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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The Faithfulness of Mattathias
1 During that time, a priest of the
Jehoiarib family named Mattathias,
who was the son of John and
the grandson of Simeon, moved
from Jerusalem and settled in Modein.
2 Mattathias had five sons:
John (also called Gaddi),
3 Simon
(also called Thassi),
4 Judas (also
called Maccabeus),
5 Eleazar (also
called Avaran), and Jonathan (also
called Apphus).
6 When Mattathias saw all the
sins that were being committed in
Judea and Jerusalem,
7 he said:
7
“Why was I born to see these terrible
things,
the ruin of my people and of the holy city?
Must I sit here helpless
while the city is surrendered to enemies
and the Temple falls into the hands of foreigners?
8
The Temple is like a man without honor.
9
Its splendid furnishings
have been carried away as loot.
Our children have been killed in the streets,
and our young men by the sword of the enemy.
10
Every nation in the world has occupied the city
and robbed her of her possessions.
11
All her ornaments have been stripped away;
she is now a slave, no longer free.
12
Look at our Temple, profaned by the Gentiles,
emptied of all its splendor.
13
Why should we go on living?”
14 In their grief, Mattathias and
his sons tore their clothes, put on
sackcloth, and continued in deep
mourning.
15 Then the king's officials, who
were forcing the people to turn from
God, came to the town of Modein to
force the people there to offer pagan
sacrifices.
16 Many of the Israelites
came to meet them, including Mattathias
and his sons.
17 The king's officials
said to Mattathias, “You are a
respected leader in this town, and
you have the support of your sons
and relatives.
18 Why not be the first
one here to do what the king has
commanded? All the Gentiles, the
people of Judea, and all the people
left in Jerusalem have already done
so. If you do, you and your sons will
be honored with the title of ‘Friends
of the King,’ and you will be rewarded
with silver and gold and
many gifts.”
19 Mattathias answered in a loud
voice, “I don't care if every Gentile
in this empire has obeyed the king
and yielded to the command to
abandon the religion of his ancestors.
20 My sons, my relatives, and I
will continue to keep the covenant
that God made with our ancestors.
21 With God's help we will never
abandon his Law or disobey his
commands.
22 We will not obey the
king's decree, and we will not
change our way of worship in the
least.”
23 Just as he finished speaking, one
of the men from Modein decided to
obey the king's decree and stepped
out in front of everyone to offer a pagan
sacrifice on the altar that stood
there.
24 When Mattathias saw him,
he became angry enough to do what
had to be done. Shaking with rage,
he ran forward and killed the man
right there on the altar.
25 He also
killed the royal official who was
forcing the people to sacrifice, and
-- --
then he tore down the altar.
26 In this
way Mattathias showed his deep devotion
for the Law, just as Phinehas
had done when he killed Zimri son
of Salu. note
The Guerilla Warfare of Mattathias
27 Then Mattathias went through
the town shouting, “Everyone who
is faithful to God's covenant and
obeys his Law, follow me!”
28 With
this, he and his sons fled to the
mountains, leaving behind all they
owned.
29
30 At that time also many of the
Israelites who were seeking to be
right with God through obedience to
the Law went out to live in the wilderness,
taking their children, their
wives, and their livestock with them,
because of the terrible oppression
they were suffering.
31 The report
soon reached the king's officials and
the soldiers in the fort at Jerusalem
that some men who had defied the
king's command had gone into hiding
in the wilderness.
32 A large force
of soldiers pursued them, caught up
with them, set up camp opposite
them, and prepared to attack them
on the Sabbath. note
33 “There is still
time,” they shouted out to the Jews.
“Come out and obey the king's command,
and we will spare your lives.”
34 “We will not come out,” they
answered. “We will not obey the
king's command, and we will not
profane the Sabbath.”
35 The soldiers attacked them immediately,
36 but the Jews did nothing
to resist; they did not even throw
stones or block the entrances to the
caves where they were hiding.
37 They said, “We will all die with a
clear conscience. Let heaven and
earth bear witness that you are
slaughtering us unjustly.”
38 So the
enemy attacked them on the Sabbath
and killed the men, their wives,
their children, and their livestock. A
thousand people died.
39 When Mattathias and his friends
heard the news about this, they were
greatly saddened
40 and said to one
another, “If all of us do as these fellow
Jews of ours have done and refuse
to fight the Gentiles to defend
our lives and our religion, we will
soon be wiped off the face of the
earth.”
41 On that day they decided
that if anyone attacked them on the
Sabbath, they would defend themselves,
so that they would not all die
as their fellow Jews had died in the
caves.
42 Then Mattathias and his friends
were joined by a group of devout
and patriotic Jews, the strongest and
bravest men in Israel, who had all
volunteered to defend the Law.
43 In
-- --
addition, everyone who was fleeing
from the persecution joined them
and strengthened their forces.
44 Now that they had an army, they
gave vent to their anger by attacking
the renegade Jews. Those who escaped
were forced to flee to the Gentiles
for safety.
45 Mattathias and his
friends went everywhere tearing
down pagan altars
46 and circumcising
by force every uncircumcised
boy they found within the borders of
Israel.
47 They were also successful
in hunting down the arrogant Gentile
officials.
48 They rescued the Law
of Moses from the Gentiles and their
kings and broke the power of the
wicked King Antiochus.
The Death of Mattathias
49 When the time came for Mattathias
to die, he said to his sons,
“These are times of violence and distress.
Arrogant men are in control
and have made us an object of ridicule.
50 But you, my sons, must be
devoted to the Law and ready to die
to defend God's covenant with our
ancestors.
51 Remember what our
ancestors did and how much they
accomplished in their day. Follow
their example, and you will be rewarded
with great glory and undying
fame.
52 Remember how Abraham
put his trust in the Lord when
he was tested and how the Lord was
pleased with him and accepted him. note
53 Joseph, in his time of trouble,
obeyed God's commands and became
ruler over the land of Egypt. note
54 Phinehas, our ancestor, because of
his burning devotion, was given the
promise that his descendants would
always be priests.
55 Joshua was
made a judge in Israel because he
obeyed the command of Moses.
56 Caleb brought back a good report
to the community and was given a
part of the land as a reward. note
57 David
was made king and was given the
promise that his descendants would
always be kings because of his
steadfast loyalty to God. note
58 Elijah,
because of his great devotion to the
Law, was taken up into heaven. note
59 Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael
were saved from the flames because
they had faith. note
60 Daniel was a man
of integrity, and the Lord rescued
him from the mouth of the lions. note
61 Take each of these ancestors of
ours as an example, and you will realize
that no one who puts his trust
in the Lord will ever lack strength.
62 Don't be afraid of the threats of a
wicked man. Remember that he will
die and all his splendor will end with
worms feeding on his decaying
body.
63 Today he may be highly
honored, but tomorrow he will disappear;
his body will return to the
earth and his scheming will come to
an end.
64 But you, my sons, be
strong and courageous in defending
the Law, because it is through the
Law that you will earn great glory.
65 “Your brother Simon is wise, so
always listen to him as you would to
me.
66 Judas Maccabeus has been
strong all his life; he will be your
commander and will lead you in battle
against the enemy.
67 Call everyone
who obeys God's Law to rally
around you; then avenge the wrongs
done to your people.
68 Pay back the
Gentiles for what they have done,
and always obey the Law and its
commands.”
69 Then Mattathias gave them his
blessing and died.
70 He was buried
in the family tomb at Modein, and all
the people of Israel went into deep
mourning for him. This happened in
the year 146. note
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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