2 Maccabees 8-15

Good News Translation

Judas Maccabeus Revolts^(A)

8 Judas Maccabeus and his friends went secretly from village to village until they had gathered a force of about 6,000 Jewish men who had remained faithful to their religion. ² They begged the Lord to help his people, now trampled under foot by all nations, to take pity on the Temple, now defiled by pagans, ³ and to have mercy on Jerusalem, now destroyed and almost leveled to the ground. ⁴ They also asked the Lord to show his hatred of evil by taking revenge on those who were murdering his people, mercilessly slaughtering innocent children, and saying evil things against the Lord.

⁵ When Judas had finally organized his forces, the Gentiles were unable to stand against him, because the Lord's anger against Israel had now turned to mercy. ^6-7 Judas would make sudden attacks on towns and villages and burn them. He captured strategic positions and routed many enemy troops, finding that he was most successful at night. People everywhere spoke of his bravery.

Ptolemy Sends Nicanor to Attack Judas^(B)

⁸ When Philip, governor of Jerusalem, realized that Judas was gaining ground little by little and that his victories were becoming more and more frequent, he wrote a letter to Ptolemy, governor of Greater Syria, requesting his help in defending the royal interests. ⁹ Ptolemy immediately appointed Nicanor son of Patroclus, who was also in the closest circle of the King's Friends, and sent him with more than 20,000 troops of various nationalities to wipe out the entire Jewish race. Ptolemy also appointed Gorgias, a general of wide military experience, to go with him. ¹⁰ King Antiochus owed the Romans 150,000 pounds of silver; Nicanor planned to pay off the debt by selling Jewish prisoners of war as slaves.

¹¹ So he at once sent word to the towns along the coast, informing them that he would be selling Jews for less than a pound of silver each. But he did not know of the judgment that Almighty God had in store for him.

Judas Learns of Nicanor's Plans^(C)

¹² Judas learned that Nicanor was advancing with his army toward Judea, so he informed his men. ¹³ Some were cowardly and did not believe in the justice of God, and they ran away as fast as they could. ¹⁴ But others sold all their remaining possessions so that the Lord would consider them worthy to be saved from the godless Nicanor, who had sold them as slaves even before the battle had taken place. ¹⁵ They prayed that if God was not willing to do this for their sake alone, he might be willing to rescue them because of the covenants he had made with their ancestors, and because he, the great and wonderful God, had called them to be his people. ¹⁶ Judas brought together all 6,000 of his men and encouraged them not to be frightened or to flee in panic at the sight of the large number of Gentile troops who were marching against them without cause. Instead they should fight bravely, ¹⁷ never forgetting the crimes the Gentiles had committed against the Temple and how they had made Jerusalem suffer terribly and had done away with Jewish traditions.

¹⁹ Then Judas went on to remind them of the ways God had helped their ancestors: during the time of Sennacherib 185,000 of the enemy had been destroyed; ²⁰ and once in Babylonia 8,000 Jews came to the aid of 4,000 Macedonians, defeating 120,000 Galatians and taking a great deal of loot, all because of God's help.

Judas Defeats Nicanor^(D)

²¹ Judas' words encouraged his men and made them willing to die for their religion and their country. He then divided his army into four divisions ²² of about 1,500 men each, with himself and his brothers Simon, Joseph, and Jonathan each in charge of a division. ^23 (E)After ordering Eleazar to read aloud^[a] from the holy book, he gave his men the battle cry:

²⁴ Almighty God fought on their side, and they killed more than 9,000 of the enemy. They wounded many others and put the entire enemy army to flight. ²⁵ They seized the money from the people who had come to buy them as slaves. Then they pursued the enemy a long way, until they had to return, ²⁶ because it was almost time for the Sabbath to begin. ²⁷ When they had collected the enemy's weapons and looted the dead, they celebrated the Sabbath, praising the Lord and giving thanks to him, because he had brought them safely to that day and had given them the first sign of his mercy. ²⁸ When the Sabbath was over, they gave some of the loot to the victims of persecution and to the widows and orphans; then they divided the rest among their own families. ²⁹ Afterward they joined together in prayer to the merciful Lord, asking him to look favorably upon his servants.

Judas Defeats Timothy and Bacchides

³⁰ The Jews later fought against the forces of Timothy and Bacchides and killed more than 20,000 of them. They captured some very high fortresses and took a lot of loot, which they divided equally among themselves and the widows, orphans, old men, and the victims of persecution. ³¹ They carefully collected all the enemy's weapons and stored them in strategic places, but the rest of the loot was taken to Jerusalem. ³² They executed the commanding officer of Timothy's forces, a godless man who had caused the Jews much suffering. ³³ While celebrating their victory in the city of their ancestors, they burned alive those men who had set fire to the Temple gates. The dead included Callisthenes, who had hidden in a small house; and so he received the punishment he deserved for his evil deeds.

