1   And it came to passe, after that Alexander Philips sonne the Macedonian, that ^note first reigned in Greece, being gone out of the land of Cethim, stroke Darius king of the Persians and the Medes: ^note

2   he made manie battels, and obteyned the munition of al, and slewe the kinges of the earth:

3   and he passed through euen to the ends of the earth: and tooke the spoiles of the multitude of the Gentils: and the earth was silent in his fight.

4   And he gathered powre, and an armie exceding strong: and his hart was exalted and eleuated:

5   and he obtayned the regions of the Gentils, and the tyrantes: and they were made tributaries to him.

6   And after these thinges, he fel downe in his bed, and he knew that he should dye.

7   And he called his seruants the Nobles, that were brought vp with him from his youth: & he ^note diuided his kingdom to them, when he yet liued.

8   And Alexander reigned twelue yeares, and he died.

9   And his seruants possessed the kingdom, euerie one in his place:

10   and they did al put crownes on them after his death, & their sonnes after them manie yeares, & euils were multiplied in the earth ^note.

11   And there came forth of them a sinful roote Antiochus ^note Illustre, the sonne of king Antiochus, that had bene at Rome an

hostage: and he reigned in ^note the hundreth and seuen and thirteth yeare of the kingdom of the Greekes. ^note

12   In those dayes there went forth of Israel wicked children, & perswaded manie, saying: Let vs goe, and make a couenant with the Gentils, that are about vs: because since we departed from them, manie euils haue found vs.

13   And the talke semed good in their eyes.

14   And some of the people determined, and went to the king: and he gaue them leaue to doe the iustice of the Gentils.

15   And they built a schoole in Ierusalem, according to the lawes of the Nations:

16   and they made to them selues prepuces, and reuolted from the holie testament, and were ioyned to the Nations, and were solde to doe euil. ^note

17   And the kingdom was prepared in the sight of Antiochus, & he begane to reigne in the land of Egypt, ^note that he might reigne ouer two kingdoms. ^note

18   And he entered into Ægypt with great multitude, with chariots and elephants, and horsemen, and a copious multitude of shippes:

19   And he made warre agaynst Ptolomee the king of Egypt, and Ptolomee was afrayd at his presence, and fled, and manie fel wounded.

20   And he tooke the fensed cities in the land of Ægypt: and he tooke the spoiles of the land of Ægypt. ^note

21   And Antiochus turned, after he strooke Ægypt in the hundreth and three and fourtith yeare: and he went vp to Israel, ^note

22   and went vp to Ierusalem with a great multitude.

23   And he entered into ^note the sanctification with pride, & tooke the golden altar, and the candlesticke of light, and al the vessels therof, and the table of proposition, and the libatories, and the phials, and the litle morters of gold, and the vele, and the crownes, and the golden ornament, that was in the face of the temple: and he brake al into peeces.

24   And he tooke the siluer and gold, and the desiderable vessels: and he tooke the hidden treasures which he found: and carying away he departed into his owne land.

25   And he made a slaughter of men, and spake in great pride.

26   And great lamentation was made in Israel, and in euerie place of theirs:

27   and the princes, and the ancients mourned, and the youngmen, and the virgins were weakned, and the beautifulnes of the wemen was changed.

28   Euerie husband tooke lamentation: and the wemen that sate in the mariage bed, mourned:

29   and the land was moued vpon the inhabitants therein, & al the house of Iacob did put on confusion.

30   And after two yeares of dayes the king sent

a prince of tributes into the cities of Iuda, & ^note he came to Ierusalem with a great multitude.

31   And he spake vnto them peaceable wordes in guile: and they beleued him.

32   And he fel vpon the citie sodenly, and stroke it with a great plague, and destroyed much people in Israel.

33   And he tooke the spoiles of the citie, and burnt it with fyre, and destroyed the houses therof, and the walles therof round about:

34   and they led the wemen captiue, and the children, and the cattel they possessed.

35   And they built ^note the citie of Dauid with a great wal, and a strong, and with firme towers, and it was made a castel for them:

36   and they placed there a ^note sinful nation, wicked men, and they waxed strong therein: And they layd armour, and victuals, and gathered together the spoiles of Ierusalem:

37   and layd them vp there: and they became a great snare.

38   And this was made for an embushment of the sanctification, and to be an il deuil in Israel.

39   And they shed innocent bloud round about the sanctification, and contaminated the sanctification.

40   And the inhabitants of Ierusalem fled by reason of them, and it became the habitation of strangers, and she became stranger to her owne seede, and her children forsooke her.

41   Her sanctification was desolate as a wildernes, her festiual dayes were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproche, her honours into naught.

42   According to her glorie was her ignominie multiplied, and her highnes was turned into mourning.

43   And king Antiochus ^note wrote to al his kingdom, that al the people should be one: and euerie one should leaue his owne law.

44   And al Nations consented according to the word of king Antiochus.

45   and manie of Israel consented to his seruice, and they sacrificed to idols, and defiled the sabbath.

46   And the king sent bookes by the handes of messengers into Ierusalem, & into al the cities of Iuda: that they should folow the law of the Nations of the earth,

47   and should prohibite holocausts and sacrifices, & placations to be made in the temple of God,

48   and should prohibite the sabbath to be celebrated, and the solemne dayes.

49   And he commanded the holie places to be defiled, and the holie people of Israel.

50   And he commanded altars to be built, and temples, and idols, and swines flesh to be immolated, and common beasts,

51   and to leaue their children vncircumcised, and their soules to be contaminated in al vncleannesses, and abominations, so that they should forget the law, and should change al the iustifications

of God.

52   And whosoeuer had not done acording to the word of king Antiochus, they should dye.

53   According to al these words wrote he to al his kingdom: and he appoynted princes ouer the people, that should force these thinges to be done.

54   And they commanded the cities of Iuda to sacrifice.

55   And manie of the people were gathered to them, they that had forsaken the law of our Lord: and they did euils vpon the land:

56   and they chased forth the people of Israel in hidden corners, and in the secret places of fugitiues.

57   The fiftenth day of the moneth Casleu, the hundreth fiue and fourtith yeare king Antiochus ^note built the abominable idol of desolation vpon the altar of God, and through out al the cities of Iuda round about they builded altars:

58   and before the gates of houses, and in the stretes they burnt frankincense, & sacrificed.

59   and the bookes of the law of God they burnt with fyre, cutting them:

60   and with whomsoeuer were found the bookes of the testament of our Lord, and whosoeuer obserued the law of our Lord, they murdered him, according to the edict of the king.

61   In their powre did they these thinges to the people of Israel, that was found in euerie moneth and moneth in the cities:

62   And the fiue and twentith day of the moneth they sacrificed vpon the altar that was agaynst the altar.

63   And the wemen that circumcided their children, were murdered according to the commandment of king Antiochus,

64   and they hang vp the children by the necks through out al their houses, and those that had circumcided them, they murdered.

65   And manie of the people of Israel determined with themselues, that they would not eate the vncleane thinges: & they chose rather to dye, then to be defiled with vncleane meates:

66   & they would not breake the holie law of God, & they were murdered,

67   and there was made great wrath vpon the people excedingly ^note. Chap. II. ^note Mathathias with his fiue sonnes, lamenteth the calamities of the people, 8. and prophanation of holie thinges, 15. resisteth the kings wicked decrees, 23. killeth an idolater, and the kings commissioner, so flyeth into the mountaines with others. 31. Manie are slaine not resisting in battel on the sabbath dayes. 40. Vpon further consideration the rest defend themselues in the sabbath; 45. kil their enimies, and destroy idolatrie. 49. Mathathias dying exhorteth his sonnes to be zelous in the law: 65. appoynting Simon their counseler, and Iudas their capitaine.

1   In those dayes arose Mathathias the sonne of Iohn, the sonne of Simeon, priest of the sonnes of Ioarib from Ierusalem, and he sate in the mountayne of Modin: ^note

2   and he had fiue sonnes, Iohn who was surnamed Gaddis:

3   and Simon, who was surnamed Thasi:

4   and Iudas, who was called Machabeus:

5   and Eleazar, who was surnamed Abaron: and Ionathan, who was surnamed Apphus.

6   These saw the euils, that were done in the people of Iuda, and in Ierusalem.

7   And Mathathias sayd: Wo is me, wherfore was I borne to see the affliction of my people, and the affliction of the holie citie, and to sitte there, when it is geuen in the handes of the enemies?

8   The holie places are come into the hand of strangers: the temple therof as an ignoble man.

9   The vessels of her glorie are caried away captiue: her old men are murdered in the streets, and her youngmen are fallen by the sword of the enemies.

10   What nation hath not inherited her kingdom, and hath not obteyned her spoiles? ^note

11   Al her beautie is taken away. She that was free, is made a seruant.

12   And loe our holies, and out beautie, and our glorie is desolate, and the Nations haue defiled them.

13   Whereto then is it for vs yet to liue?

14   And Mathathias rent his garments, & his sonnes: and they couered themselues with heareclothes, and lamented excedingly.

15   And there came thither they that were sent from king Antiochus, to compel them, that were fled into the citie of Modin, to immolate, and to burne frankincense, and to depart from the law of God.

16   And manie of the people of Israel consenting came to them: but Mathathias, and his sonnes stood constantly.

17   And they that were sent from Antiochus answering sayd to Mathathias: Thou art the prince, and most honorable, and great in this citie, and adorned with sonnes, and bretheren.

18   Therfore come thou first, and doe the kings commandement, as al Nations haue done, and the men of Iuda, and they that are remayning in Ierusalem: & thou shalt be, and thy sonnes among the kings frends, & amplified with gold, and siluer, and manie giftes.

19   And Mathathias answered, & sayd with a lowde voice: Although al Nations obey king Antiochus, that euerie man reuolt from the seruice of the law of his fathers, and consent to his commandements:

20   I and my sonnes, and my bretheren wil obey the law of our fathers.

21   God be merciful vnto vs: it is not profitable for vs to forsake the law, and the iustices of God:

22   we wil not heare the wordes of king Antiochus, neither

wil we sacrifice, transgressing the commandments of our law, to go an other way.

23   And as he ceased to speake these words, there came a certayne Iewe in the eyes of al to sacrifice to the idols vpon the altar in the citie of Modin, according to the kings commandment.

24   And Mathathias saw, and was sorie, and his reynes trembled, and his furie was kindled ^note according to the iudgement of the law, and flying vpon him he slew him vpon the altar:

25   yea and the man, whom king Antiochus had sent, which compelled them to immolate, he slewe in that verie time, and destroyed the altar,

26   and zeled the law, as did Phinees to Zamri the sonne of Salomi.

27   And Mathathias cried out with a lowde voice in the citie, saying: Euerie one that hath zele of the law, establishing his testament, let him comeforth after me.

28   And he fled himself, and his sonnes into the mountaynes, and left al thinges whatsoeuer they had in the citie.

29   Then came downe manie seeking iudgement, and iustice, into the desert:

30   and they sate there them selues, and their children, and their wiues, and their cattel: because the euils ouerflowed vpon them.

31   And it was reported to the kings men, and to the armie that was in Ierusalem in the citie of Dauid, that certayne men which dissipated the kings commandment, were departed into secrete places in the desert, and manie were gone after them.

32   And forthwith they went forwards towards them, and set battel against them in the day of the Sabbaths,

33   and they sayd to them: Doe you resist now also as yet? comeforth, and doe accordidg to the word of king Antiochus, and you shal liue.

34   And they sayd: We wil not come forth, neither wil we doe the kings word, to pollute the day of the Sabbaths.

35   And they hastened battel against them.

36   And they answered them not, neither did they cast a stone at them, nor stopped the secrete places,

37   saying: ^note Let vs dye al in our simplicitie: and heauen and earth shal be witnesses, vpon vs that you vniustly destroy vs.

38   And they gaue them battel on the Sabbaths: and there died they, & their wiues, & their children, and their cattel euen to a thousand soules of men.

39   And Mathathias vnderstood it and his freinds, and they had lamentation vpon them excedingly.

40   And euerie man sayd to his neighbour: If we shal al doe as our bretheren haue done, and shal not fight against the heathen for our liues, and our iustifications: now wil they quickly destroy vs from the earth.

41   And they thought in

that day, saying: Euerie man whosoeuer shal come vnto vs in battel on the day of the Sabbaths, let vs fight against him: and we wil not al dye, as our bretheren died in secrete places.

42   Then was there gathered to them the synagoge of ^note the Assideans strong of force out of Israel, euerie voluntarie in the law:

43   and al that fled from the euils, were added to them, & were made a strength to them.

44   And they gathered an armie, and stroke the sinners in their wrath, and the wicked men in their indignation: and the rest fled to the nations to escape.

45   And Mathathias went round about, and his freindes, and they destroyed the altars:

46   and they circumcided the vncircumcised children, as manie as they found in the costs of Israel: and in strength.

47   And they persecuted the children of pride, and the worke prospered in their handes:

48   and they obteyned the law out of the handes of the nations, and out of the handes of the kinges: & they gaue not the horne to the sinner.

49   And the dayes of Mathathias approched to dye, & he sayd to his sonnes: Now is pride strengthned, and chastisement, and the time of subuersion, & the wrath of indignation:

50   Now therfore ô my sonnes, be ye emulatours of the law, & geue your liues for the testament of your fathers.

51   And remember the workes of the fathers, which they haue done in their generations: & you shal receiue great glorie, and an eternal name.

52   Abraham was he not in tentation found faythful, and it was reputed to him vnto iustice?

53   Ioseph in the time of his distresse kept the commandment, and he was made lord of Ægypt.

54   Phinees our father, feruent in the zele of God, receiued the testament of an euerlasting priesthood.

55   Iesus whiles he accomplished the word, was made the duke in Israel.

56   Caleb whiles he testifieth in the church, receiued an inheritance.

57   Dauid in his mercie obteyned the seate of the kingdom for euer.

58   Elias whiles he zeleth the zele of the law, was receiued into heauen.

59   Ananias and Azarias and Misael beleuing, were deliuered out of the flame.

60   Daniel in his simplicitie was deliuered out of the lions mouth.

61   And so thinke ye through generation & generation: that al that hope in him, are not weakened.

62   And of the wordes of the sinful man be not afrayd: because his glorie is dung, & worme:

63   to day he is extolled, & to morow he shal not be found: because he is turned into his earth, & his cogitation is perished.

64   You therfore my sonnes take courege, & doe manfully in the law: because in it you shal be glorious.

65    ^noteAnd

behold Simon your brother, I know that he is a man of counsel: heare ye him alwayes, & he shal be a father to you.

66   And Iudas Machabeus valiant of strength from his youth, let him be to you the prince of warfare, & he shal manage the battel of the people.

