1 Maccabees, Chapter 3

¹Then his son Judas, called Maccabeus, rose up in his stead. ²And all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that held with his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel. ³So he gat his people great honour, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike harness about him, and he made battles, protecting the host with his sword. ⁴In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion’s whelp roaring for his prey. ⁵For He pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that vexed his people. ⁶Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his hand. ⁷He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed for ever. ⁸Moreover he went through the cities of Juda, destroying the ungodly out of them, and turning away wrath from Israel: ⁹So that he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth, and he received unto him such as were ready to perish. ¹⁰Then Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host out of Samaria, to fight against Israel.

¹¹Which thing when Judas perceived, he went forth to meet him, and so he smote him, and slew him: many also fell down slain, but the rest fled. ¹²Wherefore Judas took their spoils, and Apollonius’ sword also, and therewith he fought all his life long. ¹³Now when Seron, a prince of the army of Syria, heard say that Judas had gathered unto him a multitude and company of the faithful to go out with him to war; ¹⁴He said, I will get me a name and honour in the kingdom; for I will go fight with Judas and them that are with him, who despise the king’s commandment. ¹⁵So he made him ready to go up, and there went with him a mighty host of the ungodly to help him, and to be avenged of the children of Israel. ¹⁶And when he came near to the going up of Bethhoron, Judas went forth to meet him with a small company: ¹⁷Who, when they saw the host coming to meet them, said unto Judas, How shall we be able, being so few, to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, seeing we are ready to faint with fasting all this day? ¹⁸Unto whom Judas answered, It is no hard matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and with the God of heaven it is all one, to deliver with a great multitude, or a small company: ¹⁹For the victory of battle standeth not in the multitude of an host; but strength cometh from heaven. ²⁰They come against us in much pride and iniquity to destroy us, and our wives and children, and to spoil us:

²¹But we fight for our lives and our laws. ²²Wherefore the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: and as for you, be ye not afraid of them. ²³Now as soon as he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and so Seron and his host was overthrown before him. ²⁴And they pursued them from the going down of Bethhoron unto the plain, where were slain about eight hundred men of them; and the residue fled into the land of the Philistines. ²⁵Then began the fear of Judas and his brethren, and an exceeding great dread, to fall upon the nations round about them: ²⁶Insomuch as his fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas. ²⁷Now when king Antiochus heard these things, he was full of indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered together all the forces of his realm, even a very strong army. ²⁸He opened also his treasure, and gave his soldiers pay for a year, commanding them to be ready whensoever he should need them. ²⁹Nevertheless, when he saw that the money of his treasures failed and that the tributes in the country were small, because of the dissension and plague, which he had brought upon the land in taking away the laws which had been of old time; ³⁰He feared that he should not be able to bear the charges any longer, nor to have such gifts to give so liberally as he did before: for he had abounded above the kings that were before him.

³¹Wherefore, being greatly perplexed in his mind, he determined to go into Persia, there to take the tributes of the countries, and to gather much money. ³²So he left Lysias, a nobleman, and one of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the king from the river Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt: ³³And to bring up his son Antiochus, until he came again. ³⁴Moreover he delivered unto him the half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Juda and Jerusalem: ³⁵To wit, that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from that place; ³⁶And that he should place strangers in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot. ³⁷So the king took the half of the forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred forty and seventh year; and having passed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries. ³⁸Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenes, Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king’s friends: ³⁹And with them he sent forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, as the king commanded. ⁴⁰So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plain country.

⁴¹And the merchants of the country, hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, with servants, and came into the camp to buy the children of Israel for slaves: a power also of Syria and of the land of the Philistines joined themselves unto them. ⁴²Now when Judas and his brethren saw that miseries were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themselves in their borders: for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them; ⁴³They said one to another, Let us restore the decayed fortune of our people, and let us fight for our people and the sanctuary. ⁴⁴Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion. ⁴⁵Now Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in or out: the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold; the heathen had their habitation in that place; and joy was taken from Jacob, and the pipe with the harp ceased. ⁴⁶Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel. ⁴⁷Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes, ⁴⁸And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images. ⁴⁹They brought also the priests’ garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes: and the Nazarites they stirred up, who had accomplished their days. ⁵⁰Then cried they with a loud voice toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away?

⁵¹For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low. ⁵²And lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou knowest. ⁵³How shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help? ⁵⁴Then sounded they with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice. ⁵⁵And after this Judas ordained captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens. ⁵⁶But as for such as were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law. ⁵⁷So the camp removed, and pitched upon the south side of Emmaus. ⁵⁸And Judas said, arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations, that are assembled together against us to destroy us and our sanctuary: ⁵⁹For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary. ⁶⁰Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, so let him do.