2 Maccabees 10:9-15:36

New Catholic Bible

The Acquisition of Religious Freedom^[a]

The War against Lysias, Minister of Antiochus V

The Threat to Peace. ⁹ Such were the circumstances surrounding the death of Antiochus who was called Epiphanes. ¹⁰ Now we will relate what took place under Antiochus Eupator, the son of that godless man, and offer a brief summary of the evils that resulted from his wars. ¹¹ When Eupator succeeded to the throne, he appointed a man named Lysias^[b] to be in charge of the government as commander-in-chief of Coelesyria and Phoenicia. ¹² Ptolemy, who was called Macron, had taken the lead in treating the Jews fairly to atone for the previous injustices that they had suffered, and he endeavored to maintain peaceful relations with them. ¹³ As a result, he was denounced before Eupator by the King’s Friends. He heard himself called a traitor at every turn because he had abandoned Cyprus, which Philometor had entrusted to him, and had transferred his allegiance to Antiochus Epiphanes. Unable to command the respect due his office, he took poison and thereby ended his life.

¹⁴ Judas Punishes the Idumeans.^[c] When Gorgias became governor of the region, he hired a force of mercenaries and maintained a state of war with the Jews. ¹⁵ At the same time, the Idumeans,^[d] who controlled some strategic fortresses, were harassing the Jews, as they welcomed fugitives from Jerusalem and made every effort to continue the war. ¹⁶ Maccabeus and his forces offered public prayers, entreating God to support their efforts, and then launched an assault against the Idumean strongholds. ¹⁷ Attacking them energetically, they captured these vantage positions, driving off all who manned the walls, and slaughtered all those whom they encountered, killing no fewer than twenty thousand men.

¹⁸ At least nine thousand of the enemy took refuge in two exceedingly strong towers that were fully equipped to withstand a siege. ¹⁹ Maccabeus left behind Simon and Joseph, as well as Zacchaeus and his troops, comprising a force sufficient to besiege them, while he himself set out for zones where he was more urgently needed. ²⁰ However, Simon’s men were avaricious, and they allowed themselves to be bribed by some of those who were in the towers. After receiving seventy thousand drachmas, they permitted a number of them to slip away. ²¹ When Maccabeus was told what had happened, he assembled the leaders of the people and denounced those men for having sold their kindred for money by freeing their enemies to fight against them. ²² Then he executed them as traitors and immediately captured both towers. ²³ Since he was successful in everything he undertook by force of arms, he slaughtered more than twenty thousand men in the two strongholds.

²⁴ Judas Defeats Timothy and Captures Gezer.^[e] Timothy, who had been defeated by the Jews once before, now gathered an enormous force of mercenaries and considerable numbers of cavalry from Asia. Then he marched into Judea, intending to take it by storm. ²⁵ At his approach, Maccabeus and his men made supplication to God, sprinkling dust upon their heads and girding their loins with sackcloth. ²⁶ Prostrating themselves on the steps in front of the altar, they implored him to support them in their struggle, and, as the law states, to be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their adversaries.

²⁷ After their prayer, they took up their weapons and advanced a considerable distance from the city, coming to a halt when they were near the enemy. ²⁸ Just as dawn was breaking, the two armies joined battle, the one having as a pledge of success and victory not only their own valor, but also their reliance on the Lord, whereas the other had only their own fury to sustain them in battle.

²⁹ When the fighting reached its height, there appeared to the enemy from the heavens five magnificent men, each astride a horse with a golden bridle, and they placed themselves in the forefront of the Jews. ³⁰ Surrounding Maccabeus and shielding him with their own armor, they kept him from being wounded. Meanwhile, they propelled arrows and thunderbolts at the enemy, leaving them confused and blinded so that they were thrown into complete disarray and routed. ³¹ Twenty thousand five hundred of their infantry were slain, in addition to six hundred cavalry.

