Maccabes-2 Chapters

The First Letter To the Jews in Egypt

1 | • ¹Greetings to our brothers, the Jews in Egypt, from their brothers, the Jews in Jerusalem and the region of Judea—may you have peace and happiness. ²May God fill you with every good and remember his Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants. ³May he give you all a heart to worship him and to fulfill his will with generosity and a well-disposed spirit. ⁴May he incline your hearts to listen to his law and precepts and give you peace. ⁵May he hear your prayers, be reconciled with you, and not abandon you in times of misfortune. ⁶This is what we now pray for you.

⁷In the year one hundred and sixty-nine (year 143 B.C.), when Demetrius was king, we Jews wrote to you during the most critical moment of trials we had to endure. And we told you that Jason and his associates have betrayed the cause of the Holy Land and the Kingdom. ⁸They have burned the temple gateway and shed innocent blood.

But we prayed to the Lord and were heard. And now we have just offered a sacrifice with wheat flour, lighted the lamps again, and set out the loaves of bread. ⁹So we write to you again that you may celebrate the Feast of Tents in the month of Kislev this year one hundred and eighty-eight (year 124 B.C.).

The Second Letter To the Jews in Egypt

¹⁰The inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea, their senators and Judas, to Aristobulus, teacher of King Ptolemy, belonging to the family of the anointed priests, and the Jews in Egypt: greetings and prosperity.

God has saved ¹¹ from great dangers; we thank him because he came to our help against the king himself. ¹²God drove out those who fought against the Holy City. ¹³Their leader left for Persia with a seemingly invincible army, but the priests of the goddess Nanea laid a trap for them and killed them in her temple.

¹⁴Antiochus and his friends came to that place under the pretext of marrying the goddess, but in reality, they wanted to seize its great treasures as a dowry. ¹⁵The priests of Nanea had set out the treasures, and Antiochus entered the sacred enclosure with a few men. But as soon as Antiochus entered, they closed the temple ¹⁶and opened a secret door in the ceiling. Then, they threw stones down and crushed the leader and his men. They then dismembered the bodies, cut off their heads, and threw them to those outside. ¹⁷May our God be blessed in all these things, for he has handed over the impious to death.

¹⁸As we are about to celebrate the purification of the temple on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev, it seems reasonable to us to inform you so that you, too, may celebrate the Feast of Tents and remember the fire that appeared when Nehemiah, who built the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices. ¹⁹For when our ancestors were deported to Persia, the devout priests of the time took some of the fire from the altar and hid it secretly in the hollow of a dry well, with such caution that the place remained unknown to everyone.

²⁰Many years had passed when, in God’s own time, Nehemiah, who the king of Persia commissioned, sent the descendants of the priests who had hidden the fire to look for it. ²¹But they reported to us that they did not find the fire but, instead, a thick liquid. So Nehemiah ordered them to draw it out and bring it to him.

When the sacrifice was prepared on the altar, Nehemiah ordered the priests to sprinkle the liquid on the wood and place the victims on it. ²²They did so, and after some time, the sun, which had previously been clouded over, shone. At once, such a great fire blazed up that all were astonished.

²³While the sacrifice was being consumed, the priests and all those present prayed. Jonathan led while Nehemiah and the rest responded. ²⁴This was their prayer:

“Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, dreadful and strong, just and merciful, you alone are good and are King. ²⁵ You alone are generous, just, all-powerful, and eternal. You, who save Israel from many evils, who chose our ancestors and sanctified them, ²⁶accept this sacrifice on behalf of all your people Israel. Protect your heritage and sanctify it.

²⁷Gather our scattered people together. Set free those held in slavery among the nations. Turn your eyes on those who are despised and crushed, so the pagans may know that you are our God. ²⁸Afflict those who oppress us, who insult and treat us with contempt. ²⁹Plant your people in your holy place, as Moses said.”

³⁰The priests sang the hymns, ³¹and, when the sacrifice was all consumed, Nehemiah ordered that the remaining liquid be poured over some large stones. ³²This was done, and a flame flared up, but the fire from the altar outshined it. ³³This matter became known, and it was reported to the king of the Persians that the liquid with which Nehemiah and his companions had burned the sacrifice was found in the place where the exiled priests had hidden the fire. ³⁴So, after verifying the facts, the king ordered that a fence be built to enclose the place and decreed that it be sacred.

³⁵The king gave some of that liquid to those who enjoyed his favor, and they gave him gifts in return. ³⁶Nehemiah and his companions called the place “Nephtar,” which means “purification,” but afterward, many called it “Naphtha.”

2 | ¹It is found in the archives that the prophet Jeremiah ordered the exiles to take the fire, as we have already said. ²After giving them the law, he exhorted them not to forget the precepts of God and not to let themselves be dazzled by the idols of silver and gold with all their adornment. ³He spoke to them of many similar things, admonishing them never to lose their love for the law.

Popular Beliefs

⁴It is also said in these past writings that the prophet Jeremiah, fulfilling orders from Heaven, commanded that the Ark of the Covenant with its tent be brought with him. And he went to the mountain Moses had climbed before and from where he had seen the Promised Land. ⁵There, Jeremiah found a cave and brought in the Ark, the tent that covered it, and the altar of incense. Then he closed up the entrance with stones.

⁶Some of those who followed him returned to mark out the way, but they could not find it anymore.

⁷When Jeremiah learned this, he reproached them and said, “This place is to remain hidden until God has compassion on his scattered people and gathers them together. ⁸Then the Lord will reveal these things again; and his glory shall appear in the cloud, as it appeared in the time of Moses, and when Solomon asked God to come and consecrate his house.”

⁹It was also reported in these archives how Solomon, inspired by his wisdom, offered the sacrifice of the dedication and completion of the temple. ¹⁰And as fire had come down from heaven through the prayer of Moses, to consume the offerings and the sacrificial victim, so, through the prayer of Solomon, fire also came down from heaven. It burned up the holocausts. ¹¹And what Moses had said was fulfilled: Since the sin-offering was not eaten, the fire consumed it. ¹²Solomon celebrated the feast, too, for eight days.

¹³This can also be read in the archives and Memories of Nehemiah’s time. It is recounted there that Nehemiah founded a library and collected books dealing with the kings and prophets, David's writings, and the letters of the kings about offerings.

¹⁴Similarly, Judas has just gathered all the books dispersed because of the war we suffered, and they are now in our possession. ¹⁵If you need any of them, send someone to get them.

¹⁶We said we are now about to celebrate the temple's purification feast; you will do well to celebrate these feast days also, ¹⁷for God has saved all his people and returned to everyone his own land. He let us recover the kingdom, the temple, and the worship rendered to him in that temple, ¹⁸as is commanded in his law. God, as we do hope, will soon have mercy on us and gather us together from everywhere to the Holy Place since he has rescued us from great evils and purified this Place.

Author’s Preface

¹⁹Jason of Cyrene wrote the story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers. He narrated the purification of the temple of the Most High, the dedication of the altar, ²⁰the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator, ²¹and the heavenly manifestations in favor of those who fought bravely and gloriously for Judaism. Although few, they liberated the whole land and put to flight hordes of foreigners. ²²They regained the temple renowned throughout the world, liberated the city, and re-established the laws, which were nearly abolished, for the Lord was gracious to them in his great kindness. ²³All this, which has been outlined in five volumes by Jason of Cyrene, we shall now attempt to sum up in a single book. ²⁴We recognize that these books contain many figures and that many facts make it difficult for those who wish to understand this history. ²⁵So we have concerned ourselves with offering something engaging for those who simply want to read, something easily committed to memory, and profitable for anyone who reads it.

²⁶For us who have undertaken the arduous task of summarizing, it has not been easy but has cost as much effort ²⁷as it would to prepare a banquet that would please everyone. But like those who prepare a banquet, we have endured this toil willingly to please others. ²⁸So we leave to the historian the task of relating accurately all the details, and we have condensed this enormous work into a simple summary.

²⁹For just as the architect of a new house has to be concerned about the whole construction, while the painters and decorators are concerned only about what relates to their task, so it is with us. ³⁰The analysis of details and discussion on disputable points belongs to the historian. ³¹But for one who tries to condense a report, his task is to summarize and not present a complete narration of facts and events.

³²So, let us begin our narrative without going on at length about what has been said before, for it would be senseless to expand the preface while cutting short the narration of the history itself.

Heliodorus Attempts To Seize the Temple Treasures

3 | ¹While the Holy City enjoyed complete peace and the laws were observed as perfectly as possible through the piety of Onias, the high priest, and his hatred for all wickedness, ²it came about that kings honored the Holy Place and made the high priest richer by their magnificent gifts. ³Even Seleucus, king of Asia, paid from his account for the expenses of the sacrificial services. ⁴But a certain Simon, a priest of the tribe of Bilgah and the temple administrator came into conflict with the high priest regarding the inspection of the city markets. ⁵But he could not prevail over Onias. So he went to Apollonius of Tarsus, the governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, ⁶and reported to him that the treasury in Jerusalem was full of untold wealth, that there was a great amount of money which had nothing to do with the expenses required by the sacrifices, and that all this could quickly be brought under the control of the king.

