1 Maccabees 9
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1IN the meane season when Demetrius had heard how Nicanor, and his hoste had giuen the battel, he sent Bacchides, and Alcimus againe into Iudea, and his chief strength with them. 2So they went forthe by the way that is towarde Galgala, and pitched their tentes before Mesaloth which is in Arbelis, and wanne it and slewe muche people. 3And in the first moneth of the hundreth, fiftie and two yere, they layed their siege against Ierusalem. 4But they raised their campe, and came to Berea, with twentie thousand fote men & two thousand horsemen. 5Now Iudas had pitched his tent at Eleasa, & thre thousand chosen men with him. 6And when they sawe, that the multitude of the armie was great, they were sore afraide, and manie conueied them selues out of the hoste, so that there abode no mo of them, but eight hundreth men. 7When Iudas sawe that his hoste failed him, and that he must nedes fight, he was sore troubled in minde that he had no time to gather them together, and was discouraged. 8Neuertheles, he said vnto them that remained, Let vs rise, and go vp against our enemies, if peraduenture we may be able to fight with them. 9But they wolde haue staied him, saying, We are not able: but let vs rather saue our liues: turne backe now, seing our brethren are departed: for shal we fight against them, that are so fewe? 10Then Iudas said, God forbid, that we shulde do this thing, to fle from them: if our time be come, let vs dye manfully for our brethren, and let vs not staine our honour. 11Then the hoste remoued out of the tentes, and stode against them, who had deuided their horsemen into two troupes, and they that threwe with slings, and the archers marched in the forewarde, and they that foght in the forewarde, were all valiant men. 12And Bacchides was in the right wing. So the armie drewe nere on bothe sides, & blewe the trumpets. 13They of Iudas side blew the trumpets also, & the earth shoke at the noyce of the armies, and the battel continued from morning to night. 14And when Iudas sawe that Bacchides and the strength of his armie was on the right side, he toke with him all the hardie men, 15And brake the right wing, and followed vpon them vnto mount Azotus. 16Now when they which were of the left wing, sawe that the right wing was discomfited, they followed Iudas behinde, and them that were with him hard at the heles. 17Then was there a sore battel: for many were slaine of bothe the parties. 18Iudas also him self was killed, and the remnant fled. 19So Ionathan and Simon toke Iudas their brother, and buryed him in his fathers sepulchre in the citie of Modin. 20And all the Israelites wept for him, and mourned greatly for him, and lamented many daies, saying, 21How is the valiant man fallen which deliuered Israel! 22Concerning the other things of Iudas, bothe the battels and the valiant actes that he did, & of his worthines, they are not writen: for they were very many. 23¶Now after the death of Iudas, wicked men came vp in all the coastes of Israel, & there arose all suche as gaue them selues to iniquitie. 24In those daies was there a very great famine in the land, and all the countrey gaue ouer them selues with them. 25And Bacchides did chuse wicked men, and made them lords in the land. 26These soght out, and made searche for Iudas friends, and broght them vnto Bacchides, which aduenged him self vpon them, and mocked them. 27And there came so great trouble in Israel, as was not since the time that no Prophet was sene among them. 28Then came all Iudas friends together, & said vnto Ionathan, 29Seing thy brother Iudas is dead, & there is none like him to go forthe against our enemies, euen against Bacchides, and against them of our nacion that are enemies vnto vs, 30Therefore, this day we chuse thee that thou maist be our prince and captaine in his place to order our battel. 31So Ionathan toke the gouernance vpon him at the same time, and ruled in stead of his brother Iudas. 32But when Bacchides knewe it, he soght for to slay him. 33Then Ionathan and Simon his brother, perceiuing that, fled into the wildernes of Thecua with all their companie, and pitched their tentes by the water poole of Asphar. 34Which when Bacchides vnderstode, he came ouer Iorden with all his hoste vpon the Sabbath day. 35(Now had Ionathan sent his brother Iohn, a captaine of the people, to pray his friends the Nabathites, that they wolde kepe their baggage which was muche. 36But the children of Ambri came out of Medaba, & toke Iohn, and all that he had, & when they had taken it, went their way. 37After this came worde vnto Ionathan, and to Simon his brother, that the children of Ambri made a great mariage, & broght the bride from Medaba with great pompe: for she was daughter to one of the noblest princes of Canaan. 