2 Maccabees 11:13-12:9

New Catholic Bible

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.”^[a]

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^[b] 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.”^[c]

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,^[d] 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.^{[e] 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.^[f]