First Book of Maccabees 1

¹ Alexander of Macedon, son of Philip, had come from the land of Kittim[*a] and defeated Darius, king of the Persians and Medes, whom he succeeded as ruler, at first of Hellas.

² He undertook many campaigns, gained possession of many fortresses, and put the local kings to death.

³ So he advanced to the ends of the earth, plundering nation after nation; the earth grew silent before him, and his ambitious heart swelled with pride.

⁴ He assembled very powerful forces and subdued provinces, nations and princes, and they became his tributaries.

⁵ But the time came when Alexander took to his bed, in the knowledge that he was dying.

⁶ He summoned his comrades, noblemen who had been brought up with him from his youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive.

⁷ Alexander had reigned twelve years when he died.[*b]

⁸ Each of his comrades established himself in his own region.

⁹ All assumed crowns after his death, they and their heirs after them for many years, bringing increasing evils on the world.

¹⁰ From these there grew a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus; once a hostage in Rome,[*c] he became king in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.[*d]

¹¹ It was then that there emerged from Israel a set of renegades who led many people astray. ‘Come,’ they said ‘let us reach an understanding with the pagans surrounding us, for since we separated ourselves from them many misfortunes have overtaken us.’

¹² This proposal proved acceptable,

¹³ and a number of the people eagerly approached the king, who authorised them to practise the pagan observances.

¹⁴ So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, such as the pagans have,

¹⁵ disguised their circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant, submitting to the heathen rule as willing slaves of impiety.

¹⁶ Once Antiochus had seen his authority established, he determined to make himself king of Egypt, and the ruler of both kingdoms.

¹⁷ He invaded Egypt in massive strength, with chariots and elephants and a great fleet.

¹⁸ He engaged Ptolemy, king of Egypt, in battle, and Ptolemy turned back and fled before his advance, leaving many casualties.

¹⁹ The fortified cities of the land of Egypt were captured, and Antiochus plundered the country.

²⁰ After his conquest of Egypt, in the year one hundred and forty-three, Antiochus turned about and advanced on Israel and Jerusalem in massive strength.

²¹ insolently breaking into the sanctuary, he removed the golden altar and the lamp-stand for the light with all its fittings,

²² together with the table for the loaves of offering, the libation vessels, the cups, the golden censers, the veil, the crowns, and the golden decoration on the front of the Temple, which he stripped of everything.

²³ He made off with the silver and gold and precious vessels, he discovered the secret treasures and seized them,

²⁴ and removing all of these, he went back to his own country, leaving the place a shambles and uttering words of extreme arrogance.

²⁵ Then there was deep mourning for Israel throughout the country:

²⁶ Rulers and elders groaned; girls and young men wasted away; the women’s beauty suffered a change;

²⁷ every bridegroom took up a dirge, the bride sat grief-stricken on her marriage-bed.

²⁸ The very land quaked for its inhabitants and the whole House of Jacob was clothed with shame.

²⁹ The days passed, and after two years the king sent the mysarch[*e] through the cities of Judah. He came to Jerusalem with an impressive force,

³⁰ and addressing them with what appeared to be peaceful words, he gained their confidence; <32 then suddenly he fell on the city dealing it a terrible blow, and destroying many of the people of Israel.

³¹ He pillaged the city and set it on fire, tore down its houses and encircling wall,

³² took the women and children captive and commandeered the cattle.

³³ Then they fortified the City of David with a great strong wall and strong towers, and made this their Citadel.

³⁴ There they installed an army of sinful men, renegades, who fortified themselves inside it,

³⁵ storing arms and provisions, and depositing there the loot they had collected from Jerusalem; they were to prove a great trouble.

³⁶ It became an ambush for the sanctuary, an evil adversary for Israel at all times.

³⁷ They shed innocent blood all round the sanctuary and defiled the sanctuary itself.

³⁸ The citizens of Jerusalem fled because of them, she became a dwelling place of strangers; estranged from her own offspring, her children forsook her.

³⁹ Her sanctuary became as deserted as a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into a mockery, her honour into reproach.

⁴⁰ Her dishonour now fully matched her former glory, her greatness was turned into grief.

⁴¹ Then the king issued a proclamation to his whole kingdom that all were to become a single people, each renouncing his particular customs.

⁴² All the pagans conformed to the king’s decree,

⁴³ and many Israelites chose to accept his religion, sacrificing to idols and profaning the sabbath.

⁴⁴ The king also sent instructions by messenger to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah directing them to adopt customs foreign to the country,

⁴⁵ banning holocausts, sacrifices and <48 libations from the sanctuary, profaning sabbaths and feasts,

⁴⁶ defiling the sanctuary and the sacred ministers,

⁴⁷ building altars, precincts and shrines for idols, sacrificing pigs and unclean beasts,

⁴⁸ leaving their sons uncircumcised, and prostituting themselves to all kinds of impurity and abomination,

⁴⁹ that they should forget the Law and revoke all observance of it.

⁵⁰ Anyone not obeying the king’s command was to be put to death.

⁵¹ Writing in such terms to every part of his kingdom, the king appointed inspectors for the whole people, <54 and directed all the towns of Judah to offer sacrifice one after another.

⁵² Many of the people-that is, every apostate from the Law-rallied to them, and so committed evil in the country,

⁵³ forcing Israel into hiding in all their places of refuge.

⁵⁴ On the fifteenth day of Chislev in the year one hundred and forty-five[*f] the king erected the abomination of desolation[*g] above the altar; and altars were built in the surrounding towns of Judah

⁵⁵ and incense offered at the doors of houses and in the streets.

⁵⁶ Any books of the Law that came to light were torn up and burned.

⁵⁷ Whenever anyone was discovered possessing a copy of the covenant or practising the Law, the king’s decree sentenced him to death.

⁵⁸ Having might on their side they took action month after month against any offenders they discovered in the towns of Israel.

⁵⁹ On the twenty-fifth day of the month sacrifice was offered on the altar erected over the altar of holocaust.

⁶⁰ Women who had had their children circumcised were put to death according to the edict.

⁶¹ with their babies hung round their necks, and the members of their household and those who had performed the circumcision were executed with them.

⁶² Yet there were many in Israel who stood firm and found the courage to refuse unclean food.

⁶³ They chose death rather than contamination by such fare or profanation of the holy covenant, and they were executed.

⁶⁴ It was a dreadful wrath that visited Israel.