³⁴ In this way, the evil Nicanor, who had brought a thousand merchants to buy the Jews, ³⁵ was defeated with the help of the Lord by the very people he despised so much. He threw off his splendid uniform and fled all alone like a runaway slave, until he reached Antioch. He had succeeded only in destroying his entire army. ³⁶ This man, who had tried to pay a debt to Rome by selling the people of Jerusalem, showed that the Jews could not be defeated. God was their mighty Defender, because they obeyed the laws he had given them.

The Lord Punishes Antiochus^(F)

9 About this time Antiochus was retreating in disorder from Persia, ² where he had entered the city of Persepolis and had attempted to rob a temple and take control of the city. The people took up arms and attacked Antiochus, forcing his army to retreat in disgrace. ³ When he reached Ecbatana, he was told what had happened to the forces of Nicanor and Timothy. ⁴ He became furious and decided to make the Jews pay for the defeat he had suffered. So he ordered his chariot driver not to stop until they reached Jerusalem. With great arrogance he said,

But he did not know that he was heading straight for God's judgment. ⁵ In fact, as soon as he had said these words, the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him down with an invisible but fatal blow. He was seized with sharp intestinal pains for which there was no relief— ⁶ a fitting punishment for the man who had tortured others in so many terrible ways! ⁷ But this in no way caused him to give up his pride. Instead he became more arrogant than ever, and breathing out fiery threats against the Jews, he gave orders to drive even faster. As a result he fell out of his chariot with such a thud that it made every bone in his body ache. ⁸ His arrogant pride made him think he had the superhuman strength to make ocean waves obey him and to weigh high mountains on a pair of scales. But suddenly he fell flat on the ground and had to be carried off on a stretcher, a clear sign to everyone of God's power. ⁹ Even the eyes of this godless man were crawling with worms and he lived in terrible pain and agony. The stink was so bad that his entire army was sickened, ¹⁰ and no one was able to come close enough to carry him around. Yet only a short while before, he thought he could take hold of the stars.

Antiochus Makes a Promise to God^(G)

¹¹ Antiochus was deeply depressed and suffered constant pain because of the punishment that God had brought on him, so he finally came to his senses and gave up his arrogant pride. ¹² Then, when he could no longer endure his own stink, he said,

Antiochus' Letter to the Jews

¹⁸ Antiochus was in despair and could find no relief from his pain, because God was punishing him as he deserved, so he wrote the following letter to the Jews:

²⁰ I hope that you and your families are in good health and that all goes well with you. My hope is in God, ²¹ and I remember with a deep sense of joy the respect and kindness that you have shown me.

On my way home from Persia I fell violently ill, and so I thought it best to begin making plans for the general welfare of the people. ²² I have not given up hopes of getting well; in fact I am fully confident that I will recover. ²³ But I recall that my father used to appoint a successor whenever he went on a military campaign east of the Euphrates. ²⁴ He did this so that if something unexpected happened, or if some bad news came back, then his subjects would not be afraid, for they knew who had been left in command. ²⁵ Also, I know how the rulers along the frontiers of my kingdom are constantly on the lookout for any opportunity that may come along. That is why I have appointed my son Antiochus to succeed me as king. I have frequently entrusted him to your care and recommended him to you when I went on my regular visits to the provinces east of the Euphrates. (He is receiving a copy of the letter which follows.) ²⁶ Now I strongly urge each of you to keep in mind the good things that I have done for you, both individually and as a nation, and to continue in your good will toward me and my son. ²⁷ I am confident that he will treat you with fairness and kindness, just as I have always done.

²⁸ And so, this murderer, who had cursed God, suffered the same terrible agonies he had brought on others, and then died a miserable death in the mountains of a foreign land. ²⁹ One of his close friends, Philip, took his body home; but, because he was afraid of Antiochus' son, he went on to King Ptolemy Philometor of Egypt.

The Rededication of the Temple^(H)

10 Judas Maccabeus and his followers, under the leadership of the Lord, recaptured the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. ² They tore down the altars which foreigners had set up in the marketplace and destroyed the other places of worship that had been built. ³ They purified the Temple and built a new altar. Then, with new fire started by striking flint, they offered sacrifice for the first time in two years, burned incense, lighted the lamps, and set out the sacred loaves. ⁴ After they had done all this, they lay face down on the ground and prayed that the Lord would never again let such disasters strike them. They begged him to be merciful when he punished them for future sins and not hand them over any more to barbaric, pagan Gentiles. ⁵ They rededicated the Temple on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev, the same day of the same month on which the Temple had been desecrated by the Gentiles. ⁶ The happy celebration lasted eight days, like the Festival of Shelters, and the people remembered how only a short time before, they had spent the Festival of Shelters wandering like wild animals in the mountains and living in caves. ⁷ But now, carrying green palm branches and sticks decorated with ivy, they paraded around, singing grateful praises to him who had brought about the purification of his own Temple. ⁸ Everyone agreed that the entire Jewish nation should celebrate this festival each year.