⁷Apollonius met with the king and told him about the wealth disclosed to him. The king then sent Heliodorus, who was in charge of his affairs, a letter that authorized him to transfer the treasures. ⁸Heliodorus immediately set out on his journey, pretending that he would visit Coelesyria and Phoenicia but to carry out the king’s order.

⁹On his arrival in Jerusalem, he was hospitably received by the city and the high priest to whom he related the report that had been made. He revealed the reason for his coming and asked the high priest if the report was really true. ¹⁰The high priest explained that some deposits belonged to widows and orphans. ¹¹Some belonged to Hyrcanus, son of Tobias, a person of very prominent position, who had also been affected by these slanders. All in all, the treasury had four hundred talents of silver and two hundred of gold. ¹²Finally, Onias pointed out that it was utterly impossible to cheat those who had put their confidence in this Holy Place and in the inviolable majesty of that temple venerated throughout the world.

¹³But, following the king's orders, Heliodorus insisted that all those treasures be turned over to the king. ¹⁴So, on the day set for Heliodorus to draw up the inventory, there was a great disturbance in the city. ¹⁵The priests in their sacred vestments stood before the altar and called upon Heaven: he who had given the law governing deposits should now preserve them for those who had deposited them.

¹⁶None could look at the face of the high priest without being deeply touched, for his appearance and paleness revealed the anguish of his soul. ¹⁷A kind of fear overwhelmed him, making him tremble from head to foot, showing those who saw him the sorrow of his heart. ¹⁸People rushed out of their houses in great confusion to pray together because the Holy Place was about to be profaned. ¹⁹The women, girded with sackcloth below their breasts, thronged into the streets. The younger girls who were not yet allowed to go out into the streets ran to the doorways, and some climbed the walls, and others looked out from the windows. ²⁰All raised their hands to heaven and joined in prayer. ²¹It was touching to see such a crowd prostrate in disarray on the ground and the high priest in great anguish.

²²While they prayed to the All-powerful Lord to protect the temple deposits and keep them safe for those entrusted to the high priest, ²³Heliodorus began to carry out what had been decided upon.

²⁴He had already come near the treasury with his bodyguard when the Sovereign of spirits and of every power caused so great a manifestation that all who had dared accompany Heliodorus were astonished before the power of God, and they lost their strength and courage. ²⁵There appeared to them a horse with magnificent gear, and on it was a fearsome rider. It rushed furiously at Heliodorus and struck at him with its  forefeet. The rider appeared to have gold armor. ²⁶And two young men, strong and very beautiful and magnificently clothed, also appeared. They stood on each side of Heliodorus and flogged him continuously, inflicting stroke after stroke.

²⁷Heliodorus fell to the ground, enveloped in great darkness; then his men took him up and put him on a stretcher. ²⁸So he was carried away, powerless even to help himself, he who but a moment before had proudly entered the treasury with a great retinue and all his bodyguards. Everyone recognized the power of God. ²⁹Because of the divine intervention, Heliodorus became mute and lost all hope of saving his life. ³⁰Meanwhile, the Jews praised the Lord who had glorified his Holy Place. The temple, which a little while before had been filled with terror and fear, now overflowed with joy and gladness because of the extraordinary manifestation of God.

³¹Then some of Heliodorus’ companions begged Onias to call upon the Most High to grant the grace of life to him who was at the point of death. ³²The high priest, on his part, feared that the king might suspect the Jews of some foul play against Heliodorus, so he offered a sacrifice for the man’s recovery.

³³While the high priest was offering the sacrifice of atonement, the same young men, clothed in the same way, again appeared to Heliodorus and, standing before him, said, “Thank Onias the high priest, for through him the Lord grants you the grace of life. ³⁴And as for you, who heaven’s command has scourged, make known to all how great God's power is.” Having said this, they vanished.

³⁵Heliodorus then offered a sacrifice to the Lord and prayed at great length to him who had spared his life. He took leave of Onias and went back with his guards to the king. ³⁶There, he began to witness the works of the Most High God, which he had seen with his own eyes.

³⁷The king asked Heliodorus who could be sent again to Jerusalem to carry out what he failed to do. Heliodorus answered him, ³⁸ “If you have some enemy whom you wish to eliminate, send him there, and you will see him return well flogged; that is, if he ever returns at all, for surely, divine power is in that place. ³⁹He who dwells in heaven watches over the place and defends it, striking those who come to profane it to death.”

⁴⁰This was what happened to Heliodorus and how the Treasury was saved.

4 | ¹The Simon mentioned before as the informer about the treasures of the temple, who was a traitor to his country, spoke evil of Onias, accusing him of a plot against Heliodorus and saying that he was responsible for all the troubles. ²He even dared to lay the blame for everything on Onias who was the great benefactor of the city, the defender of his compatriots and a zealous observer of the laws. ³The hostility between them reached such proportions that some of Simon's supporters even committed crimes.

Cultural Crisis

⁴Onias recognized the dangers involved in such an unbearable rivalry. Even Apollonius, son of Menestheus and governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, instigated Simon to evil. ⁵So Onias went to the king, not to accuse his fellow citizens, but for the good of the whole nation. ⁶For he saw that it was impossible to maintain peace and stop Simon's foolishness without the king’s intervention.

•  ⁷When King Seleucus died, his son Antiochus, called Epiphanes, succeeded to the throne. Then, Jason, the brother of Onias, the high priest, usurped the office of the high priest. ⁸In a conversation with the king, Jason promised three hundred and sixty talents of silver and eighty talents from other revenues. ⁹He further committed himself to pay one hundred fifty more talents if he would be allowed to establish on his account a gymnasium with a Center for the cultural advancement of the youth and if the statute of Antioquian citizenship could apply to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well.

¹⁰With the king's consent and using his power, he immediately set about encouraging his fellow citizens to adopt the Greek customs. ¹¹He suppressed the privileges that kings had granted to the Jews through John, the father of Eupolemus, who had established friendship and an alliance between the Romans and the Jews. He overthrew lawful institutions and introduced new customs contrary to the law.

¹²So, he very readily founded a gymnasium right under the Citadel and persuaded the noblest among the young to be educated in the Greek way. ¹³Paganism was propagated through Jason’s influence, who proved to be more of a godless wretch than a high priest.

Greek customs were so popular ¹⁴that priests no longer showed any interest in serving at the altar. They despised the sanctuary and neglected the sacrifices. As soon as the discus throw began, they would run to the stadium to participate in athletic competitions prohibited by the law. ¹⁵They no longer valued the customs of their ancestors but held in highest esteem the values of the Greeks.

¹⁶With this, they were put in a difficult situation, for those whom they took as models and whose customs they wanted to imitate in everything proved to be their enemies and tyrants. ¹⁷As the following episodes will show, breaking the divine laws with impunity is not easy.

¹⁸When the quinquennial games held every five years were going on in Tyre before the king, ¹⁹the wicked Jason sent as envoys some “citizens of Antioch” from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he entrusted to them three hundred drachmas of silver allotted for the sacrifice to Hercules. When these envoys came, they decided it was not fitting to spend the money on the sacrifice but preferred to spend it on other things. ²⁰So, through the sole initiative of those sent to spend the money for the sacrifice to Hercules, the amount was used instead for constructing trireme ships.

²¹Antiochus had sent Apollonius, son of Menestheus, to Egypt to represent him in the enthronement of King Philometor. But when Antiochus learned that Philometor had become his political adversary, Antiochus was worried about his safety. ²²So, he left Joppa and went to Jerusalem, where Jason and the whole city well received him. He entered the city amid acclamations and torches. Then, he went with his troops to Phoenicia.

²³After three years, Jason sent Menelaus, brother of the Simon mentioned above, to bring the money to the king and initiate steps to negotiate urgent matters with him. ²⁴Menelaus presented himself to the king whom he impressed by his personal bearing as a man of authority, and so obtained the office of high priest for himself, offering three hundred talents more than Jason. ²⁵After receiving the royal mandate, he returned with nothing worthy of a high priest but only with the rage of a cruel tyrant or a wild beast. ²⁶Jason, who had usurped his brother's office, was now supplanted by another and had to flee to the land of Ammon.

²⁷Menelaus held the office but did not pay the amount he promised to the king. ²⁸ However, Sostratus, the commander of the Citadel, demanded payment since the king had entrusted him with collecting revenue. The king then summoned the two of them because of this. ²⁹Menelaus left his brother Lysimachus as his substitute, and Sostratus left Crates, the commander of the Cypriots.

Murder of Onias

³⁰Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Tarsus and Mallus revolted because their cities were given as a gift to Antiochis, the king’s concubine. ³¹The king set out immediately to reestablish order, leaving Andronicus, one of his ministers, as his deputy. ³²Menelaus thought of taking advantage of the opportunity and stole some of the golden vessels from the temple, which he then gave to Andronicus as gifts. He also managed to sell others in Tyre and the neighboring cities.

³³When Onias had clear evidence of what Menelaus had done, he sought refuge in Daphne near Antioch, a place of asylum, and from there denounced him. ³⁴For this reason, Menelaus met Andronicus in private and urged him to kill Onias. Andronicus went to Onias and deceitfully gained his confidence, offering Onias his right hand in oath. He was able to persuade Onias, despite the latter’s suspicion, to come out of his place of refuge. Then Andronicus killed him at once without any regard for justice.

