A   In the meane season wh&ebar; Demetrius herde that ^note Nicanor and hys hoost was slayne in the felde, he proceded further to s&ebar;de Bachydes and Alcymus agayne into Iewry, ∧ those that were in the ryght wynge of his hoost, with them. So they went forth by the waye þt; ledeth vnto Galgala, and pitched theyr tentes before Mesaloth which is in arbellis, and wanne the cytie ∧ slewe moche people. In the fyrst moneth of the .Clii. yeare, they brought theyr hoost to Ierusalem, and rose vp ∧ came to Berea, with .xx.M. fotemen. ∧ .ii.M. horsmen.

Now Iudas had pytched his t&ebar;te at Laysa, with thre thousande chosen men. And when they sawe the multytude of the other army that it was so greate, they were sore afrayed, and many coueyed them selues out of the hoost, In so moch that there abode no mo of them but eyght hundred men. When Iudas sawe þt; his host fayled hym, and that he must nedes fight: it brake his herte, that he had no tyme to gather them together: wherfore the man was in extreme trouble. Neuerthelesse, he sayde vnto them, that remayned with hym. Up, lett vs go agaynst oure enemyes, peradu&ebar;ture we shalbe able, to fyght with them. But they wolde haue stopped hym, sayenge: we shall not be able, therfore lett vs now saue oure lyues, ∧ turne agayne to our brethren and then will we fyght against th&ebar;, for we are here but fewe. And Iudas sayde: God forbyd, þt; we shulde fle from them. B   Wherfore, yf oure tyme be come, let vs dye manfully for our brethren, and lett vs not stayne oure honoure. Then the hoost remoued out of þe; tentes, and stode agaynst them. The horssmen are deuyded in two partes: the slyng casters ∧ archers wente before þe; hoost, and all the myghtye men were formost in þe; felde. Bachides him selfe was in þe; ryght wyng of þe; battayll, &abar;d the hoost drewe nye in two partes, ∧ blewe the trompettes. They of Iudas syde blewe the tr&obar;pettes also, ∧ the earth shoke at the noyse of þe; hostes, ∧ they stroke a felde from the morow tyll nyght. And when Iudas sawe þt; Bachides hoost was strongest of þe; ryght syde, he toke with hym all the hardy men, ∧ brake þe; ryght wynge of theyr ordre, ∧ folowed vpon them vnto þe; mount Azot.

Now when they which were of the left wyng, sawe that þe; ryght syde was disc&obar;fyte, they persecuted Iudas ∧ them þt; were &wt; hym. Then was there a sore battaylle, for many were slayne ∧ wo&ubar;ded of both þe; parties, Iudas also him self was kylled, ∧ the remnaunt fled. So Ionathas and Symon toke Iudas theyr brother, and buryed hym in his fathers sepulchre in þe; cytie of Modin. And all þe; people of Israell made greate lam&ebar;tacyon for hym, ∧ mourned l&obar;ge, say&ebar;ge: Alas, that thys worthy shulde be slayne, which delyuered þe; people of Israel. As for other thinges perteynynge to þe; battaylles of Iudas, þe; noble actes that he dyd ∧ of hys worthynesse: they are not wrytten, for they were very many.

C    ^noteAnd after þe; death of Iudas, wycked men came vp, in all þe; coastes of Israel, and there arose all soch as worcke vngodlynesse. In those dayes was there a greate dearthe in þe; lande, and all the countre gaue ouer them selues and theyrs vnto Bachydes. So Bachydes chose wycked men, and made them

lordes in þe; land. These sought out ∧ made search for Iudas fr&ebar;des, and brought them vnto Bachydes: which auenged h&ibar; self vp&obar; them with great despyte. And there came so great trouble in Israell, as was not sens þe; tyme that no prophete was sene there.

Then came all Iudas frendes together, and sayde vnto Ionathas: For so moch as thy brother Iudas is deed, there is none lyke him to go forth agaynst our enemyes, agaynst Bachides, ∧ soch as are aduersaries vnto oure people. Wherfore thys daye we chose the for h&ibar;, to be oure pr&ibar;ce ∧ captayne to ordre oure battaylle. And Ionathas toke þe; gouernaunce vpon hym at the same tyme, and ruled &ibar; steade of hys brother Iudas Wh&ebar; Bachides gatt knowledge therof, he sought for to sley hym. But Ionathas and Symon his brother, perceauinge that, fled into the wildernes of Thecua with al their company, and pytched theyr tentes by the water pole of Asphar.

Which when Bachides vnderstode, he came ouer Iordane with all his hoost vpon þe; Sabboth day. Now had Ionathas sent his brother Ihon (a captayne of the people) to praye hys frendes the Nabuthytes, þt; they wolde lende them their ordinaunce, for they had moch. So the chyldr&ebar; of Iambry came out of Madaba, and toke Ihon and al that he had, and w&ebar;te theyr waye withal. D   Then came worde vnto Ionathas ∧ Simon hys brother, that the chyldren of Iambry made a greate mariage, and brought the bride fr&obar; Madaba with greate pompe: for she was daughter to one of þe; noblest prynces of Cana&abar;. Wherfore they remembred the bloude of Ihon their brother, and w&ebar;te vp and hid th&ebar; selues vnder the shadowe of the mountayne

So they lift vp theyr eyes, and loked, ∧ beholde, there was moch a do, and great repayre: for the bridegrome came forth, ∧ hys frendes and hys brethren met them &wt; tympanyes, instrum&ebar;tes of musicke, and many weapens. Then Ionathas and they þt; were with him, rose out of their lourkyng places against them, and slewe many of them. As for the remnaunt, they fled into þe; mountaynes, and they toke all theyr substaunce. Thus the maryage was turned to morninge, and the noyse of theyr melody into lam&ebar;tacyon. And so when they had auenged þe; bloud of theyr brother, they turned agayne vnto Iordane.

