1 Maccabees 7

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 In the year one hundred and fifty-one, Demetrius, son of Seleucus, set out from Rome, arrived with a few men in a city on the seacoast, and began to rule there.	1 In the hundred and fifty-first year Demetrius the son of Seleucus departed from the city of Rome, and came up with a few men into a city of the sea coast, and reigned there.
2 As he was preparing to enter the royal palace of his ancestors, the soldiers seized Antiochus and Lysias to bring them to him.	2 And it came to pass, as he entered into the house of the kingdom of his fathers, that the army seized upon Antiochus, and Lysias, to bring them unto him.
3 When he was informed of this, he said, "Do not show me their faces."	3 And when he knew it, he said: Let me not see their face.
4 So the soldiers killed them, and Demetrius sat on the royal throne.	4 So the army slew them. And Demetrius sat upon the throne of his kingdom:
5 Then all the lawless and impious men of Israel came to him. They were led by Alcimus, who desired to be high priest.	5 And there came to him the wicked and ungodly men of Israel: And Alcimus was at the head of them, who desired to be made high priest.
6 They made this accusation to the king against the people: "Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends and have driven us out of our country.	6 And they accused the people to the king, saying: Judas and his brethren have destroyed all thy friends, and he hath driven us out of our land.
7 So now, send a man whom you trust to go and see all the havoc Judas has done to us and to the king's land, and let him punish them and all their supporters."	7 Now therefore send some man whom thou trustest, and let him go, and see all the havock he hath made amongst us, and in the king's lands: and let him punish all his friends and their helpers.
8 Then the king chose Bacchides, one of the King's Friends, governor of West-of-Euphrates, a great man in the kingdom, and faithful to the king.	8 Then the king chose Bacchides, one of his friends that ruled beyond the great river in the kingdom, and was faithful to the king: and he sent him,
9 He sent him and the impious Alcimus, to whom he granted the high priesthood, with orders to take revenge on the Israelites.	9 To see the havock that Judas had made: and the wicked Alcimus he made high priest, and commanded him to take revenge upon the children of Israel.
10 They set out and, on arriving in the land of Judah with a great army, sent messengers who spoke deceitfully to Judas and his brothers in peaceful terms.	10 And they arose, and came with a great army into the land of Juda: and they sent messengers, and spoke to Judas and his brethren with peaceable words deceitfully.
11 But these paid no attention to their words, seeing that they had come with a great army.	11 But they gave no heed to their words: for they saw that they were come with a great army.
12 A group of scribes, however, gathered about Alcimus and Bacchides to ask for a just agreement.	12 Then there assembled to Alcimus and Bacchides a company of the scribes to require things that are just:
13 The Hasideans were the first among the Israelites to seek peace with them,	13 And first the Assideans that were among the children of Israel, and they sought peace of them.
14 for they said, "A priest of the line of Aaron has come with the army, and he will not do us any wrong."	14 For they said: One that is a priest of the seed of Aaron is come, he will not deceive us.
15 He spoke with them peacefully and swore to them, "We will not try to injure you or your friends."	15 And he spoke to them peaceably: and he swore to them, saying: We will do you no harm nor your friends.
16 So they trusted him. But he arrested sixty of them and killed them in one day, according to the text of Scripture:	16 And they believed him. And he took threescore of them, and slew them in one day, according to the word that is written:
17 "The flesh of your saints they have strewn, and their blood they have shed round about Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them."	17 The flesh of thy saints, and the blood of them they have shed round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them.
18 Then fear and dread of them came upon all the people, who said: "There is no truth or justice among them; they violated the agreement and the oath that they swore."	18 Then fear and trembling fell upon all the people: for they said: There is no truth, nor justice among them: for they have broken the covenant, and the oath which they made.
19 Bacchides withdrew from Jerusalem and pitched his camp in Beth-zaith. He had many of the men arrested who deserted to him, throwing them into the great pit.	19 And Bacchides removed the camp from Jerusalem, and pitched in Bethzecha: and he sent, and took many of them that were fled away from him, and some of the people he killed, and threw them into a great pit.
20 He handed the province over to Alcimus, leaving troops to help him, while he himself returned to the king.	20 Then he committed the country to Alcimus, and left with him troops to help him. So Bacchides went away to the king:
21 Alcimus spared no pains to maintain his high priesthood,	21 But Alcimus did what he could to maintain his chief priesthood.
22 and all those who were disturbing their people gathered about him. They took possession of the land of Judah and caused great distress in Israel.	22 And they that disturbed the people resorted to him, and they got the land of Juda into their power, and did much hurt in Israel.
23 When Judas saw all the evils that Alcimus and his men were bringing upon the Israelites, more than even the Gentiles had done,	23 And Judas saw all the evils that Alcimus, and they that were with him, did to the children of Israel, much more than the Gentiles.
24 he went about all the borders of Judea and took revenge on the men who had deserted, preventing them from going out into the country.	24 And he went out into all the coasts of Juda round about, and took vengeance upon the men that had revolted, and they ceased to go forth any more into the country.
25 But when Alcimus saw that Judas and his followers were gaining strength and realized that he could not oppose them, he returned to the king and accused them of grave crimes.	25 And Alcimus saw that Judas, and they that were with him prevailed: and he knew that he could not stand against them, and he went back to the king, and accused them of many crimes.