Ptolemy Macron Commits Suicide

⁹ The days of Antiochus Epiphanes had come to an end. ^10 (I)Now we will tell about Antiochus Eupator, the son of this godless man, and give a summary of the evil effects of his wars. ¹¹ When he became king he appointed a man by the name of Lysias to be in charge of the affairs of state and to be chief governor of Greater Syria, ¹² replacing Ptolemy Macron, who had been the first governor to treat the Jews fairly. Macron had established peaceful relations with them in an attempt to make up for the wrongs they had suffered. ¹³ As a result the King's Friends went to Eupator and accused Macron of treachery, because he had abandoned the island of Cyprus, which King Philometor of Egypt had placed under his command, and had gone over to Antiochus Epiphanes. In fact, everyone called Macron a traitor. No longer able to maintain the respect that his office demanded, he committed suicide by taking poison.

Judas Maccabeus Defeats the Idumeans^(J)

¹⁴ When Gorgias became governor of Idumea, he kept a force of mercenaries and attacked the Jews at every opportunity. ¹⁵ Not only this, but the Idumeans themselves controlled certain strategic fortresses and were constantly harassing the Jews. They welcomed those who fled from Jerusalem and did everything they could to keep the country in a perpetual state of war. ¹⁶ So Judas Maccabeus and his men, after offering prayers for God's help, rushed out and made a vigorous attack against the Idumean fortresses. ¹⁷ They beat back those who were defending the walls and captured the fortresses, killing everyone they found, a total of about 20,000 people.

¹⁸ About 9,000 of the enemy, however, managed to take refuge in two easily defended forts, with everything they needed to withstand a siege. ¹⁹ Judas had to go on to some other places in the country, where he was more urgently needed, but he left behind Simon and Joseph, together with Zacchaeus and his men. This force was large enough to continue the siege, ²⁰ but some of Simon's men were greedy, and when they were offered 140 pounds of silver, they let some of the enemy escape from the forts. ²¹ When Judas heard what had happened, he called together the leaders of his troops and accused those men of selling their brothers by setting their enemies free to fight against them. ²² Then he executed the traitors and immediately captured the two forts. ²³ Judas was always successful in battle, and in his assault on those two forts he killed more than 20,000 men.

Judas Defeats Timothy

²⁴ Timothy, who had been defeated by the Jews once before, had gathered a large number of cavalry from Asia and a tremendous force of mercenary troops and was now advancing to take Judea by armed attack. ²⁵ But as the enemy forces were approaching, Judas and his men prayed to God. They put on sackcloth, threw dirt on their heads, ²⁶ and lay face downward on the steps of the altar, begging God to help them by fighting against their enemies, as he had promised in his Law.

²⁷ When they had finished praying, they took up their weapons, went out a good distance from Jerusalem, and stopped for the night not far from the enemy. ²⁸ At daybreak the two armies joined in battle. The Jewish forces depended upon both their bravery and their trust in the Lord for victory, while the enemy relied only on their ability to fight fiercely. ²⁹ When the fighting was at its worst, the enemy saw five handsome men riding on horses with gold bridles and leading the Jewish forces. ³⁰ These five men surrounded Judas, protecting him with their own armor and showering the enemy with arrows and thunderbolts. The enemy forces then became so confused and bewildered that they broke ranks, and the Jews cut them to pieces, ³¹ slaughtering 20,500 infantry and 600 cavalry.

³² Timothy himself escaped to the strongly defended fort of Gezer, where his brother Chaereas was in command. ³³ Judas and his men besieged the fort for four days with great enthusiasm, ³⁴ but those inside trusted to the security of their positions and shouted all sorts of terrible insults against the Jews and their God. ³⁵ At dawn on the fifth day, twenty of Judas' men, burning with anger at these insults, bravely climbed the wall and with savage fury chopped down everyone they met. ³⁶ At the same time, others climbed the walls on the other side of the fort and set the towers on fire. Many of the enemy were burned to death as the flames spread. A third force broke down the gates and let in the rest of Judas' men to capture the city. ³⁷ Timothy had hidden in a cistern, but they killed him, as well as his brother Chaereas and Apollophanes.

³⁸ When it was over, the Jews celebrated by singing hymns and songs of thanksgiving to the Lord, who had shown them great kindness and had given them victory.

