1 Maccabees 6
Good News Translation
The Death of Antiochus the Fourth(A)
6 As King Antiochus the Fourth was passing through Mesopotamia, he heard of a city in Persia, named Elymais, which was famous for its riches in silver and gold. 2 The temple was very rich, containing gold shields, armor, and weapons left there by Alexander, son of King Philip of Macedonia, who was the first to rule the Greek Empire. 3 Antiochus came and tried to take the city and loot it, but he didn't succeed, because the citizens had learned what he was planning to do, 4 and they drew up their troops to resist him. In great frustration he withdrew to return to Babylonia.
5 In Persia a messenger reached him with the news that the armies he had sent into Judea had been defeated. 6 Lysias and his strong army had been forced to flee from the Jews, who were now reinforced by the additional weapons, supplies, and loot they had taken from the defeated armies. 7 (B)The Jews had pulled down the thing they called
The Awful Horror that Antiochus had built on the altar in Jerusalem. They had also surrounded the Temple with high walls, as it had been before, and had taken and fortified the town of Bethzur, one of the king's own towns.
8 When the king heard this report, he was so dumbfounded and terribly shaken that he went to bed in a fit of deep depression because things had not turned out as he had hoped. 9 He remained ill for a long time, as waves of despair swept over him, until he finally realized that he was going to die. 10 He called together all those to whom he had given the title
Friends of the King and said to them,
I cannot sleep, and my heart is broken with grief and worry. 11 At first I asked myself why these great waves of trouble were sweeping over me, since I have been kind and well-liked during my reign. 12 But then I remembered the wrongs I did in Jerusalem when I took all the silver and gold objects from the Temple and tried without any good reason to destroy the inhabitants of Judea. 13 I know this is why all these terrible things have happened to me and I am about to die in deep despair here in this foreign land.
14 Then he called Philip, one of his most trusted advisers, and put him in charge of his whole empire. 15 He gave him his crown, robe, and official ring, and authorized him to educate his son Antiochus the Fifth and bring him up to be king. 16 King Antiochus died there in the year 149.[a]
17 When Lysias learned that the king had died, he made the young Antiochus king in place of his father. He had brought up Antiochus from childhood and now gave him the name Eupator.
The Campaign of Antiochus the Fifth and Lysias(C)
18 Meanwhile, the enemies in the fort at Jerusalem had been blockading the people of Israel in the area around the Temple, constantly causing them trouble and giving support to the Gentiles. 19 So Judas decided to get rid of them and called all the people together to besiege the fort. 20 The people assembled and laid siege to the fort in the year 150.[b] They built siege platforms and battering rams.
21 But some of the men under siege escaped, and together with some of the renegade Jews, they went to the king and said,
22 How long are you going to wait before you take revenge for what was done to our countrymen? 23 We were willing to serve your father, follow his orders, and obey his decrees. 24 But what good did it do us? Now our own countrymen have become our enemies.[c] In fact, they have killed as many of us as they could find and have stolen our possessions. 25 But we are not the only ones they have harmed; they have attacked all their neighbors. 26 And now they have laid siege to the fort in Jerusalem and are planning to take it. They have also fortified the Temple and Bethzur. 27 Unless you act immediately, they will do even more, and you will not be able to stop them.
28 When the king heard this, he was furious. He brought together all the army commanders, the cavalry officers, and his most trusted advisers. 29 He also hired mercenary soldiers from other countries and from the Greek islands. 30 His forces numbered 100,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, and 32 elephants trained for war. 31 The king and his army passed through Idumea and laid siege to Bethzur, where they fought for a long time. They built battering rams and siege platforms, but the defenders fought bravely and came out of the town and burned down the platforms.