26 Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his famous officers, who was a bitter enemy of Israel, with orders to destroy the people.	26 And the king sent Nicanor one of his principal lords, who was a great enemy to Israel: and he commanded him to destroy the people.
27 Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a large force and deceitfully sent to Judas and his brothers this peaceable message:	27 And Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great army, and he sent to Judas and to his brethren deceitfully with friendly words,
28 "Let there be no fight between me and you. I will come with a few men to meet you peaceably."	28 Saying: Let there be no fighting between me and you: I will come with a few men to see your faces with peace.
29 So he came to Judas, and they greeted one another peaceably. But Judas' enemies were prepared to seize him.	29 And he came to Judas, and they saluted one another peaceably: and the enemies were prepared to take away Judas by force.
30 When he became aware that Nicanor had come to him with treachery in mind, Judas was afraid and would not meet him again.	30 And the thing was known to Judas that he was come to him with deceit: and he was much afraid of him, and would not see his face any more.
31 When Nicanor saw that his plan had been discovered, he went out to fight Judas near Capharsalama.	31 And Nicanor knew that his counsel was discovered: and he went out to fight against Judas near Capharsalama.
32 About five hundred men of Nicanor's army fell; the rest fled to the City of David.	32 And there fell of Nicanor's army almost five thousand men, and they fled into the city of David.
33 After this, Nicanor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests from the sanctuary and some of the elders of the people came out to greet him peaceably and to show him the holocaust that was being offered for the king.	33 And after this Nicanor went up into mount Sion: and some of the priests and the people came out to salute him peaceably, and to shew him the holocausts that were offered for the king.
34 But he mocked and ridiculed them, defiled them, and spoke disdainfully.	34 But he mocked them and despised them, and abused them: and he spoke proudly,
35 In a rage he swore: "If Judas and his army are not delivered to me at once, when I return victorious I will burn this temple down." He went away in great anger.	35 And swore in anger, saying: Unless Judas and his army be delivered into my hands, as soon as ever I return in peace, I will burn this house. And he went out in a great rage.
36 The priests, however, went in and stood before the altar and the sanctuary. They wept and said:	36 And the priests went in, and stood before the face of the altar and the temple: and weeping, they said:
37 "You have chosen this house to bear your name, to be a house of prayer and petition for your people.	37 Thou, O Lord, hast chosen this house for thy name to be called upon therein, that it might be a house of prayer and supplication for thy people.
38 Take revenge on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword. Remember their blasphemies, and do not let them continue."	38 Be avenged of this man, and his army, and let them fall by the sword: remember their blasphemies, and suffer them not to continue any longer.
39 Nicanor left Jerusalem and pitched his camp at Beth-horon, where the Syrian army joined him.	39 Then Nicanor went out from Jerusalem, and encamped near to Bethoron: and an army of Syria joined him.
40 But Judas camped in Adasa with three thousand men. Here Judas uttered this prayer:	40 But Judas pitched in Adarsa with three thousand men: and Judas prayed, and said:
41 "When they who were sent by the king blasphemed, your angel went out and killed a hundred and eighty-five thousand of them.	41 O Lord, when they that were sent by king Sennacherib blasphemed thee, an angel went out, and slew of them a hundred and eighty-five thousand:
42 In the same way, crush this army before us today, and let the rest know that Nicanor spoke wickedly against your sanctuary; judge him according to his wickedness."	42 Even so destroy this army in our sight to day, and let the rest know that he hath spoken ill against thy sanctuary: and judge thou him according to his wickedness.
43 The armies met in battle on the thirteenth day of the month Adar. Nicanor's army was crushed, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle.	43 And the armies joined battle on the thirteenth day of the month Adar: and the army of Nicanor was defeated, and he himself was first slain in the battle.
44 When his army saw that Nicanor was dead, they threw down their arms and fled.	44 And when his army saw that Nicanor was slain, they threw away their weapons, and fled:
45 The Jews pursued them a day's journey, from Adasa to near Gazara, blowing the trumpets behind them as signals.	45 And they pursued after them one day's journey from Adazer, even till ye come to Gazara, and they sounded the trumpets after them with signals.
46 From all the surrounding villages of Judea people came out and closed in on them. They hemmed them in, and all the enemies fell by the sword; not a single one escaped.	46 And they went forth out of all the towns of Judea round about, and they pushed them with the horns, and they turned again to them, and they were all slain with the sword, and there was not left of them so much as one.
47 Then the Jews collected the spoils and the booty; they cut off Nicanor's head and his right arm, which he had lifted up so arrogantly. These they brought to Jerusalem and displayed there.	47 And they took the spoils of them for a booty, and they cut off Nicanor's head, and his right hand, which he had proudly stretched out, and they brought it, and hung it up over against Jerusalem.
48 The people rejoiced greatly, and observed that day as a great festival.	48 And the people rejoiced exceedingly, and they spent that day with great joy.
49 They decreed that it should be observed every year on the thirteenth of Adar.	49 And he ordained that this day should be kept every year, being the thirteenth of the month of Adar.
50 And for a short time the land of Judah was quiet.	50 And the land of Juda was quiet for a short time.