2 Maccabees 10
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1MAccabeus now and his companie, through the helpe of the Lord, wan the Temple and the citie againe, 2And destroyed the altars, and chapels that the heathen had buylded in the open places, 3And clensed the Temple, & made another altar, & burned stones,&toke fyre of them, and offred sacrifices,& incense two yeres, and six monethes after, and set forthe the lampes, and the shewebread. 4When that was done, they fel downe flat vpon the grounde, and besoght the Lord, that they might come no more into suche troubles: but if they sinned anie more against him, that he him self wolde chasten them with mercie, & that they might not be deliuered to the blasphemous, and barbarous nacions. 5Now vpon the same day, that the strangers polluted the Temple, on the verie same day it was clensed againe euen the fiue & twentieth day of the same moneth, which is Chasleu. 6They kept eight dayes with gladnes as in the feast of the Tabernacles, remembring, that not long afore they held the feast of the Tabernacles when they liued in the mountaines and dennes like beastes. 7And for the same cause they bare grene bowes, and faire branches and palmes, and sang psalmes vnto him that had giuen them good successe in clensing his place. 8They ordeined also by a commune statute, and decre that euerie yere those dayes shulde be kept of the whole nacion of the Iewes. 9And this was the end of Antiochus called Epiphanes. 10¶ Now wil we declare the actes of Antiochus Eupator, which was the sonne of this wicked man gathering briefly the calamities of the warres, that followed. 11For when he had taken the kingdome, he made one Lysias, which had bene captaine of the hoste in Phenice", & Coelosyria, ruler ouer the affaires of the realme. 12For Ptolemeus that was called Macron, purposed to do iustice vnto the Iewes for the wrong, that had bene done vnto them, & went about to behaue him self peaceably with them. 13For the which cause he was accused of his friends before Eupator, & was called oft times traitour., because he had left Cyprus that Philometor had committed vnto him, and came to Antiochus Epiphanes: therefore seing that he was no more in estimation, he was discouraged, and poysonned him self, and dyed. 14¶ But when Gorgias was gouernour of the same places, he interteined strangers, & made warre oft times against the Iewes. 15Moreouer the Idumeans that helde the strong holds, which were mete for their purpose, troubled the Iewes, and by receiuing them that were driuen from Ierusalem, toke in hand to continue warre. 16Then thei that were with Maccabeus made prayers, & besoght God that he wolde be their helper, and so they fel vpon the strong holdes of the Idumeans, 17And assalted them sore, that they wanne the places., & slewe all that foght against them on the wall, and killed all that they met with, & slewe no lesse then twentie thousand. 18And because certeine ( which were no lesse then nine thousand ) were fled into two strong castels, hauing all maner of things conuenient to susteine the siege, 19Maccabeus left Simon, & Ioseph, & Zaccheus also, & those that were with them, which were ynowe to besiege them, and departed to those places which were more necessarie. 20Now thei that were with Simon, being led with couetousnes, were intreated for monei, ( thorowe certeine of those that were in the castel,)&toke seuentie thousand drachmes, and let some of them escape. 21But when it was tolde Maccabeus what was done, he called the gouernours of the people together, & accused those men, that they had solde their brethren for money, and let their enemies go. 22So he slewe them when they were conuict of traison, & immediatly wan the two castels: 23And hauing good successe, as in all the warres that he toke in hand, he slew in the two castels mo then twentie thousand. 24Now Timotheus whome the Iewes had ouercome afore, gathered an armie of strangers of all sortes, and broght a great troupe of horsemen out of Asia to winne Iewrie by strength. 25But when he drewe nere, Maccabeus, and thei that were with him, turned to praye vnto God, & sprinkled earth vpon their heads, & girded their reines with sackecloth, 26And fel downe at the fote of the altar, & besoght the Lord to be merciful to them, & to be an enemie to their enemies, and to be an aduersarie to their aduersaries, * as the Law declareth. 27So after the prayer, they toke their weapons, & went on further from the citie, & when they came nere to the enemies, they toke hede to them selues. 28And when the morning appeared, they bothe ioyned together: the one parte had the Lord for their refuge, & pledge of prosperitie, & noble victorie, and the other toke courage as a guide of the warre. 29But when the battel waxed strong, there appeared vnto the enemies from heauen fiue comelie men vpon horses with bridles of golde, and two of them led the Iewes, 30And toke Maccabeus betwixt them, & couered him on euerie side with their weapons, & kept him safe, but shot dartes, & lightenings against the enemies, so that thei were confounded with blindenes, and beaten downe and ful of trouble. 31There were slaine of fotemen twentie thousand &fiue hundreth &six hundreth horsmen. 32As for Timotheus him self, he fled vnto Gazara, which was called a very strong holde, wherein Chereas was captaine. 33But Maccabeus & his companie laid siege against the fortresses with courage for foure daies. 34And thei that were within, trusting to the height of the place, blasphemed excedingly, and spake horrible wordes. 35Neuertheles vpon the "fifth day in the morning twentie yong men of Maccabeus companie, whose hearts were inflamed, because of the blasphemies, came vnto the wall, & with bolde stomackes smote downe those that they met . 36Others also that climed vp vpon the engines of warre against them that were within, set fyre vpon the towers, & burnt those blasphemers quicke with the fyres that they had made, & others brake vp the gates, and receiued the rest of the armie, and toke the citie. 37And hauing found Timotheus, that was crept into a caue, they killed him, & Chereas his brother with Apollophanes. 38When this was done, they praised the Lord with psalmes, and thankesgiuing, which had done so great things for Israel, & giuen them the victorie.