I. Crisis and Response

Chapter 1

From Alexander to Antiochus. ^1 (A)After Alexander the Macedonian, Philip’s son, who came from the land of Kittim,^[a] had defeated Darius, king of the Persians and Medes, he became king in his place, having first ruled in Greece. ² He fought many battles, captured fortresses, and put the kings of the earth to death. ³ He advanced to the ends of the earth, gathering plunder from many nations; the earth fell silent before him, and his heart became proud and arrogant. ⁴ He collected a very strong army and won dominion over provinces, nations, and rulers, and they paid him tribute.

⁵ But after all this he took to his bed, realizing that he was going to die. ⁶ So he summoned his noblest officers, who had been brought up with him from his youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. ⁷ Alexander had reigned twelve years^[b] when he died.

⁸ So his officers took over his kingdom, each in his own territory, ⁹ and after his death they all put on diadems,^[c] and so did their sons after them for many years, multiplying evils on the earth.

¹⁰ There sprang from these a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome. He became king in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year^[d] of the kingdom of the Greeks.

Lawless Jews. ^11 (B)In those days there appeared in Israel transgressors of the law who seduced many, saying: “Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles all around us; since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us.” ¹² The proposal was agreeable; ¹³ some from among the people promptly went to the king, and he authorized them to introduce the ordinances of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ Thereupon they built a gymnasium^[e] in Jerusalem according to the Gentile custom. ¹⁵ They disguised their circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant; they allied themselves with the Gentiles and sold themselves to wrongdoing.

Antiochus in Egypt. ^16 (C)When his kingdom seemed secure, Antiochus undertook to become king of the land of Egypt and to rule over both kingdoms. ¹⁷ He invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots, elephants^[f] and cavalry, and with a large fleet, ¹⁸ to make war on Ptolemy,^[g] king of Egypt. Ptolemy was frightened at his presence and fled, and many were wounded and fell dead. ¹⁹ The fortified cities in the land of Egypt were captured, and Antiochus plundered the land of Egypt.

Robbery of the Temple. ^20 (D)After Antiochus had defeated Egypt in the one hundred and forty-third year,^[h] he returned and went up against Israel and against Jerusalem with a strong force. ²¹ He insolently entered the sanctuary^[i] and took away the golden altar, the lampstand for the light with all its utensils, ²² the offering table, the cups and bowls, the golden censers, and the curtain. The cornices and the golden ornament on the facade of the temple—he stripped it all off. ²³ And he took away the silver and gold and the precious vessels; he also took all the hidden treasures he could find. ²⁴ Taking all this, he went back to his own country. He shed much blood and spoke with great arrogance.

Attack and Occupation. ^29 (E)Two years later, the king sent the Mysian commander^[j] to the cities of Judah, and he came to Jerusalem with a strong force. ³⁰ He spoke to them deceitfully in peaceful terms, and they believed him. Then he attacked the city suddenly, in a great onslaught, and destroyed many of the people in Israel. ³¹ He plundered the city and set fire to it, demolished its houses and its surrounding walls. ³² And they took captive the women and children, and seized the animals. ³³ Then they built up the City of David with a high, strong wall and strong towers, and it became their citadel.^{[k] 34} There they installed a sinful race, transgressors of the law, who fortified themselves inside it. ³⁵ They stored up weapons and provisions, depositing there the plunder they had collected from Jerusalem, and they became a great snare.

Religious Persecution. ^41 (G)Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, ⁴² and abandon their particular customs. All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king, ⁴³ and many Israelites delighted in his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.

⁴⁴ The king sent letters by messenger to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, ordering them to follow customs foreign to their land; ⁴⁵ to prohibit burnt offerings, sacrifices, and libations in the sanctuary, to profane the sabbaths and feast days, ⁴⁶ to desecrate the sanctuary and the sacred ministers, ⁴⁷ to build pagan altars and temples and shrines, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, ⁴⁸ to leave their sons uncircumcised, and to defile themselves with every kind of impurity and abomination; ⁴⁹ so that they might forget the law and change all its ordinances. ⁵⁰ Whoever refused to act according to the command of the king was to be put to death.^(H)

⁵¹ In words such as these he wrote to his whole kingdom. He appointed inspectors over all the people, and he ordered the cities of Judah to offer sacrifices, each city in turn. ⁵² Many of the people, those who abandoned the law, joined them and committed evil in the land. ⁵³ They drove Israel into hiding, wherever places of refuge could be found.

⁵⁴ On the fifteenth day of the month Kislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five,^[l] the king erected the desolating abomination upon the altar of burnt offerings, and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.^{(I) 55} They also burned incense at the doors of houses and in the streets. ⁵⁶ Any scrolls of the law^[m] that they found they tore up and burned. ⁵⁷ Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant, and whoever observed the law, was condemned to death by royal decree. ⁵⁸ So they used their power against Israel, against those who were caught, each month, in the cities. ⁵⁹ On the twenty-fifth day of each month they sacrificed on the pagan altar that was over the altar of burnt offerings. ⁶⁰ In keeping with the decree, they put to death women who had their children circumcised, ⁶¹ and they hung their babies from their necks; their families also and those who had circumcised them were killed.

⁶² But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; ⁶³ they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. ⁶⁴ And very great wrath came upon Israel.

Chapter 8

Critique of Advice to Heed Authority

² Observe the command of the king, in view of your oath to God. ³ Be not hasty to withdraw from the king; do not persist in an unpleasant situation, for he does whatever he pleases. ⁴ His word is sovereign, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

^5 [b](A)“Whoever observes a command knows no harm, and the wise heart knows times and judgments.” ^6 (B)Yes, there is a time and a judgment for everything. But it is a great evil for mortals ^7 (C)that they are ignorant of what is to come; for who will make known to them how it will be? ⁸ No one is master of the breath of life so as to retain it, and none has mastery of the day of death. There is no exemption in wartime, nor does wickedness deliver those who practice it. ⁹ All these things I saw and I applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun, while one person tyrannizes over another for harm.

The Problem of Retribution. ¹⁰ Meanwhile I saw the wicked buried. They would come and go from the holy place. But those were forgotten in the city who had acted justly. This also is vanity.^{[c] 11} Because the sentence against an evil deed is not promptly executed, the human heart is filled with the desire to commit evil— ^12 [d]because the sinner does evil a hundred times and survives. Though indeed I know that it shall be well with those who fear God, for their reverence toward him; ¹³ and that it shall not be well with the wicked, who shall not prolong their shadowy days, for their lack of reverence toward God.

¹⁴ This is a vanity that occurs on earth: There are those who are just but are treated as though they had done evil, and those who are wicked but are treated as though they had done justly. This, too, I say is vanity. ^15 (D)Therefore I praised joy, because there is nothing better for mortals under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be joyful; this will accompany them in their toil through the limited days of life God gives them under the sun.

¹⁶ I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, though neither by day nor by night do one’s eyes see sleep, ^17 (E)and I saw all the work of God: No mortal can find out the work that is done under the sun. However much mortals may toil in searching, no one finds it out; and even if the wise claim to know, they are unable to find it out.

²⁷ After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁸ And leaving everything behind,^[a] he got up and followed him. ^29 (A)Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. ³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. ³² I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

The Question About Fasting.^{(B) 33} And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” ^34 [b]Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests^[c] fast while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵ But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” ^36 [d]And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. ³⁷ Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. ³⁸ Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ [And] no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”^[e]