3 Maccabees 4-7

Common English Bible

Rounding up the Jews

4 Wherever this decree was read, a feast was arranged for the Gentiles at public expense with shouts of joy. Their deep, long-standing hatred was now openly being revealed. ² But among the Jews, there were constant grief, lament, and crying. Everywhere their hearts were on fire as they groaned and bewailed the unexpected destruction that the king had suddenly inflicted on them. ³ What district or city, or what inhabited place of any kind, or what streets weren’t filled with grieving and weeping for them? ⁴ They were being sent off together by the generals in every city in a merciless and cruel manner. At the sight of these unusual punishments, even some of the Jews’ enemies wept over their most miserable expulsion, for they saw their pitiable state and reflected on the uncertain outcome of life. ⁵ A multitude of gray-haired, elderly men were being led away, bent over with age, their feet plodding along under the distress of a forced, swift march, with no consideration given to their age. ⁶ Young women, who had just entered the bridal bedroom for the sharing of life, exchanged joy for weeping and sprinkled dust on their hair that was still wet with perfume. They were led away with their heads bare and began to sing a funeral song together in place of a wedding song, as they were roughly handled by the cruel treatment of a foreign nation.^{[a] 7} These captives were violently dragged away in public view to be put on board ship. ⁸ Their husbands, in the prime of their youth, had ropes tied around their necks instead of festive garlands. They spent the remaining days of their wedding festivities weeping rather than celebrating and enjoying youthful amusements, seeing the grave already yawning at their feet. ⁹ They were driven like animals, constrained by the power of iron chains. Some were fastened by the neck to the ship’s benches; some were secured by their feet with unbreakable shackles. ¹⁰ Moreover, they were plunged into total darkness due to thick planks positioned above them so that they would receive the treatment due traitors throughout the entire voyage.

¹¹ When these people had been brought to the place called Schedia, and the voyage was finished, just as the king had decreed, Ptolemy ordered the captives to be encamped on the outskirts of the city in the racecourse. This stadium had been built with an immense perimeter and was very well placed for providing a public spectacle to all those returning home to the city and to those setting out from the city into the country for a trip abroad. The captives had no communication at all with the king’s forces, nor were they considered worthy of the protection of the city wall. ¹² When this was done, the king heard that their fellow Jews were frequently going forth from the city in secret to express sympathy for the shameful misery of their kindred. ¹³ He became very angry and gave an order to deal with these people in exactly the same thorough fashion as the others, not leaving out any part of their punishment. ¹⁴ The entire tribe was to be registered by name—no longer for the service of hard labor described earlier, but to be tortured with the prescribed punishments and, in the end, to be killed within a single day. ¹⁵ So the process of drawing up a list of these people was carried out with cruel eagerness and intense diligence from the rising of the sun until its setting, coming to an end, though still incomplete, after forty days.

¹⁶ Filled with constant joy, the king organized banquets at the sites of all his idols. With a mind that had strayed far from the truth and with a polluted mouth, he praised objects that were deaf and unable to speak or give aid, but he spoke improper words against the supreme God. ¹⁷ At the end of the forty days, the clerks reported to the king that they were no longer able to complete the task of drawing up a list of all the Jews because of their countless number. ¹⁸ Though the majority were still in the country, some still in their homes, and some even on-site,^[b] the job had become impossible for all the generals in Egypt. ¹⁹ After the king had threatened the clerks severely, claiming that they had accepted money to arrange a plan of escape, he came to be convinced ²⁰ when they explained and offered proof that both the paper supply and the reed pens that they were using had already run out. ²¹ But this happened by the invincible providence of the one who was giving the Jews help from heaven.

Sleep foils the king’s plan

5 Then the king, completely stubborn and filled with extreme rage and bitterness, called for Hermon the elephant keeper. ² He ordered him to drug all the elephants—five hundred in number—with heaping handfuls of frankincense and much unmixed wine on the following day. When the abundant quantity of drink had driven them wild, Hermon was to bring them in so that the Jews might meet their doom. ³ When Ptolemy had given these commands, he went back to his partying, having gathered those of his friends and of the army who were especially hostile toward the Jews. ⁴ But Hermon the elephant keeper promptly began to carry out the orders. ⁵ The servants in charge of the Jews went out in the evening, bound the hands of those enduring this distress, and arranged for their continued custody through the night. They expected that the entire race would come to a ruinous end. ⁶ To the Gentiles it seemed that the Jews were entirely without refuge, since in their chains, distress surrounded them on every side. ⁷ But with persistent cries and tears they all called upon their almighty Lord and merciful God and father, who rules over every power. They continued to pray ⁸ that he would turn away the evil plot against them and rescue them with a glorious display of power from their impending fate. ⁹ So their prayer rose earnestly to heaven.