32 Then Judas withdrew his troops from the fort in Jerusalem and set up his camp at Beth Zechariah, blocking the advance of the king's army. 33 Early the next morning, the king rapidly moved his army along the road to Beth Zechariah, where his troops took up battle positions and blew trumpets. 34 They got the elephants ready for battle by showing them grape juice and mulberry juice. 35 The huge animals were distributed among the infantry units. A thousand men, protected by chain armor and bronze helmets, were stationed with each elephant. Each animal was also accompanied by a special force of 500 cavalry, 36 which always remained with the elephant. 37 A strong, protected wooden platform was securely fastened by a special harness to the back of each elephant. Three[d] soldiers rode on each animal, in addition to the elephant driver. 38 Lysias placed the rest of the cavalry on the two flanks of the army where they could be protected by the infantry while harassing the enemy. 39 The sunlight, reflected off the bronze and gold shields, shone on the mountains and flashed like burning torches. 40 Part of the king's army was spread out over the higher ground of the mountain slopes and part over the lower land, but they all moved forward steadily and in good order. 41 All the people were terrified when they heard the noise made by the clashing of weapons and the marching of that great and powerful army.
42 Judas and his army advanced into battle, and immediately killed 600 of the king's army. 43 When Eleazar Avaran saw that one of the elephants was larger than the others and that it was covered with royal armor, he thought that the king was riding on it. 44 Eleazar sacrificed his life to save his people and to gain eternal fame. 45 He ran boldly toward the elephant, which was in the middle of a battalion of infantry. He rushed forward killing men to the right and left, so that the enemy soldiers fell back before him on both sides. 46 He slipped in under the elephant and stabbed it to death, and it fell on him and killed him. 47 But when the Jews realized how strong the royal army was and how determined it was to fight, they retreated.
48 The king and his army advanced to fight the Jews at Jerusalem and laid siege to the whole of Judea and Jerusalem. 49 He made peace with the Jews of Bethzur, who then left the town. There had not been enough food in the town for them to withstand the siege because it was the sabbatical year, when no crops were planted. 50 The king occupied Bethzur and stationed a body of troops there to guard it. 51 Then he surrounded the Temple and besieged it for a long time. He set up siege platforms, battering rams, catapults for throwing fire and stones, and other weapons to throw spears and rocks. 52 The defenders also made war machines to oppose those of the enemy, and so the battle went on for a long time. 53 But there was no food left in the Temple storage bins because it was the sabbatical year, and the people who had fled from the Gentiles and taken refuge in Judea had eaten all the food that had been stored there. 54 The shortage of food had been so severe that many people had scattered to their homes, and only a few men were left in the Temple.
55 Meanwhile, Philip, who had been appointed by King Antiochus before his death to educate his son to be king, 56 returned from Persia and Media. He had come back with the royal army and planned to take control of the government. When Lysias heard this news, 57 he made rapid preparations to depart. He said to the young king, to his officers, and to his men,
We are growing weaker each day; we are short of provisions, and this place we are besieging is strong. Besides, there are pressing government affairs which need our attention. 58 So now let's arrange a truce and make a peace treaty with the Jews and their whole nation. 59 We will allow them to follow their own laws and customs as they did before. All this trouble started when we provoked them by abolishing their laws and customs.
60 This recommendation was well received by the king and the officers, so Lysias proposed peace terms to the Jews, and they accepted them. 61 When the king and his officers solemnly agreed to abide by these terms, the Jews came out of their fortress. 62 But when the king entered the Temple area on Mount Zion and saw the strong fortifications, he broke his word and ordered the walls surrounding the Temple to be torn down. 63 Then he hurriedly left and returned to Antioch, where he found Philip in control of the city. The king attacked the city and took it by force.
Footnotes
- 1 Maccabees 6:16 the year 149: This corresponds to 163 B.C.
- 1 Maccabees 6:20 the year 150: This corresponds to 162 B.C.
- 1 Maccabees 6:24 enemies; some manuscripts add and besieged the fort.
- 1 Maccabees 6:37 Probable text Three; Greek Thirty or Thirty-two.
