1 Maccabees 7

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 In the year 151, Demetrius son of Seleucus left Rome and arrived with a few men at a town on thecoast, where he inaugurated his reign.	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 It so happened that, as he was entering the royal residence of his ancestors, the army capturedAntiochus and Lysias, and intended 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 On hearing this, he said, 'Keep them out of my sight.'	3 And when he knew it, he said: Let me not see their face.
4 The army put them to death, and Demetrius ascended his throne.	4 So the army slew them. And Demetrius sat upon the throne of his kingdom:
5 Next, al those Israelites without law or piety, led by Alcimus, whose ambition was to become highpriest,	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 approached the king and denounced our people to him. 'Judas and his brothers', they said, 'have kil edal your friends, and he has 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 Send someone now whom you can trust; let him go and see the wholesale ruin Judas has brought onus and on the king's dominions, and let him punish the wretches and al who assist them.'	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 The king chose Bacchides, one of the Friends of the King, governor of Transeuphrates, an importantpersonage in the kingdom and loyal 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 with the godless Alcimus, whom he confirmed in the high priesthood, with orders to exactretribution from 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 So they set out with a large force and, on reaching Judaea, sent emissaries to Judas and his brotherswith proposals peaceable yet treacherous.	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 The latter, however, did not put any faith in their words, aware that they had come with a large force.	11 But they gave no heed to their words: for they saw that they were come with a great army.
12 Nevertheless, a commission of scribes presented themselves before Alcimus and Bacchides, to suefor just terms.	12 Then there assembled to Alcimus and Bacchides a company of the scribes to require things that are just:
13 The first among the Israelites to ask them for peace terms were the Hasidaeans,	13 And first the Assideans that were among the children of Israel, and they sought peace of them.
14 who reasoned thus, 'This is a priest of Aaron's line who has come with the armed forces; he wil notwrong us.'	14 For they said: One that is a priest of the seed of Aaron is come, he will not deceive us.
15 He did in fact discuss peace terms with them and gave them his oath, 'We shal not attempt to injureyou 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 They believed him, but he arrested sixty of them and put them to death on one day, fulfil ing the wordsof 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 They have scattered the bodies of your faithful, and shed their blood all round Jerusalem, leaving noone 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 At this, fear and dread gripped the whole people. 'There is no truth or virtue in them,' they said, 'theyhave broken their agreement and their sworn oath.'	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 then left Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-Zeth, and from there sent and arrested many ofthe men who had deserted him and a few of our people too; he had them kil ed and thrown down the great wel .	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 then put Alcimus in charge of the province, leaving an army with him to support him; Bacchideshimself 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 continued his struggle to become high priest,	21 But Alcimus did what he could to maintain his chief priesthood.
22 and al who were disturbing the peace of their own people ral ied to him, and, having won control ofJudaea, did much harm 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 Seeing that al the wrongs done to the Israelites by Alcimus and his supporters exceeded what thegentiles 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 Judas went right round the whole territory of Judaea to take vengeance on those who had desertedhim and to prevent their free movement about 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 When Alcimus saw how strong Judas and his supporters had grown and realised that he waspowerless to resist them, he went back to the king, to whom he made malicious accusations against them.	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 The king sent Nicanor, one of his generals ranking as Il ustrious and a bitter enemy of Israel, withorders to exterminate 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 Reaching Jerusalem with a large force, Nicanor sent a friendly, yet treacherous, message to Judasand his brothers, as follows:	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 us have no fighting between you and me; I shall come with a smal escort for a peaceful meetingwith you.'	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 He met Judas and they exchanged friendly greetings; the enemy, however, had made preparations toabduct Judas.	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 Judas became aware of Nicanor's treacherous purpose in coming to see him, he took fright andrefused any further meeting.	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 Nicanor then realised that his plan had been discovered, and took the field against Judas, to givebattle near Caphar-Salama.	31 And Nicanor knew that his counsel was discovered: and he went out to fight against Judas near Capharsalama.
32 About five hundred of Nicanor's men fell; the rest took refuge in 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 these events Nicanor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests came out of the Holy Placewith some elders, to give him a friendly welcome and show him the burnt offering being presented 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 ridiculed them, laughed at them, defiled them and used insolent language, swearing in hisrage,	34 But he mocked them and despised them, and abused them: and he spoke proudly,
35 'Unless Judas is handed over to me this time with his army, as soon as I am safely back, I promiseyou, I shal burn this building down!'	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 Then he went off in a fury. At this, the priests went in again, and stood weeping in front of the altarand the Temple, saying,	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 be cal ed by your name, to be a house of prayer and petition for yourpeople.	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 vengeance on this man and on his army, and let them fal by the sword; remember theirblasphemies and give them no respite.'	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 encamped at Beth-Horon, where he was joined by an army from Syria.	39 Then Nicanor went out from Jerusalem, and encamped near to Bethoron: and an army of Syria joined him.
40 Judas, meanwhile, camped at Adasa with three thousand men, and offered this prayer,	40 But Judas pitched in Adarsa with three thousand men: and Judas prayed, and said:
41 'When the king's envoys blasphemed, your angel went out and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand of his men.	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 let us see you crush this army today, so that everyone else may know that this manhas spoken blasphemously against your sanctuary: pass judgement on him as his wickedness deserves!'	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 of the month Adar, and Nicanor's army was crushed, hehimself being the first to fal 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 Nicanor's soldiers saw him fal , 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 the approaches of Gezer; they sounded theirtrumpets in warning as they fol owed them,	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 and people came out of al the surrounding Judaean vil ages to encircle the fugitives, who then turnedback on their own men. Al fel by the sword, not one being left alive.	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 Having col ected the spoils and booty, they cut off Nicanor's head and the right hand he had stretchedout in a display of insolence; these were taken and displayed within sight of Jerusalem.	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 were overjoyed and kept that day as a great holiday:	48 And the people rejoiced exceedingly, and they spent that day with great joy.
49 indeed they decided to celebrate it annual y 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 For a short while Judaea enjoyed peace.	50 And the land of Juda was quiet for a short time.