1 Maccabees 3

DOUAI-RHEIMS	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Then his son Judas, called Machabeus, rose up in his stead.	1 His son, Judas, known as Maccabaeus, then took his place.
2 And all his brethren helped him, and all they that had joined themselves to his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel.	2 Al his brothers, and al who had attached themselves to his father, supported him, and they fought forIsrael with a wil .
3 And he got his people great honour, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike armour about him in battles, and protected the camp with his sword.	3 He extended the fame of his people. Like a giant, he put on the breastplate and buckled on his warharness; he engaged in battle after battle, protecting the ranks with his sword.
4 In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey.	4 He was like a lion in his exploits, like a young lion roaring over its prey.
5 And he pursued the wicked and sought them out, and them that troubled his people he burnt with fire:	5 He pursued and tracked down the renegades, he consigned those who troubled his people to theflames.
6 And his enemies were driven away for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled: and salvation prospered in his hand.	6 The renegades quailed with the terror he inspired, all evil-doers were utterly confounded, anddeliverance went forward under his leadership.
7 And he grieved many kings, and made Jacob glad with his works, and his memory is blessed for ever.	7 He brought bitterness to many a king and rejoicing to Jacob by his deeds, his memory is blessed forever and ever.
8 And he went through the cities of Juda, and destroyed the wicked out of them, and turned away wrath from Israel.	8 He went through the towns of Judah eliminating the irreligious from them, and diverted the Retributionfrom Israel.
9 And he was renowned even to the utmost part of the earth, and he gathered them that were perishing.	9 His name resounded to the ends of the earth, he rallied those who were on the point of perishing.
10 And Apollonius gathered together the Gentiles, and a numerous and great army from Samaria, to make war against Israel.	10 Next, Apollonius mustered the gentiles and a large force from Samaria to make war on Israel.
11 And Judas understood it, and went forth to meet him: and he overthrew him, and killed him: and many fell down slain, the rest fled away.	11 When Judas learned of it, he went out to meet him and routed and kil ed him. Many fell wounded, andthe survivors took to flight.
12 And he took their spoils, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, and fought with it all his lifetime.	12 Their spoils were seized and the sword of Apollonius was taken by Judas, who used it to fight withthroughout his life.
13 And Seron captain of the army of Syria heard that Judas had assembled a company of the faithful, and a congregation with him,	13 On hearing that Judas had raised a mixed force of believers and seasoned fighters,
14 And he said: I will get me a name, and will be glorified in the kingdom, and will overthrow Judas, and those that are with him, that have despised the edict of the king.	14 Seron, commander of the Syrian troops, said, 'I shall make a name for myself and gain honour in thekingdom if I fight Judas and those supporters of his who are so contemptuous of the king's orders.'
15 And he made himself ready: and the host of the wicked went up with him, strong succours, to be revenged of the children of Israel.	15 He therefore launched another expedition, with a strong army of unbelievers to support him in takingrevenge on the Israelites.
16 And they approached even as far as Bethoron: and Judas went forth to meet him, with a small company.	16 He had nearly reached the descent of Beth-Horon when Judas went out to confront him with a handfulof men.
17 But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas: How shall we, being few, be able to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, and we are ready to faint with fasting today?	17 But as soon as these saw the force advancing to meet them, they said to Judas, 'How can we, few aswe are, engage such overwhelming numbers? We are exhausted as it is, not having had anything to eat today.'
18 And Judas said: It is an easy matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few: and there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven to deliver with a great multitude, or with a small company:	18 'It is easy', Judas answered, 'for a great number to be defeated by a few; indeed, in the sight ofHeaven, deliverance, whether by many or by few, is al one;
19 For the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but strength cometh from heaven.	19 for victory in war does not depend on the size of the fighting force: Heaven accords the strength.
20 They come against us with an insolent multitude, and with pride, to destroy us, and our wives, and our children, and to take our spoils.	20 They are coming against us in ful -blown insolence and lawlessness to destroy us, our wives and ourchildren, and to plunder us;
21 But we will fight for our lives and our laws:	21 but we are fighting for our lives and our laws,
22 And the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: but as for you, fear them not.	22 and he will crush them before our eyes; do not be afraid of them.'