¹⁰ Now when Hermon had made the savage elephants drunk so that they were full of a great quantity of wine and drugged with frankincense, he came to the palace courtyard early in the morning to report to the king. ¹¹ But God sent to the king a portion of sleep, the precious creation from before recorded time, granted night and day by the one who gives it generously to whomever he wishes. ¹² By the Lord’s doing, the king was overcome by a most pleasant and deep sleep,^[c] such that he utterly failed in his unlawful purpose and was completely cheated out of his stubborn plan. ¹³ And the Jews, having escaped the announced hour, praised their holy God and again prayed that the one who is quickly reconciled to his people would show the might of his exceedingly strong hand to the arrogant Gentiles.

¹⁴ When it was almost the middle of the tenth hour, the person in charge of the invitations, seeing that the guests were gathered, approached the king and nudged him ¹⁵ After waking him with some difficulty, he informed him that the time of the banquet was already slipping by, and gave him an account concerning the matter. ¹⁶ The king, after considering this, returned to his drinking and commanded those who were present at the banquet to recline across from him. ¹⁷ When this had been done, he urged the guests to give themselves over to feasting and to make up for the lost time by celebrating all the more now. ¹⁸ After the party had been going on for some time, the king called Hermon in and asked him, with angry threats, why the Jews had been permitted to remain alive through the present day. ¹⁹ But Hermon pointed out that he had fully carried out the orders at night, and his friends confirmed his story. ²⁰ So the king, with a savagery worse than the tyrant Phalaris, said that the Jews could be grateful for today’s sleep, but “Tomorrow,” he said, “without delay, prepare the elephants in the same way for the destruction of the unseemly Jews.” ²¹ So the king spoke, and when all those present gave their unanimous approval readily and joyfully, they all departed for their own homes. ²² But they didn’t spend their night sleeping so much as devising all kinds of insults for those who seemed to be doomed.

Forgetfulness foils the king’s plan

²³ By dawn, when the roosters began to crow, Hermon had outfitted the beasts and started them moving along in the great colonnade. ²⁴ Crowds of people from throughout the city gathered for the most sorry spectacle and were eagerly awaiting the early morning. ²⁵ The Jews were at their last gasp, since time was short. With tearful prayer and mournful sounds, they stretched out their hands to heaven and begged the supreme God to help them again quickly. ²⁶ Before the rays of the sun were scattered across the sky, while the king was receiving his friends, Hermon approached him and invited him to come out, indicating that the king’s desire was ready to be put into action. ²⁷ When he heard this, the king was surprised at the unusual invitation to come out from the palace. He was completely overcome by confusion, and he asked what it was that they had worked so hard to prepare for him. ²⁸ Now this was God’s doing, the God who is Lord over all things, who had placed in the king’s mind forgetfulness of the schemes that he had previously devised. ²⁹ Hermon and all the king’s friends pointed out, “The beasts and the forces have been prepared, Your Majesty, according to your careful plan.”

³⁰ But at these words the king was filled with extreme wrath because the providence of God had scattered every thought of his concerning these matters. He glared threateningly at Hermon and said, ³¹ “If your parents or children were here, I would have them prepared^[d] as a lavish meal for wild animals instead of the Jews. They are blameless as far as I’m concerned, and have demonstrated constant loyalty above all others toward my ancestors. ³² Indeed, if it weren’t for the affection of our common upbringing and your service, you would’ve been deprived of life instead of them.” ³³ So Hermon endured an unexpected and dangerous threat, and his eyes and face showed his dismay. ³⁴ One by one the king’s friends slipped away sullenly, and the guests were dismissed, each to his own business. ³⁵ Now when the Jews heard about what the king had said, they praised God, the Lord, the king of kings, who had made his power apparent in giving them this assistance.

