euerie man from the religion of their fathers, and consent to his commandements, 20Yet wil I and my sonnes, and my brethren, walke in the couenant of our fathers. 21God be merciful vnto vs, that we forsake not the Law and the ordinances. 22We wil not hearken vnto the Kings wordes to transgresse our religion, nether on the right side, nor on the left. 23And when he had left of speaking these wordes, there came one of the Iewes, in the sight of all to sacrifice vpon the altar which was at Modin, according to the Kings commandement. 24Now when Mattathias sawe it, he was so inflamed with zeale, that his raines shoke, and his wrath was kindled according to the ordinance of the Law: therefore he ran vnto him, and killed him by the altar: 25And at the same time he slewe the Kings commissioner, that compelled him to do sacrifice, and destroied the altar. 26Thus bare he a zeale to the Law of God, doing, as Phinees did vnto Zambri the sonne of Salom. 27¶ Then cryed Mattathias with a loude voyce in the citie, saying, Whosoeuer is zealous of the Law, and wil stand by the couenant, let him come forthe after me. 28So he, and his sonnes fled into the mountaines, & left all that thei had in the citie. 29Then manie that soght after iustice & iudgement, 30Went downe into the wildernes to dwell there, bothe they, and their children, and their wiues, and their cattel: for the afflictions increased sore vpon them. 31¶ Now when it was tolde vnto the Kings seruants, and to the garisons, which were in Ierusalem in the citie of Dauid, that men had broken the Kings commandement, & were gone downe into the secret places in the wildernes, 32Then many pursued after them: and hauing ouertaken them, thei camped against them, and set the battel in array against them on the Sabbath day, 33And said vnto them, Let this now be sufficient: come forthe & do according to the commandement of the King, and ye shal liue. 34But they answered, We wil not go forthe, nether wil we do the Kings commandement, to defile the Sabbath day. 35Then they gaue them the battel. 36But the other answered them nothing, nether cast anie one stone at them, nor stopped the priuie places, 37But said, We wil dye all in our innocencie: the heauen and earth shal testifie for vs, that ye destroy vs wrongfully. 38Thus thei gaue them the battel vpon the Sabbath, and slewe bothe men and cattel, their wiues and their children to the nomber of a thousand people. 39¶ When Mattathias & his friends vnderstode this, thei mourned for them greatly, 40And said one to another, If we all do as our brethren haue done, and fight not against the heathen for our liues, & for our Lawes, then shal thei incontinently destroy vs out of the earth. 42Then came vnto them the assemblie of the Asideans, which were of the strongest men of Israel, all suche as were wel minded toward the Law. 43And all they that were fled for persecucion, ioyned them selues vnto them, and were an helpe vnto them. 44So they gathered a power, and smote the wicked men in their wrath, & the vngodlie in their angre: but the rest fled vnto the heathen, and escaped. 45Then Mattathias and his friends went about, and destroyed the altars, 46And circumcised the children by force that were vncircumcised, as manie as they founde within the coasts of Israel, 47And they pursued after the proude men: and this acte prospered in their hands. 48So they recouered the Law out of the hand of the Gentiles, & out of the hand of Kings, and gaue not place to the wicked. 49Now when the time drewe nere, that Mattathias shulde dye, he said vnto his sonnes, Now is pride and persecucion increased, and the time of destruction, and the wrath of indignacion. 50Now therefore, my sonnes, be ye zealous of the Law, & giue your liues for the couenant of our fathers. 51Call to remembrance what actes our fathers did in their time: so shal ye receiue great honour and an euerlasting name. 52Was not Abraham founde faithful in tentacion, and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes? 53Ioseph in the time of his trouble kept the commandement, & was made the lord of Egypt. 54Phinees our father, because he was zealous and feruent, obteined the couenant of the euerlasting priesthode. 55Iesus for fulfilling the worde, was made the gouernour of Israel. 56Caleb, because he bare witnes before the congregacion, receiued the heritage of the land. 57Dauid, because of his mercie obteined the throne of the kingdome for euermore. 58Elias, because he was zealous and feruent in the Law, was taken vp euen vnto heauen. 59Ananias, Azarias and Misael by their faith were deliuered out of the flame. 60Daniel, because of his innocencie, was deliuered from the mouth of the lyons. 61And thus ye may consider thorowe out all ages, that whosoeuer put their trust in him, shal not want strength. 62Feare not ye then the wordes of a sinful man: for his glorie is but dongue and wormes. 63To day is he set vp, & to morowe he shal not be founde: for he is turned into his dust, and his purpose perisheth. 64Wherefore, my sonnes, take good hearts, and shewe your selues men for the Law: for by it shal you obteine glorie. 65And beholde, I knowe that your brother Simon is a man of counsel: giue eare vnto him alway: he shalbe a father vnto you. 66And Iudas Maccabeus hathe bene mightie and strong, euen from his youth vp: let him be your captaine and fight you the battel for the people. 67Thus shal ye bring vnto you all those that obserue the Law, & shal aduenge the iniuries of your people. 68Recompense fully the heathen, and giue your selues to the commandement of the Law. 69So he blessed them, and was laied with his fathers, 70And dyed in the hundreth, fortie & six yere, and his sonnes buryed him in his fathers sepulchre at Modin, & all Israel made great lamentacion for him.