1 Maccabees 9 In the meane season when Demetrius had heard how Nicanor, and his hoste had giuen the battel, he sent Bacchides, and Alcimus againe into Iudea, and his chiefe strength with them.

Geneva⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ In the meane season when Demetrius had heard how Nicanor, and his hoste had giuen the battel, he sent Bacchides, and Alcimus againe into Iudea, and his chiefe strength with them. ² So they went forth by the way that is toward Galgala, and pitched their tentes before Mesaloth which is in Arbelis, and wanne it, and slewe much people. ³ And in the first moneth of the hundreth, fifty and two yeere, they layed their siege against Ierusalem. ⁴ But they raysed their campe, and came to Berea, with twentie thousand foote men and two thousand horsemen. ⁵ Now Iudas had pitched his tent at Eleasa, and three thousand chosen men with him. ⁶ And when they saw, that the multitude of the armie was great, they were sore afraid, & many conueied themselues out of the hoste, so that there abode no mo of them, but eight hundreth men. ⁷ When Iudas saw that his host fayled him, and that he must needes fight, he was sore troubled in mind that he had no time to gather them together, and was discouraged. ⁸ Neuerthelesse, he saide vnto them that remained, Let vs rise, & go vp against our enemies, if peraduenture we may be able to fight with them. ⁹ But they woulde haue stayed him, saying, We are not able: but let vs rather saue our liues: turne backe nowe, seeing our brethren are departed: for shall we fight against them, that are so fewe? ¹⁰ Then Iudas said, God forbid, that we should doe this thing, to flie from them: if our time bee come, let vs die manfully for our brethren, and let vs not staine our honour. ¹¹ Then the host remooued out of the tents, & stood against the, who had deuided their horsemen into two troupes, & they that threwe with slinges, & the archers marched in the foreward, and they that fought in the foreward, were all valiant men. ¹² And Bacchides was in the right wing. So the armie drewe neere on both sides, and blewe the trumpets. ¹³ They of Iudas side blewe the trumpets also, and the earth shooke at the noyse of the armies, & the battel continued from morning to night. ¹⁴ And when Iudas sawe that Bacchides & the strength of his armie was on ye right side, he tooke with him all the hardie men, ¹⁵ And brake the right wing, & followed vpon them vnto mount Azotus. ¹⁶ Nowe when they which were of the left wing, sawe that the right wing was discomfited, they followed Iudas behinde, and them that were with him hard at the heeles. ¹⁷ Then was there a sore battel: for many were slaine of both the parties. ¹⁸ Iudas also himselfe was killed, and the remnant fled. ¹⁹ So Ionathan and Simon tooke Iudas their brother, and buryed him in his fathers sepulchre in the citie of Modin. ²⁰ And al the Israelites wept for him, & mourned greatly for him, & lameted many dayes, saying, ²¹ How is the valiant man fallen which deliuered Israel! ²² Concerning the other things of Iudas, both the battels and the valiant actes that hee did, and of his worthines, they are not writte: for they were verie many. ²³ Now after the death of Iudas, wicked men came vp in all the coastes of Israel, and there arose all such as gaue themselues to iniquitie. ²⁴ In those dayes was there a very great famine in the lande, and all the countrey gaue ouer themselues with them. ²⁵ And Bacchides did chuse wicked men, and made them lords in the land. ²⁶ These sought out, and made search for Iudas friends, & brought the vnto Bacchides, which auenged himselfe vpon them, and mocked them. ²⁷ And there came so great trouble in Israel, as was not since the time that no Prophet was seene among them. ²⁸ Then came all Iudas friendes together, and saide vnto Ionathan, ²⁹ Seeing thy brother Iudas is dead, and there is none like him to goe forth against our enemies, euen against Bacchides, and against them of our nation that are enemies vnto vs, ³⁰ Therefore, this day we chuse thee, that thou mayest be our Prince & captaine in his place, to order our battell. ³¹ So Ionathan tooke the gouernance vpon him at the same time, and ruled in stead of his brother Iudas. ³² But when Bacchides knewe it, he sought for to slay him. ³³ Then Ionathan and Simon his brother, perceiuing that, fled into the wildernes of Thecua with all their companie, and pitched their tents by the water poole of Asphar. ³⁴ Which when Bacchides vnderstoode, hee came ouer Iorden with all his hoste vpon the Sabbath day. ³⁵ (Nowe had Ionathan sent his brother Iohn, a captaine of the people, to pray his friendes the Nabathites, that they would keepe their baggage which was much. ³⁶ But the children of Ambri came out of Medaba, and tooke Iohn, and al that he had, and when they had taken it, went their way. ³⁷ After this came worde vnto Ionathan, and to Simon his brother, that the children of Ambri made a great marriage, and brought the bride from Medaba with great pompe: for she was