1 Maccabees 6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Last Days of Antiochus Epiphanes
6 King Antiochus was going through the upper provinces when he heard that Elymais in Persia was a city famed for its wealth in silver and gold.(A) 2 Its temple was very rich, containing golden shields, breastplates, and weapons left there by Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian king who first reigned over the Greeks.(B) 3 So he came and tried to take the city and plunder it, but he could not because his plan had become known to the citizens,(C) 4 and they withstood him in battle. So he fled and in great disappointment left there to return to Babylon.
5 Then someone came to him in Persia and reported that the armies that had gone into the land of Judah had been routed;(D) 6 that Lysias had gone first with a strong force but had turned and fled before the Jews;[a] that the Jews[b] had grown strong from the arms, supplies, and abundant spoils that they had taken from the armies they had cut down;(E) 7 that they had torn down the abomination that he had erected on the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, and also Beth-zur, his town.(F)
8 When the king heard this news, he was astounded and badly shaken. He took to his bed and became sick from disappointment because things had not turned out for him as he had planned.(G) 9 He lay there for many days because deep disappointment continually gripped him, and he realized that he was dying.(H) 10 So he called all his Friends and said to them, “Sleep has departed from my eyes, and I am downhearted with worry.(I) 11 I said to myself, ‘To what distress I have come! And into what a great flood I now am plunged! For I was kind and beloved in my power.’ 12 But now I remember the wrong I did in Jerusalem. I seized all its vessels of silver and gold, and I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without good reason.(J) 13 I know that it is because of this that these misfortunes have come upon me; here I am, perishing of bitter disappointment in a strange land.”
14 Then he called for Philip, one of his Friends, and made him ruler over all his kingdom.(K) 15 He gave him the crown and his robe and the signet so that he might guide his son Antiochus and bring him up to be king.(L) 16 Thus King Antiochus died there in the one hundred forty-ninth year.(M) 17 When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he set up Antiochus the king’s[c] son to reign. Lysias[d] had brought him up from boyhood; he named him Eupator.(N)
Renewed Attacks from Syria
18 Meanwhile the garrison in the citadel kept hemming Israel in around the sanctuary. They were trying in every way to harm them and strengthen the nations.(O) 19 Judas therefore resolved to destroy them and assembled all the people to besiege them. 20 They gathered together and besieged the citadel[e] in the one hundred fiftieth year, and he built siege towers and engines of war.(P) 21 But some of the garrison escaped from the siege, and some of the ungodly Israelites joined them.(Q) 22 They went to the king and said, “How long will you fail to do justice and to avenge our kindred? 23 We were happy to serve your father, to live by what he said, and to follow his commands.(R) 24 For this reason the sons of our people besieged the citadel[f] and became hostile to us; moreover, they have put to death as many of us as they have caught, and they have seized our inheritances. 25 It is not against us alone that they have stretched out their hands; they have also attacked all the lands on their borders. 26 And see, today they have encamped against the citadel in Jerusalem to take it; they have fortified both the sanctuary and Beth-zur;(S) 27 unless you quickly prevent them, they will do still greater things, and you will not be able to stop them.”
28 The king was enraged when he heard this. He assembled all his Friends, the commanders of his forces and those in authority.[g](T) 29 Mercenary forces also came to him from other kingdoms and from islands of the seas.(U) 30 The number of his forces was one hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants accustomed to war.(V) 31 They came through Idumea and encamped against Beth-zur, and for many days they fought and built engines of war, but the Jews[h] sallied out and burned these with fire and fought courageously.(W)
The Battle at Beth-zechariah
32 Then Judas marched away from the citadel and encamped at Beth-zechariah, opposite the camp of the king. 33 Early in the morning the king set out and took his army by a forced march along the road to Beth-zechariah, and his troops made ready for battle and sounded their trumpets. 34 They offered the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries, to arouse them for battle. 35 They distributed the animals among the phalanxes; with each elephant they stationed a thousand men armed with coats of mail and with brass helmets on their heads, and five hundred picked horsemen were assigned to each beast. 36 These took their position beforehand wherever the animal was; wherever it went, they went with it, and they never left it. 37 On the elephants[i] were wooden towers, strong and covered; they were fastened on each animal by special harness, and on each were four[j] armed men who fought from there and also its Indian driver. 38 The rest of the cavalry were stationed on either side, on the two flanks of the army, to harass the enemy while being themselves protected by the phalanxes. 39 When the sun shone on the shields of gold and brass, the hills were ablaze with them and gleamed like flaming torches.
