The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Maccabees 07
1 In the one hundred fifty first year,†
Demetrius the son of Seleucus came out of
Rome, and wentup witha few mento a city
by the sea, and reigned there.
2 It came to pass, when he would go into
the house of the kingdom of his fathers,
that the army laid hands on Antiochus and
Lysias, to bring them to him.
3 The thing became known to him, and
he said, “Don’t show me their faces!”
4 So the army killed them. Then
Demetrius sat upon the throne of his
kingdom.
5 All the lawless and ungodly men of
Israel came to him. Alcimus was their
leader, desiring to be high priest.
6 They accused the people to the king,
saying, “Judas and his kindred have destroyed
all your friends, and have scattered us from our own land.
7 Now therefore send a man whom you
trust, and lethimgo and see allthe
destruction which he has brought on us and the
king’s country, and how he has punished
them and all who helped them.
8 So the king chose Bacchides, one of
the king’s‡ friends, who was ruler in the
country beyond the river, and was a great
man in the kingdom, and faithful to the king.
9 He sent him and that ungodly Alcimus,
whom he made the high priest; and he
commanded him to take vengeance upon
the children of Israel.
10 They marched away and came with a
great army into the land of Judah. He sent
messengers to Judas and his kindred with
words of peace deceitfully.
11 They paid no attention to their words;
for they saw that they had come with a
great army.
12 A group of scribes gathered together to
Alcimus and Bacchides to seek just terms.
13 The§ Hasidaeans were the first among
the children of Israel who sought peace
from them,
14 for they said, “One who is a priest of
the seed of Aaron has come with the army,
and he will do us no wrong.
15 He spoke with them words of peace,
and swore to them, saying, “We won’t seek
to harm you or your friends.
16 They trusted him. Then he seized sixty
men of them, and killed them in one day,
according to the word which was written,
17 † The flesh of your saints
and their blood was shed all around
Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
18 The fear and the dread of them fell
upon all the people, for they said, “There is
neither truth nor justice in them; for they
have broken the covenant and the oath
which they swore.
19 Bacchides withdrew from Jerusalem,
and encamped in Bezeth. He sent and
seized many of the deserters who were
with him, and some of the people, and he
killed them, throwing them into a large pit.
20 He placed Alcimus in charge of the
country and left with him a force to aid
him. Then Bacchides went away to the
king.
21 Alcimus struggled to maintainhishigh
priesthood.
22 All those who troubled their people
joined him, and they took control of the
land of Judah, and did great damage in
Israel.
23 Judas saw all the wrongs that Alcimus
and his company had done among the childrenofIsrael,
evenmore thanthe Gentiles.
24 He went out into all the borders of
Judea and took vengeance on the men who
had deserted from him, and they were
restrained from going out into the country.
25 But when Alcimus saw that Judas and
his company had grown strong, and knew
that he was not able to withstand them,
he returned to the king, and brought evil
accusations against them.
26 ‡Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his
honorable princes, a man who hated Israel
and was their enemy, and commanded
him to destroy the people.
27 Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a
great army. He sent to Judas and his
kindred deceitfully with words of peace,
saying,
28 “Let there be no battle between me
and you; I will come with a few men, that I
may see your faces in peace.”
29 He came to Judas, and they saluted
one another peaceably. The enemies were
ready to seize Judas by violence.
30This was known to Judas, that he came
to him with deceit, and he was very afraid
of him, and would see his face no more.
31 Nicanor found out that his plan was
disclosed; and he went out to meet Judas
in battle beside Capharsalama.
32 About five hundred men of Nicanor’s
army fell, and the rest fled into the city of
David.
33 After these things, Nicanor went up to
mount Zion. Some of the priests came out
of the sanctuary, with some of the elders of
the people, to salute him peaceably, and to
show him the whole burned sacrifice that
was being offered for the king.
34 He mocked them, laughed at them, derided them
shamefully,§ spoke arrogantly,
35 and swore in a rage, saying, “Unless
Judas and his army are now delivered into
my hands, it shall be that, if I return safely,
I will burn up this house!” And he went out
in a great rage.
36 The priests entered in, and stood before
the altar and the temple; and they wept, and said,
37 “You chose this house to be called by
your name, to be a house of prayer and
supplication for your people.
38 Take vengeance on this man and his
army, and let them fall by the sword.
Remember their blasphemies, and don’t
allow them to live any longer.”
39 Then Nicanor went out from
Jerusalem and encamped in Bethhoron,
and there the Syrian army met him.
40 Judas encamped in Adasa with three
thousand men. Judas prayed and said,
41 “When those who came from the king
blasphemed, your angel went out, and
struck among them one hundred eightyfive thousand.
42 Even so, crush this army before us
today, and let all the rest know that he has
spoken wickedly against your sanctuary.
Judge him according to his wickedness.”
43 On the thirteenth day of the month
Adar, the armies met in battle. Nicanor’s
army was defeated, and he himself was the
first to fall in the battle.
44 Now when his army saw that Nicanor
had fallen, they threw away their weapons
and fled.
45 They pursued them a day’s journey
from Adasa until you come to† Gazara, and
they sounded an alarm after them with the
signal trumpets.
46 Men came out of all the surrounding
villages of Judea, and outflanked them.
These turned them back on those, and they
all fell by the sword. There wasn’t one of
them left.
47 The Jews took the spoils and the booty,
and they cut off Nicanor’s head and his
right hand, which he had stretched out so
arrogantly, and brought them, and hung
them up beside Jerusalem.
48 Thepeople were exceedingly glad, and
they kept that day as a day of great gladness.
49 ‡They ordained to keep this day year
by year on the thirteenth day of Adar.
50 So the land of Judah had rest a few days.