2 Maccabees 5
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1ABout the same time Antiochus vndertoke his seconde voyage into Egypt. 2And then were there sene through out all the citie of Ierusalem, fortie dayes long, horsemen running in the aire, with robes of golde, and as bandes of speare men, 3And as troupes of horsemen set in array, incountering & coursing one against another with shaking of shields and multitude of dartes and drawing of swordes, and shoting of arrowes, and the glittering of the golden armour sene, and harnes of all sortes. 4Therefore euerie man prayed, that those tokens might turne to good. 5Now when there was gone forthe a false rumour, as thogh Antiochus had bene dead, Iason toke at the least a thousand men, and came suddenly vpon the citie, & they that were vpon the walles, being put backe and the citie at length taken, 6Menelaus fled into the castel, but Iason slewe his owne citizens without mercie, not considering that to haue the aduantage against his kinsmen is greatest disaduantage, but thoght that he had gotten the victorie of his enemies, & not of his owne nacion. 7Yet he gate not the superioritie, but at the last receiued shame for the rewarde of his traison, and went againe like a vagabound into the countrey of the Ammonites. 8Finally he had this end of his wicked conuersation, that he was accused before Areta, the King of the Arabians, and fled from citie to citie, being pursued of euerie man, and hated as a forsaker of the Lawes, and was in abominacion, as an enemie of his countrey and citizens, and was driuen into Egypt. 9Thus he that had chased manie out of their owne countrey, perished as a banished man, after that he was gone to the Lacedemonians, thinking there to haue gotten succour by reason of kinred. 10And he that had cast manie out vnburyed, was throwen out him self, no man mourning for him, nor putting him in his graue: nether was he partaker of his fathers sepulchre. 11¶ Now when these things that were done, were declared to the King, he thoght that Iudea wolde haue fallen from him: wherefore he came with a furious minde out of Egypt, & toke the citie by violence. 12He commanded his men of warre also, that they shulde kill, and not spare suche as they met, and to slay suche as went into their houses. 13Thus was there a slaughter of yong men, and olde men, and a destruction of men & women & children, and virgines, and infants were murthered: 14So that within thre dayes were slayne foure score thousand, and fortie thousand taken prisoners, and there were as manie solde as were slayne. 15Yet was he not content with this, but durst go into the moste holy Temple of all the worlde, hauing Menelaus that traitour to the Lawes, and to his owne countrey, to be his guide, 16And with his wicked hands toke the holie vessels, which other Kings had giuen for the garnishing, glorie and honour of that place, & handled them with his wicked hands. 17So hautie in his minde was Antiochus, that he considered not, that God was not a litle wrothe for the sinnes of them that dwelt in the citie, for the which suche contempt came vpon that place. 18For if they had not bene wrapped in manie sinnes, he, assone as he had come, had suddenly bene punished, & put backe from his presumption, as Heliodorus was, whome Seleucus the King sent to vewe the treasurie. 19But God hathe not chosen the nacion for the places sake, but the place for the nacion sake. 20And therefore is the place become partaker of the peoples trouble, but afterwarde shal it be partaker of the benefites of the Lord, and as it is now forsaken in the wrath of the Almightie, so when the great Lord shalbe reconciled, it shalbe set vp in great worship againe. 21¶ So when Antiochus had taken eighten hundreth talents out of the Temple, he gate him to Antiochia in all haste, thinking in his pride to make men sayle vpon the drye land, and to walke vpon the sea: suche an hie minde had he. 22But he left deputes to vexe the people: at Ierusalem Philippe a Phrygian by birth, in maners more cruel then he that set him there: 23And at Garizin Andronicus, & with them Menelaus, which was more grieuous to the citizens then the other, and was despiteful against the Iewes his citizens. 24He sent also Apollonius a cruel prince, with an armie of two & twentie thousand, whome he commanded to slaye those that were towarde mans age, and to sell the women, and the yonger sorte. 25So when he came to Ierusalem, he fained peace, and kept him stil vntil the holy day of Sabbath: and then finding the Iewes keping the feast, he commanded his men to take their weapons. 26And so he slewe all them that were gone forthe to the shewe, and running through the citie with his men armed, he murthered a great nomber. 27But Iudas Maccabeus, being as it were the tenth, fled into the wildernes, & liued there in the mountaines with his companie among the beastes, and dwelling there, and eating grasse, lest they shulde be partakers of the filthines.