67   And you shal bring to you al the doers of the law: and reuenge ye the reuenge of your people.

68   Repay retribution to the Gentiles, and attend to the precept of the law.

69   And he blessed them, and was layd to his fathers.

70   And he died the hundreth and six and fourtith yeare and he was buried by his sonnes in the sepulchers of his fathers in Modin, and al Israel lamented him with great lamentation. Chap. III. ^note Iudas Machabeus punisheth the wicked: 10. killeth Apollonius in battel. 13. Seron braggeth, but is also ouerthrowen. 25. Antiochus furiously incensed, 29. gathereth money in Persis, 32. leauing Lysias viceroy; 38. who sending a great armie against the Israelites, 42. Iudas and his bretheren commending the cause to God, by prayer and penance, 54. resolue to fight against their enemies.

1   And Iudas, that was called Machabeus his sonne ^note arose in his steed:

2   and al his bretheren helped him, and al that had ioyned themselues to his father, and they fought the battel of Israel with ioy.

3   And he dilated glorie to his people, and put on him a brigantine as a giant, and girded about him his warlie armour in battels, and protected the campe with his sword.

4   He became like a lion in his actes, and as a lions whelpe roaring in hunting.

5   And he persecuted the wicked enquiring them out, and such as trubled his people, them he burnt with fyre:

6   and his enemies were repelled for feare of him, al the workers of iniquitie were trubled: and saluation was directed in his hand.

7   And he exasperated manie kinges, and reioyced Iacob in his workes, and for euer his memorie is in benediction. ^note

8   And he walked through the cities of Iuda, and destroyed the impious out of them, and turned away wrath from Israel.

9   And he was renowned euen to the vttermost part of the earth, & he gathered th&ebar; that perished. ^note

10   And Apollonius gathered together the Gentils, and from Samaria a powre much and great, to make battel against Israel. ^note

11   And Iudas vnderstood it, and wentforth to meete him: and he stroke, and killed him: and there fel manie wounded, and the rest fled away.

12   And he tooke the spoiles of

them, and the sword of Apollonius Iudas tooke away, and he fought with it al his dayes.

13   And ^note Seron capitaine of the armie of Syria heard that Iudas gathered a congregation of the faithful, and an assemblie with him,

14   and he sayd: I wil make me a name, & wil be glorified in kingdom, & wil ouerthrow Iudas, and those that are with him, that despised the word of the king.

15   And he prepared himself: and there went vp with him a campe of the impious strong helpers, to doe vengeance vpon the children of Israel.

16   And they approched euen as far as Bethoron: & Iudas went forth to meete him with few.

17   But as they saw the armie coming to meete them, they sayd to Iudas: How shal we a few be able to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, and we are wearied with fasting to day?

18   And Iudas sayd: It is an easie matter for manie to be inclosed in the hand of few: & ^note there is no difference in the sight of the God of heauen to deliuer in manie, and in few.

19   Because not in the multitude of the armie is the victorie of battel, but from heauen is the strength.

20   They come to vs in an obstinate multitude, and in pride, to destroy vs, and our wiues, and our children, and to spoile vs.

21   But we wil fight for our liues, and our lawes:

22   and our Lord himself wil destroy them before our face, but you feare them not.

23   And as he ceased to speake, he flew vpon them sodenly: and Seron was destroyed, and his host in his sight:

24   and he pursewed him in the descent of Bethoron euen to the playne, and there fel of them eight hundred men, and the rest fled into the land of the Phylisthims.

25   And the feare of Iudas and of his bretheren, and the dread fel vpon al the nations round about them.

26   And his name came to the king, and al nations told of the battels of Iudas.

27   And as king Antiochus heard these wordes he was wrath in his mind: and he sent, and gathered the armie of al his kingdom, a campe exceding strong:

28   and he opened his treasurie, and gaue wages to the armie for a yeare: and he commanded them, that they should be readie at al assayes.

29   And he saw that money fayled out of his treasures, and the tributes of the region smal because of ^note the dissension, and ^note the plague, that he had made in the land, to take away the ordinances, that were from the first dayes:

30   and he feared lest he should not haue as once and twise, for costs and gifts, which he had geuen before with a large hand: and he had abunded aboue the kinges, that had bene before him.

31   And he was excedingly astonied in

minde, & purposed to goe into Persis, and to take the tributes of the regions, and to gather together much siluer.

32   And he left Lysias a noble man of the bloud royal, ouer the kings affayres, from the riuer Euphrates euen to the riuer of Ægypt:

33   and that he should bring vp Antiochus his sonne, til he returned.

34   And he deliuered to him half the armie, and Elephants: and he gaue him in commandment concerning al thinges that he would, & concerning the inhabitants of Iurie, and Ierusalem:

35   and that he should send an armie to them, to destroy and roote out the powre of Israel, and the remnant of Ierusalem, and to take away the memorie of them out of the place:

36   and that he should appoynt inhabitants in al their costs, children strangers, & should by lot distribute their land.

37   And the king tooke the part of the armie that remayned, and went forth from Antioch the citie of his kingdom in the yeare an hundreth and seuen and fourtie: and he passed ouer the riuer Euphrates, & walked through the higher countries.

38   And Lysias chose Ptolomee the sonne of Doryminus, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mightie men of the kings freindes.

39   And he sent with them fourtie thousand men, and seuen thousand horsemen: that they should come into the land of Iuda, and should destroy it according to the word of the king.

40   And they went forth with al their power, and came, and ioyned nere to Enimaum in the champaine countrie.

41   And the merchants of the countries heard the name of them: and they tooke siluer and gold exceding much, and seruants: and they came into the campe, to take the children of Israel for slaues, and there were added to them the armie of Syria, and of the land of the strangers.

42   And Iudas saw, and his bretheren, that the euils were multiplied, and the armies approched to their borders: and they knew the kings words, which he commanded to doe to the people vnto destruction and consummation:

43   and they sayd euerie one to his neighbour: Let vs set vp the abasing of our people, and let vs fight for our people, and our holies.

44   And an assemblie was gathered, that they should be readie vnto battel: and that they should ^note pray and desire mercie and miserations.

45   And Ierusalem was not inhabited, but was as a desert: there was none that came in and went out of her children: and the holie place was conculcated: and the children of strangers were in the castel, there was the inhabitation of the Gentils, and pleasure was taken

away from Iacob, and there failed their pipe, and harpe.

46   And they gathered together, and came into Maspha against Ierusalem: because the place of prayer in Israel was in Maspha ^note before.

47   And they fasted that day, and clothed themselues with heareclothes, and put ashes on their head: and they rent their garments:

48   and they layd open the bookes of the law, out of which the Gentils searched the similitude of their idols:

49   and they brought the ornaments of priests, and firstfruites, and tithes, and raysed vp Nazareits, that had fulfilled their dayes:

50   and they cried with a lowd voice to heauen, saying: What shal we doe with these, & whither shal we carie them?

51   And thy holies are conculcated, and they are contaminated, and thy priests are brought into mourning, and into humiliation.

52   And behold the Nations are come together against vs, to destroy vs: thou knowest what thinges they intend against vs.

53   How shal we be able to stand before their face, vnles thou ô God doe helpe vs?

54   And with trumpets they cried out with a lowd voice.

55   And after these thinges Iudas appointed captaynes of the people, tribunes, and centurions, and ^note seargents, and decurions.

56   And he sayd to them, that built houses, and despoused wiues, and planted vyneyards, and to the fearful, that euerie one should returne into his house according to the law.

57   And they remoued the campe, and pitched at the South of Emmaum.

58   And Iudas sayd: Gird vp your selues, and be mightie sonnes, and be readie agaynst the morning, that you may fight against these nations, which are assembled against vs to destroy vs, and our holies:

59   because it is better for vs to dye in battel, then to see the euils of our nation, and of the holies:

60   but ^note as it shal be the wil in heauen, so be it done. Chap. IIII. ^note Gorgias with six thousand souldiars wel appointed, intending sudenly to destroy the Israelites armie of three thousand not wel armed, 8. is defeated; halfe of his men slaine, the rest running away. 16. Iudas staying his men from spoyling, til the enemies were out of sight, then they take rich prayes; and render thankes to God. 28. The next yeare, Lysias with three score thousand foote, and six thousand horsemen inuading Iurie, Iudas with tenne thousand (making his prayer to God) killeth fiue thousand: 35. the rest flying, Lysias gathereth more souldiars. 36. Iudas with his bretheren, and others clense the temple, and renew holie thinges. 55. Offer Sacrifice, 58. and institute a feast of the dedication of a new Altar.

1   And ^note Gorgias tooke fiue thousand men, and a thousand chosen horsemen: & they remoued the campe by night,

2   that they might approch to the campe of the Iewes, and might strike them sodenly: and the children that were of the castel, were their guides.

3   And Iudas ^note heard, and arose, he and the mighties to strike the powre of the kings armie, that were in Emmaum.

4   For as yet the armie was dispersed from the campe.

5   And Gorgias came into the campe of Iudas by night, and found no man, and he sought them in the mountaynes: because he sayd: These flee from vs.

6   And when the day was come, Iudas appeared in the filde with three thousand men onlie, which had not harnes, and swords as they would:

7   and they saw the campe of the Gentils strong, and the men in brigantines, and horsemen round about them, and these were skilful to battel.

8   And Iudas sayd to the men that were with him: ^note Feare not the multitude of them, & of their assault be not afrayd.

9   Remember in what sort our fathers were saued in the redsea, when Pharao with a great armie folowed them.

10   And now let vs crie towards heauen: and our Lord wil haue mercie on vs, and wil be mindful of the testament of our fathers, & wil destroy this armie, before our face this day:

11   and al Nations shal know that there is one that redemeth and deliuereth Israel.

12   And the aliens lifted vp their eyes, and saw them coming against them.

13   And they went out of the campe into battel, and these that were with Iudas, sounded with the trumpet.

14   And they mette together: and the Gentils were discomfited, and fled into the playne.

15   but al the hinmost fel by the sword, and they pursewed them as far as Gezeron, and euen to the playnes of Idumea, and of Azotus, and of Iamnia: and there fel of them euen to three thousand men.

16   And Iudas returned, and his armie folowing him.

17   And he sayd to the people: Couet not the spoiles: because there is battel against vs,

18   and Gorgias and his armie are neere vs in the mount: but stand ye now against our enemies, and ouerthrow them, and you shal take the spoiles afterwards secure.

19   And as Iudas was speaking these wordes, loe a certaine part appeared looking forth from the montayne.

20   And Gorgias saw that his men were turned to flight, & that they burnt the campe: for the smoke that was sene declared what was done.

21   Which thinges seene they feared excedingly, beholding withal both Iudas, & the armie in the playne readie

to battel.

22   And they did al flee into the playne of the aliens:

23   and Iudas returned to the spoiles of the campe, & they tooke much gold, and siluer, and hiacynth, and purple of the sea, and great riches.

24   And turning they sung an hymne, and blessed God towards heauen, because he is good, because his mercie is for euer.

25   And great saluation was made in Israel in that day.

26   And whosoeuer escaped of the aliens, they came and told Lysias al thinges that had chanced.

27   Which when he heard being amased he faynted in mynd: that such thinges chanced not in Israel, as he would, and such as the king commanded. ^note

28   And the yeare folowing ^note Lysias gathered of chosen men three score thousand, and of horsemen fiue thousand, to ouerthrow them.

29   And they came into Iewrie, and pitched the campe in Bethoron, and Iudas mette them with ten thousand men.

30   And they saw the armie strong, and he prayed, and sayd: Blessed art thou ô sauiour of Israel, which brakest the assault of the mightie by the hand of thy seruant Dauid, and didst deliuer the campe of the aliens into the hand of Ionathas Sauls sonne, and of his esquyer.

31   shut vp this armie in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their armie and horsemen.

32   Geue them feare, and consume the bouldnes of their strength, and let them be shaken with their contrition,

33   cast them downe with the sword of them, that loue thee: & let al that know thy name, prayse thee in hymnes.

34   And they ioyned battel: and there fel of the armie of Lysias fiue thousand men.

35   And Lysias seing the flight of his men, and the boldnes of the Iewes, and that they are readie either to liue or to dye manfully, he went to Antioch, and chose souldiars, that being multiplied they might come agayne into Iewrie.

36   But Iudas, and his bretheren sayd: Behold our enemies are discomfited: ^note let vs goe vp now to clense the holie places, and to renew them.

37   And al the armie assembled together, and they went vp into mount Sion.

38   And they saw the sanctification desert, and the altar prophaned, and the gates burnt, and in the courts shrubbes growen vp as in a forest, or on the mountaynes, & the chambers throwen downe.

39   And they rent their garments, and lamented with a great lamentation, and layd ashes vpon their head:

40   and they fel on their face vpon the earth, and cried out with trumpets of significations, and cried towards heauen.

41   Then Iudas ordayned men, to fight against them that were in the castel, til they clensed

the holie places.

42   And he chose priests without spotte, hauing their wil in the law of God:

43   and they clensed the holie places, and tooke away ^note the stones of contamination into an vncleane place.

44   And he considered of the altar of holocausts, that was prophaned, what he should doe with it.

45   And good counsel came to their mindes, to destroy it: lest perhaps it might be a reproch to them, because the Gentils contaminated it, and they threw it downe.

46   And they layd vp the stones in the mount of the house in a place conuenient, til there should come a prophete, and geue answer concerning them.

47   And they tooke whole stones according to the law, and builded a new altar according to that which was before:

48   and they built the holie places, and the thinges that were within the temple inward: and the temple, and the courts they sanctified.

49   And they made the holie vessels new, and brought in the candlestike, and the altar of incenses, and the table into the temple.

50   And they put incense vpon the altar, and lighted the lampes, that were vpon the candlesticke, and they gaue light in the temple.

51   And they set loaues vpon the table, and hung vp the veles, and finished al the workes, that they had made.

52   And before the morning they arose the fiue and twentith day of the ninth moneth (this is the moneth of Casleu) of ^note the hundreth and eight and fourtith yeare:

53   and they offered sacrifice according to the law vpon the new altar of holocausts, which they made.

54   According to the time and according to the day, wherin the heathen contaminated it, in the same was it renewed in canticles, and harps, and lutes, and in cymbals.

55   And al the people fel on their face, and they adored toward heauen, and blessed him that prospered them.

56   And ^note they made the dedication of the altar eight dayes, and they offered holocausts with ioy, and sacrifice of saluation, and of prayse.

57   And they adorned the face of the temple with golden crownes, & litle shieldes: and they dedicated the gates, and the chambers, and hanged doores vpon them.

58   And there was made exceding great ioy in the people, and the reproch of the Gentils was turned away.

59   And Iudas decreed, and his bretheren, and al the church of Israel, that the day of the dedication of the altar be kept in the times therof from yeare to yeare for eight dayes, from the fiue and twentith day of the moneth Casleu, with ioy and gladnes.

60   And they builded at that time mount Sion, & round about high walles, and strong

towres, lest sometime the Gentils should come, & conculcate it as they did before.