³² Timothy himself fled to a strongly garrisoned citadel called Gazara,^[f] where Chaereas was in command. ³³ For four days Maccabeus and his forces eagerly besieged the fortress, ³⁴ while the men inside, their confidence buoyed by their belief in the security of the place, continued to taunt them with terrible blasphemies and abominable insults. ³⁵ At daybreak on the fifth day, twenty young men in the army of Maccabeus, infuriated at the blasphemies, bravely stormed the wall and with savage fury, cut down everyone they encountered. ³⁶ Others who came up in a similar way attacked the defenders from the rear and set fire to the towers while starting other fires in which the blasphemers were burned alive. Still others broke down the gates and let in the rest of the troops, who then took possession of the city. ³⁷ Timothy, who had hidden in a cistern, was slain, along with his brother Chaereas, and Apollophanes. ³⁸ When they had accomplished all of these exploits, they offered hymns of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord who had shown such great kindness to Israel and given them the victory.

Chapter 11

Lysias Must Deal with the Jews.^{[g] 1} Very soon after that, Lysias, the guardian and kinsman of the king, who was in charge of the government, became greatly angered at what had occurred. ² He mustered about eighty thousand foot soldiers and all of his cavalry and advanced against the Jews. His intent was to make Jerusalem a settlement for Greeks, ³ to levy a tax^[h] on the temple as he did on the shrines of other nations, and to put the office of high priest up for sale every year. ⁴ He gave no consideration whatsoever to the power of God, for he was supremely confident in his infantry numbering in the tens of thousands, and in his thousands of cavalry and his eighty elephants. ⁵ Therefore, he invaded Judea, and when he reached Beth-zur, a fortified place about twenty miles distant from Jerusalem, he launched a strong attack against it.

⁶ When Maccabeus and his men were informed that Lysias was besieging the strongholds, they and all the people implored the Lord with lamentations and tears to send a good angel to deliver Israel. ⁷ Maccabeus himself was the first to take up arms, and he urged the others to join him in risking their lives to save their fellow Jews. Then they all resolutely set out together. ⁸ And while they were still near Jerusalem, a horseman suddenly appeared at their head, clothed in white and brandishing weapons of gold. ⁹ Together they united in praising their merciful God, and they were so filled with a spirit of courage that they were ready to attack not only men, but even the most savage beasts and walls of iron. ¹⁰ They advanced in battle order with the aid of their heavenly ally, for the Lord had shown mercy toward them. ¹¹ They charged like lions against the enemy and laid low eleven thousand of them, in addition to sixteen hundred cavalry, and the remaining forces they put to flight. ¹² Most of those who escaped were wounded and without their weapons, and Lysias himself escaped only by taking flight in a cowardly manner.

¹³ However, Lysias was not lacking in intelligence, and as he reflected upon the defeat he had experienced, he came to the realization that the Hebrews were invincible because the all-powerful God fought on their side. Therefore, he sent emissaries to them ¹⁴ to convince them to settle everything on terms that were fair to both sides, and he promised to persuade the king to be their friend. ¹⁵ Solicitous for the common good, Maccabeus agreed to everything that Lysias proposed, and the king granted every request on behalf of the Jews that Maccabeus submitted in writing to Lysias.

¹⁶ Lysias Writes to the Jews. This is the tenor of the letter that Lysias wrote to the Jews: “Lysias sends greetings to the Jewish people. ¹⁷ John and Absalom, your envoys, have delivered to me your signed communication and inquired about the matters put forth in it. ¹⁸ Anything that required the king’s attention, I referred to him, and he has agreed to whatever was possible. ¹⁹ If you maintain your goodwill toward the government, I will endeavor to promote your well-being in the future. ²⁰ As to whatever concerns the details of these matters, I have authorized your envoys and my representatives to confer with you. ²¹ Farewell. The twenty-fourth day of Dioscorinthius, in the year one hundred and forty-eight.”^[i]

²² Antiochus Eupator Writes to Lysias. The king’s letter read as follows: “King Antiochus sends greetings to his brother Lysias. ²³ Now that our father has taken his place among the gods, we desire that the subjects of our realm be left undisturbed in the conduct of their own affairs. ²⁴ We have heard that the Jews are opposed to our father’s policy concerning the adoption of Greek customs but rather prefer their own way of life and request that they be permitted to observe their own laws. ²⁵ Accordingly, since it is our will that this nation too should be free from disturbance, we decree that their temple shall be restored to them and that they be allowed to live in accordance with the customs of their ancestors. ²⁶ Therefore, please send them word of our pledges of friendship so that, informed of our policy, they may be reassured and go contentedly about their business.”