Judas Maccabeus Defeats Lysias^(K)

11 Not long after Timothy was defeated, Lysias, the King's guardian and relative, and head of the government, heard what had happened. He became angry ² and led 80,000 infantry and all his cavalry against the Jews with the intention of turning Jerusalem into a Greek city. ³ The Temple would be taxed, as were all Gentile places of worship, and the office of High Priest would be up for sale each year. ⁴ Lysias was so pleased with his tens of thousands of infantry, his thousands of cavalry, and his eighty elephants that he failed to take into account the power of God. ⁵ He invaded Judea and attacked the fort of Bethzur, about twenty miles south of Jerusalem.

⁶ When Judas and his men heard that Lysias was laying siege to their forts, they and all the people cried and wept, begging the Lord to send a good angel to save them. ⁷ Judas was the first to take up his weapons, and he urged the others to join him in risking their lives to help the other Jews. So with great eagerness they all set out together. ⁸ But they had not gone far from Jerusalem, when suddenly they noticed they were being led by a horseman dressed in white and carrying gold weapons. ⁹ Immediately all of them together thanked God for his mercy; he had made them brave enough to attack not only men, but even the most savage animals or even walls of iron. ¹⁰ So they marched in battle formation, and with them went the one whom the Lord in his mercy had sent to fight on their side. ¹¹ Then they charged into the enemy like lions, killing 11,000 infantry and 1,600 cavalry, and forcing the rest to run for their lives. ¹² Most of those who ran were wounded and had lost their weapons, and Lysias himself managed to escape only because he ran away like a coward.

Lysias Makes Peace with the Jews^(L)

¹³ Lysias was no fool. As he thought about the defeat he had suffered, he realized it was because the mighty God had fought for the Jews, making it impossible for them to be defeated. So he sent a message to the Jews, ¹⁴ trying to persuade them to agree to a just settlement and promising to do all he could to make the king friendly toward them.^{[b] 15} Judas Maccabeus considered what would be best for the people, and so he agreed to all the proposals Lysias had made, since the king had granted every written request that Judas had presented to Lysias.^[c]

The Letter of Lysias to the Jews

¹⁶ Here is a copy of the letter which Lysias wrote to the Jews:

Lysias to the Jewish people, greetings. ¹⁷ Your representatives John and Absalom have delivered to me the official document you sent with them, and they have asked me to agree to what is contained in it. ¹⁸ I have informed the king of the matters that needed to be brought to his attention, and he has agreed to do whatever is possible. ¹⁹ If you continue to be loyal to the government, I will do everything I can in the future to benefit your nation. ²⁰ I have instructed your representatives and mine to meet with you to discuss the details of these matters. ²¹ May all go well with you. Dated the twenty-fourth day of the month of Dioscorinthius in the year 148.^[d]

The King's Letter to Lysias

²² Here is a copy of the King's letter:

²⁷ Here is a copy of the king's letter to the Jewish people:

King Antiochus to the Jewish leaders and all the Jews, greetings. ²⁸ I hope that all is going well for you. I am in good health. ²⁹ Menelaus has informed me of your desire to return home and attend to your own affairs. ³⁰ So then, those of you who return home by the thirtieth of the month of Xanthicus may rest assured that you have nothing to fear. ³¹ You may continue to observe your food laws and other laws, as you used to do, and no Jew will be punished for any crime done in ignorance. ³² I am sending Menelaus to set your minds at ease. ³³ May all go well with you. Dated the fifteenth day of the month of Xanthicus in the year 148.^[e]

The Letter of the Romans to the Jews

³⁴ The Romans also sent the Jews the following letter:

The Jews of Joppa Are Murdered

12 When the peace agreement between the Jews and the Syrians was completed, Lysias returned to the king, and the Jews went back to their farming. ² But some of the local governors, Timothy and Apollonius son of Gennaeus, as well as Hieronymus and Demophon, would not let them live in peace; and neither would Nicanor, the commander of the mercenaries from Cyprus.

³ About this time, the people of Joppa did a cruel thing to the Jews of their city. They pretended to be friendly to the Jews and invited them and their families to go sailing with them on ships they had provided. ⁴ Since all the people of the town had decided to do this, the Jews suspected nothing and accepted the invitation out of a feeling of good will. But when they were out at sea, the people of Joppa drowned all two hundred of them.

⁵ As soon as Judas heard of this inhuman thing that had been done to those Jews, he informed his men. ⁶ After they had prayed to God, the just judge, they attacked the murderers. Under cover of darkness they set fire to the harbor, burning all the ships, and killing everyone they found hiding there. ⁷ The gates of the city were locked, so Judas withdrew; but he was determined to return at some other time and wipe out everyone living there.

