A    ^noteNow when Nicanor knewe that Iudas was in the countre of Samaria, he thought with all his power to strike a felde with him vpon a Sabbath daye. Neuerthelesse the Iewes that were compelled to go with him, sayed: O do not so cruelly and vnkyndly, but halowe þe; Sabbath daye, and worshipe him that seyth all thinges. For all this, yet sayed the vngracious personne: ^note Is there a mightie one in heauen, that commaunded the Sabbath daye to be kepte? And when they sayde: yee the lyuynge God, ^note the mightie LORDE in heauen commaunded the seuenth daye to be kepte, he sayde: And I am mightie vpon earth, to commaunde them for to arme them selues, and to perfourme the kynges busynesse. Notwithstondinge he might not haue his purpose.

B   Nicanor had deuysed with greate pryde to ouercome Iudas, and to brynge awaye þe; victory. But Machabeus had euer a fast confid&ebar;ce and a parfecte hope in God that he wolde helpe him, and exorted his people, not to be afrayed at the commynge of the Heithen: but allwaye to remembre the helpe that had bene shewed vnto them from heauen, yee and to be sure now also, þt; Allmightie God wolde geue them the victory. He spake vnto them out of the lawe and prophetes, puttinge them in remembraunce of the battayls, that they had striken afore, ∧ made them to be of a good corage.

So when their hartes were plucte vp, he shewed them also the disceatfulnesse of the Heithen, and how they wolde kepe no couenaunt ner ooth. Thus he weapened th&ebar; not with the armoure of shylde and speare, but with wholsome wordes and exortacions. He shewed them a dreame also, wherthorow he made them all glad, which was this: He thought that he sawe Onias (which had bene hye prest, a vertuous ∧ louynge man, sad, and of honest conuersacion, well spoken, and one that had bene exercised in godlynes fr&obar; a childe) holdinge vp his h&obar;des towarde heauen, and prayenge for his people. C   After this there apeared vnto him another m&abar;, which was aged, honorable and glorious. And Onias sayde: This is a louer of the brethren, and of the people of Israel. This is he that prayeth moch for the people, and for all the holy cite: Ieremy the prophet of God. He thought also þt; Ieremy helde out his right h&obar;de, and gaue him (namely vnto Iudas) a swearde of golde, sayenge: Take this holy swearde, a gifte from God, wherwith thou shalt smyte downe the enemies of the people of Israel.

And so they were wel conforted thorow the wordes of Iudas, and toke corage vnto th&ebar;, so that the yonge men were determed in their myndes to fight, ∧ to byde styfly at it: In so moch that in the thinges which they toke in honde, their boldnesse shewed the same, because the holy cite and the temple were in parell: for the which they toke more care, then for their wyues, children, brethr&ebar; and kynsfolkes. Agayne, they that were in the cite, were most carefull for those which were to fight. Now when they were all in a hope that the iudgment of the matter was at h&obar;de, and the enemies drew nye, the hoost beynge set in araye, the Elephantes and horsm&ebar; euery one stondinge in his place: Machabeus considered the commynge of the multitude, D   the ordinaunce of dyuerse weapens, the cruelnesse of the beestes, and helde vp his hondes towarde heauen, callinge vpon the LORDE that doth wonders, ^note which geueth not the victory after the multitude of weapens and power of the hoost (but to them that please him) acordinge to his owne will. Therfore in his prayer he sayde these wordes:

^noteO LORDE, thou that diddest sende thine angell in the tyme of Ezechias kynge of Iuda, and in the hoost of Sennacherib slewest an hundreth and fyue and foure score thousande: sende now also thy good angell before vs (o LORDE of heauens) in the fearfulnesse and drede of thy mightie arme, that they which come agaynst thy holy people to blaspheme them, maye be afrayed. And so he made an ende of his wordes. Then Nicanor and they that were with him, drew nye with shawmes and songes: but Iudas and his company with prayer and callinge vpon God.