1 Maccabees 5
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1NOw when the nacions rounde about heard, that the altar was buylded, & the Sanctuarie renued, as afore, they were sore grieued. 2Therefore they thoght to destroie the generacion of Iacob that was among them, and beganne to slaye and destroy the people. 3Then Iudas foght against the children of Esau in Idumea at ”Arrabathene, because they besieged the Israelites, and he smote them with a great plague, and droue them to straites, and toke their spoiles. 4He thoght also vpon the malice of the children of Bean, which had bene a snare and an hinderance vnto the people, when they laye in waite for them in the hie way. 5Wherefore he shut them vp in towers, and besieged them, and destroied them vtterly, and burnt their towers with fyre, with all that were in them. 6Afterward, went he against the children of Ammon, where he founde a mightie power, and a great multitude with Timotheus their captaine. 7So he had manie battels with them, but they were destroyed before him, and so he discomfited them, 8And toke Gazer with the townes thereof, and so turned againe into Iudea. 9¶ Then the heathen that were in Galaad, gathered them together against the Israelites that were in their quarters, to slay them: but they fled to the castel of Datheman, 10And sent letters to Iudas, and to his brethren, saying, The heathen that are about vs, are gathered against vs, to destroye vs, 11And they make them readie for to come, and to take the forteresse, whereunto we are fled, and Timotheus is captaine of their hoste. 12Come now therefore, and deliuer vs out of their hands: for manie of vs are slaine: 13And all our brethren that were at Tubin, are slaine, and they haue taken away their wiues, and their children, and their goods, and destroyed there almoste a thousand men. 14While these letters were yet a reading, beholde, there came other messengers from Galile with their clothes rent, which tolde the same tidings, 15And said, that they of Ptolemais, and of Tyrus, and of Sidon, and of all Galile of the Gentiles were gathered against them to destroye them. 16When Iudas, and the people heard these wordes, a great Congregacion came together, to consulte what they might do for their brethren, that were in trouble, & whome they besieged. 17Then said Iudas to Simon his brother, Chuse thee out men, and go & deliuer thy brethren in Galile, and I and my brother Ionathan, wil go into the countrey of Galaad. 18¶ So he left Iosephus the sonne of Zacharias, and Azarias to be captaines of the people, and to kepe the remnant of the hoste in Iudea, 19And commanded them, saying, Take the ouersight of this people, and make no warre against the heathen, vntil we come againe. 20And vnto Simon were giuen thre thousand men to go into Galile, and to Iudas eight thousand men for the countrey of Galaad. 21Then went Simon into Galile, and gaue diuers battels to the heathen, and the heathen were discomfited by him. 22And he pursued them vnto the gates of Ptolemais: & there were slaine of the heathen almoste thre thousand men: so he toke their spoiles. 23Thus they rescued them that were in Galile and in Arbattis with their wiues, and their children, and all that they had, and broght them into Iudea with great ioye. 24¶Iudas Maccabeus also, and his brother Ionathan went ouer Iorden, and trauailed thre dayes iourney in the wildernes, 25Where they met with the Nabathites, who receiued them louingly, & tolde them euerie thing that was done vnto their brethren in the countrey of Galaad, 26And how that manie of them were besieged in Bosorra,& Bosor, in Alemis, ”Chasbon, Maged and Carnaim(all these cities are strong, and great) 27And that they were kept in other cities of Galaad, and to morow they are appointed to bring their hoste vnto these fortes, and to take them, and to destroye them all in one day. 28So Iudas & his hoste turned in all haste by the way of the wildernes towarde Bosorra, and wan the citie, and slewe all the males with the edge of the sworde, and toke all their spoile, and set fyre vpon the citie. 29And in the night he remoued from thence, and went towarde the forteresse. 30And betimes in the morning when thei loked vp, beholde, there was an innumerable people bearing ladders, and instruments of warre, to take the forte, and had assalted them. 31When Iudas sawe that the battel was begon, and that the crye of the citie went vp to heauen with trumpets, and a great sounde, 32Then he said vnto the armie, Fight this day for your brethren. 33So he went forthe behinde them with thre companies, and they blew the trumpets,& cryed with prayer. 