1 When these covenants were made, Lysias went unto the king, and the Jews were about their husbandry.
2 But of the governours of several places, Timotheus, and Apollonius the son of Genneus, also Hieronymus, and Demophon, and beside them Nicanor the governor of Cyprus, would not suffer them to be quiet and live in peace.
3 The men of Joppa also did such an ungodly deed: they prayed the Jews that dwelt among them to go with their wives and children into the boats which they had prepared, as though they had meant them no hurt.
4 Who accepted of it according to the common decree of the city, as being desirous to live in peace, and suspecting nothing: but when they were gone forth into the deep, they drowned no less than two hundred of them.
5 When Judas heard of this cruelty done unto his countrymen, he commanded those that were with him to make them ready.
6 And calling upon God the righteous Judge, he came against those murderers of his brethren, and burnt the haven by night, and set the boats on fire, and those that fled thither he slew.
7 And when the town was shut up, he went backward, as if he would return to root out all them of the city of Joppa.
8 But when he heard that the Jamnites were minded to do in like manner unto the Jews that dwelt among them,
9 He came upon the Jamnites also by night, and set fire on the haven and the navy, so that the light of the fire was seen at Jerusalem two hundred and forty furlongs off.
10 Now when they were gone from thence nine furlongs in their journey toward Timotheus, no fewer than five thousand men on foot and five hundred horsemen of the Arabians set upon him.
11 Whereupon there was a very sore battle; but Judas' side by the help of God got the victory; so that the Nomades of Arabia, being overcome, besought Judas for peace, promising both to give him cattle, and to pleasure him otherwise.
12 Then Judas, thinking indeed that they would be profitable in many things, granted them peace: whereupon they shook hands, and so they departed to their tents.
13 He went also about to make a bridge to a certain strong city, which was fenced about with walls, and inhabited by people of divers countries; and the name of it was Caspis.
14 But they that were within it put such trust in the strength of the walls and provision of victuals, that they behaved themselves rudely toward them that were with Judas, railing and blaspheming, and uttering such words as were not to be spoken.
15 Wherefore Judas with his company, calling upon the great Lord of the world, who without rams or engines of war did cast down Jericho in the time of Joshua, gave a fierce assault against the walls,
16 And took the city by the will of God, and made unspeakable slaughters, insomuch that a lake two furlongs broad near adjoining thereunto, being filled full, was seen running with blood.
17 Then departed they from thence seven hundred and fifty furlongs, and came to Characa unto the Jews that are called Tubieni.
18 But as for Timotheus, they found him not in the places: for before he had dispatched any thing, he departed from thence, having left a very strong garrison in a certain hold.
19 Howbeit Dositheus and Sosipater, who were of Maccabeus' captains, went forth, and slew those that Timotheus had left in the fortress, above ten thousand men.
20 And Maccabeus ranged his army by bands, and set them over the bands, and went against Timotheus, who had about him an hundred and twenty thousand men of foot, and two thousand and five hundred horsemen.
21 Now when Timotheus had knowledge of Judas' coming, he sent the women and children and the other baggage unto a fortress called Carnion: for the town was hard to besiege, and uneasy to come unto, by reason of the straitness of all the places.
22 But when Judas his first band came in sight, the enemies, being smitten with fear and terror through the appearing of him who seeth all things, fled amain, one running into this way, another that way, so as that they were often hurt of their own men, and wounded with the points of their own swords.
23 Judas also was very earnest in pursuing them, killing those wicked wretches, of whom he slew about thirty thousand men.
24 Moreover Timotheus himself fell into the hands of Dositheus and Sosipater, whom he besought with much craft to let him go with his life, because he had many of the Jews' parents, and the brethren of some of them, who, if they put him to death, should not be regarded.
25 So when he had assured them with many words that he would restore them without hurt, according to the agreement, they let him go for the saving of their brethren.
26 Then Maccabeus marched forth to Carnion, and to the temple of Atargatis, and there he slew five and twenty thousand persons.
27 And after he had put to flight and destroyed them, Judas removed the host toward Ephron, a strong city, wherein Lysias abode, and a great multitude of divers nations, and the strong young men kept the walls, and defended them mightily: wherein also was great provision of engines and darts.
28 But when Judas and his company had called upon Almighty God, who with his power breaketh the strength of his enemies, they won the city, and slew twenty and five thousand of them that were within,
29 From thence they departed to Scythopolis, which lieth six hundred furlongs from Jerusalem,
30 But when the Jews that dwelt there had testified that the Scythopolitans dealt lovingly with them, and entreated them kindly in the time of their adversity;
31 They gave them thanks, desiring them to be friendly still unto them: and so they came to Jerusalem, the feast of the weeks approaching.