²⁷ The king’s letter to the people was in these terms: “King Antiochus sends greetings to the Jewish senate and to the rest of the Jews. ²⁸ If you are well, this is our wish. We ourselves are also enjoying good health. ²⁹ Menelaus^[j] has informed us of your wish to return home and attend to your own affairs. ³⁰ Therefore, those who return by the thirtieth day of Xanthicus will have our pledge that they will be permitted ³¹ to observe their own dietary laws and other laws as formerly, and none of them will be molested in any way for offenses committed as a result of ignorance. ³² I am also sending Menelaus to assure you. ³³ Farewell. The fifteenth day of Xanthicus in the year one hundred and forty-eight.”^[k]

³⁴ The Romans Write to the Jews. The Romans also sent a letter to the Jews, which read as follows: “Quintus Memmius and Titus Manius, legates of the Romans, send greetings to the Jewish people. ³⁵ Whatever Lysias, the kinsman of the king, has granted you, we also approve. ³⁶ In regard to those matters that he has submitted to the king for judgment, as soon as you have considered them, send someone to us without delay that we may make suitable proposals on your behalf, for we are on our way to Antioch. ³⁷ Therefore, do not lose any time in sending messengers to us to inform us about your opinions. ³⁸ Farewell. The fifteenth day of Xanthicus in the year one hundred and forty-eight.”

Chapter 12

Judas Punishes Joppa and Jamnia. ¹ After these agreements had been concluded, Lysias returned to the king and the Jews reapplied themselves to their farming. ² However, some of the governors in the region—Timothy and Apollonius, the son of Gennaeus,^[l] as well as Hieronymus and Demophon, and Nicanor, the commander of the Cyprians—would not allow the Jews to live quietly and in peace.

³ The people of Joppa committed a particularly wicked atrocity: they invited the Jews who lived among them, together with their wives and children, to set out on boats that they had provided. There was no indication of any animosity toward the Jews.^{[m] 4} There had been a public vote of the city in this regard, and the Jews accepted, since they suspected no treachery and wished to live in peace. The people of Joppa took them out to sea and drowned at least two hundred of them.

⁵ As soon as Judas learned of this act of cruelty perpetrated against his compatriots, he issued orders to his men, ⁶ and after calling upon God, the just judge, he attacked the murderers of his kindred. He set fire to the harbor during a nighttime attack, burned the boats, and put to the sword those who had taken refuge there. ⁷ Then, because the gates of the town were closed, he withdrew, intending to return later and wipe out the entire community of Joppa.

⁸ However, after learning that the people of Jamnia planned to deal in the same way with the Jews who lived among them, ⁹ he attacked the Jamnians by night and set fire to the harbor and the fleet, so that the glow of the flames was visible as far off as Jerusalem, thirty miles away.^[n]

¹⁰ Judas Intervenes in Galaad.^[o] When the Jews had proceeded more than a mile from there in their campaign against Timothy, they were attacked by at least five thousand Arab infantrymen supported by five hundred horsemen. ¹¹ After a fierce struggle, Judas and his companions were victorious with the help of God. The defeated nomads begged Judas to make a pact of friendship with them, and they promised to supply the Jews with cattle and to help them in every other way possible. ¹² Realizing that they might indeed be useful in many ways, Judas agreed to make peace with them, and after assurances of friendship had been exchanged, the Arabs withdrew to their tents.

¹³ Judas also attacked a town named Caspin, which was fortified by earthworks and ramparts and inhabited by a mixed population of Gentiles. ¹⁴ Confident in the strength of their walls and their stock of provisions, the besieged treated Judas and his men with contempt, insulting them and uttering blasphemies and profanity. ¹⁵ However, Judas and his men invoked the great Sovereign of the world who, without battering ram or engines of war, had overthrown Jericho in the days of Joshua. Then they stormed the wall with a savage assault. ¹⁶ They captured the town by the will of God, inflicting such an indescribable slaughter that the adjoining lake, a quarter of a mile in width, appeared to be overflowing with blood.