40 Now a part of the king’s army was spread out on the high hills, and some troops were on the plain, and they advanced steadily and in good order. 41 All who heard the noise made by their multitude, by the marching of the multitude and the clanking of their arms, trembled, for the army was very large and strong. 42 But Judas and his army advanced to the battle, and six hundred of the king’s army fell. 43 Now Eleazar, called Avaran, saw that one of the animals was equipped with royal armor. It was taller than all the others, and he supposed that the king was on it.(X) 44 So he gave his life to save his people and to win for himself an everlasting name.(Y) 45 He courageously ran into the midst of the phalanx to reach it; he killed men right and left, and they parted before him on both sides. 46 He got under the elephant, stabbed it from beneath, and killed it, but it fell to the ground upon him and he died. 47 When the Jews[k] saw the royal might and the fierce attack of the forces, they turned away in flight.
The Siege of the Temple
48 The soldiers of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem against them, and the king encamped in Judea and at Mount Zion. 49 He made peace with the people of Beth-zur, and they evacuated the town because they had no provisions there to withstand a siege, since it was a sabbatical year for the land.(Z) 50 So the king took Beth-zur and stationed a guard there to hold it.(AA) 51 Then he encamped before the sanctuary for many days. He set up siege towers, engines of war, devices to throw fire and stones, machines to shoot arrows, and catapults.(AB) 52 The Jews[l] also made engines of war to match theirs and fought for many days. 53 But they had no food in storage,[m] because it was the seventh year; those who had found safety in Judea from the nations had consumed the last of the stores. 54 Only a few men were left in the sanctuary; the rest scattered to their own homes, for the famine proved too much for them.
Syria Offers Terms
55 Then Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus while still living had appointed to bring up his son Antiochus to be king,(AC) 56 had returned from Persia and Media with the forces that had gone with the king and that he was trying to seize control of the government.(AD) 57 So he quickly gave orders to withdraw and said to the king, to the commanders of the forces, and to the troops, “Daily we grow weaker, our food supply is scant, the place against which we are fighting is strong, and the affairs of the kingdom press urgently on us. 58 Now, then, let us come to terms with these people and make peace with them and with all their nation.(AE) 59 Let us agree to let them live by their laws as they did before, for it was on account of their laws that we abolished that they became angry and did all these things.”(AF)
60 The speech pleased the king and the commanders, and he sent to the Jews[n] an offer of peace, and they accepted it.(AG) 61 So the king and the commanders gave them their oath. On these conditions the Jews[o] evacuated the stronghold. 62 But when the king entered Mount Zion and saw what a strong fortress the place was, he broke the oath he had sworn and gave orders to tear down the wall all around.(AH) 63 Then he set off in haste and returned to Antioch. He found Philip in control of the city, but he fought against him and took the city by force.(AI)
Footnotes
- 6.6 Gk them
- 6.6 Gk they
- 6.17 Gk his
- 6.17 Gk He
- 6.20 Gk it
- 6.24 Meaning of Gk uncertain
- 6.28 Gk those over the reins
- 6.31 Gk they
- 6.37 Gk them
- 6.37 Cn: Ancient authorities read thirty or thirty-two
- 6.47 Gk they
- 6.52 Gk They
- 6.53 Other ancient authorities read in the sanctuary
- 6.60 Gk them
- 6.61 Gk they
1 Maccabees 6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 6
1 (A)As King Antiochus passed through the eastern provinces, he heard that in Persia there was a city, Elam,[a] famous for its wealth in silver and gold, 2 and that its temple was very rich, containing gold helmets, breastplates, and weapons left there by the first king of the Greeks, Alexander, son of Philip, king of Macedon. 3 He went therefore and tried to capture and loot the city. But he could not do so, because his plan became known to the people of the city 4 who rose up in battle against him. So he fled and in great dismay withdrew from there to return to Babylon.
