1 Maccabees 6
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1NOw when King Antiochus trauailed thorow the high countreis, he heard that Elimais in the countrey of Persia was a citie greatly renoumed for riches, siluer and golde, 2And that there was in it a verie riche temple, where as were couerings of golde, cote armoures, and harnes, which Alexandre King of Macedonia the sonne of Philippe (that reigned first in Grecia) had left there. 3Wherefore he went about to take the citie, and to spoile it, but he was not able: for the citizens were warned of the matter, 4And rose vp against him in battel, & he fled and departed thence with great heauines, and came againe into Babylon. 5Moreouer, there came one which broght him tidings in the countrey of Persia, that the armies that went against the land of Iuda, were driuen away, 6And that Lysias, which went forthe first with a great power, was driuen away of the Iewes, and that they were made strong by the armour, and power, and diuers spoyles which they had gotten of the armies whome they had destroyed, 7And that they had pulled downe the abominacion, which he had set vp vpon the altar at Ierusalem, and fensed the Sanctuarie with high walles, as it was afore, and Beth-sura his citie. 8So when the King had heard these wordes, he was astonished, and sore moued: therefore he laid him downe vpon his bed, & fel sicke for verie sorowe, because it was not come to passe, as he had thoght. 9And there continued he manie dayes: for his grief was euer more & more, so that he sawe he must nedes dye. 10Therefore he sent for all his friends, & said vnto them, The slepe is gone from mine eyes, and mine heart faileth for verie care. 11And I thinke with my self, Into what aduersitie am I come? & into what floods of miserie am I fallen now, where as afore time I was in prosperitie, and greatly set by, by reason of my power? 12And now do I remember the euils that I haue done at Ierusalem: for I toke all the vessels of golde & of siluer that were in it, and sent to destroye the inhabitants of Iuda without cause. 13I knowe that these troubles are come vpon me for the same cause, and beholde, I must dye with great sorowe in a strange land. 14Then called he for Philippe, one of his friends, whome he made ruler of all his realme, 15And gaue him the crowne, and his robe, and the ring, that he shulde instruct his sonne Antiochus, and bring him vp, til he might reigne him self. 16So King Antiochus dyed there in the hundreth, and fortie and ninth yere. 17¶When Lysias knewe, that the King 18Now they that were in the castle at Ierusalem, kept in the Israelites rounde about the Sanctuarie, and soght alwaies their hurt, and the strengthening of the heathen. 19Therefore Iudas thoght to destroy them, & called all the people together to besiege them. 20So they came together, and besieged them in the hundreth and fiftie yere, and made instruments to shoote and other engins of warre. 21But certeine of them that were besieged, gate forthe, (vnto whome some vngodlie men of Israel ioyned them selues.) 22And they went vnto the King, saying, How long wilt thou cease from executing iudgement, and aduenge our brethren? 23We haue bene readie to serue thy father, & to go forwarde in those things, that he appointed, & to obey his commandements. 24Therefore they of our nacions fel from vs for this cause, and wheresoeuer they founde anie of vs, they slewe them, and spoyled our inheritance. 25And thei haue not onely laied hand vpon vs, but vpon all about their borders. 26And beholde, this day are they besieging the castle at Ierusalem to take it, and haue fortified the Sanctuarie, and Beth-sura. 27And if thou doest not preuent them quickely, thei wil do greater things then these, and thou shalt not be able to ouercome them. 28When the King heard this, he was verie angrie, and called all his friends, the captaines of his armie, and his horsemen, 29And bandes that were hired, came vnto him from the Kings, that were confederate, and from the yles of the sea. 30So the nomber of his armie was an hundreth thousand fote men, & twentie thousand horsemen, and two and thirtie elephantes exercised in battel. 31These came through Idumea and drewe nere to Beth-sura, and besieged it a long season, and made engins of warre: but thei came out, and burnt them with fyre, and foght valiantly. 32Then departed Iudas from the castle, & remoued the hoste towarde Beth-zacarias ouer against the Kings campe. 