¹⁷ The Battle of Carnaim. When they had advanced from there about ninety-five miles, they came to Charax, which was inhabited by those Jews known as Toubiani.^{[p] 18} However, they did not find Timothy in that region, for by then he had departed from there without accomplishing anything, aside from leaving behind a very strong garrison in one place. ¹⁹ But Dositheus and Sosipater, two of the generals of Maccabeus, marched out and destroyed the force that Timothy had left behind in the stronghold, a force that numbered more than ten thousand men. ²⁰ Meanwhile, Maccabeus divided his army into cohorts, with a commander in charge of each cohort,^[q] and hurried in pursuit of Timothy, whose troops numbered one hundred and twenty thousand infantry and twenty-five hundred cavalry. ²¹ When Timothy learned of the approach of Judas, he sent off the women and the children and also the baggage to a place called Carnaim, which was hard to besiege and difficult to approach because of the narrowness of the passages of entry.

²² However, after the first cohort of Judas appeared, the enemy was stricken with terror and fear at the manifestation of the All-seeing One. In headlong flight, they scattered in every direction, so that frequently they were injured by their own comrades and run through by the points of their swords. ²³ Judas pressed the pursuit vigorously, putting the sinners to the sword and slaying as many as thirty thousand men.

²⁴ Timothy himself fell into the hands of Dositheus and Sosipater and their men, but with considerable cunning, he begged them to let him go unharmed, the reason being that he had the parents and relatives of many of them in his power and their fate was in his hands. ²⁵ When he made a solemn pledge to return those hostages unharmed, they set him free for the sake of saving their kindred. ²⁶ Judas then marched against Car-naim and the temple of Atargatis,^[r] where he slaughtered twenty-five thousand people.

²⁷ Judas Returns to Jerusalem. After the defeat and destruction of these, he led his army against Ephron, a fortified town where Lysias dwelt with people of various nationalities. Stalwart young men took up their posts in defense of the walls and made a spirited stand, while inside there were large supplies of engines of war and missiles. ²⁸ However, the Jews, having invoked the Sovereign whose power shatters the strength of his enemies, gained control of the town and killed about twenty-five thousand of the people inside. ²⁹ Then they set out from there and pushed on to Scythopolis,^[s] seventy-five miles from Jerusalem. ³⁰ But when the Jews who lived there testified to the goodwill that the people of Scythopolis had shown them, and to their kind treatment of them during times of misfortune, ³¹ Judas and his men thanked them and exhorted them to be well disposed to their race in the future also. Finally, since the Feast of Weeks^[t] was close at hand, they proceeded to Jerusalem.

³² An Engagement That Ends Badly. After the Feast of Pentecost, they marched against Gorgias, the governor of Idumea, ³³ who confronted them with three thousand foot soldiers and four hundred horsemen. ³⁴ In the course of the ensuing battle, a small number of Jews lost their lives. ³⁵ However, a man named Dositheus, one of Bacenor’s cavalry forces^[u] and an individual of great strength, caught hold of Gorgias by his cloak and forcibly dragged him along, intending to take the accursed man alive. But a Thracian horseman bore down on Dositheus and cut off his arm at the shoulder, enabling Gorgias to escape to Marisa.

³⁶ Meanwhile, inasmuch as Esdris and his men were exhausted after engaging in battle for a long time, Judas called upon the Lord to show himself their ally and leader in the battle. ³⁷ Then, raising a battle cry in his ancestral tongue, along with hymns, he launched a surprise attack and put the forces of Gorgias to flight. ³⁸ Thereupon Judas rallied his forces and advanced to the town of Adullam. Inasmuch as the seventh day of the week was at hand, they purified themselves according to custom and kept the Sabbath there.

³⁹ The Sacrifice for the Dead.^[v] On the following day, since the need had now become urgent, Judas and his men went to collect the bodies of those who had fallen and to bury them with their kindred in their ancestral tombs. ⁴⁰ However, under the tunic of each of the dead, they found amulets that were sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. Thus it was clear to everyone that this was the reason that these men had been slain. ⁴¹ And so they all praised the acts of the Lord, the just judge who reveals things that are hidden, ⁴² and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be completely blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, since they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as a result of the sin of those who had fallen.

⁴³ Then he took up a collection from all of his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this, he acted in a suitable and honorable way, guided by his belief in the resurrection.^{[w] 44} For if he had not expected those who had fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. ⁴⁵ However, if he was focusing on the splendid reward reserved for those whose death was marked by godliness, his thought was holy and devout. ⁴⁶ Therefore, he had this expiatory sacrifice offered for the dead so that they might be delivered from their sin.