61   And he placed an armie there, to keepe it, and he fensed it to keepe Bethsura, that the people might haue a munition against the face of Idumea. ^note Chap. V. ^note Iudas and his bretheren expugne their bordering enimies, 9. deliuer them that were distressed. 17. Simon prospereth in Galeley, 24. Iudas in Galaad, 45. taketh Ephron, and al returne safe into Ierusalem. 55. Iosephus and Azarias attempting ambiciously without order to fight against their enemies, are defeated. 63. And Iudas hath more victories.

1   And it came to passe, as ^note the Gentils round about heard that the altar was builded vp, & the sanctuarie as before, they were exceding angrie: ^note

2   and they thought to take away the stocke of Iacob, that were among them, & they began to kil of the people, and to persecute.

3   And Iudas fought against ^notethe children of Esau in Idumea, and them that were in Acrabathane: because they besette the Israelites round about, and he stroke them with a great plague.

4   And he remembred the malice of the children ^note of Bean, which were to the people a snare and a scandal, lying in waite for them in the way.

5   And they were shut vp by him in towres, & he came nere to them, & ^note anathematized them, & burnt their towres with fyre, with al that were in them.

6   and he passed to the children ^note of Ammon, and found a strong band, and a copious people, and Timothee their captaine:

7   & he made manie battels with them, and they were discomfited in their sight, and he stroke them:

8   and he tooke Gazer the citie, & her ^note daughters, and returned into Iewrie.

9   And the Gentils that are ^note in Galaad, gathered together agaynst the Israelites, that were in their costs to dispatch them: and they fled into the fortresse of Batheman.

10   And they sent letters to Iudas, & his bretheren, saying: The heathen round about are gathered together against vs, to dispatch vs:

11   and they prepare to come, and to occupie the fortresse into which we are fled: and Timothee is the captayne of their host.

12   Now therfore come, & deliuer vs, out of their handes, because a multitude of vs is fallen.

13   And al our bretheren, that were in the places of Tubin, are slaine: & they led away their wiues captiues, and the children, and the spoiles, and they haue slaine there almost a thousand men.

14   And the epistles were yet in reading, and loe other messengers came our of Galilee

their coates rent reporting according to these wordes:

15   saying that there were assembled against them from Ptolemais, and Tyre, and Sidon, and al Galilee is replenished with alienes, to consume vs.

16   And as Iudas and the people heard these wordes, a great assemblie assembled together to consider what they should doe for their bretheren, that were in tribulation, and were expugned of them.

17   And Iudas sayd to Simon his brother: Choose thee men, and goe, and deliuer thy bretheren in ^noteGalilee: and I, and my brother Ionathas wil goe into the countrie of Galaad.

18   And he left Ioseph the sonne of zacharie, and Azarias captaynes of the people with the residue of the armie in Iurie to keepe it:

19   and he commanded them, saying: Be ye ouer this people: & make no battel against the heathen, til we returne.

20   And there were parted to Simon three thousand men, to goe into Galilee: but to Iudas eight thousand to goe into the countrie of Galaad.

21   And Simon went into Galilee, and made manie battels with the heathen: & the heathen were discomfited before his face, and he pursewed them euen to the gate of Ptolemais.

22   And there fel of the heathen almost three thousand men, & he tooke the spoiles of them,

23   and he toke them that were in Galilee & in Arbatis with their wiues, and children, & al thinges that they had, and he brought them into Iurie with great ioy.

24   And Iudas Machabeus, and Ionathas his brother passed ouer Iordan, and went three dayes iorney through the desert.

25   And the Nabutheians mette them, and receiued them peaceably, and told them al thinges, that had happened to their bretheren in the countrie of Galaad,

26   and that manie of them were comprehended in Barasa, and Bosor, and in Alimis, and in Casphor, and Mageth, and Carnaim, al these cities fensed, and great.

27   Yea and in the rest of the cities of Galaad they are held captiue, & on the morow they appoynted to remoue the armie nere to these cities, and to take them, & to dispatch them in one day.

28   And Iudas turned, and his armie the way into Bosor sodenly, and tooke the citie: and he slew euerie male in the edge of the sword, and tooke al their spoiles, and burnt it with fire.

29   And they arose thence by night, and went euen to the fortresse.

30   And it came to passe early in the morning, when they had lifted vp their eyes, and behold much people, wherof there was no number, carying ladders, and engins, to take the fortresse, and they expugned them.

31   And Iudas saw that the battel began,

and the crie of the battel ascended to heauen as a trumpet, and a great crie out of the citie:

32   and he sayd to his host: Fight ye to day for your bretheren.

33   And he came with three rankes behind them, and they cried out with trumpets, and cried in prayer.

34   And the campe of Timothee vnderstood that it was Machabeus, and they fled backe from his presence: and they stroke them with a great plague: and there fel of them in that day almost eight thousand men.

35   And Iudas turned aside into Maspha, and expugned, and tooke it, and he slew euerie male therof, and he tooke the spoiles therof, and burnt it with fyre.

36   From thence he marched, and tooke Casbon, and Mageth, and Bosor, and the rest of the cities of Galaad.

37   But after these wordes Timothee gathered an other armie, & camped against Raphon beyond the torrent.

38   And Iudas sent to vewe the armie: and they reported vnto him, saying: That al the nations, that are round about vs, are assembled against vs, an armie exceding great:

39   and they haue hyred the Arabians to helpe them, and they haue camped beyond the torrent, being readie to come vnto thee into battel. And Iudas went to meete them.

40   And Timothee sayd to the princes of his armie: When Iudas shal approch, and his armie to the torrent of water: if he passe ouer vnto vs first, we shal not be able to sustaine him: because preuayling he wil preuaile against vs.

41   but if he be afrayd to passe ouer, and campe without the riuer, let vs passe ouer to them, and we shal preuaile against him.

42   But as Iudas approched to the torrent of water, he set the scribes of the people by the torrent, and commanded them, saying: Leaue not a man: but let al come into the battel.

43   And he passed ouer to them first, and al the people after him, and al the heathen were discomfited at their presence, and they threw away their weapons, and fled to the temple, that was in Carnaim.

44   And he tooke ^note the citie itself, and the temple he burnt with fire, with al thinges that were therein: & Carnaim was subdewed, and could not stand against the face of Iudas.

45   And Iudas gathered together al the Israelites, that were in the countrie of Galaad, from the least euen to the greatest, and their wiues, and children, and an armie exceding great, to come into the land of Iuda.

46   And they came as far as ^note Ephron, and this citie was great situate in the entrance, fenced excedingly, and there was no meanes to decline from it on the right hand or on the left, but the way was through the middes.

47   And

they that were in the citie, shut in themselues, and stopped the gates with stones: and Iudas sent to them in peaceable wordes,

48   saying: Let vs passe through your land, and goe into our countrie: and no man shal hurt you, onlie on foote we wil passe. And they would not open vnto them.

49   And Iudas commanded proclamation to be made in the campe, that they should approch euerie man in the place wherein he was.

50   and the men of strength approched, and he assaulted that citie al the day, and al the night, and the citie was deliuered into his hand: and they slew euerie male in the edge of the sword, and he rooted it vp, and tooke the spoiles therof, and passed through al the citie vpon the slaine.

52   And they passed ouer Iordan in the great playne, against the face of Bethsan.

53   And Iudas gathered together ^note the hinmost, and he ^note exhorted the people throughout al the way, til they came into the land of Iuda:

54   and they went vp into mount Sion with ioy, and gladnes, & offered holocausts because none of them was fallen til they returned in peace.

55   And in the dayes, that Iudas and Ionathas were in the land of Galaad, and Simon his brother in Galilee against the face of Ptolomais,

56    ^noteIoseph the sonne of Zacharie heard, and Azarias, the princes of the band, the thinges wel atcheiued, and the battels that were made,

57   and he sayd: Let vs also make vs a name, and let vs goe fight against the heathen, that are round about vs.

58   And he commanded them that were in his armie, and they went to Iamnia.

59   And Gorgias went forth out of the citie, and his men to meete them into battel.

60   And Ioseph and Azarias were chased in flight euen vnto the borders of Iurie: and there fel that day of the people of Israel about two thousand men, and there was made a great tumult in the people:

61   because they heard not Iudas, and his bretheren, thinking that they should doe manfully.

62   But they were not of the seede of those men by whom saluation was made in Israel.

63   And the men of Iuda were magnified excedingly in the sight of al Israel, and of al nations where their name was heard.

64   And they came together vnto them, with acclamations for their good successe.

65   And Iudas went out, and his bretheren, and they expugned the children of ^note Esau in the land, that is toward the South, and they stroke Chebron, and her daughters: and the walles therof and the towres he burnt with fyre round about.

66   And he remoued the campe to goe into the land of

the aliens, and he walked through ^note Samaria.

67   In that day fel the priests in battel, whiles they wil doe manfully, whiles they goe forth without counsel into battel.

68   And Iudas declined ^noteto Azotus into the land of the aliens, and he threw downe their altars, and the sculptils of their goddes he burnt with fyre: and he tooke the spoiles of the cities, and returned into the land of Iuda. Chap. VI. Antiochus repulsed from Elimais, 5. and hearing of the ouerthrow of his armie in Iurie, falleth vehemently sick: 11. and acknowleging his calamities to haue happened, for the euils he hath done against the Iewes, dyeth. 17. His young sonne Antiochus Eupator succedeth. 18. Iudas besiegeth the Macedonians fortresse. 21. Relapsed Iewes solicite the king, 28. and he cometh with a terrible huge armie. 32. Iudas therfore leauing the siege meeteth the enemie. 43. Eleazar going vnder an elephant killeth him and so himselfe is also slaine. 47. The king taketh Bethsura by composition. 51. and bendeth his forces against Ierusalem. 55. By Lysias aduice the king maketh peace with the Iewes; 62. but breaking his othe destroyeth the wal of Sion; 63. and returning recouereth Antioch from Philippe.

1   And king Antiochus walked through the higher countries, and he heard that there was a citie Elymais in Persis most noble, and plentiful in siluer, and gold, ^note

2   and a temple therin exceding rich: and couerings thereof gold, and brigantines, and shildes, which Alexander philips sonne the king of Macedonia that reigned first in Grece left there.

3   And he came, and sought to take the citie, and to spoile it, and he could not, because the word was knowen to them that were in the citie.

4   And they rose vp into battel, and he fled from thence, and departed with great sorow, and returned into ^note Babylonia.

5   And there came one that told him in Persis, that the campes that were in the land of Iuda, were put to flight:

6   and that Lysias went with great powre with the first, and was put to flight before the face of the Iewes, and they grew strong with armour, and force, and manie spoiles, which they tooke out of the campes, which they destroyed: ^note

7   and that they threw downe the abomination which they had builded vpon the altar that was in Ierusalem, and the sanctification they compassed about as before with high walles, yea and Bethsura his citie.

8   And it came to passe as the king heard these wordes, he was sore afrayd, and was moued excedingly: and he lay

downe vpon his bed, and fel into sicknes for sorow, because it was not chanced to him as he thought.

9   And he was there for manie dayes: because there was renewed in him great sorowfulnes, and he made account to dye.

10   And he called al his freindes, and sayd to them: Sleepe is departed from mine eyes, and I am fallen away, & my hart is gone for pensifenes:

11   and I sayd in my hart: Into how great tribulation am I come, & into what waues of sorow, wherin now I am: who was pleasant, and beloued in my powre!

12   But ^note now I remember the euils, that I haue done in Ierusalem, from whence also I tooke away al the spoiles of gold, and of siluer, that were in it, and I sent to take away the inhabitants of Iewrie, without cause.

13   I know therfore that for this cause haue these euils found me: and loe I perish with great sorow in a strange countrie.

14   And he called philip, one of his frendes, and he made him chiefe ouer al his kingdom.

15   And he gaue him the crowne, and his robe, and ring, that he should bring Antiochus his sonne, & should bring him vp to reigne.

16   And Antiochus the king died there in the yeare ^note an hundreth fourtie nine. ^note

17   And Lysias vnderstood that the king was dead, and he appoynted Antiochus his sonne to reigne, whom he brought vp a young man: and he called his name Eupator. ^note

18   And they that were in the castel, had inclosed Israel round about the holie places: and they sought them euils alwayes, and the strengthning of the Gentils, ^note

19   And Iudas thought to destroy them: and he called together al the people, to besiege them.

20   And they came together, and besieged them in the yeare an hundredth fiftie, and they made balists and engins.

21   And certaine of them that were besieged, went forth: & some impious men of Israel ioyned them selues vnto them,

22   and they went to the king, and sayd: How long doest thou not iudgements, and reuengest our bretheren?

23   We decreed to serue thy father, and to walke in his precepts, and obey his edicts:

24   and the children of our people for this alienated them selues from vs, and whosoeuer were found of vs, they were slayne, and our inheritances were spoiled.

25   And not to vs only haue they extended the hand, but also into al our coasts.

26   and behold they haue approched this day to the castel in Ierusalem to take it, and they haue fortified a fortresse in Bethsura:

27   and vnles thou preuent them more spedely, they wil doe greater thinges then these, and thou shalt not be able

to winne them.

28   And the king was angrie, as he heard these thinges: and he called together al his freinds, and the princes of his armie, and them that were ouer the horsemen.

29   Yea and of other realmes, and of the ilands by the sea there came vnto him hyred armies.

30   And the number of his armie was an hundred thousand footemen, and twentie thousand horsemen, and elephants thirtie two, taught to battel.

31   And they came through Idumea, and approched to Bethsura, and fought manie dayes, and they made engins and came forth, and burnt them with fyre, and fought manfully.

32   And Iudas departed from the castel, and remoued the campe to Bethzacaram against the kings campe.

33   And the king arose before it was light, and stirred the bands into fiercenes against the way to Bethzacaram: and the armies made them selues readie to the battel, and they sounded with trumpets:

34   and to the elephants they shewed ^note the bloud of the grape, and of the mulberie, to prouoke them to the battel.

35   And they diuided the beasts by the legions: and there stood by euerie elephant a thousand men in coates of maile, & helmets of brasse on their heads: and fiue hundred horsemen set in order were chosen for euerie beast.

36   These before the time whersoeuer the beast was, there were they: and whither so euer it went, they went, and they departed not from it.

37   Yea & vpon them were strong woodden towres prorecting euerie beast: & vpon them engins, and vpon euerie one thirtie two men of strength, which fought from aboue: & within the master of the beast.

38   And the residue of the horsemen he placed on this side and on that side into two parts, with trumpets to stir vp the armie, & to vrge them that stood thicke together in the legions therof.

39   And as the sunne did shine vpon the bucklers of gold, and of brasse, the mountaynes glistered therewith, and they glistered as lampes of fire.

40   And part of the kings armie was seuered by the high montaynes, and an other part by the low places: and they marched warely and orderly.