³⁵For this reason, not only Jews but people of other nationalities as well became indignant and grieved over the unjust killing of that man. ³⁶When the king returned to the regions of Cilicia, the Jews of Jerusalem, together with the Greeks who were for justice, went to see him and complained about the murder of Onias.

³⁷The king was touched and became sad and even wept as he remembered the personality and noble conduct of the departed. ³⁸He became angry with Andronicus and immediately removed him from office. Then he ordered that Andronicus be divested of his purple robe, tore his garments off him, and led him all around the city up to the place where Andronicus had murdered Onias, and right there, the king ordered that he be put to death—God dealing out to him the punishment he deserved.

³⁹Lysimachus committed much sacrilegious plunder in Jerusalem with the connivance of Menelaus. When this became known, the populace rebelled against Lysimachus, who had already taken many golden vessels from the city. ⁴⁰When Lysimachus saw the people rising up in rebellion and becoming enraged, he armed about three thousand men. He began violent repression, designating as leader a certain Auranus, a man advanced in years but of very little intelligence. ⁴¹So, as the men of Lysimachus attacked the people, they reacted by picking up stones and clubs, gathering handfuls of ashes lying at hand, and throwing everything against the men of Lysimachus. ⁴²In this way, they wounded many of them, killed some, and put the rest to flight. As for the sacrilegious robber Lysimachus, they killed him near the treasury.

⁴³Because of all this, a charge was brought against Menelaus, and ⁴⁴when the king arrived at Tyre, three men sent by the council of the elders of Jerusalem told him of Menelaus’ cruelty. ⁴⁵Seeing his ruin, Menelaus promised a great amount of money to Ptolemy, son of Dorymenes, to have the king in his favor.

⁴⁶Ptolemy then went with the king privately to an arcade for some fresh air and persuaded him to change his mind. ⁴⁷The king dismissed all the accusations against Menelaus, the cause of all this evil. At the same time, he condemned to death Menelaus’ unfortunate accusers, who would have been acquitted had a tribunal of barbarians judged them. ⁴⁸Those who had defended the city's cause, the people, and the sacred vessels were executed immediately.

⁴⁹Some Tyrians were so enraged by that crime that they prepared a magnificent funeral for them. ⁵⁰But through the rulers' corruption, Menelaus remained in power, growing wicked and becoming a tyrant towards his people.

Antiochus Sacks the Temple

5 | ¹By this time, Antiochus was preparing a second expedition against Egypt. ²And for nearly forty days, there appeared throughout the city, galloping through the air, horsemen dressed in gold, ³troops with swords drawn and formed in squadrons, cavalry squadrons in order of battle, attacks, and charges from this side and that, movements of shields, many spears, arrows, missiles, the glitter of golden outfits and armor of all kinds. ⁴Everyone prayed that these apparitions would announce something good about to happen.

⁵As a false rumor spread that Antiochus had died, Jason gathered about ten thousand men and launched a surprise attack on the city. The troops upon the walls defended the city, but once these were taken, the whole city fell into the hands of Jason, while Menelaus took refuge in the Citadel. ⁶Jason cruelly massacred his fellow citizens without realizing that his victory against his nation was the greatest defeat. He seemed to believe that he was winning over enemies when, in reality, these were his people. ⁷But he did not stay in power for long, and after obtaining nothing but shame for himself, he had to flee once again to the land of Ammon. ⁸Finally, he had a miserable end. Accused before Aretas, the king of the Arabs, fleeing from city to city, pursued by all, scorned as a renegade from the law and hated as the executioner of his country and fellow citizens, he was banished to Egypt. ⁹And he, who had exiled so many from their own country, died in exile: for he went as far as Lacedaemonia in the hope of finding protection there because of the kinship between that people and ours. ¹⁰He, who had deprived so many of burial places, died with no one to mourn him, no funeral rites nor place in the tomb of his fathers.

Persecution of Antiochus

¹¹When news of these events reached the king, he thought that the whole of Judea had risen in rebellion. He became furious and, leaving Egypt, went to take Jerusalem by force. ¹²He ordered his soldiers to kill without mercy everyone they encountered and to behead as well all those who took refuge in their houses. ¹³Young and old perished; men, women, and children were massacred, and infants and virgins were put to the sword. ¹⁴Within only three days, there were eighty thousand victims—forty thousand perished in the slaughter, and as many were sold as slaves. ¹⁵Not content with this, Antiochus boldly entered the holiest temple in the entire world, guided by Menelaus, the traitor to the law and country.

¹⁶With his unclean hands, Antiochus seized the sacred vessels and, with impious hands, took away what other kings had given as gifts for the glory and honor of the temple. ¹⁷But in acting insolently, Antiochus did not realize that the Lord had let him profane the temple to punish the city's inhabitants because their sins had offended him.

¹⁸For, had the city not been sinful, Antiochus would have been flogged the moment he entered, as Heliodorus had been, who was sent by Seleucus to rob the treasury had been. And he would have also repented of his audacity. ¹⁹But God had not chosen the people for the temple, but the temple for the nation's sake.

²⁰Therefore, the temple also shared in the nation’s misfortune and, afterward, its restoration. It had been abandoned during God's wrath; it was again restored to its glory when the Most High Lord was appeased.

²¹Antiochus took eighteen hundred talents, which he had stolen from the temple, and hurriedly went back to Antioch, so proud that he thought himself capable of sailing by land and walking on the sea. ²²At his departure, he left ministers to oppress our race. In Jerusalem, he appointed Philip, of Phrygian ancestry and more barbarous character than he had appointed him; ²³and he left Andronicus in Gerizim. Besides, there was Menelaus, who surpassed them in his hatred for his fellow citizens. This man had, indeed, a deep hatred for Jewish compatriots.

²⁴Antiochus also sent Apollonius with an army of twenty-two thousand soldiers with orders to behead all the grown men and sell the women and children. ²⁵Arriving in Jerusalem, under the pretext of peace, he waited until the holy day of the Sabbath. Then, he took the Jews by surprise as they rested. He ordered his men to conduct a military parade, ²⁶and he killed all those who came out to see the show. Then, running through the streets, the soldiers killed many people.

²⁷Judas Maccabeus withdrew into the desert with about nine others willing to live like the wild beasts. They fed on clean vegetables there, for they did not want to eat unclean meat.

First Victims of Persecution

6 | •  ¹After a while, the king sent an older Athenian to force the Jews to abandon their ancestral laws and no longer live according to the laws of God; ²and to have them also profane the temple in Jerusalem and dedicate it to the Olympian god. In the same way, he wanted them to dedicate the temple in Mount Gerizim to the hospitable god, according to the wishes of the place's inhabitants.

³This worsened the evil and made it difficult and unbearable for all. ⁴The temple was profaned by the orgies of the pagans who went there to have a good time with prostitutes and had intercourse in the sacred enclosures. And besides, they brought into the temple things not permitted by the law; ⁵the altar was laden with unclean victims prohibited by the law. ⁶It was no longer allowed to celebrate the Sabbath or observe the customs of our ancestors, or even declare oneself a Jew. ⁷On the contrary, they were led by bitter necessity to celebrate the king’s birthday with a monthly sacrifice.

When the feast of Dionysus came, they were also forced to follow the procession and wear floral wreaths.

⁸At the suggestion of the inhabitants of Ptolemy, a decree was sent to the neighboring Greek cities ordering them to treat the Jews who lived there similarly and oblige them to participate in the sacrifices. ⁹Those who would not adopt the Greek customs were to be killed. So, it was easy to foresee the fatal outcome.

¹⁰Two women were charged with having performed the rite of circumcision on their sons. They publicly paraded the women throughout the city with their babies hung at their breasts. Then they hurled them down from the city wall. ¹¹Others who had assembled in nearby caves to celebrate the Sabbath were denounced to Philip, and they allowed themselves to be burned. Because of the holiness of the Sabbath day, they had scruples about defending themselves.

¹²I now ask the readers of this book not to be shocked by these calamities. Bear in mind that this did not happen for the destruction of our race but rather for our education.

¹³God shows his kindness when he does not let sinners continue on their way for long but punishes them at once. ¹⁴As for the other nations, the patient Master doesn’t punish them until they reach the full measure of their sins. But he deals with us differently: ¹⁵ he does not wait until we have reached the full measure to punish us. ¹⁶Therefore, he never withdraws his mercy from us and does not abandon his people, even when he punishes us with some adversity.

¹⁷After reminding our readers of these truths, let us continue the story.

The Martyrdom of Eleazar

•  ¹⁸Eleazar, one of the prominent teachers of the law, already old and of noble appearance, was forced to open his mouth to eat the flesh of a pig. ¹⁹But he preferred to die honorably than to live in disgrace and voluntarily came to the place where they beat him to death. He spat out bravely the piece of meat, ²⁰as should be done by those who do not want to do things prohibited by the law, even to save their life.

²¹Since they had known him for a long time, those in charge of this impious banquet took him aside and tried to convince him to pretend to be eating the meat but, in reality, to eat something allowed by the law and prepared by himself. ²² In this way, he could escape death and be treated with humanity for their long-time friendship.