³⁶ Now the king resumed the entire banquet, according to the same rules, and began inviting the guests to return to their celebration. ³⁷ He summoned Hermon and said with a threat, “How often, you sorry creature, must I command you concerning these same matters? ³⁸ Equip the elephants yet again for the destruction of the Jews tomorrow.” ³⁹ But the king’s officials, who were reclining at the table with him, were taken aback by his unstable mind and began to protest as follows: ⁴⁰ “Your Majesty, how long will you test us, as though we were fools, giving an order a third time to destroy the Jews and again reversing your decisions? ⁴¹ As a result, the city is in an uproar because of its expectation. It is already swarming with mobs and is very much at risk of being plundered.” ⁴² At that point the king, a Phalaris in every way, was filled with madness and gave no thought at all to the change of heart that had come about in him concerning the punishment of the Jews. He firmly swore an irrevocable pledge that he would send these people to the grave^[e] without delay, mangled by the knees and feet of the beasts. ⁴³ He swore he would march against Judea and swiftly burn it to the ground with fire and spear. Their temple, which he hadn’t been allowed to enter, he would level with fire, ridding it forever of those who performed sacrifices there. ⁴⁴ Then the friends and officials departed with joy and confidently assigned the armed forces to the places in the city that were best for keeping watch.

Horror at the racecourse

⁴⁵ Now the elephant keeper drove the beasts almost to a state of madness with the most fragrant drinks, namely, wine mixed with incense, and he equipped them with frightful trappings. ⁴⁶ Around dawn, when the city was already filled with countless crowds moving toward the racecourse, he entered the palace and urged the king on to the matter at hand. ⁴⁷ So the king, filled with rage, rushed out with all fierceness to join the beasts. He wanted to witness with steely heart and with his own eyes the painful and miserable destruction of the previously mentioned people. ⁴⁸ The Jews saw the dust cloud created by the elephants going out at the gate, the armed force following them, and the marching of the crowd, and they heard the noisy ruckus. ⁴⁹ Thinking that this was their final moment of life, the fulfillment of their most wretched fear, they gave themselves over to pitiful wailing and weeping. They began to kiss each other, embracing their families and throwing themselves upon each other’s shoulders, parents to children and mothers to daughters. Other women had their newborn infants at their breasts drawing their last milk. ⁵⁰ Nevertheless, when they took into consideration the assistance that they had previously received from heaven, they took their infants away from their breasts and all together bowed down. ⁵¹ They cried out with a very loud voice, pleading with the Lord of all power to have mercy on them by intervening, since they now stood at the gates of death.

Prayer of Eleazar

6 Now a certain Eleazar was a distinguished person among the priests from the country. He had attained an advanced age, and throughout his life he had displayed every virtue. He restrained the elders around him from calling on the holy God, while he prayed as follows:

God delivers the Jews

¹⁶ Now as Eleazar was concluding his prayer, the king arrived at the racecourse with the beasts and all the arrogance of his power. ¹⁷ When the Jews saw this, they cried out to heaven so loudly that even the nearby valleys echoed, putting the army into a panic. ¹⁸ Then the most glorious, almighty, and true God showed forth his holy face and opened the heavenly gates. Two glorified angels of frightful appearance descended, visible to all except the Jews. ¹⁹ They opposed the power of the enemies, filled them with confusion and dread, and made them freeze in their tracks as with shackles. ²⁰ Even the body of the king gave a slight shudder, and he forgot his sullen arrogance. ²¹ The elephants turned back on the armed forces that were following them, and they began to trample and destroy them.

²² The king’s anger was changed into pity and tears because of the schemes that he had previously devised. ²³ When he heard the loud cry and saw the Jews all lying on the ground awaiting destruction, he wept and violently threatened his friends, saying, ²⁴ “You have used your power badly and acted more savagely than tyrants. You are now attempting to rob even me, your benefactor, of my rule and my life. Secretly you devise things that are of no advantage to the kingdom. ²⁵ Who has driven from their homes those who have faithfully commanded the fortresses of our country? Who has senselessly gathered them all in this place? ²⁶ Who has so unjustly rewarded those who from the beginning differed from all the nations in their goodwill toward us in every way, and who often have taken upon themselves the worst human dangers by mistreating them on every side? ²⁷ Release them from those undeserved chains! Send them in peace back to their homes, and seek forgiveness for the deeds that have been done. ²⁸ Free the children of the almighty, living God of heaven, who from the days of our ancestors until now has given our kingdom constant and notable stability.” ²⁹ So the king said these things, and the Jews, who were released immediately, praised their holy God and savior, since they had just now escaped death.

