1 Maccabees 3
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1THen Iudas his sonne, called Maccabeus, rose vp in his place. 2And all his brethren helped him, and all they that helde with his father, and foght with courage the battel of Israel. 3So he gate his people great honour: he put on a brestplate as a gyant, and armed him self, and set the battel in array, and defended the campe with the sworde. 4In his actes he was like a lyon, and as a lyons whelpe roaring after the pray. 5For he pursued the wicked, & soght them out, & burnt vp those that vexed his people, 6So that the wicked fled for feare of him, and all the workers of iniquitie were put to trouble: and saluacion prospered in his hand. 7And he grieued diuers Kings, but Iacob reioyced hy his actes, and his memorial is blessed for euer. 8He went also thorowe the cities of Iuda, and destroyed the wicked out of them, and turned away the wrath from Israel. 9So was he renoumed vnto the ends of the earth, and he assembled together those that were readie to perish. 10¶ But Apollonius gathered the Gentiles, and a great hoste out of Samaria, to fight against Israel. 11Which when Iudas perceiued, he went forthe to mete him, and smote him, & slue him, so that many fel downe slaine, & the rest fled. 12So Iudas toke their spoiles, and toke also Apollonius sworde, and foght with it all his life long. 13¶ Now when Seron a prince of the armie of Syria, heard that Iudas had gathered vnto him the congregacion, and Church of the faithful, and went forthe to the warre, 14He said, I wil get me a name, and wil be glorious in the realme: for I wil go fight with Iudas, & them that are with him, which haue despised the Kings commandement. 15So he made him readie to go vp, and there went with him a mightie hoste of the vngodlie to helpe him, & to be aduenged of the children of Israel. 16And when he came nere to the going vp of Bethhoron, Iudas went forthe to mete him with a smale companie. 17But when they sawe the armie coming against them, they said to Iudas, How are we able, being so fewe, to fight against so great a multitude, & so strong, seing we be so wearie, and haue fasted all this day? 18Then said Iudas, It is an easie thing for many to be shut vp in the hands of fewe, and there is no difference before the God of heauen, to deliuer by a great multitude, or by a smale companie. 19For the victorie of the battel standeth not in the multitude of the hoste, but the strength cometh from heauen. 20They come against vs with a cruel and proude multitude, to destroy vs, and our wiues, and our children, and to robbe vs. 21But we do fight for our liues, and for our Lawes, 22And God him self wil destroie them befofore our face: therefore be not ye afraied of them. 23And when he had left of speaking, he lept suddenly vpon them: so was Seron and his hoste destroied before him. 24And they pursued them from the going downe of Bethhoron vnto the plaine: where there were slaine eight hundreth men of them, and the residue fled into the land of the Philistims. 25Then the feare & terrour of Iudas & his brethren fel vpon the nacions rounde about, 26So that his fame came vnto the King: for all the Gentiles colde tell of the warres of Iudas. 27¶ But when King Antiochus heard these tidings, he was angrie in his minde: wherefore he sent forthe, & gathered all the power of his realme a very strong armie, 28And opened his treasurie, and gaue his hoste a yeres wages in-hand, commanding them to be readie for a yere for all occasions. 29Neuertheles, when he sawe that the money of his treasures failed, & that the tributes in the countrey were smale, because of the dissencion, & plagues that he had broght vpon the land, in taking away the lawes which had bene of olde time, 30He feared lest he shulde not haue now at the seconde time, as at the first, for the charges & giftes that he had giuen with a liberal hand afore: for in liberalitie he farre passed the other Kings that were before him. 31Wherefore he was heauie in his minde, and thoght to go into Persia, for to take tributes of the countreis, and to gather muche money. 32So he left Lysias a noble man and of the Kings blood to ouerse the Kings busines, from the riuer of Euphrates vnto the borders of Egypt, 33And to bring vp his sonne Antiochus, til he came againe. 34Moreouer, he gaue him halfe of his hoste and elephantes, & gaue him the charge of all things that he wolde haue done, 35And concerning those which dwelt in Iuda and Ierusalem, that he shulde send an armie against them, to destroy and roote out the power of Israel & the remnant of Ierusalem, and to put out their memorial from that place, 36And to set strangers for to inhabite all their quarters, & parte their land among them. 37And the King toke the halfe of the hoste that remained, & departed from Antiochia his royal citie, in the yere an hundreth fortie and seuen, and passed the riuer Euphrates, & went thorow the hie countreis. 38Then Lysias chose Ptolemeus the sonne of Doriminus, & Nicanor, and Gorgias, mightie men, and the Kings friends, 39And sent with them fortie thousand fotemen, & seuen thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Iuda, & to destroie it, as the King commanded. 40So they went forthe with all their power and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plaine countrey. 41Now when the marchants of the countrey heard the rumour of them, they toke very muche siluer & golde, & seruants, & came into the campe to bye the children of Israel for sclaues, & the strength of Syria & of strange nacions ioyned with them. 42¶ Now when Iudas & his brethren sawe that trouble increased, and that the hoste drewe nere vnto their borders, considering the Kings wordes, whereby he had commanded to destroy the people, and vtterly abolish them, 43They said one to another, Let vs redresse the decay of our people, and let vs fight for our people, and for our Sanctuarie. 44Then the congregacion were sone readie gathered to fight, and to praye, and to desire mercie and compassion. 45As for Ierusalem, it was not inhabited, but was as a wildernes. There went none that was borne in it, in or out at it, and the Sanctuarie was troden downe, and the strangers kept the forteresse, and it was the habitacion of the heathen: & the mirth of Iacob was taken away: the pipe and the harpe ceased. 46So they gathered them selues together, and came to Maspha before Ierusalem: for in Maspha was the place where they praied afore time in Israel. 47And they fasted that day, and put sackecloth vpon them, and cast ashes vpon their heads, and rent their clothes, 48And opened the boke of the Law, wherein the heathen soght to paint the lickenes of their idoles, 49And broght the Priests garments, and the first frutes, and the tithes, and set there the Nazarites, which accomplished their daies. 50And they cryed with a loude voyce, towarde heauen, saying, What shal we do with these? and whether shal we carye them away? 51For thy Sanctuarie is troden downe and defiled, and thy Priests are in heauines, & broght downe. 52And beholde, the heathen are come against vs to destroie vs: thou knowest what things they imagine against vs. 53How can we stand before them, except thou helpe vs? 54Then they blewe the trumpets, & cryed with a loude voyce. 55And after this Iudas ordeined captaines ouer the people, euen captaines ouer thousands, and captaines ouer hundreths, and captaines ouer fifties, and captaines ouer ten. 56And they commanded them that buylded houses, or maried wiues, or planted vineyardes, or were fearful, that thei shulde returne euerie one to his owne house, according* to the Law. 57So the hoste remoued, and pitched vpon the Southside of Emmaus. 58And Iudas said, Arme your selues, and be valiant men, & be readie against the morning to fight with these nacions, which are gathered together against vs, to destroie vs and our Sanctuarie. 59For it is better for vs to dye in battel, then to se the calamities of our people & of our Sanctuarie. 60Neuertheles as the wil of God is in heauen, so be it.