Chapter 13

The End of Menelaus, the Renegade. ¹ In the year one hundred and forty-nine, Judas and his men were informed that Antiochus Eupator was advancing on Judea with a large army, and that accompanying him was Lysias, his guardian, who was in charge of the government. ² Additionally, they had a Greek force consisting of one hundred and ten thousand foot soldiers, five thousand three hundred horsemen, twenty-two elephants, and three hundred chariots armed with scythes.^[x]

³ Menelaus also joined them, and with considerable hypocrisy, he kept urging Antiochus on, not for the sake of his country’s welfare, but in the belief that he would thereby become established in office. ⁴ However, the King of kings^[y] stirred up the fury of Antiochus against this scoundrel, and when Lysias offered convincing evidence to the king that Menelaus was to blame for all the trouble, Antiochus ordered him to be taken to Beroea and executed there in the customary local manner. ⁵ In that place there is a tower seventy-five feet high, full of ashes, with a rim encircling it that slopes down precipitously on all sides into the ashes. ⁶ Anyone found guilty of sacrilege, or any other heinous crime, is taken to the top and then hurled down to destruction. ⁷ Such was the fate suffered by Menelaus,^[z] the transgressor of the law, as he died without even being given the privilege of burial in the ground. ⁸ His manner of death was eminently just, for he had committed innumerable sins against the altar whose fire and ashes were holy, and it was in ashes that he met his death.

Judas Triumphs against the Syrians at Modein. ⁹ The king then advanced with savage arrogance, aiming to inflict on the Jews far worse sufferings than they had experienced under his father. ¹⁰ When Judas learned of this, he urged the people to call upon the Lord night and day and to implore him to come to their aid now more than ever before, ¹¹ since they were in danger of being deprived of their law, their country, and the holy temple, and not to allow them, just when they had begun to revive, to once again fall into the hands of the blasphemous Gentiles. ¹² When they had all joined in this petition and had implored the merciful Lord unceasingly for three days with weeping and fasting as they prostrated themselves, Judas encouraged them and ordered them to stand ready.

¹³ After consulting privately with the elders, he decided not to wait for the king’s army to invade Judea and take possession of the city, but to march forth and resolve matters with the help of God. ¹⁴ Thus, committing the outcome to the Creator of the world and exhorting his soldiers to fight bravely to the death for the law, the temple, the city, the country, and their way of life, he pitched camp near Modein.^{[aa] 15} After giving his troops the battle cry, “God’s victory,” he made a nighttime attack on the king’s pavilion with a picked force of his bravest young warriors and killed about two thousand of the enemy in the camp, also slaying the lead elephant and its driver. ¹⁶ Eventually, they filled the camp with terror and confusion and then withdrew in triumph,^{[ab] 17} just as dawn was breaking. All this was achieved through the help and protection that Judas had received from the Lord.

¹⁸ Antiochus V Makes a Treaty with the Jews. The king, having had a taste of the daring of the Jews, resorted to strategy to capture their positions. ¹⁹ He advanced against Beth-zur, a strong fortress of the Jews, but he was checked, driven back, and defeated. ²⁰ Judas then sent whatever supplies were needed to the garrison, ²¹ but Rhodocus, a soldier in the Jewish army, passed on secret information^[ac] to the enemy. He was found out, arrested, and imprisoned. ²² The king negotiated with the inhabitants of Beth-zur for a second time, offering and accepting pledges of friendship. After withdrawing, he then attacked Judas and his men but was defeated.

²³ Soon afterward, he received a report that Philip,^[ad] who had been left in charge of the government in Antioch, had rebelled. Stunned by this news, he opened negotiations with the Jews, agreed to their terms, and swore to respect all their rights. Having reached this agreement, he offered a sacrifice, honored the sanctuary, and made a generous donation to the holy place. ²⁴ He received Maccabeus in a gracious manner and left Hegemonides to serve as governor of the region from Ptolemais to the territory of the Gerrhenes.

²⁵ When he thereupon went to Ptolemais, the people of that city expressed their disapproval of the treaty in no uncertain terms, and were so angered that they wanted to annul its provisions. ²⁶ However, Lysias mounted the rostrum and made a reasoned defense of the treaty that won them over, calmed them down, and obtained their goodwill. Then he departed for Antioch.