Celebration of deliverance

³⁰ Then the king went back into the city and called for the official in charge of the treasury. He ordered him to supply the Jews with wines and everything else needed for a seven-day festival. The king decided that the Jews should celebrate their rescue with all joy in the same place where they thought they would meet destruction. ³¹ So the people who previously had been disgraced and stood near death—at its very brink!—prepared for a festival of deliverance instead of a bitter and most mournful fate. The place that had been prepared for their ruin and burial was joyfully divided up among people in celebration. ³² They stopped singing their sad songs of lament and took up an ancient hymn in praise of their rescuer, the wonder-working God.^[g] They threw aside all weeping and wailing and instead sang songs in organized groups as a sign of peaceful joy. ³³ The king also assembled a huge banquet because of these events. He kept giving generous praise to heaven for the remarkable rescue that he^[h] had experienced. ³⁴ Those who had previously believed that the Jews would be destroyed and would become food for the birds, and who had drawn up the lists of their names and goods with delight, now groaned. For they were clothed with shame, and the fire of their boldness had been thoroughly doused.

³⁵ The Jews, as we said before, organized singing groups and spent their time in celebration with cheerful thanksgiving psalms. ³⁶ They decided that this would be a holiday to be observed for generations to come by the Jewish community living in exile there. The festival would be kept in a spirit of celebration, not as an excuse for overeating and getting drunk but because of the rescue that God had accomplished for them. ³⁷ They appealed to the king, asking for his permission to return to their homes.

³⁸ The drawing up of the lists of names was conducted from the twenty-fifth of Pachon^[i] to the fourth of Epiphi,^[j] over a period of forty days; and their destruction was planned for the fifth of Epiphi until the seventh, a period of three days. ³⁹ But also during those days the Lord of all gloriously displayed his mercy and brought them through without harm, each and every one. ⁴⁰ So being well supplied by the king, they feasted until the fourteenth day, on which day they made the petition concerning their return.

Ptolemy Philopator’s letter

Punishment of Jewish lawbreakers

¹⁰ When the Jews received this letter, they didn’t rush to depart. Instead, they petitioned the king that they might carry out the punishment deserved by those Jews who had voluntarily turned aside from the holy God and God’s Law. ¹¹ They insisted that those who had broken divine laws for the sake of the belly would never be reliable subjects under the king’s government either. ¹² The king recognized and agreed that they were speaking the truth. So he gave them a free hand to utterly destroy those who had violated God’s Law in every place within his kingdom, and to do so with confidence and without needing royal approval or supervision. ¹³ Then they applauded him, as was fitting, and their priests and all the crowd shouted the Hallelujah joyously and departed. ¹⁴ On their way they punished and killed any fellow Jews they came upon who had polluted themselves, making a public example of them. ¹⁵ On that day they killed more than three hundred persons, a day that they also observed as a joyous festival since they had subdued the renegades. ¹⁶ But those who had held fast to God to the point of death, having obtained the complete reward of deliverance, set out from the city crowned with all kinds of the most fragrant flowers, celebrating and shouting, giving thanks with praises and beautiful hymns to the God of their ancestors, the eternal savior of Israel.

The Jews return home

¹⁷ The Jews arrived at Ptolemais, named “Rose-bearing” because of a distinctive feature of the place, where the fleet waited for them for seven days in line with their common desire. ¹⁸ There they toasted their rescue, since the king had generously supplied them, each and every one, with all things they needed until their arrival at their own homes. ¹⁹ When they had reached their land in peace, there too, in like manner with appropriate expressions of thanks, they decided to observe these days as a festival for as long as they lived in Egypt. ²⁰ They inscribed the record of these events on a pillar and dedicated a place of prayer at the site of the festival. Then they departed unharmed, free, and overjoyed, being safely returned by land, sea, and river to their own homes, by the king’s command. ²¹ They gained more influence among their enemies than they had had previously, and were held in honor and awe. No one at all kept back their possessions from them. ²² The Jews recovered all their property in keeping with the lists that had been previously drawn up, with the result that those who held anything of theirs returned it to them with the greatest deference, for the supreme God had perfectly performed mighty deeds for their salvation. ²³ Bless the rescuer of Israel from now to eternity! Amen.