⁸ Judas heard that the people of Jamnia had plans to kill the Jews of their city also. ⁹ So he attacked Jamnia at night, setting fire to its harbor and the ships there. The flames could be seen as far as Jerusalem, thirty miles away.

Judas' Victories in the Region of Gilead^(M)

¹⁰ When Judas and his men were about a mile away from Jamnia on their way to meet Timothy in battle, they were attacked by more than 5,000 Arabs, supported by 500 cavalry. ¹¹ It was a hard fight, but with the help of God they defeated these desert tribesmen, who then asked to be on friendly terms with the Jews, promising to give them some livestock and offering to help them in other ways as well. ¹² Judas thought their friendship might prove useful in many ways, so he agreed to make peace with them; after that the Arabs returned to their tents.

¹³ Judas also attacked the heavily fortified walled city of Caspin. The people who lived there were a mixed population of Gentiles ¹⁴ who relied on the strength of their walls and felt confident that they had enough food stored up to last through a siege. So they made fun of Judas and his men, shouting out insults against them and profanities against their God. ¹⁵ But the Jews prayed to the Almighty Lord of the universe, who had torn down the walls of Jericho in the days of Joshua without using battering rams or siege weapons. Then they made a fierce attack against the wall ¹⁶ and because it was God's will, they captured the city. The Jews slaughtered so many people that a nearby lake, which was about a quarter of a mile wide, seemed to be overflowing with blood.

Judas Defeats Timothy's Army^(N)

¹⁷ From the city of Caspin, Judas and his men marched about 95 miles, until they came to the Jewish settlement of Charax, near the city of Tob. ¹⁸ But they did not find Timothy there, because he had already left the region. He had been able to do nothing there except leave behind a strong garrison in one place. ¹⁹ Two of Judas' generals, Dositheus and Sosipater, attacked the garrison and killed all 10,000 men stationed there. ²⁰ Then Judas divided his army into several divisions, placing Dositheus and Sosipater each in command of a division, and hurried after Timothy, who had a force of 120,000 infantry and 2,500 cavalry. ²¹ When Timothy found out that Judas was coming after him, he sent the women and the children on ahead with the baggage to the city of Karnaim, which was almost impossible to besiege or even to reach, because of the narrow passes that led up to it. ²² But at the moment that Judas' first division came into sight, the enemy forces were thrown into panic by a vision sent by God, who sees everything. In terror they began to run wildly about and many of them were wounded by the swords of their own men. ²³ So Judas and his men pursued them as hard as they could, killing at least 30,000 of the enemy. ²⁴ Timothy himself was captured by the troops of Dositheus and Sosipater. But he was very shrewd and managed to convince them that many of their relatives were his prisoners and would be put to death if anything happened to him. ²⁵ Finally, after he had promised to send their relatives home safely, they let him go free.

Judas Wins Other Victories^(O)

²⁶ Next, Judas attacked the city of Karnaim and the temple of the goddess Atargatis there, killing 25,000 people ²⁷ and completely destroying both the city and the temple. Then he attacked the fortified city of Ephron where Lysias and^[f] people of all nationalities were living. Strong young men took up their positions in front of the walls and fought bravely, while inside the city were stored large quantities of military supplies and weapons. ²⁸ But the Jews prayed for help to the Lord, who crushes the power of his enemies. So they captured the city and killed about 25,000 people. ²⁹ From there they hurried on to the city of Beth Shan, seventy-five miles north of Jerusalem. ³⁰ The Jews there told Judas how kindly the people of the city had treated them, especially during hard times. ³¹ So Judas and his men thanked the people and urged them to show the same good will toward the Jews in the future. Then they left for Jerusalem, where they arrived shortly before the Harvest Festival.

Judas Defeats Gorgias

^32 (P)After Pentecost (as the Harvest Festival is called in Greek) Judas and his men quickly marched out against Gorgias, the governor of Idumea, ³³ who met them with 3,000 infantry and 400 cavalry. ³⁴ In the battle that followed, a few Jews were killed. ³⁵ Then a Jew from the city of Tob,^[g] a powerful cavalry soldier by the name of Dositheus, grabbed Gorgias by his cloak and started dragging him away by brute force, intending to take the worthless man alive. But suddenly one from the Thracian cavalry rushed at Dositheus and chopped off his arm, allowing Gorgias to escape to the city of Marisa.

³⁶ By now the Jewish men under the command of Esdrias had been fighting for a long time and were exhausted. So Judas prayed that the Lord would show that he was on their side and in command of their troops. ³⁷ Then, while Judas sang a hymn in his native language as a battle cry, the Jews made a surprise attack against Gorgias and his men and put them to flight.