Such are the basic facts of the king’s attack and his subsequent retreat.

The War against Nicanor’s Strategy

Chapter 14

Alcimus Plots Intrigues against the New King. ¹ Three years later, Judas and his followers were informed that Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, had sailed into the harbor of Tripolis with a powerful army and a fleet,^{[ae] 2} and that he had taken control of the country after having done away with Antiochus and his guardian Lysias.

³ Now a man named Alcimus, a former high priest who had willfully incurred defilement at the time of the revolt, realized that there was no possible way that his safety could be assured or that he could again have access to the holy altar. ⁴ Therefore, he went to King Demetrius about the year one hundred and fifty-one and presented him with a crown of gold and a palm branch, in addition to some of the customary olive branches from the temple. On that occasion, he kept silent. ⁵ However, he found an opportunity to further his mad scheme when Demetrius invited him to a meeting of the council and questioned him about the dispositions and the intentions of the Jews. He replied:

⁶ “Those Jews who are called Hasideans and are led by Judas Maccabeus are warmongers who foment sedition and prevent the kingdom from achieving a state of tranquility. ⁷ That is why, although I have been deprived of my ancestral dignity—I am referring to the high priesthood—I have now come here, ⁸ first out of my genuine concern for the interests of the king, and second, because of my regard for my compatriots, since our entire nation has been afflicted severely because of the irresponsible conduct of these people I have mentioned. ⁹ When you have ascertained the truth of these facts, O king, may it please you to make provision for the welfare of our country and our oppressed people, exhibiting the same gracious kindness that you extend to all. ¹⁰ For as long as Judas remains alive, it will be impossible for the state to enjoy the condition of peace.”

¹¹ When he had said this, the rest of the King’s Friends, all of whom were hostile to Judas, added further fuel to the fire, inflaming the anger of Demetrius even more.

¹² The king immediately chose Nicanor,^[af] who had been in command of the elephants, and appointed him as governor of Judea. Then, he sent him forth ¹³ with orders to put Judas to death, to disperse his followers, and to install Alcimus as high priest of the great temple.

¹⁴ The Gentiles throughout Judea, who had fled from the attacks of Judas, now flocked to join Nicanor, confident that the misfortunes and calamities of the Jews would mean prosperity for themselves.

¹⁵ Nicanor Makes Peace with Judas. When the Jews learned that Nicanor was approaching and that the Gentiles were rallying to his support, they sprinkled dust over themselves and prayed to him who had established his people forever and who always came to the aid of his heritage. ¹⁶ At the command of their leader, they set out from there immediately and confronted the enemy at the village of Adasa.^{[ag] 17} Simon, the brother of Judas, engaged in battle with Nicanor, but suffered a minor setback due to the sudden appearance of the enemy. ¹⁸ However, when Nicanor heard of the bravery exhibited by Judas and his men and how courageously they always fought for their country, he became reluctant to allow the issue to be settled by bloodshed. ¹⁹ Therefore, he sent Posidonius, Theodotus, and Mattathias to negotiate a treaty of peace.

²⁰ After a lengthy discussion of the terms, each leader explained them to his troops, and all were of one mind in favor of accepting them. ²¹ On the day decided upon for the respective leaders to meet privately, a chariot came forward from each side, and thrones were set in place. ²² Judas had posted armed men at strategic points to prevent any sudden act of treachery on the part of the enemy. In this way, the conference was held without any complications.

²³ Nicanor stayed on in Jerusalem and did nothing there that could be construed as a hostile act. He sent away the crowds that had rallied to him, ²⁴ but he always kept Judas close to him, for he became deeply attached^[ah] to him. ²⁵ He urged him to marry and have children, and Judas did marry and settle down to lead the quiet life of an ordinary citizen.

²⁶ Nicanor Moves Anew against Judas. When Alcimus^[ai] discovered the depth of the friendship that these two men had for each other, he went to Demetrius with a copy of the treaty they had signed. He claimed that Nicanor was engaged in treasonable activity against the state, since he had appointed Judas, a conspirator against the kingdom, to be his successor. ²⁷ Enraged by the slanderous charges of that villain, the king wrote to Nicanor, expressing his displeasure with the terms of the treaty and commanding him to send Maccabeus as a prisoner to Antioch at once.