23 And as soon as he had made an end of speaking, he rushed suddenly upon them: and Seron and his host were overthrown before him:	23 When he had finished speaking, he made a sudden sal y against Seron and his force andoverwhelmed them.
24 And he pursued him by the descent of Bethoron even to the plain, and there fell of them eight hundred men, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines.	24 Judas pursued them down from Beth-Horon as far as the plain. About eight hundred of their men fel ,and the rest took refuge in the country of the Philistines.
25 And the fear of Judas and of his brethren, and the dread of them fell upon all the nations round about them.	25 Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and alarm seized the surrounding peoples.
26 And his fame came to the king, and all nations told of the battles of Judas.	26 His name even reached the king's ears, and among the nations there was talk of Judas and hisbattles.
27 Now when king Antiochus heard these words, he was angry in his mind: and he sent and gathered the forces of all his kingdom, an exceeding strong army.	27 The news of these events infuriated Antiochus, and he ordered mobilisation of al the forces in hiskingdom, a very powerful army.
28 And he opened his treasury, and gave out pay to the army for a year: and he commanded them, that they should be ready for all things.	28 Opening his treasury, he distributed a year's pay to his troops, telling them to be prepared for anyeventuality.
29 And he perceived that the money of his treasures failed, and that the tributes of the country were small because of the dissension, and the evil that he had brought upon the land, that he might take away the laws of old times:	29 He then found that the money in his coffers had run short and that the tribute of the province haddecreased, as a result of the dissension and disaster brought on the country by his own abrogation of laws thathad been in force from antiquity.
30 And he feared that he should not have as formerly enough, for charges and gifts, which he had given before with a liberal hand: for he had abounded more than the kings that had been before him.	30 He began to fear that, as had happened more than once, he would not have enough to cover theexpenses and the lavish bounties he had previously been accustomed to make on a larger scale than hispredecessors on the throne.
31 And he was greatly perplexed in mind, and purposed to go into Persia, and to take tributes of the countries, and to gather much money.	31 In this grave quandary he resolved to invade Persia, there to levy tribute on the provinces and soaccumulate substantial funds.
32 And he left Lysias, a nobleman of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the kingdom, from the river Euphrates even to the river of Egypt:	32 He therefore left Lysias, a nobleman and member of the royal family, to manage the royal affairsbetween the River Euphrates and the Egyptian frontier,
33 And to bring up his son Antiochus, till he came again.	33 making him responsible for the education of his son Antiochus, until he should come back.
34 And he delivered to him half the army, and the elephants: and he gave him charge concerning all that he would have done, and concerning the inhabitants of Judea, and Jerusalem:	34 To him Antiochus made over half his forces, with the elephants, giving him instructions about what hewanted done, particularly with regard to the inhabitants of Judaea and Jerusalem,
35 And 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 the memory of them from that place:	35 against whom he was to send a force, to crush and destroy the power of Israel and the remnant ofJerusalem, to wipe out their very memory from the place,
36 And that he should settle strangers to dwell in all their coasts, and divide their land by lot.	36 to settle foreigners in al parts of their territory and to distribute their land into lots.
37 So the king took the half of the army that remained, and went forth from Antioch the chief city of his kingdom, in the hundred and forty-seventh year: and he passed over the river Euphrates, and went through the higher countries.	37 The king took the remaining half of his troops with him and set out from Antioch, the capital of hiskingdom, in the year 147; he crossed the River Euphrates and made his way through the Upper Provinces.
38 Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenus, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends.	38 Lysias chose Ptolemy son of Dorymenes, with Nicanor and Gorgias, influential men from among theFriends of the King,
39 And he sent with them forty thousand men, and seven thousand horsemen: to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it according to the king's orders.	39 and, under their command, despatched forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse to invade theland of Judah and devastate it, as the king had ordered.
40 So they went forth with all their power, and came, and pitched near Emmaus in the plain country.	40 The entire force set out and reached the neighbourhood of Emmaus in the lowlands, where theypitched camp.
