Geneva(i)
1 Then Iudas his sonne, called Maccabeus, rose vp in his place.
2 And all his brethren helped him, and all they that held with his father, and fought with courage the battell of Israel.
3 So he gate his people great honour: he put on a breastplate as a gyant, and armed himselfe, and set the battell in array, and defended the campe with the sword.
4 In his actes he was like a Lion, and as a Lyons whelpe roaring after the pray.
5 For he pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt vp those that vexed his people,
6 So that the wicked fled for feare of him, and all the workers of iniquitie were put to trouble: and saluation prospered in his hand.
7 And hee grieued diuers Kings, but Iacob reioyced by his actes, and his memoriall is blessed for euer.
8 He went also thorowe the cities of Iuda, and destroied the wicked out of them, and turned away the wrath from Israel.
9 So was hee renowmed vnto the endes of the earth, and hee assembled together those that were ready to perish.
10 But Apollonius gathered the Gentiles, & a great host out of Samaria, to fight against Israel.
11 Which when Iudas perceiued, he went forth to meete him, and smote him, and slewe him, so that many fell downe slayne, and the rest fled.
12 So Iudas tooke their spoyles, and tooke also Apollonius sworde, and fought with it all his life long.
13 Nowe when Seron a prince of the armie of Syria, heard that Iudas had gathered vnto him the Congregation, and Church of the faithfull, and went forth to the warre,
14 He sayd, I wil get me a name, and wil be glorious in the realme: for I will goe fight with Iudas, and them that are with him, which haue despised the kings commandement.
15 So he made him ready to go vp, & there went with him a mightie hoste of the vngodly to helpe him, and to be auenged of the children of Israel.
16 And when he came neere to the going vp of Bethhoron, Iudas went forth to meete him with a small companie.
17 But when they sawe the army comming against them, they sayde to Iudas, Howe are wee able, being so fewe, to fight against so great a multitude, and so strong, seeing we be so weary, and haue fasted all this day?
18 Then said Iudas, It is an easie thing for many to be shut vp in the hands of fewe, and there is no difference before the God of heauen, to deliuer by a great multitude, or by a small company.
19 For the victory of the battell standeth not in the multitude of the host, but the strength commeth from heauen.
20 They come against vs with a cruel & proud multitude, to destroy vs, and our wiues, & our children, and to robbe vs.
21 But wee doe fight for our liues, and for our Lawes,
22 And God himselfe will destroy them before our face: therefore be not ye afraide of them.
23 And when he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly vpon them: so was Seron and his host destroyed before him.
24 And they pursued them fro the going downe of Bethhoron vnto the plaine: where there were slaine eight hundreth men of them, and the residue fled into the land of the Philistimes.
25 Then the feare and terrour of Iudas and his brethren fell vpon the nations round about,
26 So that his fame came vnto the king: for all the Gentiles could tell of the warres of Iudas.
27 But when king Antiochus heard these tidings, he was angry in his minde: wherefore he sent forth, and gathered all the power of his realme, a very strong army,
28 And opened his treasurie, and gaue his host a yeeres wages in hande, commanding them to be ready for a yeere for all occasions.
29 Neuerthelesse, when he sawe that the money of his treasures failed, and that the tributes in the countrey were small, because of the dissention, and plagues that he had brought vpon the lande, in taking away the lawes which had bene of olde time,
30 He feared least he shoulde not haue nowe at the seconde time, as the first, for the charges and gifts that he had giuen with a liberall hande afore: for in liberalitie he farre passed the other kings that were before him.
31 Wherefore he was heauie in his minde, and thought to goe into Persia, for to take tributes of the countreys, and to gather much money.
32 So he left Lysias a noble man & of the kings blood to ouersee the kings businesse, from the riuer of Euphrates vnto the borders of Egypt,
33 And to bring vp his sonne Antiochus, till he came againe.
34 Moreouer, he gaue him halfe of his host and elephants, & gaue him the charge of all things that he would haue done,
35 And concerning those which dwelt in Iuda and Ierusalem, that he should send an army against them, to destroy and roote out the power of Israel and the remnant of Ierusalem, and to put out their memoriall from that place,
36 And to set strangers for to inhabite all their quarters, and part their land among them.
37 And the king tooke the halfe of the hoste that remained, and departed from Antiochia his royall citie, in the yeere an hundreth fourtie and seuen, and passed the riuer Euphrates, and went thorowe the hie countreys.
38 Then Lysias chose Ptolemeus the sonne of Doriminus, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men, and the kings friends,
39 And sent with them fourty thousand footemen, and seuen thousand horsemen, to go into the lande of Iuda, and to destroy it, as the king commanded.
40 So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plaine countrey.
41 Nowe when the marchants of the countrey heard the rumour of them, they tooke very much siluer and golde, and seruantes, and came into the campe to buy the children of Israel for slaues, and the strength of Syria and of strange nations ioyned with them.
42 Nowe when Iudas and his brethren sawe that trouble increased, and that the hoste drewe neere vnto their borders, considering the kinges words, whereby he had commanded to destroy the people, and vtterly abolish them,
43 They said one to another, Let vs redresse the decay of our people, and let vs fight for our people, and for our Sanctuarie.
44 Then the Congregation were soone readie gathered to fight, and to pray, and to desire mercie and compassion.
45 As for Ierusalem, it was not inhabited, but was as a wildernesse. There went none that was borne in it, in or out at it, and the Sanctuarie was troden downe, and the strangers kept the fortresse, and it was the habitation of the heathen: and the mirth of Iacob was taken away: the pipe and the harpe ceased.
46 So they gathered them selues together, and came to Maspha before Ierusalem: for in Maspha was the place where they praied aforetime in Israel.
47 And they fasted that day, and put sackcloth vpon them, and cast ashes vpon their heads, & rent their clothes,
48 And opened the booke of the lawe, wherein the heathen sought to paynt the likenes of their idoles,
49 And brought the Priestes garments, and the first fruites, and the tithes, and set there the Nazarites, which accomplished their dayes.
50 And they cried with a loude voyce towarde heauen, saying, What shall wee doe with these? and whither shall we cary them away?
51 For thy Sanctuarie is troden downe and defiled, and thy Priestes are in heauinesse, and brought downe.
52 And beholde, the heathen are come against vs, to destroy vs: thou knowest what thinges they imagine against vs.
53 How can we stand before them, except thou helpe vs?
54 Then they blewe the trumpets, and cryed with a loude voyce.
55 And after this Iudas ordeyned captaines ouer the people, euen captaines ouer thousands, and captaines ouer hundreths, and captaines ouer fifties, and captaines ouer tenne.
56 And they commaunded them that buylded houses, or married wiues, or planted vineyardes, or were fearefull, that they shoulde returne euery one to his owne house, according to the Lawe.
57 So the hoste remoued, and pitched vpon the Southside of Emmaus:
58 And Iudas sayde, Arme your selues, and be valiant men, and be ready against the morning to fight with these nations, which are gathered together against vs, to destroy vs and our Sanctuarie.
59 For it is better for vs to dye in battell, the to see the calamities of our people & of our Sactuary.
60 Neuerthelesse as the will of God is in heauen, so be it.