2 Maccabees 13
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1IN the hundreth, fortie and nine yere it was tolde Iudas, that Antiochus Eupator was comming with a great power into Iudea, 2And Lysias the stewarde and ruler of his affaires with him. hauing bothe in their armie an hundreth and ten thousand men of fote of the Grecians, and fiue thousand horsemen, and two and twentie elephants, and thre hundreth charets set with hookes. 3Menelaus also ioyned him self with them and with great disceit incouraged Antiochus, not for the safegard of the countrei, but because he thoght to haue bene made the gouernour. 4But the King of Kings moued Antiochus minde against this wicked man, and Lysias informed the King that this man was the cause of all mischief, so that the King commanded to bring him to Berea to put him vnto death as the maner was in that place. 5Now there was in that place a tower of fiftie cubites high, ful of ashes, and it had an instrument that turned rounde, and on euerie side it rouled downe into the ashes. 6And there whosoeuer was condemned of sacrilege, or of anie other grieuous crime, was cast of all men to the death. 7And so it came to passe that this wicked man shulde dye suche a death, and it was a moste iuste thing that Menelaus shulde want buryal, 8For because he had committed manie sinnes by the altar, whose fyre and ashes were holie: he him self also dyed in the ashes. 9¶Now the King raged in his minde, and came to shewe him self more cruel vnto the Iewes then his father. 10Which things when Iudas perceiued, he commanded the people to call vpon the Lord night and day, that if euer he had holpen them, he wolde now helpe them, when they shulde be put from their Law, from their countrey and from the holie Temple: 11And that he wolde not suffer the people, which a litle afore began to recouer, to be subdued vnto the blasphemous nacions. 12So when they had done this all together, and besoght the Lord for mercie with weping, and fasting, and falling downe thre daies together, Iudas exhorted them to make them selues readie. 13And he being aparte with the Elders, toke counsel to go forthe, afore the King broght his hoste into Iudea, & shulde take the citie, & commit the matter to the helpe of the Lord. 14So committing the charge to the Lord of the worlde, he exhorted his souldiers to fight manfully, euen vnto death for the Lawes, the Temple, the citie, their countrey, and the commune wealth, and camped by Modin. 15And so giuing his souldiers for a watche worde, The victorie of God, he piked out the manliest yong men, and went by night into the Kings campe, and slewe of the hoste fourtene thousand men, & the greatest elephant with all that sate vpon him. 16Thus when they had broght a great feare, and trouble in the campe, & all things went prosperously with them, they departed. 17This was done in the breake of the day, because the protection of the Lord did helpe them. 18¶Now when the King had tasted the manlines of the Iewes, he went about to take the holdes by policie, 19And marched towarde Beth-sura, which was a strong holde of the Iewes: but he was chased away, hurt and lost of his men. 20For Iudas had sent vnto them that were in it, suche things as were necessarie. 21But Rhodocus which was in the Iewes hoste, disclosed the secretes to the enemies: therefore he was soght out, and when they had gotten him, they put him in prison. 22After this did the King commune with them that were in Beth-sura, and "toke truce with them, departed, and ioyned battel with Iudas, who ouercame him. 23But when he vnderstode, that Philippe ( whome he had left to be ouerseer of his busines at Antiochia ) did rebell against him, he was astonished, so that he yelded him self to the Iewes, and made them an othe to do all things that were right, and was appeased towarde them, & offred sacrifice and adorned the Temple, and shewed great gentlenes to the place, 24And embraced Maccabeus, and made him captaine and gouernour from Ptolemais vnto the Gerreneans. 25Neuertheles, when he came to Ptolemais, the people of the citie were not content wit this agrement: and because they were grieued, they wolde that he shulde breake the couenants. 26Then went Lysias vp into the iudgement seat, and excused the fact as wel as he colde, & persuaded them, and pacified them, and made them wel affectioned, and came againe vnto Antiochia. This is the matter concerning the Kings iournay, and his returne.