41 And the merchants of the countries heard the fame of them: and they took silver and gold in abundance, and servants: and they came into the camp, to buy the children of Israel for slaves: and there were joined to them the forces of Syria, and of the land of the strangers.	41 The local merchants, hearing the news of this, arrived at the camp, bringing with them a large amountof gold and silver, and fetters as wel , proposing to buy the Israelites as slaves; they were accompanied by acompany from Idumaea and the Philistine country.
42 And Judas and his brethren saw that evils were multiplied, and that the armies approached to their borders: and they knew the orders the king had given to destroy the people and utterly abolish them.	42 Judas and his brothers saw that the situation was going from bad to worse and that armies werecamping in their territory; they were also well aware that the king had ordered the people's total destruction.
43 And they said every man to his neighbour: Let us raise up the low condition of our people, and let us fight for our people, and our sanctuary.	43 So they said to each other, 'Let us restore the ruins of our people and fight for our people and oursanctuary.'
44 And the assembly was gathered that they might be ready for battle: and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion.	44 The Assembly was summoned, to prepare for war, to offer prayer and to implore compassion andmercy.
45 Now Jerusalem was not inhabited, but was like a desert: there was none of her children that went in or out: and the sanctuary was trodden down: and the children of strangers were in the castle, there was the habitation of the Gentiles: and joy was taken away from Jacob, and the pipe and harp ceased there.	45 Jerusalem was as empty as a desert, none of her children to go in and out. The sanctuary wastrodden underfoot, men of an alien race held the Citadel, which had become a lodging for gentiles. There was nomore rejoicing for Jacob, the flute and lyre were mute.
46 And they assembled together, and came to Maspha over against Jerusalem: for in Maspha was a place of prayer heretofore in Israel.	46 After mustering, they made their way to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, since Mizpah was traditional y aplace of prayer for Israel.
47 And they fasted that day, and put on haircloth, and put ashes upon their heads: and they rent their garments:	47 That day they fasted and put on sackcloth, covering their heads with ashes and tearing theirgarments.
48 And they laid open the books of the law, in which the Gentiles searched for the likeness of their idols:	48 For the guidance that the gentiles would have sought from the images of their false gods, they openedthe Book of the Law.
49 And they brought the priestly ornaments, and the firstfruits and tithes, and stirred up the Nazarites that had fulfilled their days:	49 They also brought out the priestly vestments, with first-fruits and tithes, and marshal ed the Naziriteswho had completed the period of their vow.
50 And they cried with a loud voice toward heaven, saying: What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them?	50 Then, raising their voices to Heaven, they cried, 'What shal we do with these people, and where arewe to take them?
51 For thy holies are trodden down, and are profaned, and thy priests are in mourning, and are brought low.	51 Your holy place has been trampled underfoot and defiled, your priests mourn in their humiliation,
52 And behold the nations are come together against us to destroy us: thou knowest what they intend against us.	52 and now the gentiles are in al iance to destroy us: you know what they have in mind for us.
53 How shall we be able to stand before their face, unless thou, O God, help us?	53 How can we stand up and face them if you do not come to our aid?'
54 Then they sounded with trumpets, and cried out with a loud voice.	54 Then they sounded the trumpets and raised a great shout.
55 And after this Judas appointed captains over the people, over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.	55 Next, Judas appointed leaders for the people, to command a thousand, a hundred, fifty or ten men.
56 And he said to them that were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, that they should return every man to his house, according to the law.	56 Those who were in the middle of building a house, or were about to be married, or were planting avineyard, or were afraid, he told to go home again, as the Law al owed.
57 So they removed the camp, and pitched on the south side of Emmaus.	57 The column then marched off and took up a position south of Emmaus.
58 And Judas said: Gird yourselves, and be valiant men, and be ready against the morning, that you may fight with these nations that are assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary.	58 'Stand to your arms,' Judas told them, 'acquit yourselves bravely, in the morning be ready to fightthese gentiles massed against us to destroy us and our sanctuary.
59 For it is better for us to die in battle, than to see the evils of our nation, and of the holies:	59 Better for us to die in battle than to watch the ruin of our nation and our Holy Place.
60 Nevertheless as it shall be the will of God in heaven so be it done.	60 Whatever be the wil of Heaven, he wil perform it.'