33So the King arose verie earely, & broght the armie and his power towarde the way of Beth-zacarias, where the armies set them selues in array to the battel, and blewe the trumpets. 34And to prouoke the elephantes for to fight, thei shewed them the blood of grapes and mulberies, 35And they set the beasts according to the ranges: so that by euerie elephant there stode a thousand men armed with coates of maile and helmets of brasse vpon their heads, and vnto euerie beast were ordeined fiue hundreth horsemen of the best, 36Which were readie at all times wheresoeuer the beast was: and whethersoeuer the beast went, they went also, and departed not from him. 37And vpon them were strong towres of wood that couered euerie beast, which were fastened thereon with instruments, & vpon euerie one was two and thirtie men, that foght in them, and the Indian that ruled him. 38They set also the remnant of the horsemen vpon bothe the sides in two wings of the hoste to stirre them vp, and to kepe them in the valleis. 39And when the sunne shone vpon the golden shields, the mountaines glistered therewith, and gaue light as lampes of fyre. 40Thus parte of the Kings armie was spred vpon the hie mountaines, and parte beneth: so they marched forwarde warely and in order. 41And all they that heard the noyce of their multitude, and the marching of the companie, and the ratteling of the harnes, were astonished: for the armie was verie great and mightie. 42Then Iudas and his hoste entred into the battel, & thei slewe six hundreth men of the Kings armie. 43Now when Eleazar, the sonne of Abaron, sawe one of the elephantes armed with royal harnes, and was more excellent then all the other beasts, he thoght that the King shulde be vpon him. 44Wherefore he ieoparded him self to deliuer his people, and to get him a perpetual name, 45And ranne boldely vnto him through the middes of the hoste, slaying on the right hand, and on the left, so that thei departed away on bothe sides. 46So went he to the elephantes fete, and gate him vnder him, and slewe him: then fel the elephant downe vpon him, & there he dyed. 47But the other, seing the power of the King and the fiercenes of his armie, departed from them. 48And the Kings armie went vp to mete them towarde Ierusalem, and the King pitched his tents in Iudea towarde mount Sion. 49Moreouer, the King toke truce with them that were in Beth-sura: but when they came out of the citie, because they had no vitailes there, and were shut vp therein, & the land had rested, 50The King toke Beth-sura, and set there a garison to kepe it, 51And besieged the Sanctuarie many dayes, & made instruments to shoote, & other engins of warre, and instruments to cast fyre and stones, and pieces to cast dartes and slings. 52Thei also made engins against their engins, and foght a long season. 53But in the garners there were no vitailes: for it was the seuenth yere, and then they that were in Iudea, & were deliuered from the Gentiles, had eaten vp the residue of the store, 54So that in the Sanctuarie were fewe men left: for the famine came so vpon them, that they were scattered euerie man to his owne place. 55Now when Lysias heard that Philippe (whome Antiochus the King, whiles he liued, had ordeined to bring vp Antiochus his sonne, that he might be King) 56Was come againe out of Persia, & Media, and the Kings hoste with him, and thoght to take vnto him the rule of things, 57He and his hasted, and were stirred forwarde by them in the castel to go and tell the King, and the captaines of the hoste, and to others, saying, We decrease dayly, & our vitailes are but smale: and the place that we laye siege vnto, is strong, and the affaires of the realme depende vpon vs. 58Now therefore let vs agre with these men, & take truce with them, and with all their nacion, 59And grante them to liue after their Law, as they did afore: for they be grieued, and do all these things, because we haue broken their Lawes. 60So the King and the princes were content, and sent vnto them to make peace, & they receiued it. 61When the King & the princes had made an othe vnto them, they came vpon this out of the forteresse. 62And the King went vp to mount Sion: but when he sawe that the place was wel defensed, he brake his othe that he had made, and commanded to breake downe the wall rounde about. 63Then departed he in all haste, and returned vnto Antiochia where he founde Philippe hauing dominion of the citie: so he foght against him, and toke the citie by force.