1 Maccabees 7:1-20

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Expedition of Bacchides and Alcimus

7 In the one hundred and fifty-first year^[a] Deme′trius the son of Seleu′cus set forth from Rome, sailed with a few men to a city by the sea, and there began to reign. ² As he was entering the royal palace of his fathers, the army seized Anti′ochus and Lys′ias to bring them to him. ³ But when this act became known to him, he said, “Do not let me see their faces!” ⁴ So the army killed them, and Deme′trius took his seat upon the throne of his kingdom.

⁵ Then there came to him all the lawless and ungodly men of Israel; they were led by Al′cimus, who wanted to be high priest. ⁶ And they brought to the king this accusation against the people: “Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends, and have driven us out of our land. ⁷ Now then send a man whom you trust; let him go and see all the ruin which Judas^[b] has brought upon us and upon the land of the king, and let him punish them and all who help them.”

⁸ So the king chose Bac′chides, one of the king’s friends, governor of the province Beyond the River; he was a great man in the kingdom and was faithful to the king. ⁹ And he sent him, and with him the ungodly Al′cimus, whom he made high priest; and he commanded him to take vengeance on the sons of Israel. ¹⁰ So they marched away and came with a large force into the land of Judah; and he sent messengers to Judas and his brothers with peaceable but treacherous words. ¹¹ But they paid no attention to their words, for they saw that they had come with a large force.

¹² Then a group of scribes appeared in a body before Al′cimus and Bac′chides to ask for just terms. ¹³ The Haside′ans were first among the sons of Israel to seek peace from them, ¹⁴ for they said, “A priest of the line of Aaron has come with the army, and he will not harm us.” ¹⁵ And he spoke peaceable words to them and swore this oath to them, “We will not seek to injure you or your friends.” ¹⁶ So they trusted him; but he seized sixty of them and killed them in one day, in accordance with the word which was written,

¹⁸ Then the fear and dread of them fell upon all the people, for they said, “There is no truth or justice in them, for they have violated the agreement and the oath which they swore.”

¹⁹ Then Bac′chides departed from Jerusalem and encamped in Beth-zaith. And he sent and seized many of the men who had deserted to him,^[c] and some of the people, and killed them and threw them into the great pit. ²⁰ He placed Al′cimus in charge of the country and left with him a force to help him; then Bac′chides went back to the king.