1   And Judas roose, that was cleepid Machabeus, his sone, for him. 2   And alle his bretheren helpiden hym, and alle that ioyneden hem to his fadir, and thei fou&yogh;ten the bateil of Yrael with gladnesse. 3   And he alargide glorie to his peple, and clothide hym a hawberioun as a ieaunt, and girde hym his armeres of bateile in bateilis, and defendide castellis with his swerde. 4   He is maad lijc to a lyoun in his werkis, and as whelp of lyoun rorynge in his huntyng. 5   And he pursuede wickid men, seekynge hem; and he brente hem in flawmes, that to gydre distourbliden his peple. 6   And his enmyes ben putt a&yogh;ein for dreed of hym,

and alle wirchers of wickidnesse ben trublid to gidre; and helthe is dressid in his hond. 7   And he wraththide many kyngus, and gladide Yrael in his werkis, and in to world his mynde in blessyng. 8   And he wente thoru the citees of Juda, and lost vnpitous men of hem, and turnyde awey wrath fro Yrael. 9   And he is named vn to the vttermost of erthe, and he gadride the perishynge. 10   And Appolonius gadride folkis, and fro Samarie miche vertue, and grete, for to fi&yogh;t a&yogh;einus Yrael. 11   And Judas knewe, and wente out a&yogh;einus hym, and smote, and slew&yogh; hym. And many woundid fellen doun, and the other fledden; 12   and he toke prayes of hem. And Judas toke awey the swerd of Appolonie, and was fi&yogh;tyng therynne in alle days. 13   And Seron, prince of the oost of Syrie, herde, that Judas gadride a gaderyng, and the chirche of feithful men with hym. 14   And he saith, Y shal make to me a name, and Y shal be glorified in rewme, and Y shal ouercumme Judas, and hem that ben with hym, whiche dispisiden the kyngus word. 15   And he made hym redy; and the castels of vnpitous men, strong helpers, stieden vp with hym, for to do veniaunce in to the sonys of Yrael. 16   And thei nei&yogh;iden vn to Betheron; and Judas wente out a&yogh;einus hem, with fewe men. 17   Forsothe as thei sawen the oost cummynge to hem in meetyng, thei saiden to Judas, How mown we fewe fi&yogh;te a&yogh;einus so grete multitude, so stronge; and we ben maad wery by fastyng this day? 18   And Judas saith, It is li&yogh;t, or eisy, many for to be closid to gydre in hond of fewe; and difference is not in the si&yogh;t of God of heuen, for to delyuere in many or in fewe; 19   for not in multitude of oost the victorie of bateil, bot of heuen is strengthe. 20   Thei cummen to us in rebelle multitude, and prid, for to distruye vs, and oure wyues, and oure sonys, and for to

robbe us. 21   Forsothe we shuln fi&yogh;te for oure soulis, 22   and oure lawis, and he the Lord shal breke hem to gydre byfore oure face; forsothe dreede &yogh;e not hem. 23   Sothely as he ceeside for to speke, he hurlide in in to hem soodeynly; and Seron is broken to gidre, and his oost, in si&yogh;t of hym. 24   And he pursuede hym in the goyng doun of Betheron, til in to the feeld; and ei&yogh;te hundrid men of hem fellen doun, the other forsothe fledden in to the lond of Philistyim. 25   And dreed of Judas, and of his bretheren, and inward ferdnesse, felle on alle heithen men in cumpas of hem; 26   and the name of hym came to the kyng, and of the batels of Judas alle folkis telden. 27   Sothely as kyng Antiochus herde these wordis, he was wrothe in inwitt; and he sente, and gadride the oost of al his rewme, ful stronge castels. 28   And he opnyde his tresorie, and &yogh;aue soudis to the oost, in to oo &yogh;eer, and comaundide hem, that thei weren redy to alle thingus. 29   And he saw&yogh;, that monee failide of his tresours, and tributis of the cuntre litil, for discencioun and veniaunce that he dide in to the lond, for to do awey the lawful thingis that weren of the first days. 30   And he dredde, that he shulde not haue and oonys and twies in to costis and &yogh;iftis, whiche he hadde &yogh;ouen byfore with large hond; and he aboundide ouer kyngus that weren bifore hym. 31   And he was astonyed in ynwitt gretly, and thou&yogh;te for to go in to Persis, and to take tributis of cuntrees, and for to gadre myche syluer. 32   And he laft Lysias, a noble man of the kyngis kynne, on the kyngus needis, fro the flood Eufrates vn to the flood of Egipt; 33   and that he shulde nuriche Antiochus, his sone, til he cam a&yogh;ein. 34   And he toke to hym the mydil oost, and olifauntis, and comaundide to hym of alle thingus that he wolde, and of men enhabitynge Jude