41   And al the inhabitants of the land were moued at the voice of the multitude of them, and the marching of the troupe, & the ratling of the armour, for it was an armie exceding great and strong.

42   And Iudas approched, and his armie into battel: & there fel of the kings armie six hundred men.

43   And Eleazar the sonne of Saura saw one of the beasts harnessed with the kings harnes: and it was eminent aboue the other beasts; and it semed to him that the

king was on it:

44   and he gaue himself to deliuer his people, and to get him self an euerlasting name.

45   And he ranne to it boldly in the middes of the legion, killing on the right hand, & on the left, and they were slaine of him on this side and that side.

46   And ^note he went vnder the feete of the elephant, and put himself vnder him, and slew him: and it fel to the ground vpon him, and he died there

47   And they seing the kinges powre, and the fiercenes of his armie, turned them selues aside from them.

48   But the kings campe went vp against them vnto Ierusalem: and the kings campe approched to Iurie and mount Sion.

49   And he made peace with them that were in Bethsura: and they came forth out of the citie, because there were no victuals for them there benig shut vp, because it was the sabbaths of the land.

50   And the king tooke Bethsura: and he placed there a garrison to kepe it.

51   And he turned the place of the sanctification manie dayes: & he placed there arbalists and engins, and instruments to cast fyre, and peeces to cast stones, and arrowes, & scorpions to shoote arrowes, and slings.

52   And they also made engins against their engins, and they fought manie dayes.

53   But there were no victuals in the citie, for that it was the seuenth yeare: and they that had remayned in Iurie of the Gentils, had consumed their remaynes, that had bene layd vp.

54   And there remayned in the holies few men, because famine had preuailed ouer them: and they were dispersed euerie man into his place.

55   And Lysias heard that Philip, whom king Antiochus when he liued, had appointed to bring vp his sonne to reigne,

56   was returned from Persis, and Media, and the armie that went with him, and that he sought to take vpon him the affayres of the kingdom:

57   and he hastened to goe, and to say to the king, and to the princes of the armie: We decay dayly, and there is litle victual for vs, and the place that we besiege, is fensed, & it lyeth vpon vs to take order for the kingdom.

58   Now therfore let vs geue the right handes to these men, and make peace with them, and with al their nation.

59   And let vs decree for them, that they walke in their owne ordinances as before. For, because of their ordinances which we dispised, they haue bene wrath, and haue done al these thinges.

60   And the word was liked in the sight of the king, and of the princes: and he sent vnto them to make peace: and they receiued it.

61   And the king and the princes sware to them: and they came out of the fortresse.

62   And the

king entred mount Sion, and saw the munition of the place: and he brake quickly the othe which he sware, and commanded to destroy the wal round about.

63   And he departed in hast, and returned to Antioche, and found Philip ruling ouer the citie: and he fought against him and wanne the citie. ^note Chap. VII. ^note Demetrius commandeth to kil Antiochus and Lysias being captiues. 5. Alcimus and other wicked Iewes solicite the king, 8. and he sendeth a great armie into Iurie: appointeth Bacchides general, and Alcimus highpriest. 10. who falsly pretending peace, Iudas doth not credite them, but the Assidians are deceiued: 16. and manie are slayne. 23. Iudas resisting, the persecuters depart. 26. wherupon Nicanor is sent with an other armie, fighteth, and loseth manie men; 33. parteth in great rage, 39. assaulteth Bethoron, 42. is slayne; and his armie flying is al destroyed. 48. They celebrate that day with ioy, and haue peace for a while.

1   In the yeare an hundreth fiftie first went forth Demetrius the sonne ^note of Seleucus from the citie of Rome, and he ascended with few men into a citie by the sea side, and reigned there. ^note

2   And it came to passe, as he entered into the house of the kingdom of his fathers, the armie tooke Antiochus, and Lysias, to bring them vnto him.

3   And the king was knowne to him: and he sayd: Shew me not their face.

4   And the armie slew them. And Demetrius sate vpon the seate of his kingdom:

5   and there came to him the wicked and impious men of Israel: & Alcimus the captaine of them, who ^note would be made the priest.

6   And ^note they accused the people to the king, saying: Iudas and his bretheren haue destroyed al thy freindes, and vs he hath destroyed out of our land.

7   Now therfore send a man, whom thou doest credite, that he may goe, and see al the destruction, that he hath done to vs, and to the kings countries: and let him punish al his freinds, and their ayders.

8   And the king chose of his freinds Bacchides, that ruled beyond the great riuer in the kingdom, and was faythful to the king: and he sent him,

9   to see the destruction that Iudas hath made: and Alcimus the impious man be appointed to the priesthood, and gaue him in commandment to make reuenge vpon the children of Israel.

10   And they arose, and came with a great armie into the land of Iuda: and they sent messengers, and spake to Iudas, & his brethren with peaceable wordes in guile.

11   And they attended not to their wordes: for

they saw that they came with a great armie.

12   And there assembled to Alcimus & Bacchides a congregation of the scribes to require the thinges that are iust:

13   and ^note first, the Assideans that were in the children of Israel, and they sought peace of them.

14   for ^note they sayd: A man that is a priest of the seede of Aaron is come, he wil not deceiue vs.

15   And he spake with them peaceable wordes: and he sware to them, saying: We wil doe you no harme, nor your freindes.

16   And they beleued him. And he tooke of them threescore men, and slew them in one day according to the word, that is written:

17   The flesh of thy saincts, and the bloud of them they haue shed round about Ierusalem, and there was none to burie them.

18   And there fel feare, and trembling vpon al the people, because they sayd: There is no truth, & iudgement in them: for they haue transgressed the appointment, and the othe which they sware.

19   And Bacchides remoued the campe from Ierusalem, and approched to Bethzecha: and he sent, & tooke manie of them that were fled from him, and certaine of the people he killed, and threw them into a great pitte.

20   And he committed the countrie to Alcimus, and left with him ayde to helpe him. And Bacchides went away to the king:

21   and Alcimus did what he could for the principalitie of his priesthood:

22   and there gathered together vnto him al that disturbed their people, and they obteyned the land of Iuda, & made a great plague in Israel.

23   And Iudas saw al the euils that Alcimus did, and they that were with him, to the children of Israel, much more then the Gentils.

24   And he went out into al the coasts of Iurie round about, and did vengeance vpon the men that reuolted, and they ceased to goe forth any more into the countrie.

25   But Alcimus saw that Iudas preuailed, and they that were with him: and he knew that he could not stand with them, and he went backe to the king, and accused them of manie crimes. ^note

26   And the king sent ^note Nicanor, one of his nobler princes: that practised emnities against Israel: and he commanded him to destroy the people. ^note

27   And Nicanor came into Ierusalem with a great armie, and he sent to Iudas and to his bretheren in peaceable wordes with guile,

28   saying: Let there be no fighting betwen me and you: I wil come with few men, to see your faces with peace.

29   And he came to Iudas, and they saluted one an other peaceably: and the enemies were readie to catch Iudas.

30   And the thing was knowne to Iudas that he was

come with guile: and he was sore afrayd of him, & would not see his face any more.

31   And Nicanor knew that his counsel was disclosed: and he went forth to Iudas into battel beside Capharsalama.

32   And there fel of Nicanors armie almost fiue thousand men, and they fled into the citie of Dauid.

33   And after these wordes Nicanor went vp into mount Sion: & there went forth of the priests of the people to salute him in peace, and to shew him the holocausts, that were offered for the king.

34   And scorning he contemned them, and polluted them: and he spake proudly,

35   and sware with anger, saying: Vnles Iudas be deliuered, and his armie into my handes, incontinent when I shal returne in peace, I wil burne this house. And he went out with great anger:

36   and the priests entered in, and stood before the face of the altar and the temple: and weeping they sayd:

37   Thou ô Lord hast chosen this house for thy name to be inuocated therin, that it might be a house of prayer, and obsecration for thy people.

38   Take vengeance vpon this man, and his armie, and let them fal by the sword: remember their blasphemies, and grant not vnto them to be permanent. ^note

39   And ^note Nicanor went out from Ierusalem, and moued the campe neere to Bethhoron: and the armie of Syria mette him. ^note

40   And Iudas approched in Adarsa with three thousand men: and Iudas prayed, and sayd:

41   They that were sent by king Sennacherib, ô Lord, because they blasphemed thee, an angel came forth, and stroke of them an hundred eightie fiue thousand:

42   so destroy this armie in our sight to day, and let the rest know that he hath spoken il vpon the holy places: and iudge thou him according to his malice.

43   And the armies ioyned battel the thirtenth day of the moneth Adar: and the campe of Nicanor was discomfited, and himself was slaine first in the battel.

44   And as his armie saw that Nicanor was slaine, they threw away their weapons, & fled:

45   and they pursewed them one dayes iorney from Adazer, euen til ye come into Gazara, and with trumpets they sounded after them with significations.

46   And they went forth out of al the townes of Iurie round about, and they pushed them with the hornes, and they turned againe to them, and they were al slaine with the sword, and there was not left of them so much as one.

47   And they tooke the spoiles of them for a praye: and Nicanors head they cut of, and his right hand, which he had proudly stretched forth, and they brought it, and hung it vp against Ierusalem.

48   And the people reioyced excedingly, and they spent that day in great gladnes.

49   And he ordayned that this day should be kept euerie yeare the thirtenth of the moneth Adar.

50   And the land of Iuda was quiet for ^note a few dayes. ^note Chap. VIII. Iudas knowing the Romanes to be a most renowmed nation, reciting their worthie actes, 17. sendeth Embassaders to enter league with them: 21. wherto they a greing confirme a perpetual amitie with mutual conditions.

1   And Iudas heard of ^note the name of the Romanes, that they are mightie of power, and agree vnto al thinges that are requested of them: and whosoeuer haue come vnto them, they haue made amitie with them, and that they are mightie of powre. ^note

2   And they heard of their battels, & goodlie acts, which they did in Galatia, that they ouercame them, and brought them vnder tribute:

3   & how great thinges they did in the countrie of Spaine, & that they brought into their powre the metalles of siluer and gold, that are there, and possessed euerie place by their counsel, & patience:

4   and destroyed ^note the places that were very far of from them, & the kings that came vpon them from the ends of the earth, and stroke them with a greate plague: and the rest geue them tribute euerie yeare.

5   And Philip and Perses the king of the Ceteans, and the rest that had borne weapon against them, they discomfited in battel, and ouercame them:

6   and that Antiochus the great king of Asia, who made battel against them, hauing ^note an hundred and twentie elephants, & horsemen, & chariottes an armie exceding great was discomfited by them:

7   & that they tooke him aliue, and appointed him, that himself and they that should reigne after him, should geue a great tribute, and he should geue hostages, and the thing appointed him.

8   and the region of the Indes, & the Medes, & the Lydiains of their best countries: and the same being taken of them, they gaue to Eumenes the king.

9   And that they which were in Hellada, would haue gone to dispatch them: and the word was knowen to them,

10   and they sent vnto them one captayne, and they fought against them, & manie of them were slaine, and they led away their wiues captiue, and their children, and spoiled them, and possessed their land, and destroyed their walles, and brought them into bondage euen vntil this day:

11   and the residue of kingdoms, and iles that some time had resisted them, they spoyled,

and brought vnder their powre.

12   But with their freinds, and those that rested in them, they kept amitie, and obteyned the kingdoms, that were next, and that were far of: that whosoeuer heard their name, feared them.

13   But such as they would helpe to reigne, those reigned: and whom they would, they deposed from the kingdom: and they were exalted excedingly.

14   And in al these none bare a crowne, nor was clothed with purple, to be magnified therin.

15   And that they made them selues a court, and consulted dayly three hundred and twentie, that sate in counsel alwayes for the multitude, that they might doe the thinges that were conuenient:

16   and they committe their gouerment ^note to one man euerie yeare to rule ouer al their land, & al they obey one, & there is no enuie, nor emulation amongst them.

17   And Iudas chose Eupolemus the sonne of Iohn, the sonne of Iacob, and Iason the sonne of Eleazar, & he sent them to Rome to make amitie and societie with them:

18   and that they should take from them the yoke of the Greeks, because they saw that they pressed the kingdom of Israel vnto bondage.

19   And they went to Rome, a way exceding great, and they entered into the court, and sayd:

20   Iudas Machabeus, and his bretheren, and the people of the Iewes haue sent vs vnto you to make societie and peace with you, and to write vs your felowes and freindes.

21   And the word was liked in their sight.

22   And this is the rescript, that they wrote againe in tables of brasse, and sent into Ierusalem, that it might be with them there a memorial of peace, & societie.

23   Be it wel to the Romanes, and to the nation of the Iewes by sea, & by land for euer: and sword and enemie be far from them.

24   But and if warre be toward the Romanes first, or al their felowes in al their dominion:

25   the nation of the Iewes shal geue ayde, according as the time shal appoint, with ful hart:

26   and to them fighting, they shal not geue nor allow wheate, armour, money, shippes, as it hath pleased the Romanes: and they shal keepe their charge, taking nothing of them.

27   In like maner also and if warre shal happen first to the nation of the Iewes, the Romanes shal helpe with al their hart, according as the time shal permitte them:

28   and to them helping shal not be geuen wheate, armour, money, shippes, as it hath pleased the Romanes: and they shal keepe their charge without guile.

29   According to these wordes did the Romanes agree to the people of the Iewes.

30   And if after these wordes these or they

wil adde to these, or take away any thing, they shal doe it at their pleasure: and whatsoeuer they shal adde, or take away, shal be ratified.

31   Yea and concerning the euils, that Demetrius the king hath done against them, we haue writen to him, saying: Why hast thou aggrauated thy yoke vpon our freinds, and felowes the Iewes?

32   If therfore they come againe vnto vs against thee, we wil doe iudgement for them, and wil fight with thee by sea and land. Chap. IX. ^note Bacchides and Alcimus returning into Iurie make great slaughter. 5. More then two partes of Iudas smal troupe flying away, he with eight hundred, setteth vpon the enemie, 14. ouerthroweth the strongest part of their armie: 16. but an other part coming at his back, with great slaughter on both parties, Iudas is slaine: 19. and most honorably buried. 23. Much euil encreaseth in Israel. 28. Ionathas is made captaine general. 36. The children of Iambrie kil his brother, which he reuengeth. 43. Being enuironed by Bacchides chaceth him away to his fensed places, killing manie. 54. Alcimus beginning to deface the temple, is striken with a palsie, and dyeth miserably. 57. So they haue peace two yeares. 58. Bacchides coming with a new armie: 62. Ionathas and Simon retyre into Bethbe&esset;en. 65. there defend themselues, and annoy the enemie. 69. who blaming his counsellers, maketh peace, and departeth.

1   In ^note the meane time as Demetrius heard that Nicanor was fallen and his armie in the battel, he added to send Bacchides and Alcimus againe into Iurie, and the right wing with them.