32 And after the feast, called Pentecost, they went forth against Gorgias the governor of Idumea,
33 Who came out with three thousand men of foot and four hundred horsemen.
34 And it happened that in their fighting together a few of the Jews were slain.
35 At which time Dositheus, one of Bacenor's company, who was on horseback, and a strong man, was still upon Gorgias, and taking hold of his coat drew him by force; and when he would have taken that cursed man alive, a horseman of Thracia coming upon him smote off his shoulder, so that Gorgias fled unto Marisa.
36 Now when they that were with Gorgias had fought long, and were weary, Judas called upon the Lord, that he would shew himself to be their helper and leader of the battle.
37 And with that he began in his own language, and sung psalms with a loud voice, and rushing unawares upon Gorgias' men, he put them to flight.
38 So Judas gathered his host, and came into the city of Odollam, And when the seventh day came, they purified themselves, as the custom was, and kept the sabbath in the same place.
39 And upon the day following, as the use had been, Judas and his company came to take up the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen in their fathers' graves.
40 Now under the coats of every one that was slain they found things consecrated to the idols of the Jamnites, which is forbidden the Jews by the law. Then every man saw that this was the cause wherefore they were slain.
41 All men therefore praising the Lord, the righteous Judge, who had opened the things that were hid,
42 Betook themselves unto prayer, and besought him that the sin committed might wholly be put out of remembrance. Besides, that noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forsomuch as they saw before their eyes the things that came to pass for the sins of those that were slain.
43 And when he had made a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two thousand drachms of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the resurrection:
44 For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead.
45 And also in that he perceived that there was great favour laid up for those that died godly, it was an holy and good thought. Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin.
1 His factis pactionibus, Lysias pergebat ad regem, Judi autem agricultur operam dabant.
2 Sed hi qui resederant, Timotheus, et Apollonius Genni filius, sed et Hieronymus, et Demophon super hos, et Nicanor Cypriarches, non sinebant eos in silentio agere et quiete.
3 Joppit vero tale quoddam flagitium perpetrarunt: rogaverunt Judos cum quibus habitabant, ascendere scaphas quas paraverant, cum uxoribus et filiis, quasi nullis inimicitiis inter eos subjacentibus.
4 Secundum commune itaque decretum civitatis, et ipsis acquiescentibus, pacisque causa nihil suspectum habentibus: cum in altum processissent, submerserunt non minus ducentos.
5 Quam crudelitatem Judas in su gentis homines factam ut cognovit, prcepit viris qui erant cum ipso: et invocato justo judice Deo,
6 venit adversus interfectores fratrum, et portum quidem noctu succendit, scaphas exussit, eos autem qui ab igne refugerant, gladio peremit.
7 Et cum hc ita egisset, discessit quasi iterum reversurus, et universos Joppitas eradicaturus.
8 Sed cum cognovisset et eos qui erant Jamni, velle pari modo facere habitantibus secum Judis,
9 Jamnitis quoque nocte supervenit, et portum cum navibus succendit: ita ut lumen ignis appareret Jerosolymis a stadiis ducentis quadraginta.
10 Inde cum jam abiissent novem stadiis, et iter facerent ad Timotheum, commiserunt cum eo Arabes quinque millia viri, et equites quingenti.
11 Cumque pugna valida fieret, et auxilio Dei prospere cessisset, residui Arabes victi petebant a Juda dextram sibi dari, promittentes se pascua daturos, et in ceteris profuturos.
12 Judas autem arbitratus vere in multis eos utiles, promsit pacem: dextrisque acceptis, discessere ad tabernacula sua.
13 Aggressus est autem et civitatem quamdam firmam pontibus murisque circumseptam, qu a turbis habitabatur gentium promiscuarum: cui nomen Casphin.
14 Hi vero qui intus erant, confidentes in stabilitate murorum et apparatu alimoniarum, remissius agebant, maledictis lacessentes Judam et blasphemantes, ac loquentes qu fas non est.
15 Machabus autem, invocato magno mundi Principe, qui sine arietibus et machinis temporibus Jesu prcipitavit Jericho, irruit ferociter muris:
16 et capta civitate per Domini voluntatem, innumerabiles cdes fecit, ita ut adjacens stagnum stadiorum duorum latitudinis sanguine interfectorum fluere videretur.
