2 Maccabees 12
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1WHen these couenants were made, Lysias went vnto the King, and the Iewes tilled their grounde. 2But the gouernours of the places, as Timotheus & Apollonius the sonne of Genneus, and Ieronimus, & also Demophon, and besides them Nicanor the gouernour of Cyprus, wolde not let them liue in rest and peace. 3¶They of Ioppe also did suche a vile act: they prayed the Iewes that dwelt among them, to go with their wiues and children into the shippes, which they had prepared as thogh they had oght them none euil wil. 4And so by the commune aduise of the citie, they obeyed them, and suspect nothing: but when they were gone forthe into the depe, they drowned no lesse then two hundreth of them. 5Now when Iudas knewe of this crueltie shewed against his nacion, he commanded those men that were with him, to make them readie. 6And hauing called vpon God the righteous Iudge, he went forthe against the murtherers of his brethren, and set fyre in the hauen by night, & burnt the ships, and those that fled thence, he slewe. 7And when the citie was shut vp, he departed as thogh he wolde come againe, and roote out all them of the citie of Ioppe. 8¶ But when he perceiued that the Iamnites were minded to do in like maner vnto the Iewes, which dwelt among them, 9He came vpon the Iamnites by night, & set fyre in the hauen with the nauie, so that the light of the fyre was sene at Ierusalem, vpon a two hundreth and fortie furlongs. 10Now when they were gone from thence nine furlongs, in their iourney towarde Timotheus, about fiue thousand men of fote and fiue hundreth horsemen of the Arabians set vpon him. 11So the battel was sharpe, but it prospered with Iudas thorowe the helpe of God: the Nomades of Arabia, being ouercome, besoght Iudas to make peace with them, and promised to giue him certeine cattel, and to helpe him in other things. 12And Iudas thinking that they shulde in dede be profitable concerning manie things, granted them peace: whereupon thei shoke hands, and so they departed to their tents. 13¶ Iudas also assalted a citie called Caspis, which was strong by reason of a bridge, and fenced rounde about with walles, and had diuers kindes of people dwelling therein. 14So thei that were within it, put suche trust in the strength of the walles, and in store of vitailes, that they were the slacker in their doings, reuiling them that were with Iudas, and reproching them: yea, they blasphemed & spake suche wordes as were not lawful. 15But Maccabeus souldiers, calling vpon the great Prince of the worlde(which without anie "instruments, or engins of warre, did *cast downe the walles of Iericho, in the time of Iesus ) gaue a fierce assalt against the walles, 16And toke the citie by the wil of God, and made an exceding great slaughter, in so muche that a lake of two furlongs broad, which laye thereby, semed to flowe with blood. 17¶ Then departed thei from thence, seuen hundreth and fiftie furlongs, and came to Characa vnto the Iewes, that are called Tubieni. 18But they founde not Timotheus there: for he was departed from thence, and had done nothing, and had left a garison in a verie strong holde. 19But Dositheus, & Sosipater, which were captaines with Maccabeus, went forthe, & slewe those that Timotheus had left in the forteresse more then ten thousand men. 20And Maccabeus prepared, & ranged his armie by bandes, & went courageously against Timotheus, which had with him an hundreth and twentie thousand men of fote, and two thousand and fiue hundreth horsemen. 21When Timotheus had knowledge of Iudas comming, he sent the women, & children, and the other baggage afore vnto a forteresse called Carnion (for it was hard to besiege, & vneasie to come vnto because of the straites on all sides.) 22But when Iudas first bande came in sight, the enemies were smiten with feare, and a trembling was among them thorow the presence of him that seeth all things, in so muche that thei fleing one here, another there, were oft times hurt by their owne people, and wounded with the pointes of their owne swordes. 23But Iudas was verie earnest in pursuing, and slewe those wicked men: yea, he slewe thirtie thousand men of them. 24Timotheus also him self fell into the hands of Dositheus, & Sosipater, whome he besoght with muche crafte to let him go with his life, because he had manie of the Iewes parents & the brethren of some of them, which if they put him to death, shulde be despised. 25So when he had assured them with manie wordes, & promised that he wolde restore them without hurt, thei let him go for the helth of their brethren. 26¶ Then went Maccabeus towarde Carmon, and Atargation, and slewe fiue and twentie thousand persones. 27And after that he had chased away and slayne them, Iudas remoued the hoste towarde Ephron a strong citie, wherein was Lysias & a great multitude of all nacions, & the strong yong men kept the walles defending them mightely: there was also great preparacion of engins of warre, & dartes. 28But when they had called vpon the Lord, which with his power breaketh the strength of the enemies, they wan the citie, & slewe fiue and twentie thousand of them that were within. 29¶ From thence went thei to Scythopolis, which lieth six hundreth furlongs from Ierusalem. 30But when the Iewes which dwelt there, testified, that the Scythopolitans delt louingly with them, & intreated them kindely in the time of their aduersitie, 31They gaue them thankes, desiring them to be friendlie stil vnto them, and so thei came to Ierusalem, as the feast of the wekes approched. 32¶ And after the feast called Penticost thei went forthe against Gorgias the gouernour of Idumea. 33Who came out with thre thousand men of fote and foure hundreth horsemen. 34And when they ioyned together, a fewe of the Iewes were slayne, 35And Dositheus one of the Baccenors, which was on horsebacke and a mightie man, toke Gorgias, and laied holde of his garment, and drewe him by force, because he wolde haue taken the wicked man aliue: but an horseman of Thracia fell vpon him, and smote of his shulder, so that Gorgias fled into Marisa. 36And when they that were "with Eserin, had foghten long, and were wearie, Iudas called vpon the Lord, that he wolde shewe him self to be their helper, and captaine of the field. 37And then he began in his owne langage, and sung psalmes with a loude voyce, in so muche that straight wayes he made them that were about Gorgias, to take their flight. 38¶ So Iudas gathered his hoste, and came into the citie of Odolla . And when the seuenth day came, they clensed them selues(as the custome was)and kept the Sabbath in the same place. 39And vpon the daye following, as necessitie required, Iudas and his companie came to take vp the bodies of them that were slayne, and to burye them with their kinsemen in their fathers graues. 40Now vnder the coates of euerie one, that was slayne, they founde iewels that had bene consecrate to the idoles of the *Iamnites, which thing is forbidden the Iewes by the Law. Then euerie man sawe, that this was the cause wherefore thei were slayne. 41And so euerie man gaue thankes vnto the Lord, the righteous Iudge, which had opened the things that were hid. 42And they gaue them selues to prayer, & besoght him, that they shulde not vtterly be destroied for the faute committed. Besides that, noble Iudas exhorted the people to kepe them selues from sinne, for so muche as they sawe before their eyes the things which came to passe by the sinne of these that were slayne, 43And hauing made a gathering through the companie, sent to Ierusalem about two thousand drachmes of siluer, to offer a sinneoffring, doing very wel, and honestly that he thoght of the resurrection. 44For if he had not hoped, that thei which were slaine, shulde rise againe, it had bene superfluous, and vaine, to pray for the dead. 45And therefore he perceiued, that there was great fauour laid vp for those that dyed godly.( It was an holie, & a good thoght) So he made a reconciliation for the dead that they might be deliuered from sinne.