²⁸ When this message reached Nicanor, he was greatly upset, for he did not wish to break his agreement with a man who had done nothing wrong. ²⁹ However, since there was no possible way to flaunt the king’s wishes, he waited for an opportunity to carry out the order by means of some stratagem. ³⁰ But Maccabeus began to notice that Nicanor was becoming much cooler in his dealings with him and displaying unaccustomed rudeness whenever they met, and he surmised that such an attitude did not bode well for him. Therefore, he gathered a large number of his followers and went into hiding from Nicanor.^[aj]

³¹ When Nicanor became aware that he had been cleverly outwitted by this man, he went to the great and holy temple at the time when the priests were offering the customary sacrifices and ordered them to surrender Judas. ³² When they declared under oath that they did not know the whereabouts of the wanted man, ³³ he stretched out his right hand toward the temple and swore this oath: “If you do not hand over Judas to me as a prisoner, I shall level this shrine of God to the ground and destroy the altar, and on this very spot, I will erect a splendid temple to Dionysus.”

³⁴ Having issued this threat, he then left, whereupon the priests stretched out their hands to heaven and prayed to the constant defender of our nation in these words: ³⁵ “O Lord of all, though you are in need of nothing, it has pleased you that there should be a temple for your dwelling place among us. ³⁶ Therefore, O Holy One, Lord of all holiness, preserve forever undefiled this house that has so recently been purified.”

³⁷ The Voluntary Sacrifice of Razis.^[ak] A man named Razis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, was denounced to Nicanor. He deeply loved his compatriots and was highly esteemed by them, and he was known as the father of the Jews because of his loyalty. ³⁸ In the early days of the revolt, he had been convicted of practicing Judaism and had risked unhesitatingly both life and limb in that cause. ³⁹ Nicanor, in his determination to demonstrate his contempt for the Jews, sent more than five hundred soldiers to arrest him, ⁴⁰ for he thought that by such an action he would deliver a severe blow to the Jews. ⁴¹ When the troops were on the point of capturing the tower and were forcing open the outer gate, they called for fire to burn down the doors. Razis, finding himself surrounded on all sides, turned his sword on himself, ⁴² preferring to die nobly rather than fall into the hands of evil men and suffer outrages unworthy of his noble birth.

⁴³ However, in the heat of the struggle he failed to hit his mark exactly. So while the troops rushed in through the doors, he quickly ran up to the top of the wall and courageously threw himself down into the crowd. ⁴⁴ They quickly separated, and a space opened, and he plunged into the midst of the empty area they had vacated. ⁴⁵ Still breathing and inflamed with anger, he picked himself up and ran through the crowd, even though blood was gushing from his severe wounds. ⁴⁶ Then, standing on a steep rock, with almost the last drop of blood drained from his body, he tore out his entrails with both hands and flung them into the midst of the crowd, calling upon the Lord of life and spirit to restore them to him once again. This was the manner of his death.

Chapter 15

Nicanor’s Blasphemy. ¹ When Nicanor was informed that Judas and his troops were in the region of Samaria, he made plans to attack them on their day of rest when there would be no risk.^{[al] 2} Those Jews who had been forced to accompany him pleaded: “Do not massacre them in so savage and barbaric a fashion. Show respect for the day that the All-seeing has exalted and sanctified above all other days.” ³ At this, the thrice-accursed wretch asked if there was a sovereign in heaven who had commanded the observance of the Sabbath day. ⁴ When the Jews declared, “The living Lord himself, the ruler in heaven, ordered us to keep holy the seventh day,” ⁵ he replied, “And I am a sovereign on earth, and I command you to take up arms and carry out the king’s business.” Nevertheless, he did not succeed in carrying out his wicked plan.

