2 Maccabees 14
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
14 But after the space of three years Judas, and they that were with him, understood that Demetrius the son of Seleucus was come up with a great power, and a navy by the haven of Tripolis to places proper for his purpose.
2 And had made himself master of the countries against Antiochus, and his general Lysias.
3 Now one Alcimus, who had been chief priest, but had wilfully defiled himself in the time of mingling with the heathens, seeing that there was no safety for him, nor access to the altar,
4 Came to king Demetrius in the year one hundred and fifty, presenting unto him a crown of gold, and a palm, and besides these, some boughs which seemed to belong to the temple. And that day indeed he held his peace.
5 But having gotten a convenient time to further his madness, being called to counsel by Demetrius, and asked what the Jews relied upon, and what were their counsels,
6 He answered thereunto: They among the Jews that are called Assideans, of whom Judas Machabeus is captain, nourish wars, and raise seditions, and will not suffer the realm to be in peace.
7 For I also being deprived of my ancestors' glory (I mean of the high priesthood) am now come hither:
8 Principally indeed out of fidelity to the king's interests, but in the next place also to provide for the good of my countrymen: for all our nation suffereth much from the evil proceedings of those men.
9 Wherefore, O king, seeing thou knowest all these things, take care, I beseech thee, both of the country, and of our nation, according to thy humanity which is known to all men,
10 For as long as Judas liveth, it is not possible that the state should be quiet.
11 Now when this man had spoken to this effect, the rest also of the king's friends, who were enemies of Judas, incensed Demetrius against him.
12 And forthwith he sent Nicanor, the commander over the elephants, governor into Judea:
13 Giving him in charge, to take Judas himself: and disperse all them that were with him, and to make Alcimus the high priest of the great temple.
14 Then the Gentiles who had fled out of Judea from Judas, came to Nicanor by flocks, thinking the miseries and calamities of the Jews to be the welfare of their affairs.
15 Now when the Jews heard of Nicanor's coming, and that the nations were assembled against them, they cast earth upon their heads, and made supplication to him, who chose his people to keep them for ever, and who protected his portion by evident signs.
16 Then at the commandment of their captain, they forthwith removed from the place where they were, and went to the town of Dessau, to meet them.
17 Now Simon the brother of Judas had joined battle with Nicanor, but was frightened with the sudden coming of the adversaries.
18 Nevertheless Nicanor hearing of the valour of Judas' companions, and the greatness of courage with which they fought for their country, was afraid to try the matter by the sword.
19 Wherefore he sent Posidonius, and Theodotius, and Matthias before to present and receive the right hands.
20 And when there had been a consultation thereupon, and the captain had acquainted the multitude with it, they were all of one mind to consent to covenants.
21 So they appointed a day upon which they might commune together by themselves: and seats were brought out, and set for each one.
22 But Judas ordered men to be ready in convenient places, lest some mischief might be suddenly practiced by the enemies: so they made an agreeable conference.
23 And Nicanor abode in Jerusalem, and did no wrong, but sent away the flocks of the multitudes that had been gathered together.
24 And Judas was always dear to him from the heart, and he was well affected to the man.
25 And he desired him to marry a wife, and to have children. So he married: he lived quietly, and they lived in common.
26 But Alcimus seeing the love they had one to another, and the covenants, came to Demetrius, and told him that Nicanor assented to the foreign interest, for that he meant to make Judas, who was a traitor to the kingdom, his successor.
27 Then the king being in a rage and provoked with this man's wicked accusations, wrote to Nicanor, signifying, that he was greatly displeased with the covenant of friendship: and that he commanded him nevertheless to send Machabeus prisoner in all haste to Antioch.
28 When this was known, Nicanor was in a consternation, and took it grievously that he should make void the articles that were agreed upon, having received no injury from the man.
29 But because he could not oppose the king, he watched an opportunity to comply with the orders.
30 But when Machabeus perceived that Nicanor was more stern to him, and that when they met together as usual he behaved himself in a rough manner: and was sensible that this rough behaviour came not of good, he gathered together a few of his men, and hid himself from Nicanor.
31 But he finding himself notably prevented by the man, came to the great and holy temple: and commanded the priests that were offering the accustomed sacrifices, to deliver him the man.