E   Bachides hearynge thys, came vnto the very border of Iordane with a great power vp&obar; þe; Sabbath daye. And Ionathas sayd to hys companye, let vs get vp, and fyght agayne our enemyes: for it st&abar;deth not with vs to daye, as in tyme past: Beholde, oure enemyes are in our waye, the water of Iordane vpon the one syde of vs, wyth bankes, fennes and woddes of the other syde, so that there is no place for vs to departe vnto.

^noteWherfore crie now vnto heauen, that ye maye be delyuered fr&obar; þe; power of your enemyes. So they stroke þe; battaylle. And Ionathas stretched out hys handes to smyt Bachydes, but he fled bactwarde. Then Ionathas ∧ they þt; were with him leapte into Iordane, and swymmed ouer Iordane vnto hym, and there were slayne of Bachydes side that daye, a thousande men.

Therfore Bachydes wyth his hoost turned agayne to Ierusalem, and buylde vp þe; castels and strong holdes that were &ibar; Iewrye, Iericho, Emaus, Bethoron, Bethell, Thamnata, Phara and Topo, &wt; hye walles, with portes and with lockes: ∧ set men to kepe th&ebar;, that they myght vse theyr malyce vp&obar; Israel. He walled vp Bethsurath, Gazarah and the castell at Ierusalem also and prouided th&ebar; wyth men and vitayles. He toke also the chefest mens sonnes in the countre for pledges, and put them in the castell at Ierusalem to be kepte.

Afterwarde in the hundred fifty ∧ thre yeare in þe; sec&obar;de moneth, Alcimus c&obar;maunded, that þe; walles of the ynmost Sanctuary shuld be destroyed, and the buyldinges of þe; prophetes also. And when he beganne to destroye them, þe; thynges þt; he w&ebar;te aboute, were hyndered, for he was smytt&ebar; &wt; a palsey, and his mouth shut, so that he coulde nomore speake ner c&obar;maunde eny of his house concernynge his busynesse. Thus dyed Alcimus in greate mysery at þe; same tyme. And wh&ebar; Bachides sawe that Alcim&us; was deed, he turned agayne to the kyng, and so þe; l&abar;de was in reast two eyares. F   Then all the vngodly men held a councell, sayeng: Behold, Ionathas and his company are at ease, and dwell without care. Wherfore let vs br&ibar;ge Bachides hyther, and he shall take them al in one nyght.

So they wente and gaue Bachides this councell, which arose to come with a greate hoost, and sent lettres preuely to his adher&ebar;tes whych were in Iewrye, to take Ionathas ∧ those þt; were &wt; hym: but they myght not for þe; other had gott&ebar; knowledge of theyr deuyce. And Ionathas toke fyfty m&ebar; of þe; countre (whych were þe; ringleaders of th&ebar;) and slewe th&ebar;. Then Ionathas and Sim&obar; wyth theyr c&obar;pany departed vnto the cyte Bethbessen whych lyeth in the wyldernes, ∧ repayred þe; decaye therof, ∧ made it str&obar;g. When Bachides knewe thys, he gathered all hys hoost, and sent worde to them that were of Iewry. Then came he and layed sege to Bethbessen ∧ fought agaynst it a l&obar;g G    season, ∧ made instrum&ebar;tes of warre. Now Ionathas left his brother Sim&obar; in þe; cytie,

and wente forth hym selfe into the co&ubar;tre, ∧ came with a certayne n&obar;bre, ∧ slewe Odares and his brethr&ebar; and the children of Phaseron in theyr tentes: so that he beganne to be stronge, and to increase in power.

As for Symon and hys companye, they wente out of the cytie, and brent vp the instrum&ebar;tes of warre, ∧ fought agaynst Bachydes, and disc&obar;fyted hym. And Bachides was sore vexed, because his councel and trauayl was &ibar; vayne. Wherfore he was wroth at the wycked men (that gaue hym councell to come into theyr l&abar;de) and slewe many of them. Then purposed he with hys company to go awaye into his awne countre: wherof wh&ebar; Ionathas had knowledge, he sent embassitoures vnto hym, for to make peace &wt; hym, and that he shuld delyuer hym his presonners agayne. To the whych Bachydes c&obar;sented gladly, and dyd accordynge to hys desyre: yee and made an othe, that he shulde neuer do hym harme al the dayes of his lyf. So he restored vnto hym al the presonners that he had taken out of the l&abar;de of Iuda, ∧ then turned and wente his waye into hys awne l&abar;de, nether proceded he eny further to come vnto the borders of Iuda. Thus Israel had nomore warre. And Ionathas dwelt at Machemas, and beganne there to gouerne the people, and destroyed þe; vngodly men out of Israell.

Previous section

Next section