²³But he preferred to make a noble decision worthy of his age, noble years, shining white hair, and his irreproachable life from childhood. Above all, showing respect for the holy laws established by God, he answered that he would instead be sent to the place of the dead. And he added, ²⁴“It would be unworthy to pretend at our age and to lead many young people to suppose that I, at ninety years, have gone over to the pagan customs. ²⁵If I led them astray for the sake of this short life, I would bring disgrace to my old age. ²⁶Even if I could now be saved from mortals, I cannot—whether living or dead—escape from the hands of the Almighty. ²⁷I prefer to bravely sacrifice my life now, as befits my old age. ²⁸I shall leave an excellent example to the young, dying voluntarily and valiantly for the sacred and holy laws.”

Having said this, he gave himself over to death.

²⁹Those who escorted him considered his words foolishness, so their previous gentleness turned into harshness.

³⁰When he was almost at the point of death, he said, groaning, “The Holy Lord, who sees all, knows that though I could have saved myself from death, I now endure terrible sufferings in my body. But in my soul, I suffer gladly because I respected him.” ³¹In his death, he left a noble example and a memorial of virtue and strength to the young and the whole nation.

Martyrdom of the Seven Brothers

7 | •  ¹It happened also that seven brothers were arrested with their mother. The king had them scourged and flogged to force them to eat the flesh of a pig, which was prohibited by the law.

²One of them, speaking on behalf of all, said, “What do you want to find out from us? We are prepared to die right now rather than break the law of our ancestors.”

³The king became furious and ordered that pans and caldrons be heated over a fire. ⁴When these were red-hot, he commanded that the tongue of their spokesman be cut out, his head scalped, and his hands and feet cut off while his brothers and mother looked on.

⁵When he had been thoroughly mutilated, the king ordered that while still breathing, he be brought to the fire and roasted alive. While the smoke from the pan spread widely, the other brothers and their mother encouraged one another to die bravely. And they said, ⁶“The Lord God sees all, and in reality, has compassion on us, as Moses declared in his song, and clearly said: The Lord will have pity on his servants.” ⁷When the first had left the world in this way, they brought the second for execution. After stripping the skin with the hair from his head, they asked him: “Which do you prefer: to eat the flesh of a pig or to be tortured limb by limb?” ⁸He answered them in the language of his ancestors, “I will not eat.” And so he, too, was tortured.

⁹At the moment of his last breath, he said, “Murderer, you now dismiss us from life, but the king of the world will raise us up. He will give us eternal life since we die for his laws.”

¹⁰After this, they punished the third. He stuck his tongue out when asked to, bravely stretched forth his hands, ¹¹and even dared to say: “I have received these limbs from God, but for love of his laws I now consider them as nothing. For I hope to recover them from God.” ¹²The king and his court were touched by this young man's courage, so unconcerned about his sufferings.

¹³When this one was dead, they subjected the fourth to the same torture. ¹⁴At the point of death, he cried out, “I would rather die at the hands of mortals and wait for the promises of God who will raise us up; you, however, shall have no part in the resurrection of life.”

¹⁵They took the fifth at once and tortured him. But with his eyes fixed on the king, ¹⁶he said, “Though you are mortal, you have authority over people and can do what you will. But do not think that our race has been abandoned by God. ¹⁷Wait, and you shall see his great power when he torments you and your descendants.”

¹⁸After this, they took the sixth who, at the point of death, said, “Don’t be mistaken. We suffer all this because of ourselves, for we have sinned against our own God, so these astonishing things have come upon us. ¹⁹But do not think that you will remain unpunished after having made war with God.”

²⁰More than all, their mother should be admired and remembered. She saw her seven sons die in a single day. But she endured it even with joy, for she had put her hope in the Lord. ²¹Full of a noble sense of honor, she encouraged each one of them in the language of their ancestors. Her woman’s heart was moved by manly courage, so she told them:

²²“I wonder how you were born of me; it was not I who gave you breath and life, nor I who ordered the matter of your body. ²³The Creator of the world who formed man in the beginning and ordered the unfolding of all creation shall, in his mercy, give you back breath and life since you now despise them for love of his laws.”

²⁴Antiochus thought she was making fun of him and suspected she had insulted him. As the youngest was still alive, the king tried to win him over not only with his words but even promised to make him rich and happy if he would abandon the traditions of his ancestors. He would make him his Friend and appoint him to a high position in the kingdom. ²⁵But the young man did not pay him any attention, so the king ordered the mother to be brought in. He urged her to advise her son to save his life. ²⁶After being asked twice by the king, she agreed to persuade her son. ²⁷She bent over him and fooled the cruel tyrant by saying in her ancestral language:

“My son, have pity on me. For nine months, I carried you in my womb and suckled you for three years; I raised you up and educated you until this day. ²⁸I ask you now, my son, that when you see the heavens, the earth, and all that is in it, you know that God made all this from nothing, and the human race as well. ²⁹Do not fear these executioners but make yourself worthy of your brothers—accept the death that you may again meet your brothers in the time of mercy.”

³⁰When she finished speaking, the young man said, “What are you waiting for? I do not obey the king’s order but the precepts of the law given by Moses to our ancestors. ³¹And you who have devised such tortures against the Hebrews, shall not escape the hands of God. ³²Know that we perish because of our sins. ³³Our living Lord punishes and corrects us for a short time because he is angry with us, but he shall again be reconciled with his servants.

³⁴And you, the most wretched and impious man, do not be proud or be carried away by your vain hopes. Do not raise your hand against the children of Heaven, ³⁵for you have not yet escaped the judgment of the almighty God, who sees everything. ³⁶Our brothers suffered a short time for the sake of eternal life and have already entered into the friendship of God. But you, for your part, shall suffer the punishment you deserve for your arrogance.

³⁷With my brothers, I give up my body and my soul for the laws of my fathers, calling on God that he may at once have pity on our race and that by trials and afflictions, you may come to confess that he is the only God. ³⁸Through me and my brothers, may the wrath of the Almighty which has justly fallen on the whole of our race come to an end.”

³⁹The king was even more infuriated at him than at the others because of his mockery, and he dealt more cruelly with him. ⁴⁰So the youngest also died undefiled, putting his whole trust in God. ⁴¹After all her sons, the mother also died.

⁴²This is enough to tell what happened regarding the pagan sacrifices and the tortures beyond all imagination.

First Exploits of Judas Maccabeus

8 | ¹Meanwhile, Judas, also called Maccabeus, and his companions would enter secretly into the villages to call their relatives and summon those who had remained faithful to Judaism; when, finally, they all assembled to about six thousand men. ² They prayed to the Lord to turn his countenance on his people oppressed on all sides, to take pity on the Sanctuary profaned by the impious, ³ to have compassion on the city—destroyed and on the point of being leveled—to listen to the cry of the blood reaching out to him; ⁴ and they asked that he not forget the unjust killing of innocent children and show his indignation against those who had insulted his Name.

⁵The Lord’s anger turned into compassion, and as soon as Maccabeus had organized his troops, they became invincible against the pagans.

Judas generally took advantage of the night for his military campaigns. ⁶So he attacked them by surprise, set cities and villages on fire, captured strategic positions, and put to flight many of the enemies. ⁷And people everywhere talked about him and his bravery.

⁸When Philip saw that Judas was making progress, little by little, and his victories increased daily, he wrote to Ptolemy, the military commissioner of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, to come and help him under the king’s service. ⁹Ptolemy at once appointed Nicanor, son of Patroclus, one of the king’s first friends, sending him at the head of some twenty thousand men coming from all nations, with the order to wipe out all the Jews. He put Gorgias, a general of much experience in matters of war, at his side.

¹⁰Nicanor intended to raise two thousand talents by selling Jewish slaves to pay for the tribute the king owed to the Romans. ¹¹ So he extended an invitation to all the coastal cities to buy slaves for a talent, without any regard for the punishment of the Almighty that might come upon him.

¹²When Judas learned that Nicanor had come with a great army, he told his men about this. ¹³So the cowardly and those who had no confidence in divine justice took to flight. ¹⁴Still, others sold everything they owned and asked God to deliver from the impious Nicanor those who had been sold even before any battle. ¹⁵They prayed that if the Lord would not save them because of their own merits, that, at least, out of consideration for the Covenant he made with their ancestors and for that great venerable Name with which he had blessed his people, he would do so.

¹⁶Maccabeus gathered and reorganized his troops, numbering about six thousand, and exhorted them not to fear the enemy but to fight bravely against their unjust aggressors despite their great number. ¹⁷He reminded them how those men had profaned the Holy Place, slaughtered the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and removed their traditional institutions. ¹⁸He told them, “They come with confidence in their weapons and their boldness, but we trust in the almighty God, who can wipe out in one stroke all who invade our land and even the whole world.” ¹⁹He recounted to them all the occasions when God had come to help their ancestors, especially when he wiped out one hundred and eighty-five thousand men under Sennacherib. ²⁰He also reminded them of what had happened in Babylonia in the battle against the Galatians. On that day, eight thousand Jews fought side by side with four thousand Macedonians, and as the Macedonians were hard pressed, their Jewish allies alone killed twenty thousand of the enemies’ troops with heaven’s help and seized a great booty.