32 And when they swore unto him, that they knew not where the man was whom he sought, he stretched out his hand to the temple,
33 And swore, saying: Unless you deliver Judas prisoner to me, I will lay this temple of God even with the ground, and will beat down the altar, and I will dedicate this temple to Bacchus.
34 And when he had spoken thus he departed. But the priests stretching forth their hands to heaven, called upon him that was ever the defender of their nation, saying in this manner:
35 Thou, O Lord of all things, who wantest nothing, wast pleased that the temple of thy habitation should be amongst us.
36 Therefore now, O Lord the holy of all holies, keep this house for ever undefiled which was lately cleansed.
37 Now Razias, one of the ancients of Jerusalem, was accused to Nicanor, a man that was a lover of the city, and of good report, who for his affection was called the father of the Jews.
38 This man, for a long time, had held fast his purpose of keeping himself pure in the Jews' religion, and was ready to expose his body and life, that he might persevere therein.
39 So Nicanor being willing to declare the hatred that he bore the Jews, sent five hundred soldiers to take him.
40 For he thought by insnaring him to hurt the Jews very much.
41 Now as the multitude sought to rush into his house, and to break open the door, and to set fire to it, when he was ready to be taken, he struck himself with his sword:
42 Choosing to die nobly rather than to fall into the hands of the wicked, and to suffer abuses unbecoming his noble birth.
43 But whereas through haste he missed of giving himself a sure wound, and the crowd was breaking into the doors, he ran boldly to the wall, and manfully threw himself down to the crowd:
44 But they quickly making room for his fall, he came upon the midst of the neck.
45 And as he had yet breath in him, being inflamed in mind he arose: and while his blood ran down with a great stream, and he was grievously wounded, he ran through the crowd:
46 And standing upon a steep rock, when he was now almost without blood, grasping his bowels with both hands, he cast them upon the throng, calling upon the Lord of life and spirit, to restore these to him again: and so he departed this life.
2 Maccabees 14
Common English Bible
Alcimus and Nicanor
14 Three years later it was reported to Judas’ followers that Demetrius, Seleucus’ son, had sailed into the harbor at Tripolis with a strong army and a fleet. 2 It was also reported that he had taken possession of the country, killing Antiochus and his guardian Lysias. 3 A certain Alcimus, who had become high priest earlier but had willingly defiled himself during the revolt, became aware that he was no longer safe and that he would no longer have access to the holy altar. 4 He approached King Demetrius in the year 151,[a] bringing him a gold crown, a palm tree, and some customary gifts of olive branches from the temple. He kept quiet that day 5 but waited for the right opportunity to accomplish his folly. Finally, Demetrius called him into the council to ask him about the condition of the Jews and their frame of mind. He replied, 6 “The Jews called Hasideans, whose leader is Judas the Maccabee, maintain a warlike policy and rebel frequently, not permitting the kingdom to have peace. 7 Deprived of my ancestral glory—I speak of course of the high priesthood—I have now come here, 8 first out of a sincere concern for the king’s interests and second out of regard for my fellow citizens. Through the recklessness of those mentioned earlier, the entire nation is in a state of misfortune. 9 But, King, since you have knowledge of these things, take thought for both the country and our oppressed nation with the same generosity you have had for all. 10 As long as Judas lives, the government is powerless to establish peace.”
11 Alcimus had no sooner finished speaking when the rest of the political advisors,[b] who strongly disliked Judas, further enraged Demetrius. 12 Immediately choosing Nicanor the commander of the elephants and appointing him governor of Judea, the king sent him out 13 with written orders to kill Judas and scatter those with him, and to install Alcimus as high priest of the greatest temple. 14 The Judean Gentiles who had fled from Judas joined Nicanor in large numbers, thinking that they would benefit from the misfortunes and calamities of the Jews.