34Then the hoste of Timotheus knewe, that it was Maccabeus, and they fled from him,&he smote them with a great slaughter, so that there was killed of them the same day, almoste eight thousand men. 35¶Then departed Iudas vnto Maspha,& laid siege vnto it, and wanne it, and slewe all the males thereof, and spoiled it, and set fyre vpon it. 36From thence went he and toke Chasbon, Maged, and Bosor, and the other cities in Galaad. 37After these things gathered Timotheus another hoste, and he camped before Raphon beyonde the flood. 38Now Iudas had sent to espie the hoste, & they broght him worde againe, saying, All the heathen that be rounde about vs, are gathered vnto him, and the hoste is verie great, 39And he hathe hyred the Arabians to helpe them, and they haue pitched their tentes beionde the flood,& are readie to come and fight against thee. So Iudas went to mete them. 40Then Timotheus said vnto the captaines of his hoste, When Iudas and his hoste come nere the flood, if he passe ouer first vnto vs, we shal not be able to withstand him: for he wil be to strong for vs. 41But if he be afraid, and campe beyonde the flood, we wil go ouer vnto him, and shal preuaile against him. 42Now when Iudas came nere to the flood, he caused the gouernours of the people to remaine by the flood, and commanded them, saying, Suffer none to pitche a tent, but let euerie man come to the battel. 43So he went first ouer towarde them, and all people after him: and all the heathen were discomfited before him,& cast away their weapons, and fled into the temple that was at Carnaim. 44Which citie Iudas wanne, and burnt the temple with all that were in it: so was Carnaim subdued, and might not withstand Iudas. 45¶Then Iudas gathered all the Israelites that were in the countrey of Galaad, from the least vnto the moste, with their wiues and their children, and their baggage, a verie great hoste, to come into the land of Iuda. 46So they came vnto Ephron, which was a great citie by the way, and strongly defensed: they colde not passe, nether at the right hand nor at the left, but must go thorowe it. 47But they that were in the citie, shut them selues in, and stopped vp the gates with stones: and Iudas sent vnto them with peaceable wordes, saying, 48Let vs passe thorowe your land, that we may go into our owne countrey, and none shal hurt you: we wil but onely go thorowe on fote: but they wolde not open vnto him. 49Wherefore Iudas commanded a proclamacion to be made thorowe out the hoste, that euerie man shulde assalt it according to his standing. 50So the valiant men set vpon it, and assalted the citie all that day, and all that night, and the citie was giuen ouer into his hands: 51Who slewe all the males with the edge of the sworde, and destroyed it, and toke the spoile thereof, and went thorowe the citie ouer them that were slaine. 52Then went they ouer Iorden into the great plaine before Bethsan. 53And Iudas gathered together those that were behinde, and gaue the people good exhortation all the way thorowe, til they were come into the land of Iuda. 54Thus they went vp with ioye, and gladnes vnto mount Sion, where they offred burnt offrings, because there were none of them slaine, but came home againe in safetie. 55¶Now whiles Iudas and Ionathan were in the land of Galaad, and Simon their brother in Galile before Ptolemais, 56Ioseph the sonne of Zacharias, and Azarias the captaines, hearing of the valiant actes, and battels which they had achiued, said, 57Let vs get vs a name also, and go fight against the heathen that are round about vs. 58So they gaue their hoste a commandement and went towarde Iamnia. 59But Gorgias and his men came out of the citie to fight against them. 60And Ioseph and Azarias were put to flight and pursued vnto the borders of Iudea: and there were slaine that day of the people of Israel about two thousand men: so that there was a great ouerthrowe among the people of Israel, 61Because they were not obedient vnto Iudas, and his brethren, but thoght to do some valiant thing. 62Also they came not of the stocke of these men, by whose hands deliuerance was giuen to Israel. 63But the man Iudas, and his brethren were greatly commended in the sight of all Israel, and of all the heathen, wheresoeuer their name was heard of. 64And the people came vnto them, bidding them welcome. 65Afterwarde went Iudas forthe with his brethren, and foght against the children of Esau in the land toward the South, where he wanne Hebron, and the townes thereof, & he destroyed the castel thereof, & burnt the towres thereof round about. 66Then remoued he to go into the land of the "strangers, and went thorow Samaria. 67At the same time were the Priests of the cities slaine in the battel, which wolde shewe their valiantnes, and went forthe to battel without counsel: and when Iudas came to Azotus in the strangers land, he brake downe their altars, and burnt with fyre the images of their gods, and toke away the spoiles of the cities, and came againe into the land of Iuda.