²¹Judas encouraged them with these words and made them ready to die for their laws and country; then, he divided the army into four groups. ²²He assigned his brothers Simon, Joseph, and Jonathan to each lead one division with fifteen hundred men. ²³He ordered that the Sacred Books be read and gave them their watchword, “Help from God;” then, he led the first battalion and fell on Nicanor. ²⁴With the help of the Almighty, they slaughtered nine thousand enemies, wounded and crippled many, and put the rest to flight.

²⁵They seized the money of those who had come to buy the Jews and pursued them for a good while. But it was nearly evening, ²⁶so they had to return because it was the vigil of the Sabbath. That is why they stopped pursuing their enemies. ²⁷They gathered their enemies' weapons and plunder and celebrated the Sabbath on that day with praise and thanksgiving to God, who had just saved them and begun to show them his mercy. ²⁸After the Sabbath, they divided part of the booty among those who had been tortured, the widows and the orphans, and they divided the rest among themselves and their men. ²⁹Having done this, they asked the Merciful Lord during a public prayer to be fully reconciled with his servants.

³⁰Then, in an encounter with the army of Timotheus and Bacchides, they killed over twenty thousand men and took control of the fortified cities. They divided the abundant plunder into equal shares among themselves, those who had been tortured, the orphans, the widows, and the aged.

³¹They carefully stored the weapons they had taken from the enemies in safe places and brought the rest of the booty to Jerusalem. ³²They killed the chief guard of Timotheus, an extremely wretched man who had done so much evil against the Jews. ³³Then, as they celebrated their victory in Jerusalem, they burned alive those who had burned the temple gates, including Callisthenes, who had taken refuge in one small house. So, these men paid the price deserved for their impiety.

³⁴The thrice-as-wretched Nicanor, who had brought thousands of merchants to buy the Jews, ³⁵found himself humbled with God’s help by those same men he had despised before. Having discarded his splendid robe, he fled across the country as a fugitive and reached Antioch, relieved that he had not perished with his army.

³⁶He who had intended to pay the tribute owed to the Romans by selling the Jews now affirmed that the Jews were invincible and invulnerable and that Someone fought for them, provided they were obeying the laws prescribed by him.

Death of the Persecutor

9 | •  ¹By that time, Antiochus had to return without glory from the regions of Persia. ²When he entered a city called Persepolis and tried to plunder the temple and seize the city, its inhabitants rebelled and took up arms against him. This person threw Antiochus and his men out. They fled and returned very much humiliated. ³When Antiochus came to Ecbatana, he was informed of what had happened to the two generals—Nicanor and Timotheus—in Israel. ⁴He was infuriated and determined to take revenge on the Jews for the offense he had just received in Persepolis when they forced him to flee.

He ordered the chariot driver to hurry up and not stop until the journey ended. But the judgment of God was coming upon him, for he said in his pride, “As soon as I arrive in Jerusalem, I shall turn it into a cemetery of the Jews.” ⁵Then the Lord who sees all, the God of Israel, punished him with an incurable sickness of an internal nature. ⁶He had barely finished speaking when he felt an unbearable pain in his stomach and began to be afflicted all over his body.

This was indeed just for one who had tortured others in the same way with countless new punishments. ⁷But this did not diminish his arrogance. In his rage against the Jews, he gave orders to journey ahead with even more speed. Yet, because his chariot ran very fast, Antiochus fell, and his physical condition worsened.

⁸Not long before, in his conceit and sense of superiority, he thought of giving orders to the sea and measuring the heights of the mountains. Now he lay down and had to be brought on a stretcher, giving to all a clear testimony of the power of God. ⁹Worms began to teem in the body of the impious, and though he was still alive, his flesh tore off into pieces, leaving him in agonizing pain. The stench of his decay was so intolerable that his whole army shunned him. ¹⁰No one went near him who not long before thought he could touch the stars of heaven with his hand. ¹¹Only when the divine scourge beat him did he begin to shed his arrogance. His pains grew worse, and he realized this was the punishment of God. ¹²He could no longer endure his stench. He said, “It is right to submit to God. Mortals should not try to be equal with him.” ¹³And the wretch made a vow to the Master who would no longer take pity on him.

¹⁴He had marched to Jerusalem to level it into a cemetery. But now he even promised to declare it a free city. ¹⁵Moreover, he who before had refused burial to the Jews and wished to throw them with their children to the wild beasts now offered to make them equal with the Athenians. He had plundered the temple and profaned the Sacred Place; ¹⁶but now he promised to decorate it lavishly, to return a great number of the sacred vessels, and to pay for all the expenses of the sacrifices. ¹⁷And he promised to become a Jew and to proclaim in all the inhabited countries the power of God.

¹⁸His pains, however, did not diminish, for the just judgment of God had come upon him. He lost hope of recovery and wrote to the Jews this letter of supplication, ¹⁹“To the honorable Jews, our citizens, good health, prosperity and all good things from the king and general, Antiochus. ²⁰If you and your children are well and your wishes are fulfilled, we give thanks to Heaven, for we remember your token of affection and kindness. ²¹On my return from Persia, I became gravely ill, and because of this, I thought it necessary to be concerned for the common security of all of you. ²²I do not despair of my condition and even have great hope of recovering from this illness. ²³But I thought of how my father would designate his successor whenever he set out for any military expedition into the uplands, ²⁴so that his subjects would not be upset if anything unexpected should happen or any misfortune should befall him. Everyone would know who is in power. ²⁵I know that the kings of all the neighboring countries are watching the turn of events and waiting for a suitable time. Therefore, I have designated my son, Antiochus, as king. I already presented and commended him to most of you when I set out for the northern regions. Now, I am communicating this letter to him. ²⁶ I ask you to consider the favors each and everyone has received from me and maintain the same kindness toward my son and me. ²⁷I am sure he shall live in good accord with you following my policies of moderation and humanity.”

²⁸In this way, that blasphemer and murderer ended up suffering the terrible torments he had inflicted on others. He died miserably in the mountains of a foreign land. ²⁹His companion, Philip, brought his body and then withdrew to Egypt to the court of Ptolemy Philometor because he feared the son of Antiochus.

Judas Purifies the Temple

10 | ¹With God’s help, Maccabeus and his men seized the temple and the city. ²They destroyed the altars built by the foreigners in the public squares, as well as the sacred enclosures. ³After purifying the temple, they built a new altar. They kindled fire from Flint and offered sacrifices for the first time in two years. Once again, there were incense, lamps, and the bread of presence.

⁴Having done all this, they threw themselves flat on the ground and asked the Lord not to send them such calamities anymore. But if they should sin again, they asked him to correct them with gentleness and not hand them over to blasphemous and ferocious foreigners.

⁵The purification of the temple took place on the same date on which the foreigners had profaned it, that is, on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev. ⁶For eight days, they celebrated the feast with rejoicing, in the same way, that they celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles remembering how, not long before on that same date, they were dwelling in the mountains and caves like wild animals.

⁷Then, carrying leafy branches and palms, they chanted hymns to Him who had brought the cleansing of his own Holy Place to a happy end.

⁸They also decided by a public vote that the Jewish nation would commemorate this event annually.

Victories of Judas in Idumea

⁹This is all that refers to the death of Antiochus, called Epiphanes. ¹⁰We shall now proceed to narrate the events that happened under Antiochus Eupator, son of that godless man, and to relate briefly the calamities brought about by the war.

¹¹, once he inherited the kingdom, he appointed Lysias to be in charge of his affairs and to act as high commissioner for Coelesyria and Phoenicia. ¹²Now, Ptolemy, called Macron, was the first governor to do justice to the Jews. He was upset by injustices done against them, so he tried to solve all their problems satisfactorily. ¹³But the friends of King Eupator made use of this to accuse him before the king. They continually called him a traitor, reminding him that he had once abandoned the land of Cyprus, which had been entrusted to him by Philometor, to go over to Antiochus Epiphanes.

Since he could not discharge his high office with dignity, he was driven to despair and committed suicide by poisoning himself.

¹⁴It was then that Gorgias was appointed military commissioner of those regions and began to stir up war against the Jews by any means. ¹⁵On the other hand, the Idumeans had strong fortresses and harassed the Jews. Gathering the fugitives from Jerusalem, they managed to prolong the war.

¹⁶The men of Maccabeus, after praying and asking God to come and fight at their side, attacked the fortresses of the Idumeans. ¹⁷They continued their assaults, and the place fell into their power. They repelled those who fought on the ramparts, slaughtered all who fell into their hands, and killed more than twenty thousand men.

¹⁸At least nine thousand men took refuge in the two towers, fortified with everything needed to withstand a prolonged siege. ¹⁹Maccabeus left Simon, Joseph, Zacchaeus, and his men in sufficient numbers to sustain the blockade and went off to where his presence was more needed.

 ²⁰Yet the men of Simon were tempted by greed and let themselves be bought with the silver of those in the towers. So, in exchange for sixty thousand pieces of silver, they allowed several of them to escape. ²¹As soon as Maccabeus learned this, he assembled the leaders of the people and accused those men of having sold their brothers for money by letting their enemies escape. ²²He condemned them to death as traitors and proceeded at once to capture the towers. ²³He killed more than twenty thousand men in those two towers, successfully bringing to an end the undertaking they had begun.