and Jerusalem; 35   and that he shulde sende to hem an oost, for to breke to gidre, and to distruye vtterly the vertue of Yrael, and relikis of Jerusalem, and for to do awey the mynde of hem of place; 36   and for to ordeyne aliens sonys dwellers in alle the coostis of hem, and bi lot for to departe the lond of hem. 37   And the kyng toke to a part of the residue oost, and wente out of Antioche, the citee of his rewme, in the hundrid and seuen and fourtye &yogh;eer; and passide ouer the flood Eufrates, and wente thoru the hee&yogh;er cuntrees. 38   And Lisias chese Ptholome, sone of Dorim, and Nychanore, and Gorgie, mi&yogh;ty men of the kyngus freendus. 39   And he sente with hem fourti thousand of men, and seuen thousand of horsmen, `or kny&yogh;tis; and that thei shulden cum in to the lond of Juda, and distruy it, vp word of the kyng. 40   And thei wenten forth, for to go with al her vertue; and thei camen, and applieden, or fellen to, at Ammaum, in the feeldy lond. 41   And marchauntis of cuntrees herden the name of hem, and token syluer and gold ful myche, and children, and camen in to castels, for to take the sonys of Yrael in to seruauntis; and the oostis of Sirie ben added to hem, and londis of aliens. 42   And Judas see&yogh;, and his bretheren, for yuels ben multiplied, and the oost appliede, or londide, at the coostis of hem; and thei knewen wordus of the kyng, whiche he comaundide the peple for to do, in to perishyng and eendyng. 43   And thei saiden, eche man to his nei&yogh;bore, Reise we the casting doun of oure peple, and fi&yogh;te we for oure peple, and oure holy thingus. 44   And cummyng to gidre of oost is gadrid, for to be redy in to bateile, and for to preye, and axe mercy, and mercy doyngus. 45   And Jerusalem was not enhabitid, bot was as desert; ther was not that entride and wente oute, of the children therof; and the holy thing was

defoulid, and sonys of aliens weren in the hee&yogh; rocke, or toure, there was the dwellyng of heithen men; and volupte, or lust, of Jacob is don awey, and pipe and harpe failide there. 46   And thei weren gadrid, and came in to Masphath a&yogh;einus Jerusalem; for place of preyer was in Masphath, bifore than in Jerusalem. 47   And thei fastiden in that day, and clothiden hem with heiris, and puttiden ashe in her hed, and renten her clothis. 48   And thei spradden abrood bokis of the lawe, of whiche heithen men sou&yogh;ten liknesse of her symulacris; 49   and thei brou&yogh;ten to ournementis of prestis, and premyssis, and tithis; and thei reisiden Nazareis, that hadden fulfilliden days. 50   And thei crieden with grete voice in to heuen, sayinge, What shuln we do to these, and whidir shuln we leede hem? 51   And thin holy thingus ben to-troden, and defoulid, and thi prestis ben maad in to mournyng, and in to meekenesse, or dispite. 52   And lo! naciouns camen togidre a&yogh;einus vs, for to distruye vs; thou woost what thingus thei thenken in to vs. 53   Hou shuln we mown with stonde byfore the face of hem, no bot thou, God, help us? 54   And thei crieden in trumpis, with grete voice. 55   And after these thingus Judas ordeynyde duykis of the peple, tribunys, that oon ledde a thousand, and centoriouns, or ledinge an hundrid, and pentacontarkes, leders of fyfty, and decuriouns, leders of ten. 56   And he saide to these that bildiden housis, and weddiden wyues, and plantiden vyne &yogh;erdis, and to dreedful men, that thei turnyden a&yogh;ein, eche man in to his hous, vp the lawe. 57   And thei moueden castels, or oostis of armed men, and thei settiden to gidre at the south of Ammaum. 58   And Judas saith, Be &yogh;e gird, and be &yogh;e mi&yogh;ti

sonys, and be &yogh;e redy in the morewyng, and that &yogh;e fi&yogh;te a&yogh;einus these naciouns, that camen to gidre for to distruye vs, and oure holy thingus. 59   For better is vs for to dye in bateile, than for to see yuel of oure folk and holy thingus. 60   Forsothe as wille shal be in heuen, so be it don.

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