Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Alexander the Great
1 This history begins when Alexander
the Great, son of Philip of
Macedonia, marched from Macedonia
and attacked Darius, king of Persia
and Media. Alexander enlarged
the Greek Empire by defeating Darius
and seizing his throne.
2 He
fought many battles, captured fortified
cities, and put the kings of the
region to death.
3 As he advanced to
the ends of the earth, he plundered
many nations; and when he had conquered
the world, he became proud
and arrogant.
4 By building up a
strong army, he dominated whole
nations and their rulers, and forced
everyone to pay him taxes.
5
6
7 When Alexander had been emperor
for twelve years, he fell ill and
realized that he was about to die. He
called together his generals, noblemen
who had been brought up with
him since his early childhood, and he
divided his empire, giving a part to
each of them.
8 After his death, the
generals took control,
9 and each had
himself crowned king of his own territory.
The descendants of these
kings ruled for many generations
and brought a great deal of misery
on the world.
Antiochus Epiphanes and the Renegade Jews
(2 Maccabees 4.7–17)
10 The wicked ruler Antiochus
Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus
the Third of Syria, was a descendant
of one of Alexander's generals. Antiochus
Epiphanes had been a hostage
in Rome before he became king
of Syria in the year 137. note note
11 At that time there appeared in
the land of Israel a group of traitorous
Jews who had no regard for the
Law and who had a bad influence on
many of our people. They said,
“Let's come to terms with the Gentiles,
for our refusal to associate
with them has brought us nothing
-- --
-- --
but trouble.”
12 This proposal appealed
to many people,
13 and some
of them became so enthusiastic
about it that they went to the king
and received from him permission to
follow Gentile customs.
14 They built
in Jerusalem a stadium like those in
the Greek cities.
15 They had surgery
performed to hide their circumcision,
abandoned the holy covenant,
started associating with note Gentiles,
and did all sorts of other evil things. note
Antiochus Attacks Egypt
16 When Antiochus had firmly established
himself as king, he decided
to conquer Egypt and rule that country
as well as Syria.
17 He invaded
Egypt with a large fleet of ships and
a powerful army, including chariots,
elephants, and cavalry.
18 When the
attack came, King Ptolemy of Egypt
turned and fled, and many of his soldiers
were killed.
19 Antiochus was
able to capture the fortified cities of
Egypt and plunder the whole land.
Antiochus Persecutes Jews
20 In the year 143, note after the conquest
of Egypt, Antiochus marched
with a great army against the land of
Israel and the city of Jerusalem.
21 In
his arrogance, he entered the Temple
and took away the gold altar, the
lampstand with all its equipment,
22 the table for the bread offered to
the Lord, the cups and bowls, the
gold fire pans, the curtain, and the
crowns. He also stripped all the gold
from the front of the Temple
23 and
carried off the silver and gold and
everything else of value, including
all the treasures that he could find
stored there.
24 Then he took it all to
his own country. He had also murdered
many people and boasted arrogantly
about it.
25 There was great
mourning everywhere in the land of
Israel.
26
Rulers and leaders groaned in sorrow.
Young men and young women grew weak.
The beauty of our women faded.
27
Every bridegroom sang a funeral song,
and every bride sat mourning in her room.
28
All our people were clothed with shame,
and our land trembled for them.
29 Two years later Antiochus sent
a large army from Mysia note against
the towns of Judea. When the soldiers
entered Jerusalem,
30 their
commander spoke to the people, offering
them terms of peace and completely
deceiving them. Then he suddenly
launched a fierce attack on the
city, dealing it a major blow and killing
many of the people.
31 He plundered
the city, set it on fire, and tore
down its buildings and walls.
32 He
-- --
and his army took the women and
children as prisoners and seized the
cattle.
33 Then Antiochus and his forces
built high walls and strong towers in
the area north of the Temple, turning
it into a fort.
34 They brought in a
group of traitorous Jews and installed
them there.
35 They also
brought in arms and supplies and
stored in the fort all the loot that
they had taken in Jerusalem. This
fort became a great threat to the
city.
36
The fort was a threat to the Temple,
a constant, evil menace for Israel.
37
Innocent people were murdered around the altar;
the Holy Place was defiled by murderers.
38
The people of Jerusalem fled in fear,
and the city became a colony of foreigners.
Jerusalem was foreign to its own people,
who had been forced to abandon the city.
39
Her Temple was as empty as a wilderness;
her festivals were turned into days of mourning,
her Sabbath joy into shame.
Her honor became an object of ridicule.
40
Her shame was as great as her former glory,
and her pride was turned into deepest mourning.
41
42
43 Antiochus now issued a decree
that all nations in his empire
should abandon their own customs
and become one people. All the Gentiles
and even many of the Israelites
submitted to this decree. They
adopted the official pagan religion,
offered sacrifices to idols, and no
longer observed the Sabbath.
44 The king also sent messengers
with a decree to Jerusalem and all
the towns of Judea, ordering the
people to follow customs that were
foreign to the country.
45 He ordered
them not to offer burnt offerings,
grain offerings, or wine offerings in
the Temple, and commanded them
to treat Sabbaths and festivals as ordinary
work days.
46 They were even
ordered to defile the Temple and the
holy things in it. note
47 They were commanded
to build pagan altars, temples,
and shrines, and to sacrifice
pigs and other unclean animals
there.
48 They were forbidden to circumcise
their sons and were required
to make themselves ritually
unclean in every way they could,
49 so that they would forget the Law
which the Lord had given through
Moses and would disobey all its
commands.
50 The penalty for disobeying
the king's decree was death.
51 The king not only issued the
same decree throughout his whole
empire, but he also appointed officials
to supervise the people and
commanded each town in Judea to
offer pagan sacrifices.
52 Many of the
Jews were ready to forsake the Law
and to obey these officials. They defiled
the land with their evil,
53 and
their conduct forced all true Israelites
to hide wherever they could.
54 On the fifteenth day of the
month of Kislev in the year 145, note
King Antiochus set up “The Awful
Horror” on the altar of the Temple,
and pagan altars were built in the
towns throughout Judea. note
55 Pagan
sacrifices were offered in front of
houses and in the streets.
56 Any
books of the Law which were found
were torn up and burned,
57 and anyone
who was caught with a copy of
the sacred books or who obeyed the
Law was put to death by order of the
king.
58 Month after month these
wicked men used their power
against the Israelites caught in the
towns.
59 On the twenty-fifth of the
month, these same evil men offered
sacrifices on the pagan altar erected
on top of the altar in the Temple.
60 Mothers who had allowed their babies
-- --
to be circumcised were put to
death in accordance with the king's
decree. note
61 Their babies were hung
around their necks, and their families
and those who had circumcised
them were put to death.
62 But many
people in Israel firmly resisted the
king's decree and refused to eat food
that was ritually unclean.
63 They
preferred to die rather than break
the holy covenant and eat unclean
food—and many did die.
64 In his anger
God made Israel suffer terribly.
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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