2   And they went the way, that leadeth into Galgal, and camped in Masaloth, which is in Arbellis: and they wanne it, & slew of men manie soules.

3   In the first moneth of the yeare an hundreth and fiftie two they brought the armie nere to Ierusalem:

4   and they arose, and went into Beræa twentie thousand men, and two thousand horsemen.

5   And Iudas had camped in Laisa, and three thousand chosen men with him:

6   & they saw the multitude of the armie that they were manie, and they feared excedingly: and manie withdrew themselues out of the campe, and there remayned of them but eight hundred men.

7   And Iudas saw that his armie shrunke away, and the battel pressed vpon him, and ^note his hart was broken: because he had not time to gather them together, and he was discoureged.

8   And he sayd to them that were remayning: Let vs rise, and goe to our aduersaries, if we may be able to

fight against them.

9   And they diswaded him, saying: We are not able, but let vs saue our liues now, and returne to our brethren, and then we wil fight against them: and we are few.

10   And Iudas sayd: God forbid we should doe this thing, to flee from them: and if our time be neere, let vs dye manfully for our bretheren, and let vs not stayne our glorie.

11   And the armie moued out of the campe, and they stood to meete them: and the horsemen were diuided into two parts, and the slingers, and the archers went before the armie, and of the foreward al mightie.

12   And Bacchides was in the right wing, and the legion approched on two sides, and they sounded with trumpets:

13   and they also cried out that were on Iudas side, euen they also, and the earth was moued at the voice of the armies: and the battel was fought from morning euen vntil the euening.

14   And Iudas saw that the stronger part of the armie was on the right hand, & al the stout of hart came together with him:

15   and the right side was discomfited of them, and he pursewed them euen to the mount of Azotus.

16   And they that were in the left wing, saw that the right wing was discomfited, and they folowed after Iudas, and them that were with him at the backe:

17   and the battel grew sore, and there fel manie wounded of these and of them.

18   And Iudas was slaine, and the rest fled.

19   And Ionathas and Simon tooke Iudas their brother, and buried him in the sepulcher of their fathers in the citie Modin.

20   And al the people of Israel lamented him with great lamentation, and they mourned manie dayes,

21   and sayd: ^note How is the mightie fallen, that saued the people of Israel!

22   And the rest of the wordes of Iudas battels, and of the valient acts that he did, and of his greatnes are not described: for they were exceding manie.

23   And it came to passe: ^note after the death of Iudas, there came forth the wicked men in al the costs of Israel, and there arose al that wrought iniquitie.

24   In those dayes was made an exceding great famine, and al their countrie with themselues yelded to Bacchides.

25   And Bacchides chose the impious men, and appointed them lords of the countrie:

26   and they sought out, and searched for the freindes of Iudas, and brought them to Bacchides, and he tooke reuenge on them, & scorned them.

27   And there was made great tribulation in Israel, such as was not since the day, that there was no prophete seene in Israel.

28   And al the freinds of Iudas gathered, and sayd to ^note Ionathas:

29   Since thy brother Iudas died, there is not a man like vnto him, to goe forth against the enemies, Bacchides, & them that are the enemies of our nation.

30   Now therfore thee haue we chosen this day to be for him our prince, and captayne to wage our battel.

31   And Ionathas tooke vpon him at that time the princedom, and arose in the place of Iudas his brother.

32   And Bacchides vnderstood it, and sought to kil him.

33   And Ionathas vnderstood it, & Simon his brother, and al that were with them: and they fled into the desert of Thecua, and they pitched by the water of the lake Asphar.

34   And Bacchides vnderstood it, and in the day of the Sabbaths came him self, and al his armie ouer Iordan.

35   And Ionathas sent his brother captayne of the people, to desire the Nabutheians his freindes, that they would lend him their prouision, which was copious.

36   And the children of Iambri issued forth of Madaba, and ^note tooke Iohn, and al thinges that he had, and went away hauing them.

37   After these wordes, it was told Ionathas, and Simon his brother, that the children of Iambri make a great mariage, and bring the bride out of Madaba, the daughter of one of the great princes of Chanaan with great pompe.

38   And they remembred the bloud of Iohn their brother: and they went vp, and hid them selues vnder the couert of the mountayne.

39   And they lifted vp their eyes, and saw: and loc a tumult, and great preparation: and the bridegrome came forth, and his freindes, and his bretheren to meete them with timbrils, and musical instruments, and manie weapons.

40   And they rose vpon them out of the embushement, and slew them, and there fel manie wounded, & the rest fled into the mountaines, and they tooke al the spoiles of them:

41   & the mariage was turned into mourning, and the voice of their musical instruments into lamentation.

42   And they ^note tooke reuenge of the bloud of their brother: & they returned to the banke of Iordan.

43   And Bacchides heard it, and he came on the day of the Sabbaths euen to the brinke of Iordan with a great powre.

44   And Ionathas sayd to his companie: Let vs arise, and fight against our enemies: for it is not to day as yesterday, and the day before.

45   For loe battel directly against vs, and the water of Iordan on this side and on that side, & bankes, and marrises, and forests: and there is no place to turne aside.

46   Now therfore crie ye vnto heauen, that you may be deliuered out of the hand of your enemies. And battel was ioyned.

47   And Ionathas stretched forth his

hand to strike Bacchides, and he turned aside from him backwards.

48   And Ionathas lept aside, and they that were with him into Iordan, and they swame ^note ouer Iordan to them:

49   and there fel of Bacchides part that day a thousand men: and they returned into Ierusalem,

50   and built fensed cities in Iurie, the fortresse that was in Iericho, and in Ammaum, & in Bethoron, and in Bethel, and Thamnata, and Phara, and Thopo with high walles, and gates, and lockes.

51   And he placed a garrison in them, that they might exercise emnities against Israel:

52   and he fensed the citie Bethsura, and Gazara, and the castel, and set garisons in them, and prouision of victuals:

53   and he tooke the sonnes of the princes of the countrie for hostages, & put them in the castel in Ierusalem into ward.

54   And in ^note the yeare an hundred fiftie three, the second moneth, Alcimus commanded the walles of the inner holie house to be destroyed, and the workes of the prophets to be destroyed: and he began to destroy.

55   In that time was Alcimus strooken: and his workes were stayed, and his mouth was stopped, and he was dissolued with the palsey, neither could he speake a word any more, and geue commandement touching his house.

56   And Alcimus died at that time with great torment.

57   And Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead: and he returned to the king, and the land was quiet for two yeares.

58   And al the wicked thought saying: Behold Ionathas, and they that are with him, dwel in silence securely: now therfore let vs bring Bacchides, and he shal take them al in one night.

59   And they went, and gaue him counsel.

60   And he arose to come with a great armie: and he sent secretly epistles to his felowes that were in Iurie, to take Ionathas, and them that were with him: but they could not, because their counsel was knowen to them.

61   And he apprehended of the men of the countrie, that were the principal of the mischife, fiftie men, and he slew them.

62   And Ionathas retyred aside, and Simon, and they that were with him into Bethbessen, which is in the desert: and he built vp the ruins therof, and they fortified it.

63   And Bacchides vnderstood it, and gathered together al his multitude: and sent word to them that were of Iurie.

64   And he came, and camped aboue Bethbessen, and assaulted it manie dayes, and made engins.

65   And Ionathas left Simon his brother in the citie, and went forth into the countrie, and came with a number,

66   and stroke Odares, and his bretheren, and the children of Phaseron

in their tabernacles, & he began to slay, and to grow in forces.

67   But Simon and they that were with him, went out of the citie, and burnt the engins,

68   and they fought against Bacchides, and he was discomfited by them: and they afflicted him excedingly, because his counsel, and his conflict was in vayne.

69   And being angrie against the wicked men, that had geuen him counsel to come into their countrie, ^note he slewe manie of them: but himself thought with the rest to depart into their countrie.

70   And Ionathas vnderstood it, and he sent vnto him legates to make peace with him, and to render vnto him the captiues.

71   And he tooke it gladly, and did according to his wordes, & sware that he would doe him no harme al the dayes of his life.

72   And he rendered vnto him the captiues, which he before had taken for a praye, out of the land of Iuda: and returning he departed into his owne countrie, and he added no more to come into their coasts.

73   And the sword ceased out of Israel: and Ionathas dwelt in Machmas, & Ionathas began there to iudge the people, and he destroyed the impious out of Israel. Chap. X. ^note Demetrius inuaded by Alexander, 3. seeketh helpe of Ionathas: 15. but he ioyneth with Alexander, a surer freind: 22. though Demetrius solicite him againe, offering rewardes, with remission of tributes, 31. and great priuilegies, 46. Al which he suspecting to be feaned, persisteth with Alexander: 48. who in battel killeth Demetrius: 52. espouseth the kings daughter of Ægypt: 59. calleth Ionathas to the mariage: 62. and honoreth him as a king. 67. Demetrius (the sonne) coming into Syria, sendeth Apollonius against Ionathas: 70. prouoketh him, 74. and is ouerthrowen (79 notwithstanding his ambushment of a thousand horsemen) 83. Ionathas burneth Asotus, with their idol Dagon. 86. so returneth by Ascalon to Ierusalem with great glorie.

1   And in the yeare an hundreth threescore came vp Alexander ^notethe sonne of Antiochus, that was surnamed Noble: and he tooke Ptolemais, and they receiued him, and he reigned there.

2   And Demetrius the king heard it, and he gathered together an exceding great armie, and went forth to meete him into battel.

3   And Demetrius sent an epistle to Ionathas in peaceable wordes, to magnifie him.

4   For he sayd: Let vs preuent to make peace with him, before he make with Alexander against vs:

5   for he wil remember al the euils, that

we haue done against him, and against his brother, and against his nation.

6   And he gaue him authoritie to gather an armie, and to make weapons, and to be himself his felow: and the hostages that were in the castel, he commanded to be deliuered to him.

7   And Ionathas came into Ierusalem, and read the epistles in the hearing of al the people, and of them that were in the castle.

8   And they feared with great feare, because they heard that the king gaue him authoritie to gather an armie.

9   And the hostages were deliuered to Ionathas, & he rendered them to their parents.

10   And Ionathas dwelt in Ierusalem, and began to build, and to renew the citie.

11   And he spake to them that made the workes, that they should build the walles, and mount Sion round about with square stones for munition: and so they did.

12   And the Aliens fled that were in the holdes, which Bacchides had built:

13   and euerie man left his place, and departed into his owne countrie:

14   onlie in Bethsura there remained some of them, that had forsaken the law, and the precepts of God: for this was for a refuge to them.

15   And Alexander the king heard of the promises, that Demetrius had promised to Ionathas: and they told him the battels, and the worthie acts that he did, and his bretheren, and the labours, that they endured:

16   and he sayd: Why, shal we find any such man? and now we wil make him a freind, & our felow.

17   And he wrote an epistle, & sent it to him according to these wordes, saying:

18   King Alexander to his brother Ionathas greeting.

19   We haue heard of thee, that thou art mightie of powre, and art meete to be our freind:

20   & now ^note we make thee this day high priest of thy nation, that thou be called the kings freind (and he sent him purple, and a crowne of gold) and in our affayres thou be of one minde with vs, and keepe amitie towards vs.

21   And Ionathas put on him the holie stole the seuenth moneth, in the yeare an hundreth threescore in the solemne day of Scenopegia: and he gathered an armie, and made very manie weapons.

22   And Demetrius heard these wordes, and was exceding sorie, and sayd:

23   What is this that we haue done, that Alexander hath preuented vs to take the frendshippe of the Iewes for his strength?

24   I also wil write to them wordes of request, and dignities, and gifts: that they may be with me to ayde me.

25   And he wrote to them in these wordes: King Demetrius to the nation of the Iewes greeting.

26   Because you haue kept couenant towards vs, and haue continewed in our

amitie, and haue not ioyned to our enemies, ^note we haue heard of it, & are glad.

27   And now perseuere stil to keepe fidelitie towards vs, & we wil reward you with good thinges, for that you haue done with vs.

28   And we wil remitte you manie charges, and wil geue you manie gifts.

29   And now I release you, and al the Iewes from tributes, and I pardon you the prices of salt, and remitte the crownes, and the thirds of the seede:

30   and the halfe of the fruite of trees, which is my portion, I leaue to you from this day fotward, that it be not taken of the land of Iuda, and of the three cities that are added therto of Samaria, and Galilee from this day and foreuer:

31   and let Ierusalem be holie, and free with the coasts therof: and the tithes, & tributes be they to it.

32   I release also the authoritie of the castel, that is in Ierusalem, and I geue it to the high priest, to place therin men whomsoeuer he shal choose, that may keepe it.

33   And euerie soule of the Iewes, that is captiue from the land of Iuda in al my kingdom, I dismisse free for nothing, that al may be discharged also from tributes of their cattel.

34   And al the solemne dayes, and the sabbaths, and the new moones, and the dayes appointed, and three dayes before the solemne day, and three dayes after the solemne day let them al be of immunitie and remission, to al the Iewes that are in my kingdom:

35   and no man shal haue powre to do any thing, and to make businesses against any of them in any cause.

36   And let there be inrolled of the Iewes in the kinges armie to the number of thirtie thousand men: and allowance shal be geuen them as behoueth to al the kings bands, and of them there shal be ordayned certaine, that shal be in the fortresses of the great king:

37   and of these there shal be appoynted ouer the affayres of the kingdom, that are done of trust, and let there be princes of them, and let them walke in their owne lawes, as the king hath commanded in the land of Iuda.

38   And the three cities that are added to Iurie of the countrie of Samaria, let them be accounted with Iurie: that they may be vnder one, and obey no other powre, but the high priestes:

39   Ptolomais, and the confines therof, which I haue geuen for a gift to the holies, that are in Ierusalem, to the necessarie charges of the holie thinges.

40   And I geue euerie yeare fiftene thousand sicles of siluer of the kings accounts, that belong to me:

41   and al that is aboue which they had not rendred, that were ouer the affayres the yeares before, from this time they shal geue it to the workes of the house.

42   And beside these fiue thousand sicles of siluer, which they receiued of the account of the holies euerie yeare: and let these perteyne to the priests, that execute the ministerie.

43   And whosoeuer flee into the temple that is in Ierusalem, & in al the coasts therof, in the kings danger for matter, let them be dismissed, & al thinges, that they haue in my kingdom, let them haue it free.

44   And to build or repayre the workes of the holie places, the charges shal be geuen of the kings account:

45   and to build the walles in Ierusalem, and to fortifie them round about, the charges shal be geuen of the kings account, and to build the walles in Iurie.

46   But as Ionathas, and the people heard these wordes, ^note they beleued them not, nor receiued them: because they remembred the great mischife, that he had done in Israel, and had afflicted them excedingly.

