1 Maccabees 1

Geneva(i) 1 After that Alexander the Macedonian, the sonne of Philippe, went forth of the land of Chettiim, and slewe Darius King of the Persians & Medes, and reigned for him, as he had before in Grecia, 2 He tooke great warres in hand, and wanne strong holdes, and slewe the Kings of the earth. 3 So went he thorow to the endes of the world, and tooke spoyles of many nations, in so much that the world stood in awe of him: therefore his heart was puffed vp and was hawtie. 4 Now when he had gathered a mightie strong hoste, 5 And had reigned ouer regions, nations and kingdomes, they became tributaries vnto him. 6 After these things he fell sicke, and knew that he should dye. 7 Then he called for the chiefe of his seruants, which had bene brought vp with him of children, and parted his kingdome among them, while he was yet aliue. 8 So Alexander had reigned twelue yeres when he died. 9 And his seruats reigned euery one in his roume. 10 And they all caused them selues to be crownedafter his death, and so did their children after them many yeeres, and much wickednes increased in the worlde. 11 For out of these came the wicked roote, euen Antiochus Epiphanes, the sonne of King Antiochus, which had bene an hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundreth and seuen & thirtieth yere of the kingdome of the Greekes. 12 In those dayes went there out of Israel wicked men, which entised many, saying, Let vs go, and make a couenant with the heathen, that are round about vs: for since we departed from them, we haue had much sorow. 13 So this deuice pleased them well. 14 And certaine of the people were readie, and went to the King, which gaue them licence to doe after the ordinances of the heathen. 15 Then set they vp a place of exercise at Ierusalem, according to the facions of the heathen, 16 And made themselues vncircumcised, & forsooke the holy Couenant, & ioyned themselues to the heathen, and were solde to do mischiefe. 17 So when Antiochus kingdome was set in order, he went about to reigne ouer Egypt, that hee might haue the dominion of two Realmes. 18 Therfore he entred into Egypt with a mightie company, with charets, and Elephants, and with horsemen, and with a great nauie, 19 And moued warre against Ptolemeus King of Egypt: but Ptolemeus was afrayd of him, & fled, and many were wounded to death. 20 Thus Antiochus wanne many strong cities in the land of Egypt, and tooke away the spoyles of the land of Egypt. 21 And after that Antiochus had smitte Egypt, he turned againe in the hundreth, fourtie and three yeere, 22 And went vp towarde Israel and Ierusalem with a mightie people, 23 And entred proudely into the Sanctuarie, & tooke away the golden altar, and the candlesticke for the light, & all the instruments thereof, and the table of the shewbread, and the powring vessels, & the bowles, and the golden basins, & the vaile, and the crownes, and the golden apparel, which was before the Temple, and brake all in pieces. 24 He tooke also the siluer and golde, and the precious iewels, & he tooke the secret treasures that he founde, and when he had taken away all, he departed into his owne land, 25 After he had murthered many men, & spoken very proudely. 26 Therefore there was a great lamentation in euery place of Israel. 27 For the Princes & the Elders mourned: the yong women, & the yong men were made feeble, and the beautie of the women was changed. 28 Euery bridegrome tooke him to mourning, and shee that sate in the marriage chamber, was in heauinesse. 29 The lande also was mooued for the inhabitants thereof: for all the house of Iacob was couered with confusion. 30 After two yeres the King sent his chiefe taxe master into the cities of Iuda, which came to Ierusalem with a great multitude. 31 Who spake peaceable wordes vnto them in deceite, and they gaue credit vnto him. 32 Then he fell suddenly vpon the citie, and smote it with a great plague, and destroyed much people of Israel. 33 And when he had spoiled the citie, he set fire on it, casting downe the houses thereof, and walles thereof on euery side. 34 The women and their children tooke they captiue, and led away the cattell. 35 Then fortified they the citie of Dauid with a great and thicke wall, and with mightie towres, and made it a strong holde for them. 36 Moreouer they set wicked people there, and vngodly persons, & fortified themselues therein. 37 And they stored it with weapons & vitailes, and gathered the spoyle of Ierusalem, and layed it vp there. 38 Thus became they a sore snare and were in ambushment for the Sanctuarie, and were wicked enemies euermore vnto Israel. 39 For they shed innocent blood on euery side of the Sanctuarie, and defiled the Sanctuarie, 40 Insomuch that the citizens of Ierusalem fled away because of them, and it became an habitation of strangers, being desolate of them whom she had borne: for her owne children did leaue her. 41 Her Sanctuarie was left waste as a wildernes: her holy dayes were turned into mourning, her Sabbaths into reproche, and her honour brought to naught. 42 As her glory had bene great, so was her dishonour, & her excellencie was turned into sorowe. 43 Also the King wrote vnto all his kingdome, that all the people should be as one, and that euery man should leaue his lawes. 44 And all the heathen agreed to the commandement of the King. 45 Yea, many of the Israelites consented to his religion, offring vnto idoles, & defiling ye Sabbath. 46 So the King sent letters by the messengers vnto Ierusalem, and to the cities of Iuda, that they should follow the strange lawes of the countrey, 47 And that they should forbid the burnt offerings, & sacrifices, & the offrings in the Sanctuary, 48 And that they shoulde defile the Sabbaths and the feastes, 49 And pollute the Sanctuary & the holy men, 50 And to set vp altars, and groues, and chappels of idoles, and offer vp swines fleshe, and vncleane beastes, 51 And that they shoulde leaue their children vncircumcised, & defile their soules with vncleannes, and pollute themselues, that they might forget the Lawe, and change all the ordinances, 52 And that whosoeuer woulde not doe acoording to the commandement of the King, shoulde suffer death. 53 In like maner wrote he throughout all his kingdomes, and set ouerseers ouer all the people, for to compell them to do these things. 54 And he commanded the cities of Iuda to do sacrifice, citie by citie. 55 Then went many of the people vnto them by heapes, euery one that forsooke the Law, and so they committed euill in the land. 56 And they droue the Israelites into secret places, euen wheresoeuer they could flee for succour. 57 The fifteenth day of Casleu, in the hundreth and fiue and fourtieth yeere, they set vp the abomination of desolation vpon the altar, and they buylded altars throughout the cities of Iuda on euery side. 58 And before the doores of the houses, and in the streetes they burnt incense. 59 And the bookes of the Lawe, which they found, they burnt in the fire, and cut in pieces. 60 Whosoeuer had a booke of the Testament founde by him, or whosoeuer consented vnto the Lawe, the Kings commaundement was, that they should put him to death by their authoritie. 61 And they executed these things euery moneth vpon the people of Israel that were founde in their cities. 62 And in the fiue & twentieth day of the moneth, they did sacrifice vpon the altar, which was in the stead of the altar of sacrifices. 63 And according to the commandement, they put certeine women to death, which had caused their children to be circumcised, 64 And they hanged vp the children at their neckes, and they spoyled their houses, and slew the circumcisers of them. 65 Yet were there many in Israel, which were of courage, and determined in themselues, that they would not eate vncleane things, 66 But chose rather to suffer death, the to be defiled with those meates: so because they would not breake the holy couenant, they were put to death. 67 And this tyrannie was very sore vpon the people of Israel.