1 Maccabees 15
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Letter of Antiochus VII
15 Anti′ochus, the son of Deme′trius the king, sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to all the nation; 2 its contents were as follows: “King Anti′ochus to Simon the high priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the Jews, greeting. 3 Whereas certain pestilent men have gained control of the kingdom of our fathers, and I intend to lay claim to the kingdom so that I may restore it as it formerly was, and have recruited a host of mercenary troops and have equipped warships, 4 and intend to make a landing in the country so that I may proceed against those who have destroyed our country and those who have devastated many cities in my kingdom, 5 now therefore I confirm to you all the tax remissions that the kings before me have granted you, and release from all the other payments from which they have released you. 6 I permit you to mint your own coinage as money for your country, 7 and I grant freedom to Jerusalem and the sanctuary. All the weapons which you have prepared and the strongholds which you have built and now hold shall remain yours. 8 Every debt you owe to the royal treasury and any such future debts shall be canceled for you from henceforth and for all time. 9 When we gain control of our kingdom, we will bestow great honor upon you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will become manifest in all the earth.”
10 In the one hundred and seventy-fourth year[a] Anti′ochus set out and invaded the land of his fathers. All the troops rallied to him, so that there were few with Trypho. 11 Anti′ochus pursued him, and he came in his flight to Dor, which is by the sea; 12 for he knew that troubles had converged upon him, and his troops had deserted him. 13 So Anti′ochus encamped against Dor, and with him were a hundred and twenty thousand warriors and eight thousand cavalry. 14 He surrounded the city, and the ships joined battle from the sea; he pressed the city hard from land and sea, and permitted no one to leave or enter it.
Rome Supports the Jews
15 Then Nume′nius and his companions arrived from Rome, with letters to the kings and countries, in which the following was written: 16 “Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptol′emy, greeting. 17 The envoys of the Jews have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our ancient friendship and alliance. They had been sent by Simon the high priest and by the people of the Jews, 18 and have brought a gold shield weighing a thousand minas. 19 We therefore have decided to write to the kings and countries that they should not seek their harm or make war against them and their cities and their country, or make alliance with those who war against them. 20 And it has seemed good to us to accept the shield from them. 21 Therefore if any pestilent men have fled to you from their country, hand them over to Simon the high priest, that he may punish them according to their law.”
22 The consul[b] wrote the same thing to Deme′trius the king and to At′talus and Ariar′athes and Ar′saces, 23 and to all the countries, and to Sam′psames,[c] and to the Spartans, and to Delos, and to Myndos, and to Sic′yon, and to Ca′ria, and to Samos, and to Pamphyl′ia, and to Lyc′ia, and to Halicarnas′sus, and to Rhodes, and to Phase′lis, and to Cos, and to Side, and to Ar′adus and Gorty′na and Cnidus and Cyprus and Cyre′ne. 24 They also sent a copy of these things to Simon the high priest.
Antiochus VII Threatens Simon
25 Anti′ochus the king besieged Dor anew,[d] continually throwing his forces against it and making engines of war; and he shut Trypho up and kept him from going out or in. 26 And Simon sent to Anti′ochus two thousand picked men, to fight for him, and silver and gold and much military equipment. 27 But he refused to receive them, and he broke all the agreements he formerly had made with Simon,[e] and became estranged from him. 28 He sent to him Athenob′ius, one of his friends, to confer with him, saying, “You hold control of Joppa and Gazar′a and the citadel in Jerusalem; they are cities of my kingdom. 29 You have devastated their territory, you have done great damage in the land, and you have taken possession of many places in my kingdom. 30 Now then, hand over the cities which you have seized and the tribute money of the places which you have conquered outside the borders of Judea; 31 or else give me for them five hundred talents of silver, and for the destruction that you have caused and the tribute money of the cities, five hundred talents more. Otherwise we will come and conquer you.”
32 So Athenob′ius the friend of the king came to Jerusalem, and when he saw the splendor of Simon, and the sideboard with its gold and silver plate, and his great magnificence, he was amazed. He reported to him the words of the king, 33 but Simon gave him this reply: “We have neither taken foreign land nor seized foreign property, but only the inheritance of our fathers, which at one time had been unjustly taken by our enemies. 34 Now that we have the opportunity, we are firmly holding the inheritance of our fathers. 35 As for Joppa and Gazar′a, which you demand, they were causing great damage among the people and to our land; for them we will give a hundred talents.” Athenob′ius[f] did not answer him a word, 36 but returned in wrath to the king and reported to him these words and the splendor of Simon and all that he had seen. And the king was greatly angered.
Victory over Cendebeus
37 Now Trypho embarked on a ship and escaped to Ortho′sia. 38 Then the king made Cendebe′us commander-in-chief of the coastal country, and gave him troops of infantry and cavalry. 39 He commanded him to encamp against Judea, and commanded him to build up Kedron and fortify its gates, and to make war on the people; but the king pursued Trypho. 40 So Cendebe′us came to Jam′nia and began to provoke the people and invade Judea and take the people captive and kill them. 41 He built up Kedron and stationed there horsemen and troops, so that they might go out and make raids along the highways of Judea, as the king had ordered him.
Footnotes
- 1 Maccabees 15:10 138 b.c.
- 1 Maccabees 15:22 Gk He
- 1 Maccabees 15:23 The name is uncertain
- 1 Maccabees 15:25 Or on the second day
- 1 Maccabees 15:27 Gk him
- 1 Maccabees 15:35 Gk he
Sirach 36-37
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
A Prayer for God’s People
36 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, the God of all, and look upon us,
2 and cause the fear of thee to fall upon all the nations.