47   And their liking was toward Alexander, because he had bene the first mouer of the wordes of peace vnto them, and him they ayded al dayes.

48   And king Alexander gathered a great armie, and moued the campe nere to Demetrius.

49   And the two kinges ioyned battel, and the armie of Demetrius fled, and Alexander pursewed him, and vrged them fore.

50   And the battel grew very sore, til the sunne went downe: and Demetrius was slaine in that day.

51   And Alexander sent legates to ^note Ptolomee king of Ægypt according to these wordes, saying:

52   Becavse I am returned into my kingdom, and am set in the seate of my fathers, and haue obteyned the princedom, and haue destroyed Demetrius, and possessed our countrie,

53   and haue ioyned battel with him, and he is destroyed him self, & his campe by vs, and we sit in the seate of his kingdom:

54   and now let vs make amitie one with an other: and geue me thy daughter to wife, and I wil be thy sonne in law, and I wil geue thee gifts, and to her, dignitie.

55   And king Ptolomee answered, saying: Happie is the day wherin thou art returned to the land of thy fathers, and art set in the seate of their kingdom.

56   And now I wil doe to thee that which thou hast writen: but meete me at Ptolemais, that we may see one an other, and I may despouse her to thee as thou hast sayd.

57   And Ptolomee went out of Ægypt, he and Cleopatra his daughter, and he came to Ptolomais in the yeare an hundred threescore and two.

58   And Alexander the king mette him, and he gaue him Cleopatra his daughter: and he made her mariage at Ptolomais, as kinges in great glorie.

59   And king Alexander wrote to Ionathas, that he

should come to meete him.

60   And he went with glorie to Ptolomais, and he mette there the two kinges, and he gaue them much siluer, and gold, and gifts: and he found grace in their sight.

61   And there assembled against him pestilent men of Israel, wicked men soliciting against him: and the king attended not to them.

62   And he commanded Ionathas to be changed of his garments, and that he should be clothed with purple: and so they did. And the king placed him to sit with him self.

63   And he sayd to his princes: Goe ye out with him into the middes of the citie, & proclame, that no man solicite against him for any matter, and that no man be trublesome vnto him for any cause.

64   And it came to passe, as they that solicited, ^note saw his glorie that was published, & him couered with purple, they al fled:

65   and the king magnified him, and wrote him amongst his chiefe freindes, and made him Duke, and partaker of the princedom.

66   And Ionathas returned into Ierusalem with peace, and ioy.

67   In the yeare an hundreth sixtie fiue came Demetrius the sonne of Denetrius from Crete into the land of his fathers.

68   And Alexander the king heard it, and he was verie sorie, and returned to Antioche.

69   And Demetrius the king made Apollonius general, who was ruler of Coelesiria: & he gathered a great armie, & came to Iamnia: and he sent to Ionathas the high priest,

70   saying: Thou onlie resistest vs, and I am brought into derision, and into reproch, because thou doest exercise powre against vs in the mountains.

71   Now therfore if thou trust in thy forces, come downe to vs into the plaine, let vs compare there one with an other: because with me is the force of battels.

72   Aske, and learne who I am, and the rest, that ayde me, who also say that your foote can not stand before our face, because twise haue thy fathers bene put to flight in their owne land:

73   and now how wilt thou be able to abide the horsemen, & so great an armie in the plaine, where is no stone, nor rocke, nor place to flee?

74   But as Ionathas heard the wordes of Apollonius, he was moued in minde: and he chose tenne thousand men, and went forth from Ierusalem, & Simon his brother mette him to ayde him.

75   And they moued the campe to Ioppe, and it shut him out of the citie: because the garison of Apollonius was in Ioppe, and he assaulted it.

76   And they that were in the citie being put in great feare, opened to him, and Ionathas obteyned Ioppe.

77   And Apollonius heard it, & he tooke three thousand horsemen,

and a great armie.

78   And he went to Azotus as making iorney, and immediatly he went forth into the plaine: because he had a multitude of horsemen, and he trusted in them. And Ionathas pursewed him vnto Azotus, and they ioyned battel.

79   And Apollonius left in the campe a thousand horsemen behinde them secretly.

80   And Ionathas vnderstood that there was an embushement behind him, and they compassed his campe, and they threw dattes vpon the people from morning euen vnto euening.

81   But ^note the people stood, as Ionathas had commanded: and their horses laboured.

82   And Simon put forth his armie, and ioyned it against the legion: for the horsemen were wearied: and they were discomfited by him, and fled.

83   And they that were scattered by the playne, fled into Azotus, and entered into Bethdagon their idol house, there to saue them selues.

84   And Ionathas burnt Azotus, and the cities that were round about it, and he tooke the spoiles of them, and the temple of Dagon: and al that fled into it, he burnt with fire.

85   And there were that were slayne by the sword, with these that were burnt, almost eight thousand men.

86   And Ionathas has remoued the campe from thence, and brought it to Ascalon: and they went out of the citie to meete him in great glorie.

87   And Ionathas returned into Ierusalem with his companie, hauing manie spoiles.

88   And it came to passe: as Alexander the king heard these wordes, he added yet to glorifie Ionathas.

89   And he sent him a cheyne of gold, as the custome is to be geuen to the cosins of kings. And he gaue him Accaron and al the borders therof in possession. Chap. XI. Ptolomeus king of Ægypt deceiptfully coming into Syria, 8. surpriseth certaine cities, & taking his daughter from Alexander geueth her to Demetrius. 15. Alexander flying away, 17. is treacherously slaine. 8. Ptolomeus dyeth the third day, and Demetrius reigneth. 20. Ionathas besiegeth the fortresse which resisted him in Ierusalem. 24. obtayneth of Demetrius remission of tributes, and other priuilegies. 38. Demetrius dismissing his armie, the souldiars conspire with Tryphon against him. 41. Ionathas aydeth him with three thousand men, who kil an hundred thousand mutiners. 53. Demetrius breaking league with Ionathas, is ouerthrowen by Tryphon. 57, Young Antiochus reneweth league with Ionathas: and he (65. as likewise his brother Simon) prospereth: 67. in great danger prayeth and preuaileth.

1   And the king of Egypt gathered an armie, ^note as the sand that is about the sea shore, and manie shippes: and he sought to winne the kingdom of Alexander by guile, and to adde it to his owne kingdom.

2   And he went out into Syria with peaceable wordes, and they opened to him the cities, and mette him: because Alexander the king had commanded them to goe forth to meete him, for that he was his father in law.

3   But when Ptolomee entered the cities, he put garrisons of souldiars in euerie citie.

4   And as he approched to Azotus, they shewed him the temple of dagon burnt with fyre, and Azotus, and the rest therof throwen downe, and the bodies cast forth, and the graues of them that were slaine in the battel, which they had made neere the way.

5   And they told the king that Ionathas did these thinges: to raise enuie against him: and the king held his peace.

6   And Ionathas came to meete the king into Ioppe with glorie, and they saluted one an other, and they slept there.

7   And Ionathas went with the king euen to the riuer, that was called Eleutherus: and he returned into Ierusalem.

8   And king Ptolomee obteyned the dominion of the cities euen to Seleucia by the sea side, and he purposed euil purposes against Alexander.

9   And sent legates to Demetrius, saying: Come, let vs make a league betwen vs, and I wil geue thee my daughter that Alexander hath, & thou shalt reigne in the kingdom of thy father.

10   For it repenteth me that I haue geuen him my daughter: for he hath sought to kil me.

11   And he disprased him, for that he coueted his kingdom,

12   and he tooke away his daughter, & gaue her to Demetrius, and alienated him self from Alexander, and his emnities were made manifest.

13   And Ptolomee entered into Antioch, & he put two crownes vpon his head, of Egypt, & of Asia.

14   But Alexander the king was in Cilicia at that time: because they rebelled that were in those places.

15   And Alexander heard it, and came to him into battel: and Ptolomee the king brought forth an armie, and mette him with a strong power, and put him to flight.

16   And Alexander fled into Arabia, there to be protected: and king Ptolomee was exalted.

17   And Zabdiel an Arabian tooke of Alexanders head, & sent it to Ptolomee.

18   And king Ptolomee died the third day: and they that were in the fortresses, perished by them that were within the campe.

19   And Demetrius reigned the yeare an hundreth sixtie seuen.

20   In those dayes Ionathas gathered together them, that were in

Iurie, to winne the castel in Ierusalem: and they made engins against it.

21   And certaine ^note that hated their owne nation wicked men, went to king Demetrius, and told him that Ionathas besieged the castel.

22   And as he heard it, he was wrath: and forth with he came to Ptolemais, and wrote to Ionathas, that he should not besiege the castel, but should meete him to talke together in hast.

23   But as Ionathas heard it, ^note he bade them besiege it: and he chose of the ancients of Israel, and of the priests, and put himself in hazard.

24   And he tooke gold, and siluer and rayments, and manie other presents, and went to the king to Ptolomais, and he found grace in his sight.

25   And certaine wicked men of his nation solicited against him.

26   And ^note the king did to him, as they had done to him which had bene before him: and he exalted him in the sight of al his freinds,

27   and he established to him the chiefe priesthood, and whatsoeuer other thinges he had before precious, and he made him the chiefe of his freindes.

28   And Ionathas requested of the king that he would make Iurie free, and the three ^note toparchies, & Samaria, & the confines therof: and he promised him three hundred talents.

29   And the king consented: and he wrote to Ionathas epistles of al these thinges, conteyning this tenure.

30   King Demetrius to his brother Ionathas greeting, & to the nation of the Iewes.

31   A copie of the epistle, which we haue writen to Lasthenes our parent concerning you, we haue sent to you that you might know it.

32   King Demetrius to Lasthenes his parent greeting.

33   We haue determined to do good to the nation of the Iewes our freinds, & that keepe the thinges that are iust with vs, for their gentlenes which they beare towards vs.

34   We haue ordayned therfore vnto them al the coasts of Iurei, & the three cities, Apherema, Lyda, & Ramatha, which are added to Iurie of Samaria, & al their confines, to be sequestred to al them that sacrifice in Ierusalem, for these thinges, which the king receiued of them euerie yeare, and for the fruits of the land, and of the trees.

35   And other thinges, that perteined to vs of the tithes, and of the tributes, from this time we remitte to them: and the salt floores, and the crownes, that were presented to vs,

36   we grant al to them, and nothing of these shal be broken from this time, and for euer.

37   Now therfore prouide to make a copie of these, and let it be geuen to Ionathas, and let it be layd in the holie mount, and in a solemne place.

38   And Demetrius the king seing that the land

was quiet in his sight, and nothing resisted him, he dismissed al his armie, euerie man to his place, except the forren armie, which he brought from the iles of the Gentils: and al the bandes of his fathers were enemies to him.

39   And there was one Tryphon of Alexanders part before: and he saw that al the armie murmured against Demetrius, & he went to Emalchuel the Arabian, that brought vp Antiochus the sonne of Alexander:

40   And he lay vpon him, to deliuer this Antiochus vnto him, to reigne in his fathers place: and he declared vnto him what great thinges Demetrius did, & the emnities of his hosts against him. And he taried there manie dayes.

41   And Ionathas sent to Demetrius the king, that he would cast out them, that were in the castel in Ierusalem, and that were in the holdes: because they impugned Israel.

42   And Demetrius sent to Ionathas, saying: I wil not onlie doe these thinges for thee, and for thy nation, but with glorie I wil honour thee, and thy nation, when it shal be time conuenient.

43   Now therfore thou shalt doe wel if thou wilt send men to helpe me: because al mine armie is departed.

44   And Ionathas sent him ^note three thousand valient men to Antioch: and they came to the king, and the king was delighted at their coming.

45   And there assembled they that were of the citie, an hundred twentie thousand men, and they would haue slaine the king.

46   And the king fled into the court: and they that were of the citie kept the wayes of the citie, and began to fight.

47   And the king called the Iewes for ayde: and they came together to him al at once, and they were al dispersed through the citie.

48   And they slew in that day an hundred thousand men, and they burnt the citie, and tooke manie spoiles in that day, and deliuered the king.

49   And they that were of the citie saw, that the Iewes had obteyned the citie as they would: and they were discomfited in their minde, and cried to the king with petitions, saying:

50   Geue vs the right hand, and let the Iewes cease to oppugne vs, and the citie.

51   And they threw away their weapons, & made peace, and the Iewes were glorified in the kings sight, & were renowned in the sight of al that were in his kingdom, & returned into Ierusalem with manie spoiles.

52   And king Demetrius sate in the seat of his kingdom: & the land was at rest in his sight.

53   And he feaned al thinges whatsoeuer he sayd, and alienated himself from Ionathas, and he requited him not according to the benefites, that he had geuen him, and he vexed him excedingly.

54   And

after these thinges Tryphon returned, and with him Antiochus the yong boy, who reigned, and put the crowne vpon him.

55   And there gathered vnto him al the bandes, which Demetrius had dispersed, and they fought agaynst him: and he fled, and turned the backe.

56   And Tryphon tooke the beastes, and wanne Antioch.

57   And Antiochus the yong man wrote to Ionathas, saying: I appoynt to thee the priesthood, and I place thee ouer the foure cities, that thou mayst be of the kings freinds.

58   And he sent him vessels of gold for his seruice, and he gaue him leaue ^note to drinke in gold, and to be in purple, and to haue a cheyne of gold:

59   And he appointed Simon his brother gouerner from the borders of Tyre euen to the coasts of Ægypt.

60   And Ionathas went forth, and walked through the cities beyond the riuer: and al the band of Syria gathered vnto him to helpe him, and he came to Ascalon, & they mette him honorably out of the citie.

61   And he went from thence to Gaza: and they that were in Gaza, shut in them selues: and he besieged it, & burnt the thinges that were round about the citie, and he spoiled it.

62   And the men of Gaza besought Ionathas, and he gaue them the right hand: and he tooke their sonnes for hostages, and sent them into Ierusalem: and he walked through the countrie euen to Damascus.

63   And Ionathas heard that the princes of Demetrius preuaricated in Cades, which is in Galilee, with a great armie meaning to remoue him from the affayres of the kingdom:

64   and he went against them: but his brother Simon he left within the prouince.

65   And Simon approched to Bethsura, and expugned it manie dayes, and inclosed them.

66   And they requested of him ^note to take the right handes, and he gaue it them: and he cast them out from thence, and tooke the citie, and placed therin a garrison.

67   And Ionathas, and his campe approched to the water of Genesar, and before it was light they watched in the plaine Asor.

68   And loe the campe of the aliens mette him in the playne, & they layd embushments for him in the mountaines: but he went against them.

69   And the embushments rose out of their places, and they ioyned battel.

70   And al fled that were on Ionathas part, and ^note none was left of them, but Mathathias the sonne of Absolom, and Iudas the sonne of Calphi, chiefe captayne of the chiualrie of the host.

