2 Maccabees 15

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 Nicanor heard that Judas and his men were in the neighbourhood of Samaria, so he decided to attackthem, at no risk to himself, on the day of rest.	1 But Nicanor, hearing that Judas and his company were in the strong places about Samaria, resolved without any danger to set upon them on the sabbath day.
2 Those Jews who had been compel ed to follow him, said, 'Do not massacre them in such a savage,barbarous way. Respect the day on which the All-seeing has conferred a special holiness.'	2 Nevertheless the Jews that were compelled to go with him said, O destroy not so cruelly and barbarously, but give honour to that day, which he, that seeth all things, hath honoured with holiness above all other days.
3 At this the triple-dyed scoundrel asked if there were in heaven a sovereign who had ordered thekeeping of the Sabbath day.	3 Then the most ungracious wretch demanded, if there were a Mighty one in heaven, that had commanded the sabbath day to be kept.
4 When they answered, 'The living Lord himself, the Heavenly Sovereign, has ordered the observanceof the seventh day,'	4 And when they said, There is in heaven a living Lord, and mighty, who commanded the seventh day to be kept:
5 he retorted, 'And I, as sovereign on earth, order you to take up arms and do the king's business.' Foral that, he did not manage to carry out his wicked plan.	5 Then said the other, And I also am mighty upon earth, and I command to take arms, and to do the king's business. Yet he obtained not to have his wicked will done.
6 While Nicanor, in his unlimited boastfulness and pride, was planning to erect a general trophy with thespoils taken from Judas and his men,	6 So Nicanor in exceeding pride and haughtiness determined to set up a publick monument of his victory over Judas and them that were with him.
7 Maccabaeus remained firm in his confident conviction that the Lord would stand by him.	7 But Maccabeus had ever sure confidence that the Lord would help him:
8 He urged his men not to be dismayed by the foreigners' attacks but, keeping in mind the help that hadcome to them from Heaven in the past, to be confident that this time too victory would be theirs with the help ofthe Almighty.	8 Wherefore he exhorted his people not to fear the coming of the heathen against them, but to remember the help which in former times they had received from heaven, and now to expect the victory and aid, which should come unto them from the Almighty.
9 He put fresh heart into them by citing the Law and the Prophets and, by stirring up memories of thebattles they had already won, he fil ed them with new enthusiasm.	9 And so comforting them out of the law and the prophets, and withal putting them in mind of the battles that they won afore, he made them more cheerful.
10 Having thus aroused their courage, he ended his exhortation by demonstrating the treachery of theforeigners and how they had violated their oaths.	10 And when he had stirred up their minds, he gave them their charge, shewing them therewithall the falsehood of the heathen, and the breach of oaths.
11 Having armed each one of them not so much with the safety given by shield and lance as with thatconfidence which springs from noble language, he encouraged them al by describing to them a convincingdream -- a vision, as it were.	11 Thus he armed every one of them, not so much with defence of shields and spears, as with comfortable and good words: and beside that, he told them a dream worthy to be believed, as if it had been so indeed, which did not a little rejoice them.
12 What he had seen was this: Onias, the former high priest, that paragon of men, modest of bearingand gentle of manners, suitably eloquent and trained from boyhood in the practice of every virtue -- Onias wasstretching out his hands and praying for the whole Jewish community.	12 And this was his vision: That Onias, who had been high priest, a virtuous and a good man, reverend in conversation, gentle in condition, well spoken also, and exercised from a child in all points of virtue, holding up his hands prayed for the whole body of the Jews.
13 Next, there appeared a man equal y remarkable for his great age and dignity and invested with amarvel ous and impressive air of majesty.	13 This done, in like manner there appeared a man with gray hairs, and exceeding glorious, who was of a wonderful and excellent majesty.
14 Onias began to speak: 'This is a man', he said, 'who loves his brothers and prays much for thepeople and the holy city-Jeremiah, the prophet of God.'	14 Then Onias answered, saying, This is a lover of the brethren, who prayeth much for the people, and for the holy city, to wit, Jeremias the prophet of God.
15 Jeremiah then stretched out his right hand and presented Judas with a golden sword, saying as hegave it,	15 Whereupon Jeremias holding forth his right hand gave to Judas a sword of gold, and in giving it spake thus,
16 'Take this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you wil shatter the enemy.'	16 Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with the which thou shalt wound the adversaries.
17 Encouraged by the noble words of Judas, which had the power to inspire valour and give the youngthe spirit of mature men, they decided not to entrench themselves in a camp, but bravely to take the offensiveand, in hand-to-hand fighting, to commit the result to the fortune of war, since the city, their holy religion and theTemple were in danger.	17 Thus being well comforted by the words of Judas, which were very good, and able to stir them up to valour, and to encourage the hearts of the young men, they determined not to pitch camp, but courageously to set upon them, and manfully to try the matter by conflict, because the city and the sanctuary and the temple were in danger.
18 Their concern for their wives and children, their brothers and relatives, had shrunk to minuteimportance; their chief and greatest fear was for the consecrated Temple.	18 For the care that they took for their wives, and their children, their brethren, and folks, was in least account with them: but the greatest and principal fear was for the holy temple.
19 Those left behind in the city felt a similar anxiety, alarmed as they were about the forthcomingencounter in the open country.	19 Also they that were in the city took not the least care, being troubled for the conflict abroad.
