1 Maccabees 7
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1IN the hundreth and one and fiftieth yere, departed Demetrius the sonne of Seleucus from Rome, and came vp with a fewe men vnto a citie of the sea coast, and reigned there. 2And when he came into the possession of his fathers kingdome, his soldiers toke Antiochus and Lysias, and broght them vnto him. 3But when it was tolde him, he said, Shewe me not their faces. 4So thei put them to death. Now when Demetrius was set vpon the throne of his kingdome, 5There came vnto him all the wicked and vngodlie men of Israel, whose captaine was Alcimus, that wolde haue bene the hie Priest. 6These men accused the people vnto the King, saying, Iudas and his brethren haue slayne all thy friends, and driuen vs out of our owne land. 7Wherefore send now some man, whome thou trustest, that he maye go and se all the destruction, which he hathe done vnto vs, and to the Kings land, and let him punish them with all their partakers. 8Then the King chose Bacchides a friend of his, which was a great man in the realme, and ruled beyonde the flood, and was faithful vnto the King, and sent him, 9And that wicked Alcimus, whome he made hie Priest, and commanded him to be aduenged of the children of Israel. 10So they departed, and came with a great hoste into the land of Iuda, and sent messengers to Iudas and his brethren, deceitfully with peaceable wordes. 11But they beleued not their saying: for thei sawe that they were come with a great hoste. 12Then a companie of the gouernours assembled vnto Alcimus and Bacchides to intreat of reasonable points. 13And the Asideans were the first that required peace among the children of Israel. 14For said they, He that is a Priest of the sede of Aaron, is come with this armie: therefore he wil not hurt vs. 15Then he spake vnto them peaceably, and swore vnto them, and said, We wil do you no harme, nether your friends: 16And they beleued him: but he toke of them thre score men, and slewe them in one day according to the wordes that were writen. 17Thei haue cast the bodies of thy Saintes, and their blood rounde about Ierusalem, and there was no man that wolde burye them. 18So there came a feare and trembling among all the people: for they said, There is nether trueth nor righteousnes in them: for they haue broken the appointment & othe that they made. 19Then Bacchides remoued from Ierusalem, & pitched his tente at Beth-zecha, where he sent forthe & toke manie of the men that had forsaken him, & certeine of the people whome he slewe & cast into the great pit. 20Then committed he the countrey vnto Alcimus, & left men of warre with him to helpe him: so Bacchides went vnto the King. 21Thus Alcimus stroue for the priesthode. 22And all suche as troubled the people resorted vnto him: in somuche, that they obteined the land of Iuda, and did muche hurt in Israel. 23Now when Iudas sawe all the mischief, that Alcimus and his companie had done among the Israelites more then the heathen, 24He went forthe rounde about all the borders of Iudea, and punished those, that were fallen away, so that they came no more abroade in the countrey. 25But when Alcimus sawe that Iudas & his people had goten the vpper hand, & knewe that he was not able to abide them, he went againe to the King, and accused them of wicked things. 26Then the King sent Nicanor one of his chief princes, which hated Israel deadly, & commanded him, that he shulde destroye the people. 27¶So Nicanor came to Ierusalem with a great hoste, and sent vnto Iudas, and his brethren deceitfully with friendlie wordes, saying, 28Let there be no warre betwene me, and you: I wil come with fewe men, to se how ye do, friendly. 29So he came vnto Iudas, and they saluted one another peaceably: but the enemies were prepared to take away Iudas. 30Neuertheles, it was tolde Iudas, that he came vnto him vnder disceit: therefore he feared him, and wolde not se his face no more. 31When Nicanor perceiued that his counsel was bewrayed, he went out to fight against Iudas, beside Carphasalama. 32Where there were slaine of Nicanors hoste about fiue thousand men: so they fled vnto the citie of Dauid. 33After this came Nicanor vp vnto mount Sion, and some of the Priests with the Elders of the people went forthe of the Sanctuarie to salute him peaceably, & to shew him the burnt offring that was offered for the King. 34But he laughed at them, and mocked them and counted them prophane, and spake proudly, 35And swore in his wrath, saying, If Iudas and his hoste be not deliuered now into mine hands, if euer I come againe in safetie, I wil burne vp this house. With that, went he out in a great anger. 36Then the Priests came in, and stode before the altar in the Temple, weping, and saying, 37For so muche as thou, o Lord, hast chosen this House, that thy Name might be called vpon therein, and that it shulde be an house of prayer, and peticion for thy people, 38Be aduenged of this man and his hoste, and let them be slaine by the sworde: remember their blasphemies, & suffre them not to continue. 39¶When Nicanor was gone from Ierusalem, he pitched his tent at Beth-horon, & there an hoste met him out of Syria. 40And Iudas pitched in Adasa with thre thousand men where Iudas prayed, saying, 41O Lord, because the messengers of King Sennacherib blasphemed thee, thine Angel went forthe, and slewe an hundreth, foure score, and fiue thousand of them. 42So destroye thou this hoste before vs to day, that all other may knowe that he hathe spoken wickedly against thy Sanctuarie, & punish him according to his malice. 43So the armies ioyned together in battel, the thirtenth day of the moneth Adar: but Nicanors hoste was discomfited, and he him self was first slaine in the battel. 44Now when his armie sawe that Nicanor was slaine, they cast away their weapons and fled. 45But they pursued after them a dayes iourney from Adasa vnto Gasera, blowing an alarme with the trumpets after them. 46So they came forthe of all the townes of Iudea rounde about, and russhed vpon them, and threwe them from one to another, so that they all fel by the sworde, & there was not one of them lefte. 47Then they toke the spoyles, and the pray and smote of Nicanors head, and his right hand, which he helde vp so proudly, and broght it with them, and hanged them vp afore Ierusalem. 48So the people reioyced greatly, and kept that day as a day of great gladnes. 49And they ordeined, to kepe yerely that day on the thirtenth day of the moneth Adar. 50Thus the land of Iuda was in rest a litle while.