71   And Ionathas rent his garments, and put earth vpon his head, and prayed.

72   And Ionathas returned to them into battel, & he put them to flight,

and they fought.

73   And they of his part that fled, saw, and returned to him, and Pursewed with him euen to Cades to their campe, and they came euen thither.

74   And there fel of the aliens in that day three thousand men: and Ionathas returned into Ierusalem. Chap. XII. Ionathas confirmeth league with the Romanes, and Spartiates, by letters: 19. with mention of letters receiued before. 24. By diligent guard be defendeth the countrie from the enimies inuasions, putting them to flight. 31. subdueth the Arabians, and returneth by Damascus. (33. Simon prospering in other places.) fortifieth Ierusalem, 39. Finally is deceiued by Tryphon. 48. and al his men are slaine.

1   And Ionathas saw that the time helped him, he chose men and sent them to Rome, to establish and to renew amitie with them:

2   and to ^note the Spartiats, and to other places he sent epistles according to the same tenure.

3   And they went to Rome, and entered into the court, and sayd: Ionathas the hight priest, and the nation of the Iewes haue sent vs to renew the amitie, and societie according as before.

4   And they gaue them epistles vnto them by place and place, to conduct them into the land of Iuda with peace.

5   And this is a copie of the epistles which Ionathas wrote to the Spartiats:

6   Ionathas the high priest, and the ancients of the nation, and the priests, and the rest of the people of the Iewes, to the Spartiats ^note their bretheren greeting.

7   Long agoe were epistles sent to Onias the high priest from Arius who reigned with you, that you are our bretheren, as the writing conteyneth, that here beneath foloweth.

8   And Onias receiued the man, that was sent, with honour: and he receiued the epistles, where in there was signification of the societie, and amitie.

9   We wheras we neded none of these hauing for our comfort the holie bookes, that are in our handes,

10   chose rather to send vnto you to renew the fraternitie, lest perhaps we be made aliens from you: for much time is passed, since you sent to vs.

11   We therfore at al time without intermission in the solenne dayes, and the rest where in we should, are mindful of you in the sacrifices, that we offer, and in the obseruances, as it is meete, and becometh to remember bretheren.

12   We reioyce therfore of your glorie.

13   But manie tribulations haue compassed vs, and manie battels, and the kinges that are round about vs, haue impugned

vs.

14   We therfore would not be trublesome to you, nor to the rest our felowes and freindes in these battels.

15   For we haue had ayde from heauen, and we are deliuered, and our enemies are humbled.

16   We haue chosen therfore Numenius the sonne of Antiochus, and Autipater the sonne of Iason, and haue sent to the Romanes to renew with them the old amitie and societie.

17   We therfore haue commanded them that they come vnto you also, & salute you, and deliuer you our epistles, concerning the renewing of our fraternitie.

18   And now you shal doe wel in answering vs to these thinges.

19   And this is ^notethe rescript of the epistles, which he had sent to Onias:

20   Arivs the king of the Spartians to Onias the grandpriest greeting.

21   It is found ^note in scripture of the Spartians, and the Iewes that they are bretheren, & that they are of the stocke of Abraham.

22   And now since we vnderstood these thinges, you doe wel in writing to vs of your peace.

23   Yea and we haue writen agayne to you, Our cattel, & our possessions, are yours: and yours, ours. We therfore haue commanded that these thinges be told you.

24   And Ionathas heard that the princes of Demetrius were come agayne with a great armie more then before to fight against him.

25   And he went out from Ierusalem, aud mette them in the countrie of Amathis: for he gaue them not space to enter into his countrie.

26   And he sent spies into their campe, & they returning reported that they appointed to come vpon them in the night.

27   And when the sunne was set, Ionathas cammanded his men to watch, and to be in armour readie to fight al night, & he set watchmen round about the campe.

28   And the aduersaries heard that Ionathas with his companie was prepared to battel: & they feared, and were afrayd in their hart: and they kindled fyres in their campe.

29   But Ionathas, and they that were with him, knew it not til the morning: and they saw light burning,

30   and Ionathas folowed them, and ouertooke them not: for they had passed the riuer Eleutherus.

31   And Ionathas turned aside to the Arabians, that were called Zabadeans: and he stroke them, and tooke the spoiles of them.

32   And he ioyned, and came to Damascus, and walked through al that countrie.

33   But Simon went forth, and came euen to Ascalon, and to the next holdes, and he declined into Ioppe, and tooke it.

34   (For he heard that they would deliuer the hold to Demetrius part) and he put a garrison there to keepe it.

35   And Ionathas returned, &

called together the ancients of the people, and he consulted with them to build fortresses in Iurie,

36   and to build the walles in Ierusalem, and to reare a mount of a great height betwen the castel and the citie, to separate it from the citie, that it might be alone, and they might neither bye nor sel:

37   And they came together to build the citie: and the wal fel that was vpon the torrent toward the rising of the sunne, and he repayred it, which is called Caphetetha:

38   and Simon built Adiada in Sephela, and fortified it, & hanged on gates aud lockes.

39   And when ^note Tryphon had purposed to reigne ouer Asia, and to take the crowne, & to extend his hand against Antiochus the king:

40   fearing lest perhaps Ionathas would not permit him, but would fight against him: he sought to take him: & to kil him. And rising vp he went into Bethsan.

41   And Ionathas went forth to meete him with fourtie thousand chosen men into battel, and came to Bethsan.

42   And Tryphon saw that Ionathas came with a great armie, to extend his handes vpon him: and he feared:

43   and receiued him with honour, and commended him to al his freindes, and gaue him gifts: and he commanded his hosts to obey him, as him self.

44   And he sayd to Ionathas: Why hast thou trubled al the people: wheras we haue no warre?

45   And now send them backe to their houses, but choose thee a few men, that may be with thee, and come with me to Ptolemais, and I wil deliuer it to thee, and the other holdes, and the armie, and al the ouerseers of the affayres, and returning I wil depart: for therfore I came.

46   And Ionathas beleued him, and did as he sayd: and dismissed his armie, and they departed into the land of Iuda:

47   but he reteyned with him three thousand men: of whom he sent backe two thousand into Galilee, and a thousand came with him.

48   But as Ionathas entered into Ptolemais, they of Ptolemais shut the gates of the citie: and they tooke him, and al that had entered with him they flew with the sword.

49   And Tryphon sent an armie and horsemen into Galilee, and into the great playne to destroy al Ionathas felowes.

50   But they when they vnderstood that Ionathas was taken, and was perished, and al that were with him, they encouraged them selues, & went forth readie to battel.

51   And these that had pursewed, seing that the matter stood vpon their life, they returned.

52   But they came al with peace into the land of Iuda. And they lamented Ionathas, and them that were with him excedingly:

and Israel mourned with great mourning.

53   And al the heathen that were round about them, sought to destroy them. for they sayd:

54   They haue no prince, and helper: now therfore let vs expugne them, and take away from men the memorie of them Chap. XIII. Simon exhorteth the people to defend themselues, and religion: 7. is made general captaine. 14. Tryphon demandeth an hundred talents of siluer, and hostages for Ionathas. 17. which are sent (to satisfie the people) Tryphon receiueth the ransom, 23. killeth Ionathas, and his sonnes. 25. Simon erecteth a memorie to his parentes and bretheren. 31. Tryphon murthereth his young king. 33. Simon fortifieth the countrie, obteyneth peace, and liberties of Demetrius: 42. subdueth the citie Gaza, and the rebellious castle within Ierusalem.

1   And ^note Simon heard that Tryphon gathered a very great armie, to come into the land of Iuda, and to destroy it.

2   Seing that the people was in dread, and in feare, he went vp to Iurusalem, and assembled the people:

3   and exhorting he sayd: You know what great battels I and my bretheren, and the house of my father, haue made for the lawes, & the holies, and the distresses that we haue sene:

4   by reason of these are al my bretheren perished for Israel, and I onlie am left.

5   And now let it not fal to me to spare my life in al time of tribulation: for I am not better then my bretheren.

6   I wil ^note auenge therfore my nation and the holies, our children also, & wiues: because al the heathen are gathered together to destroy vs of emnitie.

7   And the spirit of the people was kindled as soone as they heard these wordes:

8   and they answered with a lowd voice, saying: Thou art our captayne in the place of Iudas, and Ionathas thy brother:

9   fight thou our battel, & we wil doe al thinges whatsoeuer thou shalt say to vs.

10   And gathering together al the men of warre, he hastened to finish al the walles of Ierusalem, and fortified it round about.

11   And he sent Ionathas the sonne of Absalom, & with him a new armie into Ioppe, and they that were in the castel being cast out, he remayned there.

12   And Tryphon remoued from Ptolemais with a great armie, to come into the land of Iuda, & Ionathas with him in ward.

13   But Simon pitched in Addus against the face of the playne.

14   And as Tryphon vnderstood that Simon was risen in the place of his brother Ionathas: and that he

would ioyne battel with him, he sent legats to him,

25   saying: For the siluer, that thy brother Ionathas owed in the kings account, for the affayres which he had, we haue stayed him.

16   And now send an hundred talents of siluer, and his two sonnes for hostages, that being dismissed he flee not from vs, and we wil release him.

17   And Simon knew that with guile he spake with him, ^note neuertheles he commanded the siluer, and the children to be geuen: lest he should get great emnitie with the people of Israel, saying:

18   Because he sent not the siluer, & the children, therfore is he perished.

19   And he sent the children, and the hundred talents: and he lyed, and dismissed not Ionathas.

20   And after these thinges came Tryphon within the countrie, to destroy it, and they compassed by the way that leadeth to Addar, & Simon, and his campe marched into euerie place whither soeuer they went.

21   And they that were in the castel, sent legates to Tryphon, that he should hasten to come through the desert, and should send them victuals.

22   And Tryphon prepared al the horsemen, to come that night: but there was an exceding great snow, and he came not into the countrie of Galaad.

23   And when he had approched to Bascama, he slew Ionathas and his sonnes there.

24   And Tryphon returned, & went into his countrie.

25   And Simon sent, and tooke the bones of Ionathas his brother, and buried them in Modin the citie of his fathers.

26   And al Israel lamented him with great lamentation: & they mourned for him manie dayes,

27   And Simon ^note built ouer the sepulcher of his father and of his bretheren, a building high to behold, of stone polished behind and before:

28   and he erected seuen spyres one against one, to his father and mother, and to his foure bretheren:

29   and about these he set great pillers: and vpon the pillers armour for an eternal memorie: and by the armour shippes grauen, which might be sene of al that sayled the sea.

30   This is the sepulcher, that he made in Modin euen vntil this day.

31   But Tryphon wh&ebar; he iourneyed with Antiochus the king being but a yong man, by guile he slew him.

32   And he reigned in his place, and put the crowne of Asia vpon himself, and made a great plague in the land.

33   And Simon built the fortresses of Iurie, fortifying them with high towres, and great walles, and gates, and lockes: and he put victuals in the fortresses.

34   And Simon chose men & sent to Demetrius the king, that he would make a release to the countrie: because al Tryphons actes had bene

done by spoile.

35   And Demetrius the king according to these wordes answered him, and wrote an epistle in this maner:

36   King demetrius to Simon the high priest, and the freind of kinges, and to the ancients, and to the nation of the Iewes, greeting.

37   The crowne of gold, and ^note the bahem, which you sent, we haue receiued: and we are readie to make with you great peace, and to write to the kings chiefe officers to release you the thinges that we haue released.

38   For what soeuer thinges we haue decreed vnto you, stand in force. The holdes that you haue built, let them be to you.

39   We remitte also the ignorances, and offences euen vntil this day, and the crowne which you owed: and if any other thing was tributarie in Ierusalem, now let it not be tributarie.

40   And if anie of you be fitte to be inrolled among ours, let them be inrolled, and let there be peace betwen vs.

41   In the yeare an hundreth seuentie was the yoke of the Gentils taken away from Israel.

42   And the people of Israel began to write in the tables, and publique instruments. The first yeare vnder Simon the high priest, the great duke, and the prince of the Iewes.

43   In these dayes Simon approched to Gaza, and compassed it with campes, and he made engins, & set them to the citie, and he stroke one towre, and tooke it.

44   And they that were within the engin, brake out into the citie and there was made a great sturre in the citie.

45   And they that were in the citie went vp with their wiues, & children vpon the wal their coates tent, and they cried with a lowd voice, desyring of Simon that the tight handes might be geuen them,

46   and they sayd: Requite vs not according to our malices, but according to thy mercies.

47   And Simon yelding destroyed them not: but ^note yet he cast them out of the citie, and clensed the houses, wherein there had bene idols, and then he entered into it with hymes blessing our Lord:

48   and al filthines being cast out of it, he placed in it men that should doe the law: and he fortified it, and made it his habitation.

49   But they that were in the castel of Ierusalem, were prohibited to goe out and to come in to the countrie, & to bye, and sel: and they were exceding hungrie, and manie of them perished for famine,

50   and they cried to Simon to receiue the right handes, and he gaue it them: and he cast them out from thence, and clensed the castel from the contaminations:

51   and they entered into it the three and twentith day of the second moneth, the yeare an hundreth seuentie one, with prayse, and boughes of palme trees, and

harpes, and cymbals, & nables, and hymnes, and canticles, because the great enemie was destroyed out of Israel.

52   And he ordayned that euerie yeare these dayes should be kept with gladnes.

53   And he fortified the mount of the temple, that was by the castel, and he dwelt there him self, and they that were with him.

54   And Simon saw ^note Iohn his sonne, that he was a valient man of warre: & he made him captayne of al the hosts: and he dwelt in Gazara. Chap. XIIII. Demetrius inuading Media is taken captiue: 4. and Iurie is in peace. 14. Simon cherisheth the godlie, and punisheth the wicked: 16. receiueth freindlie letters from the Romanes, and Spartiates: 20.Wherof the copie is recited: 24. sendeth a legate to Rome with a present. 25. And is established highpriest, and gouernour by publique consent.

1   In the yeare an hundreth seuentie two, king Demetrius gathered his armie, and went into Media to get him aydes to expugne Tryphon.

2   And Arsaces the king of Persia, and Media heard, that Demetrius was entered his confines, and he sent one of his princes to take him aliue.

3   And he went, and stroke the campe of Demetrius: and tooke him, and brought him to Arsaces, and he put him into ward.

4   And ^note al the land of Iuda was at rest al the dayes of Simon, and he sought good to his nation: and his powre, and his glorie pleased them al dayes.

5   And with al his glorie he tooke Ioppe for an hauen, and made it an entrance vnto the iles of the sea.

6   And he enlarged the borders of his nation, and obteyned the countrie.

7   And he gathered a great ^note captiuitie, and had the dominion of Gazara, and of Bethsura, and of the castle: and tooke away the vncleanes out of it, and there was none that resisted him.