15 When they heard about Nicanor’s advance and the support he had from the Gentiles, the Jews sprinkled themselves with earth. They prayed to the one who had established his own people forever and who always helped them by intervening on their behalf. 16 At the command of their leader Judas, they immediately broke camp, marched from there, and met the enemy at the village of Dessau. 17 Simon, Judas’ brother, met Nicanor in battle but was slowly losing ground because of the unexpected confusion caused by their enemies. 18 Nevertheless, when Nicanor heard that Judas’ troops were fighting bravely and courageously as they struggled for their homeland, he was somewhat afraid to decide the matter through bloodshed. 19 So he sent Posidonius, Theodotus, and Mattathias to develop a peace agreement. 20 When the Jews had carefully inspected the proposal, and their leader Judas had informed the community, who appeared to give unanimous consent, they accepted the terms of the agreement. 21 They set a day on which the leaders from each side would come to the same place in private, a chariot coming from each side, with chairs set out for the meeting. 22 Judas placed armed men in appropriate places, in order to prevent unexpected treachery from the enemies. So they held successful negotiations.
23 Nicanor lived for a time in Jerusalem and did nothing improper. He dismissed the crowds of ordinary people who gathered there. 24 He kept Judas continually in his presence since he became strongly attached to the man. 25 He encouraged him to marry and to have children. So Judas married, enjoyed tranquillity, and began to live a normal life.
26 When Alcimus noted the goodwill that Nicanor and Judas had toward each other, he obtained the documents of agreement drawn up between them and went to Demetrius. He claimed that Nicanor was disloyal to the government because he had appointed Judas, who plotted against the king, as his successor. 27 The king was furious and, provoked by the accusations of the thoroughly depraved Alcimus, wrote to Nicanor. He forcefully asserted that he was displeased with the terms of agreement and ordered him to send the Maccabee as a prisoner to Antioch immediately. 28 When this order reached Nicanor, he was upset and found it difficult to revoke the agreements, seeing how the man had done no wrong. 29 But he couldn’t defy the king, so he watched for an opportune time to set a trap. 30 But the Maccabee noticed that Nicanor was becoming more reserved toward him, conducting customary meetings in a less courteous manner. Sensing that this new rudeness wasn’t for the best, he gathered a large number of men and hid from Nicanor. 31 When Nicanor realized that Judas had completely outwitted him, he went to the great and holy temple where priests were offering up the appropriate sacrifices and ordered them to hand over the man. 32 When they asserted with solemn pledges that they didn’t know where he was, 33 he stretched out his strong hand against the temple and made the following pronouncement: “If you don’t turn Judas over to me as a prisoner, I will level the sacred area of God, tear down the altar to the ground, and build here a great temple to Dionysus.” 34 With these words, he left. But the priests, stretching out their hands to heaven, called on the one who always fights in defense of our nation, saying, 35 “You, Lord, who need nothing, made the temple your dwelling among us. 36 Now, holy one, Lord of all holiness, keep your newly purified house free from all defilement forever.”
37 A Jerusalem elder named Razis was denounced to Nicanor as someone who loved the citizens, was well spoken of, and was called “Father of the Jews” because of his kindness. 38 Early on in the revolt, he had been put on trial for Judaism and risked body and soul for its cause. 39 Wanting to make public the hatred he had toward the Jews, Nicanor sent a group of more than five hundred soldiers to take him, 40 because he thought that by arresting him, he would create a problem for the Jewish people.[c] 41 When the mob was about to take the tower, forcing open the door of the courtyard, they commanded that the door be set on fire. Razis was surrounded on every side, so he fell on his own sword. 42 He wanted to die bravely rather than fall into the hands of sinners and suffer outrages unworthy of his own high birth. 43 But the blow didn’t strike its mark because of the haste of the struggle and the surge of the mob through the doors. Running with honor out onto the wall, he courageously threw himself down into the mob. 44 When they suddenly drew back, a space opened up, and he landed in the middle of it. 45 While still breathing and burning with anger, he rose up, ignoring the gushing blood and the terrible injuries, and made his way through the crowd to stand on a pile of rubble. 46 Entirely drained of blood, he tore out his intestines, took them in both hands, and threw them at the mob. As he did this, he called out to the one with authority over life and spirit to return his insides to him, and in this manner he died.
Footnotes
- 2 Maccabees 14:4 161 BCE
- 2 Maccabees 14:11 Or Friends
- 2 Maccabees 14:40 Or them
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