²⁴Timothy, who had been defeated before by the Jews, gathered together an enormous number of foreign troops and a great number of horses from Asia. He appeared in Judea to conquer it by force of arms. ²⁵Before his attack, the men of Maccabeus sprinkled dust on their heads. They put on sackcloth to implore God. ²⁶They bowed at the foot of the altar and asked God to treat them well and to be the enemy of their enemies, the adversary of their adversaries, as written in the law.

²⁷After praying, they armed themselves and advanced from the city. They stopped when they came close to the enemy. ²⁸Right at daybreak, they attacked from both sides. One side placed their confidence in their Lord as the pledge of success and victory besides their bravery, while the others were moved by hatred. ²⁹When the battle was at its height, there appeared from heaven before the enemies, five radiant men riding on horses with golden bridles, who put themselves at the head of the Jews.

³⁰They surrounded Maccabeus and defended him with their weapons, making him invulnerable. At the same time, they rained arrows and thunderbolts on the enemy, who in turn fell and were dispersed in great disorder, blinded and confused. ³¹Twenty-thousand five hundred foot soldiers and six hundred horsemen died.

³²Timothy took refuge in a heavily guarded fortress called Gezer, where Chaereas was in command. ³³The forces of Maccabeus gallantly besieged the fortress for four days. ³⁴Those within were confident in the strength of the fortress, so they hurled insults and curses at the Jews.

³⁵At daybreak on the fifth day, twenty young men from the troops of Maccabeus, enraged by the blasphemies they had been hearing, bravely stormed the wall and, with brutal fury, killed everyone who stood before them. ³⁶Others used this diversion to climb the walls and set fire to the towers. They made bonfires and burned the blasphemers alive. Others destroyed the gates while the rest of the army entered to occupy the city.

³⁷They killed Timothy, who had hidden in a well, and his brothers Chaereas and Apollophanes. ³⁸When all this was over, they chanted hymns and praises to the Lord who had exalted Israel and had given them victory.

The First Campaign of Lysias

11 | ¹After a while, Lysias, the king’s tutor and relative, who was head of the government, was much displeased at the turn of events ²and gathered together about eighty thousand men and his entire cavalry. They advanced against the Jews, intending to make the city of Jerusalem a Greek colony, and ³to convert the temple into a source of revenue, as they had done with other sanctuaries of the pagans, and to put the office of high priest up for sale every year.

⁴He took God’s power for granted. He went up with his infantry regiments, his horsemen by the thousands, and his eighty elephants. ⁵He entered Judea, came near Beth-zur, a strong city some kilometers away from Jerusalem, and besieged it.

⁶When the men of Maccabeus learned that Lysias had begun laying siege to their strong cities, they prayed to the Lord and all the people, with tears and lamentations, that the Lord might send a good angel to save Israel. ⁷Maccabeus was the first to take arms and encourage the rest to go with him to face the danger and help their brothers and sisters. They set out together, full of enthusiasm. ⁸While they were still near Jerusalem, a horseman dressed in white with golden armor appeared and stood at the head of them. ⁹So with one voice, everyone blessed the merciful God. They were strengthened and prepared not only to face men in battle but even the most savage beasts and walls of iron.

¹⁰They advanced with the aid of this ally sent from heaven, for the Lord had compassion on them. ¹¹They charged like lions against the enemy, brought down eleven thousand foot soldiers and one thousand six hundred horsemen, and forced the rest to flee. ¹²Most fled, wounded and disarmed, until Lysias fled in disgrace to save himself.

¹³Lysias, being an intelligent man, reflected on his defeat and understood that the Hebrews were invincible because the powerful God fought for them. ¹⁴So he sent a messenger to convince them to accept peace with every kind of just condition. And he even promised to persuade the king to make peace with them, too.

¹⁵Maccabeus, thinking of the common good of all, accepted Lysias’ offer of peace. And in fact, the king granted all the demands that Maccabeus had presented to Lysias in writing. ¹⁶Lysias wrote to them as follows:

“From Lysias to the Jewish people, Greetings: ¹⁷John and Absalom, your envoys, have delivered to us your written petitions, asking us to respond. ¹⁸I had set forth everything that needed his attention before the king and granted everything within my competence. ¹⁹Therefore, if you maintain your goodwill toward the State, I will also try to work in your favor. ²⁰As for the details, I have given orders for your envoys and my representatives to discuss these with you. ²¹May everything go well with you. In the year one hundred and forty-eight, the twenty-fourth day of the month of the Corinthian God.”

²²The king’s letter was as follows: “King Antiochus greets his brother Lysias. ²³From the day we succeeded to the throne of our father, who has gone to the dwelling place of the gods, we have desired that all our subjects live undisturbed so that everyone may dedicate himself to his work. ²⁴Learning that the Jews do not wish to adopt Greek customs, as it was the will of my father, but prefer their way of life and ask that they be allowed to live according to their laws, ²⁵and since we desire that this nation lives in peace, we have decreed that the temple be restored to them and that they be allowed to live according to the laws and customs of their ancestors.

²⁶You will do well to send envoys to conclude a peace treaty with them. May they come to know our constant aim, so they may be reassured and dedicate themselves joyfully to their occupations.”

²⁷This was the king’s letter to the Jewish people: “King Antiochus to the Council of Elders and the Jewish people: Greetings! ²⁸If you enjoy good health, we are happy for you; we are also well.

²⁹Menelaus has told us you wish to return to your homes and occupations. ³⁰Therefore, I have issued an amnesty decree for all who would go home before the thirtieth day of the month of Xanthicus. ³¹The Jews from now on may live according to their customs concerning their food and be governed by their laws as before. None of them is to be molested in any way for anything done involuntarily. ³²I have ordered Menelaus to reassure you of all this. ³³I wish you good health. In the year one hundred and forty-eight (year 164 B.C.), the fifteenth day of the month of Xanthicus.”

³⁴The Romans also sent them a letter, which read as follows: “Quintus Memmius and Titus Manius, ambassadors of the Romans, send their greetings to the Jewish people. ³⁵We also approve of everything that Lysias, the king’s relative, has granted you. ³⁶As for the matters Lysias considered necessary to inform the king and take up with him, we ask that you study them carefully and send someone to us at once so we can explain everything to the king to your advantage, for we are now leaving for Antioch.

³⁷Lose no time, therefore, in sending someone to us, that we may know your plans. ³⁸We wish you good health. In the fifteenth day of the month of Xanthicus in the year one hundred and forty-eight.”

Victories Against the Neighboring People

12 | ¹After concluding these agreements, Lysias returned to the king, and the Jews began to return to their fields. ²But the commanders of the different regions, Timotheus and Apollonius, the son of Gennaeus, as well as Hieronymus and Domophon, and Nicanor, the leader of the Cypriots, would not let them live in peace and quiet. ³Moreover, the inhabitants of Joppa committed this grave crime: they invited the Jews with their wives and children to a cruise on some boats they had prepared as if they did not have any hostility. ⁴The city authorities decided this, and the Jews accepted to show their desire to live with them in peace and without any suspicion. But once out in the open sea, the men of Joppa pushed them into the water, and at least two hundred died.

⁵When Judas Maccabeus was informed of this cruelty against his countrymen, he informed his men. ⁶After calling upon God, the just judge, he set out against the murderers of his brothers and sisters. He set fire to the harbor by night, burned the ships, and put to the sword those who had taken refuge there. ⁷But, as the gates were closed, he could not enter the city, so he withdrew, intending to come back to wipe out all the inhabitants of Joppa.

⁸Meanwhile, he learned that the inhabitants of Jamnia wanted to deal in the same way with the Jews who lived there. ⁹He also attacked the people of Jamnia by night and set the harbor and ships on fire. The blaze was so great that the glow could be seen even from Jerusalem, some fifty kilometers away.

¹⁰From there, they set out and marched against Timotheus, but when they had marched for about two kilometers, five thousand Arabs supported by five hundred horses attacked them. ¹¹A bloody battle took place, and the men of Judas emerged victorious with the help of God. The Arabs begged for peace and promised to give them livestock and help them in the future. ¹²Judas, convinced they could be helpful to them, made peace with them. Then, the Arabs withdrew to their camps.

¹³Judas attacked a city strongly fortified with ditches and walls. The city was called Caspin. People of every race lived there. ¹⁴The besieged, confident in the strength of their walls and because they had their storehouses full of provisions, underestimated the men of Judas and behaved most insolently toward them. They also shouted insults, blasphemies, and sacrilegious words at them. ¹⁵The men of Judas called on the great Sovereign of the world who had demolished the walls of Jericho without engines of war during the time of Joshua and then rushed furiously upon the walls. ¹⁶God willed that they should take possession of the city, and they carried out an incredible slaughter: the nearby lake, five hundred meters wide, seemed filled with blood.

The Battle of Carnaim

¹⁷After marching for one hundred and fifty kilometers, they arrived in Charax, where the Jews were known as Toubians. ¹⁸They did not find Timotheus there, for he had gone without achieving anything but had left a strong garrison in one place. ¹⁹Dositheus and Sosipater, leaders of the troops of Maccabeus, marched against them and destroyed the garrison of more than ten thousand men left behind by Timotheus.