5 While he was in Persia, a messenger brought him news that the armies that had gone into the land of Judah had been routed; 6 that Lysias had gone at first with a strong army and been driven back; that the people of Judah had grown strong by reason of the arms, wealth, and abundant spoils taken from the armies they had cut down; 7 that they had pulled down the abomination which he had built upon the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded with high walls both the sanctuary, as it had been before, and his city of Beth-zur.(B)
8 When the king heard this news, he was astonished and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed. 9 There he remained many days, assailed by waves of grief, for he thought he was going to die. 10 So he called in all his Friends and said to them: “Sleep has departed from my eyes, and my heart sinks from anxiety. 11 I said to myself: ‘Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule.’ 12 But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. 13 I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land.”
14 Then he summoned Philip, one of his Friends, and put him in charge of his whole kingdom. 15 He gave him his diadem, his robe, and his signet ring, so that he might guide the king’s son Antiochus and bring him up to be king. 16 So King Antiochus died there in the one hundred and forty-ninth year.[b] 17 When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he set up the king’s son Antiochus,[c] whom he had reared as a child, to be king in his place; and he gave him the title Eupator.(C)
Siege of the Citadel. 18 Those in the citadel were hemming Israel in around the sanctuary, continually trying to harm them and to strengthen the Gentiles.(D) 19 And so Judas planned to destroy them, and assembled the people to besiege them. 20 So in the one hundred and fiftieth year[d] they assembled and besieged the citadel, for which purpose he constructed platforms and siege engines. 21 But some of the besieged escaped, and some renegade Israelites joined them. 22 They went to the king and said: “How long will you fail to do justice and to avenge our kindred? 23 We agreed to serve your father and to follow his orders and obey his edicts. 24 And for this our own people have become our enemies; they have put to death as many of us as they could find and have seized our inheritances. 25 They have acted aggressively not only against us, but throughout their whole territory. 26 Look! Today they have besieged the citadel in Jerusalem in order to capture it, and they have fortified the sanctuary and Beth-zur. 27 Unless you act quickly to prevent them, they will do even worse things than these, and you will not be able to stop them.”
28 (E)When the king heard this he was enraged, and he called together all his Friends, the officers of his army, and the commanders of the cavalry. 29 Mercenary forces also came to him from other kingdoms and from the islands of the seas. 30 His army numbered a hundred thousand footsoldiers, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war. 31 They passed through Idumea and camped before Beth-zur. For many days they attacked it; they constructed siege engines, but the besieged made a sortie and burned these, and they fought bravely.
Battle of Beth-zechariah. 32 Then Judas marched away from the citadel and moved his camp to Beth-zechariah,[e] opposite the king’s camp. 33 The king, rising before dawn, moved his force hastily along the road to Beth-zechariah; and the troops prepared for battle and sounded the trumpet. 34 They made the elephants drunk on the juice of grapes and mulberries to get them ready to fight. 35 The beasts were distributed along the phalanxes, each elephant having assigned to it a thousand men in coats of mail, with bronze helmets on their heads, and five hundred picked cavalry. 36 These accompanied the beast wherever it was; wherever it moved, they moved too and never left it. 37 Each elephant was outfitted with a strong wooden tower, fastened to it by a harness; each tower held three soldiers who fought from it, besides the Indian driver. 38 The remaining cavalry were stationed on one or the other of the two flanks of the army, to harass the enemy and to be protected by the phalanxes. 39 When the sun shone on the gold and bronze shields, the mountains gleamed with their brightness and blazed like flaming torches. 40 Part of the king’s army spread out along the heights, while some were on low ground, and they marched forward steadily in good order. 41 All who heard the noise of their numbers, the tramp of their marching, and the clanging of the arms, trembled; for the army was very great and strong.
