2 Maccabees 15

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
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 after the space of three years Judas, and they that were with him, understood that Demetrius the son of Seleucus was come up with a great power, and a navy by the haven of Tripolis to places proper for his purpose.
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 And had made himself master of the countries against Antiochus, and his general Lysias.
3 At this the triple-dyed scoundrel asked if there were in heaven a sovereign who had ordered thekeeping of the Sabbath day.	3 Now one Alcimus, who had been chief priest, but had wilfully defiled himself in the time of mingling with the heathens, seeing that there was no safety for him, nor access to the altar,
4 When they answered, 'The living Lord himself, the Heavenly Sovereign, has ordered the observanceof the seventh day,'	4 Came to king Demetrius in the year one hundred and fifty, presenting unto him a crown of gold, and a palm, and besides these, some boughs which seemed to belong to the temple. And that day indeed he held his peace.
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 But having gotten a convenient time to further his madness, being called to counsel by Demetrius, and asked what the Jews relied upon, and what were their counsels,
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 He answered thereunto: They among the Jews that are called Assideans, of whom Judas Machabeus is captain, nourish wars, and raise seditions, and will not suffer the realm to be in peace.
7 Maccabaeus remained firm in his confident conviction that the Lord would stand by him.	7 For I also being deprived of my ancestors' glory (I mean of the high priesthood) am now come hither:
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 Principally indeed out of fidelity to the king's interests, but in the next place also to provide for the good of my countrymen: for all our nation suffereth much from the evil proceedings of those men.
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 Wherefore, 0 king, seeing thou knoweat all these things, take care, I beseech thee, both of the country, and of our nation, according to thy humanity which is known to all men,
10 Having thus aroused their courage, he ended his exhortation by demonstrating the treachery of theforeigners and how they had violated their oaths.	10 For as long as Judas liveth, it is not possible that the state should be quiet.
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 Now when this man had spoken to this effect, the rest also of the king's friends, who were enemies of Judas, incensed Demetrius against him.
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 forthwith he sent Nicanor, the commander over the elephants, governor into Judea:
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 Giving him in charge, to take Judas himself: and disperse all them that were with him, and to make Alcimus the high priest of the great temple.
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 the Gentiles who had fled out of Judea from Judas, came to Nicanor by docks, thinking the miseries and calamities of the Jews to be the welfare of their affairs.
15 Jeremiah then stretched out his right hand and presented Judas with a golden sword, saying as hegave it,	15 Now when the Jews heard of Nicanor's coming, and that the nations were assembled against them, they cast earth upon their heads, and made supplication to him, who chose his people to keep them for ever, and who protected his portion by evident signs.
16 'Take this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you wil shatter the enemy.'	16 Then at the commandment of their captain, they forthwith removed from the place where they were, and went to the town of Dessau, to meet them.
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 Now Simon the brother of Judas had joined battle with Nicanor, but was frightened with the sudden coming of the adversaries.
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 Nevertheless Nicanor hearing of the valour of Judas' companions, and the greatness of courage with which they fought for their country, was afraid to try the matter by the sword.
19 Those left behind in the city felt a similar anxiety, alarmed as they were about the forthcomingencounter in the open country.	19 Wherefore he sent Posidonius, and Theodotius, and Matthias before to present and receive the right hands.
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 when there had been a consultation thereupon, and the captain had acquainted the multitude with it, the) were all of one mind to consent to covenants.
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 So they appointed a day upon which they might commune together by themselves: and seats were brought out, and set for each one.
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 But Judas ordered men to be ready in convenient places, lest some mischief might he suddenly practised by the enemies: so they made an agreeable conference.
23 now, once again, Sovereign of heaven, send a good angel before us to spread terror and dismay.	23 And Nicanor abode in Jerusalem, and did no wrong, but sent away the flocks of the multitudes that had been gathered together.
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 Judas was always dear to him from the heart, and he was well affected to the man.
25 Nicanor and his men advanced to the sound of trumpets and war songs,	25 And he desired him to marry a wife, and to have children. So he married: he lived quietly, and they lived in common.
26 but the men of Judas closed with the enemy uttering invocations and prayers.	26 But Alcimus seeing the love they had one to another, and the covenants, came to Demetrius, and told him that Nicanor assented to the foreign interest, for that he meant to make Judas, who was a traitor to the kingdom, his successor.
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 Then the king being in a rage and provoked with this man's wicked accusations, wrote to Nicanor, signifying, that he was greatly displeased with the covenant of friendship: and that he commanded him nevertheless to send Machabeus prisoner in all haste to Antioch.
28 When the engagement was over and they were withdrawing in triumph, they recognised Nicanor,lying dead in ful armour.	28 When this was known, Nicanor was in a consternation, and took it grievously that he should make void the articles that were agreed upon, having received no injury from the man.
29 With shouting and confusion all around, they blessed the sovereign Master in their ancestral tongue.	29 But because he could not oppose the king, he watched an opportunity to comply with the orders.
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 But when Machabeus perceived that Nicanor was more stern to him, and that when they met together as usual he behaved himself in a rough manner: and was sensible that this rough behaviour came not of good, he gathered together a few of his men, and hid himself from Nicanor.
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 But he finding himself notably prevented by the man, came to the great and holy temple: and commanded the priests that were offering the accustomed sacrifices, to deliver him the man.
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 when they swore unto him, that they knew not where the man was whom he sought, he stretched out his hand to the temple,
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 swore, saying: Unless you deliver Judas prisoner to me, I will lay this temple of God even with the ground, and will beat down the altar, and I will dedicate this temple to Bacchus.
34 At this, everyone sent blessings heavenwards to the glorious Lord, saying, 'Blessed be he who haspreserved his holy place from pol ution!'	34 And when he had spoken thus he departed. But the priests stretching forth their hands to heaven, called upon him that was ever the defender of their nation, saying in this manner:
35 He hung Nicanor's head from the Citadel, a clear and evident sign to al of the help of the Lord.	35 Thou, O Lord of all things, who wantest nothing, wast pleased that the temple of thy habitation should be amongst us.
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 Therefore now, 0 Lord the holy of all holies, keep this house for ever undefiled which was lately cleansed.
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 Now Razias, one of the ancients of Jerusalem, was accused to Nicanor, a man that was a lover of the city, and of good report, who for his affection was called the father of the Jews.
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 This man, for a long time, had held fast his purpose of keeping himself pure in the Jews' religion, and was ready to expose his body and life, that he might persevere therein.
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 So Nicanor being willing to declare the hatred that he bore the Jews, sent five hundred soldiers to take him.
	40 For he thought by insnaring him to hurt the Jews very much.
	41 Now as the multitude sought to rush into his house, and to break open the door, and to set fire to it, when he was ready to be taken, he struck himself with his sword:
	42 Choosing to die nobly rather than to fall into the hands of the wicked, and to suffer abuses unbecoming his noble birth.
	43 But whereas through haste he missed of giving himself a sure wound, and the crowd was breaking into the doors, he ran boldly to the wall, and manfully threw himself down to the crowd:
	44 But they quickly making room for his fall, he came upon the midst of the neck.
	45 And as he had yet breath in him, being inflamed in mind he arose: and while his blood ran down with a great stream, and he was grievously wounded, he ran through the crowd:
	46 And standing upon a steep rock, when he was now almost without blood, grasping his bowels with both hands, he cast them upon the throng, calling upon the Lord of life and spirit, to restore these to him again: and so he departed this life.