²⁰Maccabeus then organized his army, set these two as their commanders, and rushed out against Timotheus, who had twenty thousand infantrymen and two thousand five hundred horsemen with him. ²¹When Timotheus learned that Judas was approaching, he sent the women and children away with a good deal of the baggage to a fortress called Carnaim which was in an impregnable place and difficult to reach because of the narrow approaches surrounding it.

²²At the sight of Judas's first battalion, terror and panic seized their enemies because of an apparition of Him who sees all things. They fled in all directions so that they were dragged on the ground by their companions and wounded by their swords. ²³Judas pursued Timotheus in fury and ardor, putting to the sword those wicked men and killing about thirty thousand.

²⁴Timotheus fell into the hands of Dositheus’ and Sosipater’s troops. He very cunningly pleaded with them to let him go, for, as he said, he had the parents and brothers of most of the Jews in his power, and they would surely be put to death if he were to be killed. ²⁵When he had convinced them by the strength of his words, they let him go to save their kindred.

²⁶Judas left for Carnaim and Atargateion and killed twenty-five thousand men there. ²⁷After defeating and destroying these enemies, he led an expedition against the walled city of Ephron, where Lysias had taken refuge with people of every race. Strong young men were stationed outside the walls, and they fought bravely. And there were stores of war engines and missiles inside.

²⁸After calling on the Sovereign to crush the forces of the enemy, the Jews seized the city and killed more than twenty-five thousand of the people inside. ²⁹Moving off from there, they went to Scythopolis, a city one hundred and twenty kilometers from Jerusalem. ³⁰But as the Jews who lived there assured Judas that the city's inhabitants had always treated them well and received them favorably in times of persecution, ³¹Judas and his men thanked these people. They asked them to extend the same kindness to his race in the future. Then they returned to Jerusalem since the feast of Weeks was approaching.

³²After the feast of Pentecost, they marched against Gorgias, the governor of Idumea. ³³Gorgias came out with three thousand foot soldiers and four thousand horsemen to meet him. ³⁴The battle began, and some fell in the ranks of the Jews.

³⁵Dositheus, a brave man, a brave horseman from Bacenor’s troops, grasped Gorgias by the cloak and forcibly dragged him along, wanting to take that criminal alive. But a Thracian horseman rushed upon Dositheus and slashed his shoulder so Gorgias could flee to Marisa. ³⁶Judas saw that the men of Esdris were exhausted because they had been fighting for a long time. He, therefore, prayed to the Lord to show himself as their ally and lead them in battle. ³⁷Then, he chanted a battle hymn in the language of their ancestors, charged suddenly against the troops of Gorgias, and defeated them.

Sacrifice for the Fallen

•  ³⁸Judas reorganized his army and then went to the city of Adullam. Since it was the week’s end, they purified themselves and celebrated the Sabbath there. ³⁹The next day, the companions of Judas went to take away the bodies of the dead (it was urgent to do it) and buried them with their relatives in the tombs of their fathers. ⁴⁰They found under the tunic of each of the dead men objects consecrated to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbade the Jews to wear. So, it became clear to everyone why these men had died.

⁴¹Everyone blessed the intervention of the Lord, the just Judge who brings to light the most secret deeds; ⁴²and they prayed to the Lord to completely pardon the sin of their dead companions. The valiant Judas urged his men to shun such sin in the future, for they had just seen what had happened to those who sinned with their own eyes. ⁴³He took up a collection among his soldiers, which amounted to two thousand pieces of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to be offered as a sacrifice for sin.

They did all this well and were rightly inspired by their belief in the resurrection of the dead. ⁴⁴If they did not believe that their fallen companions would rise again, praying for them would have been useless and foolish. ⁴⁵But they firmly believed in a splendid reward for those who died as believers; therefore, their concern was holy and in keeping with faith.

⁴⁶This was the reason Judas offered this sacrifice for the dead—so that the dead might be pardoned for their sins.

Antiochus Invades Judea

13 | ¹In the year one hundred and forty-nine (year 163 B.C.), the men of Judas learned that Antiochus Eupator had come against Judea with countless troops, ²together with Lysias, his tutor, who was head of the government. Each commanded a Greek army of one hundred and ten thousand foot soldiers, five thousand and three hundred horsemen, twenty-two elephants, and about three hundred chariots of war with scythes.

³Menelaus joined them and incited Antiochus with every evil intent since he was not seeking his country's freedom but only hoping that he would be restored to the office of the high priest. ⁴But the king of kings aroused Antiochus' anger against that wicked man when Lysias made the king realize that Menelaus was the cause of all the evils.

So the king ordered Menelaus to be taken to Berea and executed according to the place's custom. ⁵There is a tower in that place, twenty-five meters high, full of burning ashes, provided with a revolving device on top, which sloped on all sides into ashes. ⁶Whoever robbed any sacred thing or committed any other notorious crime was brought up to the tower and then pushed into the ashes. ⁷In this way, Menelaus died without even a burial. ⁸This was indeed a just punishment for him who had committed so many offenses against the Altar whose fire and ashes were sacred, and so, he met his death in ashes.

Prayer and Success of the Jews in Modein

⁹The king came with a heart full of evil designs, prepared to be more cruel to the Jews than his father had been. ¹⁰When Judas learned of this, he ordered his army to call on God day and night so that as God had done in other circumstances, he would now also help those ¹¹who were in danger of being deprived of their law, their country, and their temple. God could not let his people, who had hardly begun to breathe freely, fall once again into the hands of blasphemous pagans.

¹²Once all the people had carried out the order to pray to the merciful Lord with lamentations, fasting, and prayer for three consecutive days, Judas encouraged them and commanded them to stand ready. ¹³After summoning the Elders in private, he determined to leave with his men for a decisive attempt with the help of God before the king’s army could invade Judea and take control of Jerusalem.

¹⁴Judas entrusted the decision to the world's Creator and encouraged his men to fight heroically to the death for the law, the temple, the city, the country, and the institutions. So he left with his army and encamped near Modein. ¹⁵He gave his men this watchword: “God’s victory.” With his army's most capable young men, he attacked the king's tent by night, putting to the sword about two thousand men, the strongest elephant, and its rider. ¹⁶They caused fear and confusion in the camp and then withdrew successfully. ¹⁷All this happened just as day was dawning, for God’s help protected them.

¹⁸When the king saw the Jews' daring attitude, he tried to control their fortresses using tricks. ¹⁹ He advanced against Beth-Zur, a city vigorously defended by the Jews; he attacked it but was repelled and defeated. 20 Judas supplied the city's defenders with everything they needed.

²¹Rhodocus, one of Judas’ men, gave secret information to the enemies. He was hunted, captured, and executed. ²²The king again kept in contact with the defenders of Beth-Zur, made peace with them, and withdrew. ²³He attacked the troops of Judas but was defeated. He was dismayed when he was informed that Philip, whom he had left as head of the government in Antioch, had revolted. He sought peace with the Jews and had to accept and swear to observe their just petitions; he reconciled with them, offered sacrifices, honored the temple, and showed generosity to the Holy Place.

²⁴The king took leave of Maccabeus and named Hegemonides governor from Ptolemais to the land of the Gerrhenes. ²⁵When he came to Ptolemais, he found the inhabitants were indignant over that treaty; they were so angry they wanted to annul its terms. ²⁶But Lysias approached the tribunal to defend what had been decided; he convinced and appeased them, winning their goodwill before he set out for Antioch. This was what happened with the king’s expedition and retreat.

14 | ¹Three years later, Judas and his men were informed that Demetrius, son of Seleucus, had landed in Tripoli with a fleet and a powerful army ²and had taken control of the kingdom, killing Antiochus and his tutor Lysias.

³A certain Alcimus, who had been high priest before but was disgraced during the rebellion, realized there was no way for him to be restored to the ministry at the sacred altar. ⁴So, he went to King Demetrius in about the year one hundred and fifty-one (year 161 B.C.) and was offered a golden crown, a palm, and even some olive branches from the temple as usual. He did not ask for anything that day. ⁵But he found a proper occasion for his evil designs when he was called to the king’s council meeting. When he was asked with what disposition and spirit the Jews were to be confronted, he answered, ⁶“There exists a party called Hasideans among the Jews, headed by Judas Maccabeus, that keeps up war and rebellion and hinders the reestablishment of peace and order in the land. ⁷Because of them, I have been deprived of the dignity of my ancestors, that is, the office of the high priest. And I came here, ⁸concerned for the king’s interests above everything else, but for my compatriots as well, since the fanaticism of those men has plunged our people into great misery.

⁹O King, look upon our land and nation, which is hard pressed on all sides, with that same kindness you have for all. ¹⁰For as long as Judas lives, it is impossible for the State to find peace.”

¹¹When Alcimus had said this, the rest of the king’s friends, who were hostile to Judas, quickly incited Demetrius against him. ¹²And the king immediately chose Nicanor, who commanded the squadron of elephants, and appointed him military commissioner of Judea ¹³with orders to kill Judas, disperse his men and restore Alcimus as the priest of the great temple.

¹⁴The pagans who had earlier escaped from Judea for fear of Judas flocked in great number to Nicanor, thinking that the misfortunes and defeat of the Jews would mean victory for them.

