A   In the .Cli. yeare came Demetrius the sonne of Seleucus from the cytie of Rome wyth a small c&obar;pany of men, vnto a citie of the see coast, ∧ there he bare rule. And it chaunced, þt; wh&ebar; he came to Antioche the citie of his Progenitours, his host toke Antiochus ∧ Lysias, to brynge them vnto him. But wh&ebar; it was tolde hym, he sayd: let me not se theyr faces: So the hoost put them to death. Now when Demetrius was set vpon the trone of hys kyngdome, there came vnto hym wycked ∧ vngodly m&ebar; of Israel: whose captayne was Alcimus, that wolde haue bene made hye preste: These men accused þe; people of Israel vnto the kynge, sayinge: Iudas ∧ hys brethren haue slayne thy fr&ebar;des, and dryuen vs out of oure awne l&abar;de. Wherfore, sende now some man (to whom thou geuest credence) that he maye go and se all the destruccyon, which he hath done vnto vs ∧ to the kynges lande, aud lett him be punished with all hys frendes and fauourers.

B   Then the kynge chose Bachides a frende of his, which was a man of greate power in the realme (beyonde the greate water) and faythfull vnto the kynge: and sent him to se the destruccyon that Iudas had done. And as for that wycked Alcimus, he made hym hye prest, and commaunded hym to be auenged of the children of Israell. So they stode vp, and came wyth a greate hoost into the lande of Iuda, sendynge messaungers to Iudas ∧ hys brethren, ∧ speakyng vnto them wyth peaceable wordes: but vnder disceate. ^noteTherfore Iudas ∧ hys people beleued not theyr saying, for they sawe that they were come with a greate Hoost.

After this came the scribes together vnto Alcimus ∧ Bachides, trustinge the best vnto them. And fyrst the Assideans requyred peace of th&ebar;, sayinge: Alcimus the preste is come of the sede of Aar&obar;, how can he disceaue vs? So they gaue th&ebar; louynge wordes, ∧ swore vnto them, ∧ sayde: we wyll do you no harme: nether your fr&ebar;des: ∧ they beleued them. But the very same daye toke they .lx. men of them ∧ slewe them accordyng to the wordes that are wrytten: ^note They haue cast the flesh of thy saynctes, ∧ shed their bloude ro&ubar;de about Ierusalem, ∧ there was no m&abar; þt; wolde bury them. C   So there came a greate feare and drede am&obar;ge the people, sayenge: there is nether treuth nor ryghteousnesse in th&ebar;, for they haue broken the appoyntement and othe þt; they made. And Bachides remoued his hoost from Ierusalem, and pytched his tente at Betzecha: where he sent forth, ∧ toke many of them that had forsaken hym: He slewe many of the people also, and cast them into a greate pytt. Then commytted he the lande vnto Alcimus, and left men of warre wyth hym to helpe hym, ∧ Bachides him self w&ebar;te vnto the kyng. And thus Alcimus defended his hye presthode: ∧ all soch as vexed Israell resorted vnto hym: In so moche that they optayned the lande of Iuda, and dyd moch euell vnto the Israelites.

Now when Iudas sawe all the myschefe that Alcimus and his c&obar;pany had done (yee more then the Heathen th&ebar;selues) vnto the Israelites: He wente forth ro&ubar;de about all the borders of Iewry, and punyshed those vnfaythfull rennagates, so that they came nomore out into the countre. So when Alcimus sawe, that Iudas and his people had gotten the vpperh&abar;de, and that he was not able to abyde them: he wente agayne to the kynge, and sayde all the worst of them that he coulde. Then the kyng sent Nicanor, one of hys chefe prynces (whych bare euell wyll vnto Israel) and commaunded him, that he shulde vtterly destroye the people.

D    ^noteSo Nicanor came to Ierusalem with a greate goost, and sent vnto Iudas and his brethren wyth frendly wordes (but vnder disceate) say&ebar;ge: there shall be no warre betwixte me ∧ you: I wyll come wyth a fewe men, to se how ye do, wyth fr&ebar;dshyppe. Upon this he came vnto Iudas, and they saluted one another peaceably: but þe; enemyes were appoynted to take Iudas by violence. Neuertheles it was tolde Iudas, that he came vnto hym but vnder disceate: wherfore he gat hym awaye from him, and wolde se hys face nomore. Wh&ebar; Nicanor perceaued that hys councell was bewrayed, he went out to fight agaynst Iudas, besyde Capharsamala: where there were slayne of Nicanors hoost .v.M. men: and the resydue fled vnto the castell of Dauid.

After this came Nicanor vp vnto mount Syon: and the prestes with the elders of the people w&ebar;te forth to salute hym peaceably, ∧ to shewe hym the burntsacrifices that were offered for the kyng. But he laughed th&ebar; and þe; people to scorne, mocked them, defiled their offeringes, ∧ spake disdaynefully, yee and swore in hys wroth, sayenge: E    ^note If Iudas and hys hoost be not delyuered now into my h&abar;des, as soone as euer I come agayne (∧ fare well) I shall burne vp thys house. With that, wente he out in a greate anger. Then the prestes came in, and stode before the aulter of the temple, wepynge ∧ say&ebar;ge. ^noteFor so moch as thou (O Lorde) hast chosen this house, that thy name myght be called vp&obar; therin, ∧ that it shulde be ^note an house of prayer and peticion for thy people: Be avenged

of this man ∧ his hoost, ∧ let them be slayne with the sweard: rem&ebar;bre the blasphemyes of them, and suffre them not to c&obar;tynue eny longer.

When Nicanor was gone from Ierusalem, he pitched his tente at Bethoron, and there an hoost met hym out of Syria. And Iudas came to Adarsa with thre thous&abar;de men, ∧ made his prayer vnto God, sayeng: O Lord, ^note because þe; messaungers of kyng Senacherib blasphemed þe;, the angell went forth, and slewe an hundred foure score and fyue thousande of them. Euen so destroye thou thys hoost before vs to daye, þt; other people maye knowe how that he hath blasphemed thy Sanctuary: ∧ punysh hym accordynge to hys malyciousnesse.

And so the hoostes stroke the felde, the thyrtene daye of the monethe ^note Adar: and Nicanors hoost was dysconfited, ^note and he him self was fyrst slayne in the battaylle. When Nicanors men of warre sawe that he was kylled, they cast awaye theyr weapens and fled, but the Iewes folowed vpon them an whole dayes iourney, from Adazer vnto Gazara, blowynge with þe; tr&obar;pettes, and makynge tokens after them. So þe; Iewes came forth of all þe; townes there aboute, and blewe out theyr hornes vpon them, and turned agaynst them. Thus were they all slayne, and not one of them lefte.

Then they toke theyr substaunce for a pray, and smote of Nicanors heade and his ryght hande ( ^note which he helde vp so proudly) and brought it with them, ∧ h&abar;ged it vp afore Ierusal&ebar;. Wherfore, the people were exceadyngly reioysed, and passed ouer that day in greate gladnesse. And Iudas ordeyned, that þe; same daye (namely þe; thyrtynth daye of the moneth Adar) shulde be kepte in myrth euery yeare. Thus the l&abar;de of Iuda was in rest a lytle whyle.

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