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.

Previous section

Next section