Treaty of Peace Between Nicanor and Judas

¹⁵When the men of Judas learned that Nicanor was coming and about the invasion of the pagans, they sprinkled dust upon their heads and called on Him who had established his people forever and had each time protected his people by wonderful manifestations. ¹⁶Then, at their leader’s command, they set out to march, and the battle began near Dessau. ¹⁷Simon, the brother of Judas, had attacked Nicanor, but his men were suddenly confounded by the enemies, suffering a slight setback.

¹⁸However, as Nicanor had heard of Judas and his men's courage and how bravely they fought for their country, he feared to resolve the situation by bloodshed. ¹⁹So, he sent Posidonius, Theodotus, and Mattathias to arrange for peace. ²⁰After thoroughly considering the conditions, he communicated this to his troops, who seemed unanimous. The treaty of peace was accepted.

²¹So, they set the date on which the leaders should meet. A chariot came forward from each side, and they prepared seats of honor. ²²Judas positioned armed men strategically in case of sudden treachery on the part of the enemy. But their meeting went well.

²³Nicanor spent some time in Jerusalem without doing any harm and even dismissed the people that had gathered around him. ²⁴He always had Judas with him, for he had a high regard for him. ²⁵He advised him to get married and have children, so Judas got married and enjoyed a peaceful life.

²⁶When Alcimus saw the good understanding between the two, he secured a copy of the signed accord. He went to Demetrius, accusing Nicanor of acting against the interests of the State since he had appointed Judas, the enemy of the kingdom, as his minister.

²⁷The king was infuriated and stirred up by that wicked man's slanders. He wrote Nicanor, indignant about the treaty, ordering him to immediately put Maccabeus in chains and send him to Antioch.

²⁸Nicanor was dismayed that he was asked to break the treaty with Judas, who had done nothing wrong. ²⁹But he could not go against the king’s orders, so he sought an occasion to carry this out by deceit. ³⁰Maccabeus noticed that Nicanor had become more reserved towards him and more unpleasant in their usual meetings, so he understood that this did not promise well. He began to gather some of his men but did not make this known to Nicanor. ³¹When the latter learned that Judas had escaped without disloyalty, he appeared in the holy temple. At the same time, the priests offered the ritual sacrifices and demanded that they hand Judas over to him. ³²The priests declared on oath that they did not know where he was to be found. ³³Then, he stretched out his hand to the Sanctuary and made this oath: “If you do not hand Judas over to me in chains, I shall raze this place consecrated to God, destroy the altar, and right here build a splendid temple to Dionysus.” ³⁴And after saying this, he left.

The priests stretched forth their hands to heaven and called on him, who had unceasingly defended our nation, saying, ³⁵“O Lord of the universe, though you do not need anything, it has pleased you to put among us this temple as your dwelling place. ³⁶So, keep this house that has been purified undefiled forever.”

³⁷Razis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, was denounced to Nicanor as a very patriotic man, well known as the “father of the Jews” because of his kindness. 38 Before the rebellion, he had been accused of Judaism, and with much enthusiasm, he had given himself to defending Judaism.

³⁹Now then, Nicanor, wishing to show his hatred towards the Jews, ordered more than five hundred soldiers to take him prisoner. ⁴⁰He thought that by putting him in prison, he would deal a great blow to the Jews.

⁴¹When the soldiers were about to capture the tower and were breaking the courtyard door (they had already ordered fire be brought to burn the door), Razis, surrounded on all sides, struck his belly with his own sword. ⁴²He preferred to die bravely rather than fall into the hands of foreigners and suffer insults unworthy of his noble birth. ⁴³But when he fell upon his sword, he did not hit exactly; so when he saw the troops rushing in through the gates, he gathered enough strength to climb to the top of the tower, then manfully threw himself down upon the soldiers. ⁴⁴But they quickly withdrew, so he fell into an empty space.

⁴⁵Still alive and aflame with courage, he stood up despite the blood that gushed forth and the wounds he had and came running through the soldiers. ⁴⁶He stood on a steep rock, and there, with his blood almost completely drained from him, he took hold of his intestines with both hands and hurled them at the crowd. Then, calling on the Master of his life and spirit to return them to him again one day, he left this life.

Victory for Judas and Death of Nicanor

15 | ¹Nicanor was informed that the men of Judas were in the neighboring villages of Samaria, so he prepared to attack them on the day of the Sabbath safely. ²The Jews, who were forced to accompany him, said to him, “Do not destroy them so savagely and barbarously, but show respect for the day of the Sabbath, for He who sees all has honored this day and sanctified it.” ³But the wretch asked if a sovereign in heaven had commanded that the Sabbath be holy. ⁴They answered, “It is the living God himself, the Sovereign in heaven, who has commanded us to celebrate the seventh day.”

⁵“So I, as sovereign on earth, command you to take up arms and carry out the king's decrees.” But he could not complete his evil designs.

⁶Nicanor was so sure of victory that he planned to build a monument with the mortal remains of Judas and his men. ⁷But Maccabeus, for his part, felt confident and put his trust in God’s help. ⁸He encouraged his men not to fear the attack of the pagans and not to forget the times God had come to their help, confident that even now God would give them victory. ⁹He roused their spirit with the words of the law and the prophets, reminding them of previous triumphs. ¹⁰Encouraging his men increasingly, he finished by showing them the evil of the pagans and how they had betrayed their oath.

¹¹So he armed them not with the sword or shield but with the certainty that comes from noble words. Then, he made them all joyful by telling them what he saw in a true dream.

•  ¹²He had seen Onias, the former high priest, a courteous, good man, humble in his ways, distinguished in his words, and exemplary in his irreproachable conduct since childhood. With arms outstretched, Onias prayed for the Jewish community. ¹³Then, a gray-haired and honorable man appeared, praying similarly and characterized by dignity and majesty. ¹⁴Then Onias, the high priest, said to Judas, “This is he who loves his compatriots, who pray without ceasing for the people and the Holy City. He is Jeremiah, the prophet of God.” ¹⁵Jeremiah stretched out his right hand, giving a golden sword to Judas, as he said, ¹⁶“Receive this sword as a gift from God, with which you shall destroy your enemies.”

¹⁷Encouraged by these beautiful words of Judas, which were able to encourage righteous people and strengthen young souls, they determined not to set up camp with defenses. They decided instead to rush out bravely and take the offensive to settle the matter by fighting bravely, for the Holy City Jerusalem, their religion, and the temple were in danger. ¹⁸They considered of secondary importance any concern for their wives, children, and friends because they feared above all for the temple consecrated to God. ¹⁹Regarding those who had stayed in the city, their anxiety was by no means little since they were worried about the battle that was about to begin in the camp.

²⁰Everyone waited for the imminent outcome as the enemies attacked. They had placed their troops, led the elephants to strategic positions, and had the cavalry in the wings. ²¹Then Maccabeus could see this multitude with their weapons of every kind and the ferocious elephants. He stretched forth his hands to heaven and called on the Lord who works marvels, for he knew that God gives victory to those who deserve it, and this does not depend on weapons but on the will of God.

²²So Judas said in prayer, “You, Master, sent your angel in the days of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and he wiped out one hundred and eighty-five thousand men of the army of Sennacherib. ²³So now, Sovereign of the heavens, send your good angel before us to fill our enemies with fear and terror. ²⁴Show your power and let your arm strike those who insult you and who come to destroy your holy people.” With this, he ended his prayer.

²⁵Meanwhile, Nicanor and his men advanced amid blasts of trumpets and shouts of war. ²⁶Judas and his men, for their part, entered battle with supplication and prayer. ²⁷As they fought with their hands, their hearts prayed to God. And being so magnificently strengthened by the manifest presence of God, they killed no less than thirty-five thousand enemies.

²⁸When the battle ended, and they returned rejoicing, they found Nicanor dead, lying on the ground with all his armor.

²⁹Then they blessed God in their ancestral language amidst shouts and clamors. ³⁰Judas, who had once entirely consecrated himself to the welfare of his fellow residents and had never wavered in his affection for them, ordered that Nicanor’s head and arms up to the shoulders be cut off and brought to Jerusalem.

³¹There, he summoned his compatriots and priests. He stood before the altar and ordered them to send for those in the Citadel. ³²He showed them the head of that wretched, Nicanor, and the hand which that wicked man had raised in pride above the house of God. ³³He ordered that Nicanor’s tongue be cut into pieces and given to the birds and the hand be hung in front of the Sanctuary as punishment for his arrogance. ³⁴At this, everyone sent blessings heavenwards, saying, “Blessed be he who did not let his sacred house be defiled!”

³⁵Finally, Judas ordered that Nicanor’s head be hung in the citadel as a sign of God’s help. ³⁶By popular agreement, they decided that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, called Adar in Aramaic, the vespers of the day of Mordecai would be commemorated as a festival day.

Author’s Conclusion

³⁷These were the events during the time of Nicanor. Since those days, the city has remained under the power of the Hebrews, so I end my account here. ³⁸If the narration has been good and well composed, that is what I desired; but if it has been ordinary and mediocre, it is what I could do. ³⁹The readers’ pleasure depends on how the account was arranged, just as it is with one who drinks. It does not do any good when one drinks only pure wine or water; wine mixed with water is tasty and delightful. Let this, then, be my last word.