20 Everyone now awaited the coming issue. The enemy had already concentrated their forces andstood formed up in order of battle, with the elephants drawn up in a strategic position and the cavalry disposedon the wings.	20 And now, when as all looked what should be the trial, and the enemies were already come near, and the army was set in array, and the beasts conveniently placed, and the horsemen set in wings,
21 Maccabaeus took note of these masses confronting him, the glittering array of armour and the fierceaspect of the elephants; then, raising his hands to heaven, he called on the Lord who works miracles, in theknowledge that it is not by force of arms but as he sees fit to decide, that victory is granted by him to such asdeserve it.	21 Maccabeus seeing the coming of the multitude, and the divers preparations of armour, and the fierceness of the beasts, stretched out his hands toward heaven, and called upon the Lord that worketh wonders, knowing that victory cometh not by arms, but even as it seemeth good to him, he giveth it to such as are worthy:
22 His prayer was worded thus: 'You, Master, sent your angel in the days of Hezekiah king of Judaea,and he destroyed no less than one hundred and eighty-five thousand of Sennacherib's army;	22 Therefore in his prayer he said after this manner; O Lord, thou didst send thine angel in the time of Ezekias king of Judea, and didst slay in the host of Sennacherib an hundred fourscore and five thousand:
23 now, once again, Sovereign of heaven, send a good angel before us to spread terror and dismay.	23 Wherefore now also, O Lord of heaven, send a good angel before us for a fear and dread unto them;
24 May these men be struck down by the might of your arm, since they have come with blasphemy ontheir lips to attack your holy people.' And on these words he finished.	24 And through the might of thine arm let those be stricken with terror, that come against thy holy people to blaspheme. And he ended thus.
25 Nicanor and his men advanced to the sound of trumpets and war songs,	25 Then Nicanor and they that were with him came forward with trumpets and songs.
26 but the men of Judas closed with the enemy uttering invocations and prayers.	26 But Judas and his company encountered the enemies with invocation and prayer.
27 Fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they cut down at least thirty-fivethousand men and were greatly cheered by this manifestation of God.	27 So that fighting with their hands, and praying unto God with their hearts, they slew no less than thirty and five thousand men: for through the appearance of God they were greatly cheered.
28 When the engagement was over and they were withdrawing in triumph, they recognised Nicanor,lying dead in ful armour.	28 Now when the battle was done, returning again with joy, they knew that Nicanor lay dead in his harness.
29 With shouting and confusion all around, they blessed the sovereign Master in their ancestral tongue.	29 Then they made a great shout and a noise, praising the Almighty in their own language.
30 He who, as protagonist, had devoted himself, body and soul, to his fel ow-citizens, and hadpreserved the love he felt even in youth for those of his own race, gave orders for Nicanor's head to be cut off,with his arm up to the shoulder, and taken to Jerusalem.	30 And Judas, who was ever the chief defender of the citizens both in body and mind, and who continued his love toward his countrymen all his life, commanded to strike off Nicanor's head, and his hand with his shoulder, and bring them to Jerusalem.
31 When he arrived there himself, he cal ed his countrymen together, stationed the priests in front of thealtar and then sent for the people from the Citadel.	31 So when he was there, and called them of his nation together, and set the priests before the altar, he sent for them that were of the tower,
32 He showed them the head of the abominable Nicanor, and the hand which this infamous man hadstretched out so insolently against the holy House of the Almighty.	32 And shewed them vile Nicanor's head, and the hand of that blasphemer, which with proud brags he had stretched out against the holy temple of the Almighty.
33 Then, cutting out godless Nicanor's tongue, he gave orders for it to be fed piecemeal to the birds,and for the salary of his folly to be hung up in front of the Temple.	33 And when he had cut out the tongue of that ungodly Nicanor, he commanded that they should give it by pieces unto the fowls, and hang up the reward of his madness before the temple.
34 At this, everyone sent blessings heavenwards to the glorious Lord, saying, 'Blessed be he who haspreserved his holy place from pol ution!'	34 So every man praised toward the heaven the glorious Lord, saying, Blessed be he that hath kept his own place undefiled.
35 He hung Nicanor's head from the Citadel, a clear and evident sign to al of the help of the Lord.	35 He hanged also Nicanor's head upon the tower, an evident and manifest sign unto all of the help of the Lord.
36 They al decreed by public vote never to let that day go by unobserved, but to celebrate thethirteenth day of the twelfth month, cal ed Adar in Aramaic, the eve of what is called the Day of Mordecai.	36 And they ordained all with a common decree in no case to let that day pass without solemnity, but to celebrate the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, which in the Syrian tongue is called Adar, the day before Mardocheus' day.
37 So ends the episode of Nicanor, and as, since then, the city has remained in the possession of theHebrews, I shal bring my own work to an end here too.	37 Thus went it with Nicanor: and from that time forth the Hebrews had the city in their power. And here will I make an end.
38 If it is wel composed and to the point, that is just what I wanted. If it is worthless and mediocre, thatis al I could manage.	38 And if I have done well, and as is fitting the story, it is that which I desired: but if slenderly and meanly, it is that which I could attain unto.
39 Just as it is injurious to drink wine by itself, or again water alone, whereas wine mixed with water ispleasant and produces a delightful sense of wel -being, so skil in presenting the incidents is what delights theunderstanding of those who read the book. And here I close.	39 For as it is hurtful to drink wine or water alone; and as wine mingled with water is pleasant, and delighteth the taste: even so speech finely framed delighteth the ears of them that read the story. And here shall be an end.