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

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