3 Lift up thy hand against foreign nations
and let them see thy might.
4 As in us thou hast been sanctified before them,
so in them be thou magnified before us;
5 and let them know thee, as we have known
that there is not God but thee, O Lord.
6 Show signs anew, and work further wonders;
make thy hand and thy right arm glorious.
7 Rouse thy anger and pour out thy wrath;
destroy the adversary and wipe out the enemy.
8 Hasten the day, and remember the appointed time,[a]
and let people recount thy mighty deeds.
9 Let him who survives be consumed in the fiery wrath,
and may those who harm thy people meet destruction.
10 Crush the heads of the rulers of the enemy,
who say, “There is no one but ourselves.”
11 Gather all the tribes of Jacob,
and give[b] them their inheritance, as at the beginning.
12 Have mercy, O Lord, upon the people called by thy name,
upon Israel, whom thou hast likened to a[c] first-born son.
13 Have pity on the city of thy sanctuary,[d]
Jerusalem, the place of thy rest.
14 Fill Zion with the celebration of thy wondrous deeds,
and thy temple[e] with thy glory.
15 Bear witness to those whom thou didst create in the beginning,
and fulfil the prophecies spoken in thy name.
16 Reward those who wait for thee,
and let thy prophets be found trustworthy.
17 Hearken, O Lord, to the prayer of thy servants,
according to the blessing of Aaron for thy people,
and all who are on the earth will know
that thou art the Lord, the God of the ages.
Concerning Discrimination
18 The stomach will take any food,
yet one food is better than another.
19 As the palate tastes the kinds of game,
so an intelligent mind detects false words.
20 A perverse mind will cause grief,
but a man of experience will pay him back.
21 A woman will accept any man,
but one daughter is better than another.
22 A woman’s beauty gladdens the countenance,
and surpasses every human desire.
23 If kindness and humility mark her speech,
her husband is not like other men.
24 He who acquires a wife gets his best possession,[f]
a helper fit for him and a pillar of support.[g]
25 Where there is no fence, the property will be plundered;
and where there is no wife, a man will wander about and sigh.
26 For who will trust a nimble robber
that skips from city to city?
So who will trust a man that has no home,
and lodges wherever night finds him?
False Friends
37 Every friend will say, “I too am a friend”;
but some friends are friends only in name.
2 Is it not a grief to the death
when a companion and friend turns to enmity?
3 O evil imagination, why were you formed
to cover the land with deceit?
4 Some companions rejoice in the happiness of a friend,
but in time of trouble are against him.
5 Some companions help a friend for their stomach’s sake,
and in the face of battle take up the shield.
6 Do not forget a friend in your heart,
and be not unmindful of him in your wealth.
Caution in Taking Advice
7 Every counselor praises counsel,
but some give counsel in their own interest.
8 Be wary of a counselor,
and learn first what is his interest—
for he will take thought for himself—
lest he cast the lot against you
9 and tell you, “Your way is good,”
and then stand aloof to see what will happen to you.
10 Do not consult the one who looks at you suspiciously;
hide your counsel from those who are jealous of you.
11 Do not consult with a woman about her rival
or with a coward about war,
with a merchant about barter
or with a buyer about selling,
with a grudging man about gratitude
or with a merciless man about kindness,
with an idler about any work
or with a man hired for a year about completing his work,
with a lazy servant about a big task—
pay no attention to these in any matter of counsel.
12 But stay constantly with a godly man
whom you know to be a keeper of the commandments,
whose soul is in accord with your soul,
and who will sorrow with you if you fail.
13 And establish the counsel of your own heart,
for no one is more faithful to you than it is.
14 For a man’s soul sometimes keeps him better informed
than seven watchmen sitting high on a watchtower.
15 And besides all this pray to the Most High
that he may direct your way in truth.
True and False Wisdom
16 Reason is the beginning of every work,
and counsel precedes every undertaking.
17 As a clue to changes of heart
18 four turns of fortune appear,
good and evil, life and death;
and it is the tongue that continually rules them.
19 A man may be shrewd and the teacher of many,
and yet be unprofitable to himself.
20 A man skilled in words may be hated;
he will be destitute of all food,
21 for grace was not given him by the Lord,
since he is lacking in all wisdom.
22 A man may be wise to his own advantage,
and the fruits of his understanding may be trustworthy on his lips.
23 A wise man will instruct his own people,
and the fruits of his understanding will be trustworthy.
24 A wise man will have praise heaped upon him,
and all who see him will call him happy.
25 The life of a man is numbered by days,
but the days of Israel are without number.
26 He who is wise among his people will inherit confidence,[h]
and his name will live for ever.
Concerning Moderation
27 My son, test your soul while you live;
see what is bad for it and do not give it that.
28 For not everything is good for every one,
and not every person enjoys everything.
29 Do not have an insatiable appetite for any luxury,
and do not give yourself up to food;
30 for overeating brings sickness,
and gluttony leads to nausea.
31 Many have died of gluttony,
but he who is careful to avoid it prolongs his life.
Footnotes
- Sirach 36:8 Other authorities read remember thy oath
- Sirach 36:11 Other authorities read I gave
- Sirach 36:12 Other authorities read hast named thy
- Sirach 36:13 Or on thy holy city
- Sirach 36:14 Heb Syr: Gk Vg people
- Sirach 36:24 Heb: Gk enters upon a possession
- Sirach 36:24 Heb: Gk rest
- Sirach 37:26 Other authorities read honor
Proverbs 23:26-28
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
26 My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe[a] my ways.
27 For a harlot is a deep pit;
an adventuress is a narrow well.
28 She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the faithless among men.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:26 Another reading is delight in
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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