daughter to one of the noblest Princes of Canaan. ³⁸ Therefore they remembred Iohn their brother, and went vp, and hid themselues vnder the couert of the mountaine. ³⁹ So they lift vp their eyes, and looked, and beholde, there was a great noyse, and much preparation: then the bridegrome came forth, and his friends and his brethre met them with tymbrels, & instruments of musike, and many weapons. ⁴⁰ The Ionathans men that lay in ambush, rose vp against them, and slewe many of them, and the remnant fledde into the mountaines, so that they tooke all their spoyles. ⁴¹ Thus the marriage was turned to mourning, and the noyse of their melodie into lamentation. ⁴² And so when they had auenged the blood of their brother, they turned againe vnto Iorden. ⁴³ When Bacchides heard this, hee came vnto the border of Iorden with a great power vpon the Sabbath day.) ⁴⁴ Then Ionathan saide vnto his companie, Let vs rise nowe, and fight against our enemies: for it is not to day as in time past. ⁴⁵ Beholde, the battel is before vs, and behinde vs, and the water of Iorden on this side and that side, and the marise, and forest, so that there is no place for vs to turne aside. ⁴⁶ Wherefore crie nowe vnto heauen, that yee may be deliuered from the power of your enemies: so they ioyned battell. ⁴⁷ Then Ionathan stretched out his hande to smite Bacchides: but hee turned aside from him & reculed. ⁴⁸ Then Ionathan, & they that were with him, leapt into Iorden, and swimmed ouer vnto the further banke: but the other would not passe through Iorden after them. ⁴⁹ So in that day were slaine of Bacchides side about a thousand men. ⁵⁰ Then hee turned againe to Ierusalem, and buylt vp the strong cities in Iuda, as the castell of Iericho, and Emmaus, and Bethhoron, and Bethel, and Thamnatha, Pharathoni, & Tepho, with high walles, with gates, and with barres, ⁵¹ And set Garisons in them, that they might vse their malice vpon Israel. ⁵² He fortified also the citie Beth-sura, and Gazara, and the castel, and set a garison in them with prouision of vitailes. ⁵³ Hee tooke also the chiefest mens sonnes in the countrey for hostages, and put them in the castell at Ierusalem to be kept. ⁵⁴ Afterward in the hundreth, fiftie & three yere, in the second moneth, Alcimus commaunded, that the walles of the inner court of the Sanctuary should be destroyed, & he pulled downe the monuments of ye Prophetes, & began to destroy them. ⁵⁵ But at the same time Alcimus was plagued, and his enterprises were hindered, and his mouth was stopped: for he was smitten with a palsie, and could no more speake, nor giue order concerning his house. ⁵⁶ Thus dyed Alcimus with great torment at the same time. ⁵⁷ And when Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead, he turned againe to the King, and so the land of Iuda was in rest two yeeres. ⁵⁸ Then all the vngodly men helde a counsell, saying, Behold, Ionathan and his companie dwell at ease, and without care: wherefore let vs bring Bacchides hither, and he wil take them all in one night. ⁵⁹ So they went and consulted with him. ⁶⁰ Who arose and came with a great hoste, and sent letters priuily to his adherents, which were in Iudea, to take Ionathan and those that were with him: but they coulde not, for their counsell was knowen vnto them. ⁶¹ And they tooke fiftie men of the countrey, which were the chiefe workers of this wickednesse, and slewe them. ⁶² Then Ionathan and Simon with their companie departed vnto Beth-basin which is in the wildernes, and repaired the decay thereof, and made it strong. ⁶³ When Bacchides knewe this, he gathered all his hoste, & sent word to them that were of Iudea. ⁶⁴ Then came he and layd siege to Beth-basin, and fought against it a long season, and made instruments of warre. ⁶⁵ But Ionathan had left his brother Simon in the citie, and went foorth into the countrey, and came with a certaine nomber, ⁶⁶ And slewe Odomeras and his brethren and the children of Phasiron in their tentes: so hee began to slay, and increased in power. ⁶⁷ Simon also and his companie went out of the citie, and burnt vp the instruments of warre, ⁶⁸ And fought against Bacchides, and discomfited him, and vexed him sore, so that his counsell and iourney was in vaine. ⁶⁹ Wherefore he was very wroth at the wicked men, that gaue him counsel to come into the countrey, and slewe many of them, and purposed to returne into his owne countrey. ⁷⁰ Whereof when Ionathan had knowledge, he sent Ambassadours vnto him, to intreate of peace with him, & that the prisoners should be deliuered. ⁷¹ Which thing he accepted, and did according to his desire, and made an othe, that he would neuer doe him harme all the dayes of his life. ⁷² So he restored vnto him the prisoners that he had taken aforetime out of the land of Iuda, and so returned and went into his owne lande, neither did he come any more into their borders. ⁷³ Thus the sworde ceased from Israel, and Ionathan dwelt at Machmas, and began there to gouerne the people, and destroyed the vngodly men out of Israel.