Prayers for Those Killed in Battle

³⁸ After the battle Judas led his men to the town of Adullam. It was the day before the Sabbath, so they purified themselves according to Jewish custom and then observed the holy day. ³⁹ By the following day it was urgent that they gather up the bodies of the men who had been killed in battle and bury them in their family tombs. ^40 (Q)But on each of the dead, hidden under their clothes, they found small images of the gods worshiped in Jamnia, which the Law forbids Jews to wear. Everyone then knew why these men had been killed. ⁴¹ So they praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge, who reveals what is hidden, ⁴² and they begged him that this sin might be completely blotted out. Then, Judas, that great man, urged the people to keep away from sin, because they had seen for themselves what had happened to those men who had sinned. ⁴³ He also took up a collection from all his men, totaling about four pounds of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. Judas did this noble thing because he believed in the resurrection of the dead. ⁴⁴ If he had not believed that the dead would be raised, it would have been foolish and useless to pray for them. ⁴⁵ In his firm and devout conviction that all of God's faithful people would receive a wonderful reward, Judas made provision for a sin offering to set free from their sin those who had died.

Menelaus Is Put to Death

13 In the year 149^[h] Judas Maccabeus and his followers found out that Antiochus Eupator was marching against Judea with a large army ² and that Lysias, the young king's guardian and the head of his government, was with him. They^[i] had a force of Greek troops consisting of 110,000 infantry, 5,300 cavalry, 22 elephants, and 300 chariots with sharp blades attached to their wheels.

³ Menelaus, trying to take advantage of the situation, went over to their side and urged them on, not because he was concerned for the country, but because he hoped to be confirmed as High Priest. ⁴ But God, the King of kings, made Antiochus furious with Menelaus. Lysias proved to Antiochus that this criminal had been the source of all his troubles, so Antiochus ordered him to be taken to the city of Berea and put to death in the way that it was done there. ⁵ In that city there is a tower about 75 feet high. It is filled with ashes, and all around the inside of the tower is a platform sloping down into the ashes. ⁶ People accused of crimes against the gods or of any other serious crime are taken there and thrown down to their death. ⁷ Menelaus was put to death in that way, without even having the privilege of a burial, ⁸ and that was just what he deserved. He had often profaned the sacred ashes of the altar fire in the Temple, and now he met his death in ashes.

A Battle Near the City of Modein

⁹ King Antiochus arrogantly continued his barbaric invasion of Judah, intending to deal with the Jews more harshly than his father had ever done. ¹⁰ When Judas learned of this, he told the people to pray to the Lord day and night, because they were in danger of losing their Law, their country, and their holy Temple. As never before, they needed his help and protection ¹¹ to keep their newly restored country from falling into the hands of godless Gentiles. ¹² For three days the people did nothing but lie face down on the ground, fasting and crying, begging the merciful Lord for his help. Then Judas spoke words of encouragement to the people, urging them to get ready for action.

¹³ Afterward, Judas met privately with the Jewish leaders and decided to march out with God's help to battle against the king, rather than to wait for Antiochus to invade Judea and besiege Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Then, leaving the outcome of the battle to the Creator of the world, Judas encouraged his men to fight bravely and to be willing to die for their laws, the Temple, Jerusalem, their country, and their whole way of life. They set up camp near the city of Modein. ¹⁵ Judas gave his men the battle cry,

Antiochus the Fifth Makes a Treaty with the Jews^(R)

¹⁸ This taste of Jewish daring was enough to convince King Antiochus that he had to find some better way of capturing the Jewish positions. ¹⁹ He attacked the strong Jewish fort of Bethzur, but was repeatedly beaten back and finally defeated. ²⁰ Judas sent supplies to the men who were defending the fort, ²¹ but a Jewish soldier by the name of Rhodocus gave some secret information to the enemy. He was found out, however, caught, and put to death. ²² The king made a second attempt to come to terms with the people of Bethzur, and when he had reached an agreement with them, he withdrew his forces. Then he went to attack Judas, but again he was defeated. ²³ Meanwhile, Philip had been left at Antioch in charge of the government, but King Antiochus learned that he had revolted. The king did not know what to do, so he initiated peace talks with the Jews, agreed to their terms, and promised to be just in his treatment of them. To put the treaty into effect, he offered a sacrifice, gave a generous gift to show his respect for the Temple, ²⁴ and graciously received Judas Maccabeus. After that, the king appointed Hegemonides to be governor of the territory between the cities of Ptolemais and Gerar, ²⁵ and then he himself went on to Ptolemais. The people there were angry because of the treaty he had made with the Jews—so angry, in fact, that they wanted the treaty canceled. ²⁶ But Lysias made a public speech, defending the treaty as well as he could. After he had calmed the people down and convinced them that he was right, he returned to Antioch.