8   And euerie man tilled his land with peace: & the land of Iuda yelded her fruites, and the trees of the fildes their fruit.

9   The ancients sate al in the streetes, and treated of the good thinges of the land, & the yongmen did on them glorie, and the stoles of warre.

10   And he gaue victuals to the cities, and he appointed them that they should be vessels of munition, til the name of his glorie was renowmed euen to the end of the earth.

11   He made peace vpon the land, & Israel reioyced with great ioy.

12   And euerie man sate vnder his vine, and vnder his figtree: and there was none to make them afrayd.

13   There was none left that impugned them vpon the earth: kinges were

discomfited in those dayes.

14   And he confirmed al the humble of his people, and sought the law, and tooke away euerie wicked and euil man:

15   he glorified the holies, and multiplied the vessels of the holie places.

16   And it was heard at Rome that Ionathas was dead, and euen vnto the Spartiats: and they were very sorie.

17   But as they heard that Simon his brother was made the high priest in his place, and he obteyned al the countrie, and the cities therein;

18   they wrote to him in brasen tables, to renew the amities and societie, which they had made with Iudas, & with Ionathas his bretheren.

19   And they were read in the sight of the church in Ierusalem. And this is a copie of the epistles, that the Spartiates sent.

20   The princes and ^note the cities of the Spartians to Simon the grand priest, and to the ancients, and the priests, and the rest of the people of the Iewes their bretheren, greeting.

21   The legates, that were sent to our people, haue told vs of your glorie, and honour, and ioy: and we reioyced at their entrance.

22   And we wrote that, which was sayd of them in the counsels of the people, thus: Numenius the sonne of Antiochus, and Antipater the sonne of Iason legates of the Iewes, came to vs, renewing with vs old amitie.

23   And it pleased the people to receiue the men gloriously, and to put a copie of their wordes in the seuered booke of the people, to be for a memorie to the people of the Spartiats. And a copie of these we haue writen to Simon the grand priest.

24   And after these thinges Simon sent Numenius to Rome, hauing a great buckler of gold, of the weight of thousand poundes, to establish amitie with them. But when the people of Rome had heard

25   these wordes, they sayd: What thankes geuing shal we render to Simon, and his children? ^note

26   For he hath restored his bretheren, and hath expugned the enemies of Israel from them: & they decreed him libertie, and registred it in tables of brasse, and put it in titles in mount Sion.

27   And this is a copie of the writing. The eightenth day of the moneth Elul, in the yeare an hundreth seuentie two, the third yeare vnder Simon the grand priest in Asaramel,

28   in a great assemblie of the priests, & of the people and the princes of the nation, and the ancients of the countrie, these thinges were notified: that there haue often bene battels made in our countrie.

29   But Simon the sonne of Mathathias of the children of Iarib, and his bretheren put themselues in danger, and resisted the aduersaries of their nation, that their holies, and

law might stand: & with great glorie haue they glorified their nation.

30   And Ionathas gathered together his nation, and was made their grand priest, and he was layd to his people.

31   And their enemies would conculcate, and destroy their countrie, and extend their handes against the holies.

32   Then Simon, resisted and fought for his nation, and bestowed much money, and armed the valient men of his nation, & gaue them wages:

33   and he fortified the cities of Iurie, and Bethsura, that was in the borders of Iurie, where the armour of the enimies was before: and he placed there Iewes for a garrison.

34   And he fortified Ioppe, which was by the sea: and Gazara, which is in the borders of Azotus, wherin the enemies dwelt before, and he placed Iewes there: and whatsoeuer was fitte for their correption, he put in them.

35   And the people saw the fact of Simon, and the glorie that he meant to doe to his nation, & they made him their duke, and grand priest, for that he had done al these thinges, and for the iustice, and fayth, which he kept to his nation, & for that he sought by al meanes to aduance his people.

36   And in his dayes it prospered in his hands, so that the heathen were taken away out of their countrie, and they that were in the citie of Dauid in Ierusalem in the castel, out of which they came forth, and contaminated al thinges that were round about the holies, & they brought great plague vpon chastitie:

37   & he placed in it men of Iurie to the defence of the countrie, & of the citie, & he raysed the walles of Ierusalem.

38   And king Demetrius appointed him the high priesthood.

39   According to these thinges he made him his freind, and glorified him with great glorie.

40   For he heard that the Iewes were called of the Romanes, freinds, and felowes, and bretheren, and that they receiued Simons legates gloriously:

41   and that the Iewes, and their priests consented that he should be their duke, and high priest ^note for euer, til there rise the faithful prophete:

42   and that he be duke ouer them, and that he should haue the care of the holies, and that he should appoint rulers ouer their workes, and ouer the countrie, and ouer the armour, and ouer the holdes.

43   And that he haue care of the holies: and that he be heard of al, and that al writinges in the countrie be writen in his name: and that he be clothed with purple, and gold:

44   and that it be not lawful for any of the people, and of the priests to disanul anie of these, and to gainsay those thinges, that are sayd of him, or to cal together an assemblie in the

countrie without him: and to be clothed with purple, and to weare a cheyne of gold.

45   But he that shal doe beside these thinges, or shal make frustrate any of these he shal be guiltie.

46   And it pleased al the people to appoiut Simon, and to doe according to these wordes.

47   And Simon tooke it vpon him, and it pleased him to execute high priesthood, and to be duke, and prince of the nation of the Iewes, and of the priests, and to be chiefe ouer al.

48   And this writing they bad them put in tables of brasse, and to set them in the circuite of the holies, in a famous place:

49   and to put a copie therof in the treasurie, that Simon may haue it, and his children. Chap. XV. Antiochus by his letters granteth great priuilegies to Simon: 10. pursueth Thryphon, and inuironeth him. 15. The Romanes commend the Iewes to other nations. 25. Antiochus refusing ayde sent by Simon, breaketh league, 30. and exacteth certaine cities, and tribute. 37. Tryphon escapeth, and other of the kings forces inuade and spoîle lurie.

1   And king Antiochus ^note the sonne of Demetrius sent epistles from the iles of the sea to Simon the priest, and prince of the nation of the Iewes, and to al the nation:

2   and they conteyned this tenure: King Antiochus to Simon the grand priest, and to the nation of the Iewes greeting.

3   Because certaine pestilent men haue obteyned the kingdom of our fathers, and I meane to chalenge the kingdom, and to restore it as it was before: and I haue chosen a great armie, & haue made shippes of warre.

4   And I wil march through the countrie, that I may take reuenge of them, that haue destroyed our countrie, and that haue made manie cities desolate in my realme.

5   Now therfore I establish vnto thee al the oblations, which al the kinges before me remitted vnto thee, and what other gifts soeuer they remitted thee:

6   and I permitte thee to make a coyne of thy owne money in thy countrie:

7   and Ierusalem to be holie and free, and al the armour that is made, and the fortresses which thou hast built, and which thou dost hold, let them remayne to thee.

8   And al that is dew to the king, and the thinges that are to be the kings hereafter, from this present and for al time, they are remitted to thee.

9   And when we shal haue obteyned our kingdom, we wil glorifie thee, and thy nation, and the temple with great glorie, so that your glorie shal be made manifest in al the earth.

10   In the yeare an hundreth

seuentie foure went forth Antiochus into the land of his fathers, and al the hosts assembled vnto him, so that there were few left with Tryphon.

11   And Antiochus the king pursewed him, and he came to Dora flying by the seacost.

12   For he knew that euils were heaped vpon him, and the armie forsooke him.

13   And Antiochus camped vpon Dora with an hundred twentie thousand men of warre, and eight thousand horsemen:

14   and he compassed the citie, and the shippes approched to the sea: and they vexed the citie by land, and by sea, and suffered none to come in, or to goe out.

15   And ^note Numenius came, and they that had bene with him, from the citie of Rome, hauing epistles written to kinges, and countries, wherein were conteyned these wordes:

16   Lvcivs the consul of the Romanes, to Ptolomee the king greeting.

17   The ambassadours of the Iewes our freindes came to vs, renewing the old amitie, and societie, being sent from Simon the prince of the priests, and the people of the Iewes.

18   And they brought also a buckler of gold of a thousand powndes.

19   It hath pleased vs therfore to write to the kinges, and countries, that they doe them no harme, nor impugne them, and their cities, and their countries: and that they geue no ayde to them that fight against them.

20   And it hath semed good vnto vs to take the buckler of them.

21   If therfore anie pestilent men are fled out of their countrie to you, deliuer them to Simon the prince of the priests, that he may punish them according to their law.

22   These self same thinges were written to Demetrius the king, & to Attalus, and to Ariarathes, and to Arsaces,

23   and into al countries: and to Lampsaces, and to the Spartiats, and to Delus, and to Myndus, and to Sicyon, and to Caria, and to Samus, & Pamphilia, and Lycia, and Alicarnassus, and Coo, and Siden, and Aradon, and Rhodes, & Phaselis, and Gortyna, and Gnidus, and Cypres, and Cyrenee.

24   And a copie therof they wrote to Simon the prince of the priests & people of the Iewes.

25   But king Antiochus moued his campe vnto Dora the second time, setting handes alwayes vpon it, & making engins: & he shut vp Tryphon, that he could not goe forth.

26   And Simon sent vnto him two thousand chosen men for ayde, and siluer, and gold, and abundance of furniture.

27   And he would not take them, but brake al thinges that he couenanted with him before, & alienated him self from him.

28   And he sent to him Athenobius one of his freinds, to treate with him, saying: You hold Ioppe, and Gazara, and

the castel, that is in Ierusalem, cities of my kingdom:

29   their borders you haue made desolate, and you haue made a great plague in the land, and haue ruled in manie places in my kingdom.

30   Now therfore deliuer the cities, that you haue taken, and the tributes of the places, wherin you haue ruled without the borders of Iurie.

31   But if not, geue you for them fiue hundred talents of siluer, and for the destruction, that you haue made, and the tributes of cities other fiue hundred talents: but if not, we wil come and expugne you.

32   And Athenobius the kings freind came into Ierusalem, & saw the glorie of Simon, and his magnificence in gold, & siluer, and furniture abundant, and he was astonied, and told him the kings wordes.

33   And Simon answered him, and sayd to him: Neither haue we taken other mens land, neither do we hold that is other mens: but the inheritance of our fathers, which was a certaine season vniustly possessed of our enemies.

34   But we hauing oportunitie challenge the inheritance of our fathers.

35   For concerning Ioppe, and Gazara, that thou complaynest ^note they made a great plague among the people, and in our countrie: for these ^note we geue an hundred talents. And Athenobius answered him not a word.

36   But with anger returning to the king, he reported vnto him these wordes, and the glorie of Simon, & al thinges that he saw, and the king was wrath with great anger.

37   And Tryphon fled by shippe to Orthosias.

38   And the king appointed Cendebaeus captaine by the sea cost, and gaue him an armie of foote men and horsemen.

39   And he commanded him to moue the campe against the face of Iurie: and he commanded him to build ^note Cedron, and to fortifie the gates of the citie, and to conquer the people. But the king pursewed Tryphon.

40   And Cendebaeus came to Iamnia, and began to prouoke the people, & to conculcate Iurie, and to take the people captiue, and to kil, and to build Cedron.

41   And he placed there horsemen, and an host: that going forth they might walke by the way of Iurie, as the king appointed him. Chap. XVI. Simon sendeth two of his sonnes to fight against Cendebaeus, 8. whom they ouerthrow. 11. Ptolemee Simons sonne in law, inuiting him to a feast treacherously killeth him, and his sonnes Iudas and Mathathias: 19. sendeth also men to kil Iohn, but he being warned of the treason, killeth them: 23. and succeedeth to his father in the gouernment.

1   And ^note Iohn went vp from Gazara, and told Simon his father what Cendebaeus did amongst their people.

2   And Simon called his two elder sonnes, Iudas & Iohn, and he sayd to them: I and my bretheren, and the house of my father, haue expugned the enemies of Israel from our youth euen to this day: and it hath prospered in our handes to deliuer Israel oftentimes.

3   And now I am old, but be you in place of me, and my brerheren, & going forth fight for our nation: & the helpe from heauen be with you.

4   And he chose out of the countrie twentie thousand fighting men, and horsemen, and they went forth to Cendebaeus: and they slept in Modin.

5   And they arose in the morning, and went into the plaine filde: and loe a mightie great armie coming to meete them of foote men, and horsemen, & there was a running riuer betwen them.

6   And he camped agaynst the face of them, him self and his people, and he saw the people fearful to passe through the torrent, and he passed through first: and the men saw him, and they passed ouer after him.

7   And he diuided the people, and the horsemen in the middes of the footemen: and the horsemen of the aduersaries were exceding manie.

8   And they sounded with the holie trompets: and Cendebaeus was put to flight, and his campe: and there fel manie of them wounded, and the rest fled into the hold.

9   Then was Iudas Iohns brother wounded: But Iohn pursewed them, til he came to Cedron. which he built:

10   and they fled euen to the towres, that were in the fildes of Azotus, and he burnt them with fyre. And there fel of them two thousand men, and he returned into Iurie in peace.

11   And Ptolomee the sonne of Abobus was appointed captayne in the plaine of Iericho, and he had much siluer, and gold.

12   For he was the sonne in law of the high priest.

13   And his hart was exalted, and he would gayne the countrie, and he purposed treacherie against Simon, and his sonnes to dispatch them.

14   And Simon walking through the cities, that were in in the countrie of Iurie, and being careful of them, went downe into Iericho, he and Mathathias his sonne, and Iudas ^notethe yeare an hundreth seuentie seuen, the eleuenth moneth: this is the moneth Sabath.

15   And the sonne of Abobus receiued them with guile into a litle fortresse, that is called Doch which he built: and he made them a great feast, and hid men there.

16   And when Simon was ^note inebriated and his sonnes, Ptolomee arose with his companie, and they tooke their weapons, and

entered into the feast, and slew him, and his two sonnes, and certain of his seruants.

17   And he did great deceite in Israel, & rendered euil for good.

18   And Ptolomee wrote these thinges, and sent to the king that he should send him an armie for ayde, and he would deliuer him the countrie, and their cities, and tributes.

19   And he sent others into Gazara to dispatch Iohn: and to the tribunes he sent epistles, that they should come to him, & he would geue them siluer, & gold, and gifts.

20   And he sent others to take Ierusalem, & the mount of the temple.

21   And one running before, told Iohn in Gazara, that his father was perished, and his bretheren, & that he hath sent that thou also mayst be slayne.

22   But as he heard it, he was excedingly afrayd: and he apprehended the men, that came to destroy him, & he slew them: for he knew that they sought to destroy him.

23   And the rest concerning the wordes of Iohn, & his battels, and the valient actes, which he did manfully, and the building of the walles, which he built, & the thinges that he did:

24   loe these are writen in ^note the booke of the dayes of his priesthood, from the time that he was made prince of the priests after his father. ^note

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