42 Judas with his army advanced to fight, and six hundred men of the king’s army fell. 43 Eleazar, called Avaran, saw one of the beasts covered with royal armor and bigger than any of the others, and so he thought the king was on it.(F) 44 He gave up his life to save his people and win an everlasting name for himself. 45 He dashed courageously up to it in the middle of the phalanx, killing men right and left, so that they parted before him. 46 He ran under the elephant, stabbed it and killed it. The beast fell to the ground on top of him, and he died there. 47 But when Judas’ troops saw the strength of the royal army and the ardor of its forces, they retreated from them.
The Siege of Jerusalem. 48 Some of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem to attack them, and the king established camps in Judea and at Mount Zion. 49 He made peace with the people of Beth-zur, and they evacuated the city, because they had no food there to enable them to withstand a siege, for that was a sabbath year in the land.[f](G) 50 The king took Beth-zur and stationed a garrison there to hold it. 51 For many days he besieged the sanctuary, setting up platforms and siege engines, fire-throwers, catapults and mechanical bows for shooting arrows and projectiles. 52 The defenders countered by setting up siege engines of their own, and kept up the fight a long time. 53 But there were no provisions in the storerooms, because it was the seventh year, and the reserves had been eaten up by those who had been rescued from the Gentiles and brought to Judea. 54 Few men remained in the sanctuary because the famine was too much for them; the rest scattered, each to his own home.
Peace Treaty. 55 (H)Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus, before his death, had appointed to train his son Antiochus to be king, 56 had returned from Persia and Media with the army that accompanied the king, and that he was seeking to take over the government. 57 So he hastily decided to withdraw. He said to the king, the leaders of the army, and the soldiers: “We are growing weaker every day, our provisions are scanty, the place we are besieging is strong, and it is our duty to take care of the affairs of the kingdom.(I) 58 Therefore let us now come to terms with these people and make peace with them and all their nation. 59 Let us grant them freedom to live according to their own laws as formerly; it was on account of their laws, which we abolished, that they became enraged and did all these things.”
60 The proposal pleased the king and the leaders; he sent peace terms to the Jews, and they accepted. 61 So the king and the leaders swore an oath to them, and on these terms the Jews evacuated the fortification. 62 But when the king entered Mount Zion and saw how the place was fortified, he broke the oath he had sworn and gave orders to tear down the encircling wall. 63 Then he departed in haste and returned to Antioch, where he found Philip in control of the city. He fought against him and took the city by force.
Footnotes
- 6:1 Elam: in fact, the mountainous region north of the Persian Gulf, rather than a city. The city may have been Persepolis. This section continues the story from 3:37 and pertains to events preceding those in 4:37–39.
- 6:16 The one hundred and forty-ninth year: September 22, 164, to October 9, 163 B.C. A Babylonian list of the Seleucid kings indicates that Antiochus died in November or early December of 164, about the same time as the rededication of the Temple.
- 6:17 The king’s son Antiochus: Antiochus V Eupator (“of a good father”), then about nine years old. He was in Antioch, still in the charge of Lysias, who proceeded to govern and wage wars in his name. Both were put to death two years later, when Demetrius, brother of Antiochus IV, arrived to claim the kingship; cf. 7:1–3.
- 6:20 The one hundred and fiftieth year: October, 163, to September, 162 B.C.
- 6:32 Beth-zechariah: south of Jerusalem, and six miles north of Beth-zur.
- 6:49 A sabbath year in the land: when sowing and reaping were prohibited (Ex 23:10–11; Lv 25:2–7). The year without a harvest (autumn of 164 to autumn of 163) was followed by a food shortage.
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