In this way King Antiochus' invasion was turned into a retreat.

Alcimus Speaks against Judas^(S)

14 Three years later, Judas and his men learned that Demetrius son of Seleucus had sailed into the port of Tripolis with a powerful army and a fleet. ² It was reported that he had killed King Antiochus and his guardian Lysias and had taken over the country.

³ There was a man by the name of Alcimus, who had formerly been High Priest but who had gladly adopted the Greek way of life during the revolt. Realizing that he could never again be High Priest and fearful of what the Jews might do to him, ⁴ he went to see King Demetrius in the year 151.^[k] On this occasion he presented the king with a gold crown and a palm branch, together with some olive branches traditionally presented to the Temple, but he said nothing about his plans. ⁵ Later, however, he got the chance to put his foolish plans into effect when Demetrius summoned him to a meeting of his advisers and asked him what the Jews were intending to do.

Demetrius Sends Nicanor to Attack Judas

¹¹ As soon as Alcimus had finished his speech, the other advisers quickly seized this opportunity to arouse Demetrius' anger against Judas, because they also hated him. ¹² So King Demetrius immediately appointed Nicanor, who was the commander of his elephant forces, to be governor of Judea, and sent him there ¹³ with orders to kill Judas, scatter his followers, and make Alcimus High Priest of the greatest Temple in all the world. ¹⁴ All the foreigners in Judea, who had fled from Judas' attacks, now rushed to join forces with Nicanor, because they thought that any defeat or trouble that came to the Jews would be to their own advantage.

^15 (T)The Jews heard that Nicanor was attacking and that the foreigners in their country were giving him their support. So they threw dirt on themselves and prayed to their God, who had chosen their nation as his possession forever and had never failed to help them in time of need. ¹⁶ Then Judas, their leader, gave the orders, and they immediately marched out to engage the enemy in battle near the village of Adasa.^{[l] 17} Judas' brother Simon was fighting Nicanor but was gradually losing the battle because of an unexpected move on the part of the enemy. ¹⁸ However, when Nicanor heard how bravely and courageously Judas and his men were fighting for their country, he decided not to settle the matter in battle. ¹⁹ Instead, he sent Posidonius, Theodotus, and Mattathias to make a treaty with the Jews.

²⁰ After the terms of the treaty had been worked out in detail, Nicanor informed his troops, and they unanimously agreed. ²¹ Then a day was set on which the leaders would meet in private. Ceremonial chairs were brought out from each camp and set up. ²² Judas had taken the precaution of placing battle-ready troops in strategic places, in case of sudden treachery on the part of the enemy. But the two leaders had a friendly meeting. ²³ Nicanor stayed on in Jerusalem for some time after that. He did not mistreat the Jews in any way, and even sent away the people who had come over to his side. ²⁴ The two men became the best of friends, and Judas was Nicanor's constant companion. ²⁵ Nicanor urged him to marry and start a family. So Judas did this and settled down to a peaceful life.

Nicanor Turns against Judas

²⁶ When Alcimus noticed how well Nicanor and Judas were getting along, he obtained a copy of the treaty and went to see King Demetrius. He told the king that Nicanor was disloyal to the government, because he had appointed the traitor Judas to be his successor. ²⁷ These false accusations infuriated the king, and in his anger he wrote to Nicanor, informing him that he was dissatisfied with the treaty and ordering him to arrest Judas Maccabeus and send him to Antioch at once.

²⁸ When this message reached Nicanor, he was hurt and didn't know what to do, because he did not like having to break an agreement with a man who had kept his part of the bargain. ²⁹ Yet it was impossible for him to ignore the king's command, so he began looking for a way to trap Judas. ³⁰ Judas, however, noticed that Nicanor was becoming hostile and rude toward him, and he knew that this was a bad sign. So he gathered a large number of his followers and went into hiding.

^31 (U)When Nicanor realized that Judas had outsmarted him, he went to the great and holy Temple at the time when the priests were offering sacrifice and ordered them to surrender Judas to him. ³² But the priests declared under oath that they had no idea where Judas was hiding. ³³ Then Nicanor raised his right arm in the direction of the Temple and made a solemn threat:

Razis Dies for His Country

⁴³ Under the pressure of the moment, Razis misjudged the thrust of the sword, and it did not kill him. So, while the soldiers were swarming into the room, he rushed to the wall and jumped off like a brave hero into the crowd below. ⁴⁴ The crowd quickly moved back, and he fell in the space they left. ⁴⁵ Still alive, and burning with courage, he got up, and with blood gushing from his wounds, he ran through the crowd and finally climbed a steep rock. ⁴⁶ Now completely drained of blood, he tore out his intestines with both hands and threw them at the crowd, and as he did so, he prayed for the Lord of life and breath to give them back to him. That was how he died.

