The Early Victories of Judas

3 Then his son Judas, who was called Maccabeus, took command in his place.^{(A) 2} All his brothers and all who had joined his father helped him; they gladly fought for Israel.^(B)

¹⁰ Then Apollonius gathered together nations and a large force from Samaria to fight against Israel.^{(G) 11} When Judas learned of it, he went out to meet him, and he defeated and killed him. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled.^{(H) 12} Then they seized their spoils, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius and used it in battle the rest of his life.

¹³ When Seron, the commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had gathered a large company, including a body of faithful soldiers who stayed with him and went out to battle, ¹⁴ he said, “I will make a name for myself and win honor in the kingdom. I will make war on Judas and his companions, who scorn the king’s command.” ¹⁵ Once again a strong army of godless men joined him and went up with him to help him, to take vengeance on the Israelites.

¹⁶ When he approached the ascent of Beth-horon, Judas went out to meet him with a small company.^{(I) 17} But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, “How can we, few as we are, fight against so great and so strong a multitude? And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing today.” ¹⁸ Judas replied, “It is easy for many to be hemmed in by few, for in the sight of heaven there is no difference between saving by many or by few.^{(J) 19} It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from heaven.^{(K) 20} They come against us in great insolence and lawlessness to destroy us and our wives and our children and to despoil us, ²¹ but we fight for our lives and our laws.^{(L) 22} He himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of them.”

²³ When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him. ²⁴ They pursued them^[b] down the descent of Beth-horon to the plain; eight hundred of them fell, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines.^{(M) 25} Then Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell on the nations all around them.^{(N) 26} His fame reached the king, and the nations talked of the battles of Judas.

The Apostles Heal Many

¹² Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.^{(A) 13} None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem.^{(B) 14} Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, ¹⁵ so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by.^{(C) 16} A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.

The Apostles Are Persecuted

¹⁷ Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, ¹⁸ arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.^{(D) 19} But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said,^{(E) 20} “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.”^{(F) 21} When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.

When the high priest and those with him arrived, they called together the council and the whole body of the elders of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought.^{(G) 22} But when the temple police went there, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” ²⁴ Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering what might be going on.^{(H) 25} Then someone arrived and announced, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain went with the temple police and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.^(I)

²⁷ When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,^[a] yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.”^{(J) 29} But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.^{[b](K) 30} The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.^{(L) 31} God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.^{(M) 32} And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”^(N)

³³ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.^{(O) 34} But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. ³⁵ Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites,^[c] consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. ³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him, but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. ³⁷ After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail;^{(P) 39} but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”

They were convinced by him,^{(Q) 40} and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.^{(R) 41} As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.^{(S) 42} And every day in the temple and at home^[d] they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.^[e](T)

The Policy of Antiochus

²⁷ When King Antiochus heard these reports, he was greatly angered, and he sent and gathered all the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army.^{(A) 28} He opened his coffers and gave a year’s pay to his forces and ordered them to be ready for any need. ²⁹ Then he saw that the money in the treasury was exhausted and that the tribute payments from the country were small because of the dissension and disaster that he had caused in the land by abolishing the laws that had existed from the earliest days. ³⁰ He feared that he might not have such funds as he had before for his expenses and for the gifts that he used to give more lavishly than preceding kings. ³¹ He was greatly perplexed in mind; then he determined to go to Persia and collect the tribute payments from those regions and raise a large fund.^(B)

³² He left Lysias, a distinguished man of royal lineage, in charge of the king’s affairs from the River Euphrates to the borders of Egypt.^{(C) 33} Lysias was also to take care of his son Antiochus until he returned.^{(D) 34} And he turned over to Lysias^[a] half of his forces and the elephants and gave him orders about all that he wanted done. As for the residents of Judea and Jerusalem,^{(E) 35} Lysias was to send a force against them to wipe out and destroy the strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem; he was to banish the memory of them from the place,^{(F) 36} settle strangers in all their territory, and distribute their land by lot. ³⁷ Then the king took the remaining half of his forces and left Antioch his capital in the one hundred and forty-seventh year. He crossed the Euphrates River and went through the upper provinces.^(G)

Preparations for Battle

³⁸ Lysias chose Ptolemy son of Dorymenes and Nicanor and Gorgias, able men among the Friends of the king,^{(H) 39} and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded. ⁴⁰ So they set out with their entire force, and when they arrived they encamped near Emmaus in the plain.^{(I) 41} When the traders of the region heard what was said to them, they took silver and gold in immense amounts and fetters^[b] and went to the camp to get the Israelites for slaves. And forces from Syria and the land of the Philistines^[c] joined with them.^(J)

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.^{(A) 2} And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.^{[a] 3} Therefore, brothers and sisters, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task,^{(B) 4} while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” ⁵ What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.^{(C) 6} They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.^(D)

⁷ The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.^(E)

The Arrest of Stephen

⁸ Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit^[b] with which he spoke.^{(F) 11} Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”^{(G) 12} They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. ¹³ They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law,^{(H) 14} for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth^[c] will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.”^{(I) 15} And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Speech to the Council

7 Then the high priest asked him, “Are these things so?” ² And Stephen replied:

“Brothers^[d] and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,^{(J) 3} and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.’^{(K) 4} Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living.^{(L) 5} He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child.^{(M) 6} And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and mistreat them during four hundred years.^{(N) 7} ‘But I will judge the people whom they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’^{(O) 8} Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham^[e] became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac did likewise to Jacob and Jacob to the twelve patriarchs.^(P)

⁹ “The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him^{(Q) 10} and rescued him from all his afflictions and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.^{(R) 11} Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food.^{(S) 12} But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit.^{(T) 13} On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh.^{(U) 14} Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all;^{(V) 15} so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors,^{(W) 16} and their bodies^[f] were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.^(X)