38Therefore they remembred Iohn their brother, and went vp, and hid them selues vnder the couert of the mountaine. 39So they lift vp their eyes, and loked, and beholde, there was a great noyce, & muche preparation: then the bridegrome came forthe, and his friends and his brethren met them with tymbrels, and instruments of musike, and manie weapons. 40Then Ionathans men that lay in ambushe, rose vp against them, & slewe manie of them, and the remnant fled into the mountaines, so that they toke all their spoiles. 41Thus the mariage was turned to mourning, and the noyce of their melodie into lamentacion. 42And so when they had aduenged the blood of their brother, they turned againe vnto Iorden. 43When Bacchides heard this, he came vnto the border of Iorden with a great power vpon the Sabbath day.) 44Then Ionathan said vnto his companie, Let vs rise now, & fight against our enemies: for it is not to day as in time past. 45Beholde, the battel is before vs, and behinde vs, and the water of Iorden on this side and that side, and the marise, and forest, so that there is no place for vs to turne aside. 46Wherefore crye now vnto heauen, that ye may be deliuered from the power of your enemies: so they ioyned battel. 47Then Ionathan stretched out his hand to smite Bacchides: but he turned aside from him and reculed. 48Then Ionathan, and they that were with him, leapt into Iorden, and swimmed ouer vnto the further banke: but the other wolde not passe through Iorden after them. 49So in that day were slaine of Bacchides side about a thousand men. 50Then he turned againe to Ierusalem, & buylt vp the strong cities in Iuda, as the castel of Iericho, and Emmaus, and Beth-horon, and Bethel, and Thamnatha, Pharathoni, & Tepho, with high walles, with gates, and with barres, 51And set garisons in them, that they might vse their malice vpon Israel. 52He fortified also the citie Beth-sura, and Gazara, and the castel, & set a garison in them with prouision of vitailes. 53He toke also the chiefest mens sonnes in the countrey for hostages, and put them in the castel at Ierusalem to be kept. 54¶Afterwarde in the hundreth, fiftie and thre yere, in the seconde moneth, Alcimus commanded, that the walles of the inner court of the Sanctuarie shulde be destroied, and he pulled downe the monumentes of the Prophetes, and began to destroy them. 55But at the same time Alcimus was plagued, and his enterprises were hindred, & his mouth was stopped: for he was smitten with a palsie, & colde no more speake, nor giue order concerning his house. 56Thus dyed Alcimus with great torment at the same time. 57And when Bacchides sawe, that Alcimus was dead, he turned againe to the King, & so the land of Iuda was in rest two yeres. 58Then all the, vngodlie men helde a counsel, saying, Beholde, Ionathan and his companie dwell at ease, & without care: wherefore let vs bring Bacchides hither, and he wil take them all in one night. 59So they went and consulted with him. 60Who arose and came with a great hoste, and sent letters priuely to his adherentes, which were in Iudea, to take Ionathan and those that were with him: but they colde not, for their counsel was knowen vnto them. 61And they toke fiftie men of the countrey, which were the chief workers of this wickednes, and slewe them. 62¶Then Ionathan and Simon with their companie departed vnto Beth-basin which is in the wildernes, and repaired the decay thereof, and made it strong. 63When Bacchides knewe this, he gathered all his hoste, and sent worde to them that were of Iudea. 64Then came he & laid siege to Beth-basin, and foght against it a long season, and made instrumentes of warre. 65But Ionathan had left his brother Simon in the citie, & went forthe into the countrey, and came with a certeine nomber, 66And slewe Odomeras and his brethren and the children of Phasiron in their tentes: so he began to slaye, and increased in power. 67Simon also and his companie went out of the citie, and burnt vp the instruments of warre, 68And foght against Bacchides, and disconfited him, and vexed him sore, so that his counsel and iorney was in vaine. 69Wherefore he was very wroth at the wicked men, that gaue him counsel to come into the countrey, & slewe many of them, and purposed to returne into his owne countrey. 70Whereof when Ionathan had knowledge, he sent ambassadours vnto him, to intreat of peace with him, & that the prisoners shulde be deliuered. 71Which thing he accepted, and did according to his desire, and made an othe, that he wolde neuer do him harme all the daies of his life. 72So he restored vnto him the prisoners that he had taken afore time out of the land of Iuda, and so returned and went into his owne land, nether did he come any more into their borders. 73Thus the sworde ceased from Israel, and Ionathan dwelt at Machmas, and began there to gouerne the people, and destroied the vngodlie men out of Israel.