Judas’s Humble Trust Is Contrasted with Nicanor’s Haughty Certainty.^{[am] 6} Nicanor, in his utter boastfulness and arrogance, had planned to erect a public monument of victory over Judas and his men. ⁷ However, Maccabeus remained confident, firm in his belief that he would receive help from the Lord. ⁸ He urged his troops to have no fear of the attack of the enemy but to keep in mind the help that they had received from Heaven in former times and to remain confident that victory would be theirs through the help of the Almighty. ⁹ He encouraged them by citing the Law and the Prophets,^[an] and by reminding them of the struggles they had already survived in the past, he filled them with fresh enthusiasm. ¹⁰ When he had stirred up their courage, he issued his orders, reminding them at the same time of the treachery of the Gentiles and their violation of oaths. ¹¹ Having armed each of them not so much with the protection of shield and spear as with the confidence aroused by brave words, he encouraged all of them by relating a dream, a type of vision, that was worthy of belief.

¹² What he had seen was this: Onias, the former high priest, a good and noble man, modest in bearing, gentle in manner, eloquent in speech, and trained from childhood in every virtue, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole Jewish community. ¹³ Next, in the same fashion, another man appeared, distinguished by his great age and dignity, an impressive air of majesty and extraordinary authority. ¹⁴ Onias then began to speak. “This is God’s prophet Jeremiah,” he said, “who loves the family of Israel and fervently prays for his people and the holy city.” ¹⁵ Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and presented Judas with a gold sword. As he gave it to him, he said, ¹⁶ “Take this holy sword as a gift from God. With it you will crush your enemies.”

¹⁷ Preparations for Combat.^[ao] Encouraged by the noble words of Judas, which had the power to inspire valor and stir up courage in the hearts of the young, the Jews resolved not to delay but to bravely take the offensive and engage in hand-to-hand combat, inasmuch as their city, their holy things,^[ap] and their temple were in danger. ¹⁸ Their concern was not so much for their wives and children or their brothers and sisters and kindred as it was for the consecrated sanctuary. ¹⁹ Those who remained in the city experienced a similar anxiety, for they were anxious about the battle that was about to take place in the open country.

²⁰ Everyone now awaited the moment of decision. The enemy was already mounting the attack, with their troops drawn up in battle formation, with their elephants deployed in strategic positions, and with the cavalry stationed on the flanks. ²¹ Observing the deployment of the troops, the variety of the weapons, and the savagery of the elephants, Maccabeus stretched out his hands toward heaven and called upon the Lord who works miracles, for he was well aware that it was not by force of arms but, as God himself decides, that victory is won by those who deserve it. ²² His prayer was in these words:

“You, O Lord, sent your angel in the days of King Hezekiah of Judea, and he slew at least one hundred and eighty-five thousand men of Sennacherib’s army. ²³ Now, O Sovereign of the heavens, please send a good angel once again to go before us spreading terror and panic. ²⁴ May these blasphemers who have come to attack your holy people be struck down by the might of your arm.” With these words he brought his prayer to a close.

²⁵ The Gentiles Are Defeated.^[aq] Nicanor and his forces advanced to the sound of trumpets and songs of battle, ²⁶ but Judas and his troops countered by engaging the enemy with invocations and prayers. ²⁷ Fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they cut down at least thirty-five thousand men and greatly rejoiced over this manifestation of God’s power. ²⁸ When the battle was over and they were joyfully departing, they recognized Nicanor lying dead in full armor. ²⁹ Thereupon, they raised tumultuous shouts in their ancestral tongue in praise of the divine Sovereign.

³⁰ Then Judas, who had devoted himself, body and soul, to the defense of his people and had maintained from his youth his love for his compatriots, ordered them to cut off Nicanor’s head and his whole right arm and carry them to Jerusalem. ³¹ When he arrived there and had called the people together and stationed the priests before the altar, he sent for those in the citadel ³² and showed them the head of the vile Nicanor and the wretched blasphemer’s arm that had been boastfully stretched out against the holy house of the Almighty. ³³ He cut out the tongue of the godless Nicanor and swore that he would feed it piecemeal to the birds and hang up the rewards of his folly opposite the temple. ³⁴ On hearing this, everyone looked to heaven and blessed the Lord for the manifestation of his divine power, saying, “Blessed be he who has preserved his own place from defilement.”

³⁵ Judas hung Nicanor’s head from the citadel, a clear and evident sign to everyone of the help of the Lord. ³⁶ By public vote it was unanimously decreed never to allow that day to pass unobserved, but to celebrate it on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, called Adar in Aramaic,^[ar] the eve of Mordecai’s day.