17 Inde discesserunt stadia septingenta quinquaginta, et venerunt in Characa ad eos, qui dicuntur Tubiani, Judos:
18 et Timotheum quidem in illis locis non comprehenderunt, nulloque negotio perfecto regressus est, relicto in quodam loco firmissimo prsidio.
19 Dositheus autem et Sosipater, qui erant duces cum Machabo, peremerunt a Timotheo relictos in prsidio, decem millia viros.
20 At Machabus, ordinatis circum se sex millibus, et constitutis per cohortes, adversus Timotheum processit, habentem secum centum viginti millia peditum, equitumque duo millia quingentos.
21 Cognito autem Jud adventu, Timotheus prmisit mulieres et filios, et reliquum apparatum, in prsidium quod Carnion dicitur: erat enim inexpugnabile, et accessu difficile propter locorum angustias.
22 Cumque cohors Jud prima apparuisset, timor hostibus incussus est ex prsentia Dei, qui universa conspicit: et in fugam versi sunt alius ab alio, ita ut magis a suis dejicerentur, et gladiorum suorum ictibus debilitarentur.
23 Judas autem vehementer instabat puniens profanos, et prostravit ex eis triginta millia virorum.
24 Ipse vero Timotheus incidit in partes Dosithei et Sosipatris: et multis precibus postulabat ut vivus dimitteretur, eo quod multorum ex Judis parentes haberet ac fratres, quos morte ejus decipi eveniret.
25 Et cum fidem dedisset restituturum se eos secundum constitutum, illsum eum dimiserunt propter fratrum salutem.
26 Judas autem egressus est ad Carnion, interfectis viginti quinque millibus.
27 Post horum fugam et necem, movit exercitum ad Ephron civitatem munitam, in qua multitudo diversarum gentium habitabat: et robusti juvenes pro muris consistentes fortiter repugnabant: in hac autem machin mult et telorum erat apparatus.
28 Sed cum Omnipotentem invocassent, qui potestate sua vires hostium confringit, ceperunt civitatem: et ex eis qui intus erant, viginti quinque millia prostraverunt.
29 Inde ad civitatem Scytharum abierunt, qu ab Jerosolymis sexcentis stadiis aberat.
30 Contestantibus autem his, qui apud Scythopolitas erant, Judis, quod benigne ab eis haberentur, etiam temporibus infelicitatis quod modeste secum egerint:
31 gratias agentes eis, et exhortati etiam de cetero erga genus suum benignos esse, venerunt Jerosolymam die solemni septimanarum instante.
32 Et post Pentecosten abierunt contra Gorgiam prpositum Idum.
33 Exivit autem cum peditibus tribus millibus, et equitibus quadringentis.
34 Quibus congressis, contigit paucos ruere Judorum.
35 Dositheus vero quidam de Bacenoris eques, vir fortis, Gorgiam tenebat: et, cum vellet illum capere vivum, eques quidam de Thracibus irruit in eum, humerumque ejus amputavit: atque ita Gorgias effugit in Maresa.
36 At illis qui cum Esdrim erant diutius pugnantibus et fatigatis, invocavit Judas Dominum adjutorem et ducem belli fieri:
37 incipiens voce patria, et cum hymnis clamorem extollens, fugam Gorgi militibus incussit.
38 Judas autem collecto exercitu venit in civitatem Odollam: et cum septima dies superveniret, secundum consuetudinem purificati, in eodem loco sabbatum egerunt.
39 Et sequenti die venit cum suis Judas, ut corpora prostratorum tolleret, et cum parentibus poneret in sepulchris paternis.
40 Invenerunt autem sub tunicis interfectorum de donariis idolorum qu apud Jamniam fuerunt, a quibus lex prohibet Judos: omnibus ergo manifestum factum est, ob hanc causam eos corruisse.
41 Omnes itaque benedixerunt justum judicium Domini, qui occulta fecerat manifesta:
42 atque ita ad preces conversi, rogaverunt ut id quod factum erat delictum oblivioni traderetur. At vero fortissimus Judas hortabatur populum conservare se sine peccato, sub oculis videntes qu facta sunt pro peccatis eorum qui prostrati sunt.
43 Et facta collatione, duodecim millia drachmas argenti misit Jerosolymam offerri pro peccatis mortuorum sacrificium, bene et religiose de resurrectione cogitans
44 (nisi enim eos qui ceciderant resurrecturos speraret, superfluum videretur et vanum orare pro mortuis),
45 et quia considerabat quod hi qui cum pietate dormitionem acceperant, optimam haberent repositam gratiam.
46 Sancta ergo et salubris est cogitatio pro defunctis exorare, ut a peccatis solvantur.