Nicanor's Cruel Plan

15 Nicanor learned that Judas and his men were in the region of Samaria, and so he decided to attack them on a Sabbath, when he could do so without any danger to himself. ² The Jews who were forced to accompany his army begged him not to do such a cruel and savage thing, but to respect the day that the all-seeing God had honored and made the most holy of all days. ³ Then Nicanor, the lowest creature on earth, asked if there was some sovereign ruler in heaven who had commanded them to honor the Sabbath. ⁴ And the Jews replied,

Judas Prepares His Troops for Battle

⁶ In his arrogance Nicanor had boasted that he would set up a monument in honor of his victory over Judas. ⁷ But Judas was fully confident that the Lord would help him, ⁸ so he urged his men not to be afraid of the enemy. He encouraged them to remember how the Almighty had helped them in times past and to rest assured that he would give them victory this time also. ⁹ He renewed their hope by reading to them from the Law and the Prophets and by reminding them of the battles they had already won. ¹⁰ When his men were ready for battle, he gave them their orders and at the same time pointed out how the Gentiles could not be trusted, because they never kept their treaties. ¹¹ He armed all his men, not by encouraging them to trust in shields and spears, but by inspiring them with courageous words. He also lifted their morale by telling them about his dream, a kind of vision that they could trust in.

¹² He told them that he had seen a vision of Onias, the former High Priest, that great and wonderful man of humble and gentle disposition, who was an outstanding orator and who had been taught from childhood how to live a virtuous life. With outstretched arms Onias was praying for the entire Jewish nation. ¹³ Judas then saw an impressive white-haired man of great dignity and authority. ¹⁴ Onias said:

¹⁷ The eloquent words that Judas spoke encouraged everyone to be brave, and inspired boys to fight like men. Their city, their religion, and their Temple were in danger. So the Jews made up their minds not to waste any time, but to make a daring attack against the enemy and bravely decide their fate in hand-to-hand combat. ¹⁸ They were not so concerned about their own families and relatives as they were about their sacred Temple. ¹⁹ And the people who had to stay in Jerusalem were deeply concerned about how a battle on open ground would turn out.

The Defeat and Death of Nicanor

²⁰ Everyone was waiting to see who would win the battle. The enemy troops were already moving forward, with their cavalry on each side of them, and their elephants placed in strategic positions. ²¹ Judas Maccabeus looked at the huge enemy force, the variety of their weapons, and their fierce elephants. Then he raised his hands toward heaven and prayed to the Lord, who works miracles, because he knew that the Lord gives victory to those who deserve it, not to those who have a strong army. ^22 (V)Judas said:

^25 (W)Nicanor and his army moved forward to the sound of trumpets and battle songs, ²⁶ but Judas and his men went into battle calling on God for help. ²⁷ So by fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, the Jews killed more than 35,000 of the enemy. How grateful they were for the help they had received from God! ²⁸ When the battle was over and they were going home celebrating their victory, they noticed Nicanor in full armor lying dead on the battlefield. ²⁹ Then with loud shouts they praised the Lord in their native language.

³⁰ Judas Maccabeus, who had always fought with all his body and soul for his own people, never losing the patriotism of his youth, ordered his men to cut off Nicanor's head and right arm and to take them to Jerusalem. ³¹ When they arrived in the city, he called together all the people, stationed the priests before the altar, and sent for the men in the fort. ³² He showed them the head of the evil Nicanor and the arm which that wicked man had arrogantly stretched out against the sacred Temple of the Almighty God. ³³ Then he cut out the tongue of that godless man, promising to feed it bit by bit to the birds and to hang up his head opposite the Temple, as evidence of what his foolishness did for him. ³⁴ Everyone there looked up to heaven and praised the Lord, who had revealed his power and had kept his Temple from being defiled. ³⁵ Judas hung Nicanor's head from the wall of the fort, as a clear proof to everyone of the Lord's help. ^36 (X)By unanimous vote it was decided that this day would never be forgotten, but would be celebrated each year on the eve of Mordecai's Day,^[m] which is the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, called Adar in Aramaic.

Concluding Words

³⁷ That is how things turned out for Nicanor. The city of Jerusalem remained in the possession of the Jewish people from that time on, so I will end my story here. ³⁸ If it is well written and to the point, I am pleased; if it is poorly written and uninteresting, I have still done my best. ³⁹ We know it is unhealthy to drink wine or water alone, whereas wine mixed with water makes a delightfully tasty drink. So also a good story skillfully written gives pleasure to those who read it. With this I conclude.