Alexander the Great

1 Alexander was Philip’s son, a Macedonian, one of the western peoples known as the Kittim. After Alexander became king of Greece, he defeated King Darius, who ruled the Persians and the Medes. By doing so, Alexander greatly enlarged his realm. ² He successfully fought many battles, conquered fortresses, and put to death many kings. ³ He advanced to the very ends of the known earth, plundering nation after nation. Finally, his battles reached an end, and he was widely recognized as supreme king, which made him proud. ⁴ He built a very strong army and ruled countries, nations, and princes; and they all owed allegiance to him.

⁵ But eventually Alexander fell sick and was confined to bed. He knew that he was dying. ⁶ He therefore called for his most esteemed officers, those who had been raised with him; and he divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. ⁷ Then Alexander died, having ruled for twelve years.^[a]

⁸ Subsequently, his officers began to rule, each in his own territory. ⁹ They ruled as kings, and after them their descendants ruled for many years. Together they caused much suffering across the earth.

Antiochus Epiphanes and renegade Jews

¹⁰ From these descendants sprouted a sinful root—Antiochus Epiphanes. He was a son of King Antiochus, and he had been brought up in Rome as a hostage. Antiochus Epiphanes began to rule in the year 137^[b] according to the calendar of the Greek kingdom.

¹¹ At that time, some renegade Israelites emerged. These people went against their ancestral laws and encouraged many other Jews to join them. They spoke up, saying, “Let’s make an agreement with the Gentiles around us, because many horrible things have happened to us since we separated ourselves from them.” ¹² The proposal pleased their fellow Jews. ¹³ Some of them eagerly went to King Antiochus, who gave them permission to start living by the laws of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ Consequently, they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, following Gentile custom. ¹⁵ They even took steps to remove the marks of circumcision, utterly abandoning the holy covenant. They joined with Gentiles and gave themselves over to an evil course.

Antiochus in Egypt

¹⁶ When Antiochus felt that his own kingdom was fully established, he determined also to take control of the land of Egypt so that he could rule over both kingdoms. ¹⁷ He invaded Egypt with a very strong force, including soldiers in chariots and on elephants, as well as cavalry and a large fleet. ¹⁸ When Antiochus met the Egyptian king Ptolemy in battle, Ptolemy and his forces hastily retreated. Many were wounded and killed. ¹⁹ Antiochus and his forces were able to capture the fortified cities in Egypt and plunder the land.

⁵ When a false rumor spread that Antiochus had died, Jason took no fewer than a thousand soldiers and made an unexpected assault on the city. When the troops on the wall had been defeated, and the city had been seized at last, Menelaus fled into the elevated fortress.^[a]

¹¹ When the news of these events reached the king, he thought Judea was in revolt. So he broke camp and marched from Egypt while wild with emotion, and took the city by force. ¹² He commanded his soldiers to cut down without mercy anyone they met and to slaughter those fleeing into their houses. ¹³ They killed young and old, murdered adolescents, women and children, and slaughtered virgins and infants. ¹⁴ Over a three-day period, eighty thousand people’s lives were ruined. Forty thousand were killed in hand-to-hand fighting, and no fewer than those slaughtered were sold as slaves. ¹⁵ Not content with these measures, he dared to enter into the holiest temple of all the earth, guided by Menelaus, who had become a traitor to the laws and to his native land. ¹⁶ Clutching the holy equipment with polluted and unclean hands, Antiochus made off with them and the things donated by other kings to increase the prestige, glory, and honor of the holy place.

Oppression of the Jews

²⁰ After he conquered Egypt, Antiochus returned in the year 143.^[a] He went up to Israel and entered Jerusalem with a strong force. ²¹ With arrogance he went into the sanctuary. He took the gold altar, the lampstand for the light, and all its equipment. ²² He also took the table that was used for the sacred bread, drink-offering cups, bowls, gold censers, a curtain, crowns, and the gold decoration on the front of the temple. He stripped it all. ²³ He took silver, gold, and costly equipment. He took every hidden treasure he could find. ²⁴ Taking it all, he went back to his own land. He committed murder and spoke very arrogantly.