The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Maccabees 03
1 His son Judas, who was called Maccabaeus,
rose up in his place.
2 All his kindred helped him, and so did
all those who joined with his father, and
they fought with gladness the battle of Israel.
3 He got his people great glory, and put
on a breastplate like a giant, and bound
his warlike harness around him, and set
battles in array, protecting the army with
his sword.
4 He was like a lion in his deeds, and like
a lion’s cub roaring for prey.
5 He hunted and pursued the lawless,
and he burned up those who troubled his
people.
6 The lawless shrunk back for fear of
him, and all the workers of lawlessness
were very troubled, and deliverance
prospered in his hand.
7 He angered many kings and made Jacob
glad with his acts. His memory is
blessed forever.
8 He went through the cities of Judah,
destroyed the ungodly† out ofthe land, and
turned away wrath from Israel.
9 He was renowned to the utmost part of
the earth. He gathered together those who
were ready to perish.
10 Apollonius gathered the Gentiles
together with a great army from Samaria to
fight against Israel.
11 Judas learned of it, and he went out
to meet him, struck him, and killed him.
Many fell wounded to death, and the rest fled.
12 They took their spoils, and Judas took
Apollonius’ sword, and he fought with it all
his days.
13 Seron, the commander of the army
of Syria, heard that Judas had gathered a
large company, including a body of faithful
men who stayed with him, went out to war.
14 He said, “I will make myself a name
and get myself glory in the kingdom. I will
fight against Judas and those who are with
him, who despise the king’s command.
15 A mighty army of the ungodly went up
with him to help him, to take vengeance on
the children of Israel.
16 He came near to the ascent of Bethhoron,
and Judas went out to meet him
with a small company.
17 But when they saw the army coming
to meet them, they said to Judas, “What?
Shall we be able, being a small company,
to fight against so great and strong a
multitude? We for our part are faint, having
tasted no food this day.
18 Judas said, “Itis aneasy thing formany
to be hemmed in by the hands of a few.
With‡ heaven it is all one, to save by many
or by few;
19 for victory in battle stands not in the
multitude of an army, but strength is from
heaven.
20 They come to us in fullness of insolence
and lawlessness, to destroy us and
our wives andour children, andtoplunder us,
21 but we fightfor our lives and our laws.
22 He himself will crush them before our
face; but as for you, don’t be afraid ofthem.
23 Now when he had finished speaking,
he rushed suddenly against Seron and his
army, and they were defeated before him.
24 They pursued them down the descent
of Bethhoron to the plain, and about eight
hundred men of them fell; but the rest fled
into the land of the Philistines.
25 The fear of Judas and his kindred, and
the dread of them, began to fall on the
nations around them.
26 His fame reached the king, and every
nation told of the battles of Judas.
27 But when King Antiochus heard these
words, he was full of indignation; and he
sent and gathered together all the forces of
his realm, an exceedingly strong army.
28 He opened his treasury and gave his
forces pay for a year, and commanded
them to be ready for every need.
29 He saw that the money was gone from
his treasures, and that the tributes of the
country were small, because of the dissension
and disaster which he had brought
uponthe land,to the endthathemighttake
away the laws which had been from the
first days.
30 He was afraid that he wouldn’t have
enough as at other times for the charges
and the gifts which he used to give with
a liberal hand, more abundantly than the
kings who were before him.
31 And he was exceedingly perplexed in
his mind, and he determined to go into
Persia, and to take the tributes of those
countries, and to gather much money.
32 He left Lysias, an honorable man, and
one of royal lineage, to be over the affairs
of the king from the river Euphrates to the
borders of Egypt,
33 and to bring up his son Antiochus,
until he came again.
34 He delivered toLysiashalf ofhis forces
and the elephants, and gave him charge of
allthe things that he would have done, and
concerning those who livedinJudea andin
Jerusalem,
35 that he should send an army against
them to root out and destroy the strength
of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem,
and to take away their memory from the place,
36 and that he should make foreigners
live in all their territory, and should divide
their land to them by lot.
37 The king took thehalfthat remained of
the forces, and left Antioch, his royal city,
in the one hundred forty seventh year;§
and he passed over the river Euphrates,
and went through the upper countries.
38 Lysias chose Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes,
Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty
men of the king’s friends;†
39 and with them, he sent forty thousand
infantry and seven thousand cavalry to go
into the land of Judah and to destroy it,
according to the word of the king.
40 They set out with all their army, and
came and encamped near Emmaus in the
plain country.
41 The merchants of the country heard
of their fame, and took silver and gold in
large quantities, and fetters,‡ and came
into the camp to take the children of Israel
for slaves. Forces of Syria and of the land
of the Philistines§ joined with them.
42 Judas and his kindred saw that evils
were multiplied, and that the forces were
encamping in their borders. They learned
about the king’s words which he had commanded,
to destroy the people and make
an end of them.
43 Then they each said to his neighbor,
“Let’s repair the ruins of our people. Let’s
fight for our people and the holy place.”
44 The congregation was gathered together, t
hat they might be ready for battle,
and thattheymight pray and ask formercy
and compassion.
45 Jerusalem was without inhabitant like
a wilderness. There was none of her offspring
who went in or went out. The
sanctuary was trampled down. Children
of foreigners were in the citadel. The Gentiles
lived there. Joy was taken away from
Jacob, and the pipe and the harp ceased.
46 They gathered themselves together,
andcame toMizpeh, near Jerusalem;for in
Mizpeh there used to be a place of prayer
for Israel.
47 They fasted that day, put on sackcloth,
put ashes on their heads, tore their clothes,
48 and opened the book of the law, to
learn about the things for which the Gentiles
consulted the images of their idols.
49 They brought the priests’ garments,
the first fruits, and the tithes. They stirred
up the Nazarites, who had accomplished
their days.
50 They cried aloud toward heaven, saying,
“What should we do with these men?
Where should we carry them away?
51 Your holy place is trampled down and
profaned. Your priests mourn in humiliation.
52 Behold, the Gentiles are assembled
together against us to destroy us. You know
what things they imagine against us.
53 How will we be able to stand against
them, unless you help us?
54 They sounded with the trumpets, and
gave a loud shout.
55 And after this Judas appointed leaders
of the people: captains of thousands,
captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, and
captains of tens.
56 He said to those who were building houses,
were betrothing wives, were planting vineyards,
and were fearful, that they should return,
each man to his own house, according to the law.
57 The army marched out and encamped
upon the south side of Emmaus.
58 Judas said, “Arm yourselves and be
valiant men! Be ready in the morning to
fight with these Gentiles who are assembled together
against us to destroy us and our holy place.
59 For it is better for us to die in battle
than to see the calamities of our nation and
the holy place.
60 Nevertheless, as may be the will in
heaven, so shall he do