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#Post#: 13349--------------------------------------------------
2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:10 am
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2 Maccabees 1 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
A Letter to the Jews in Egypt
1 The Jews in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea,
To their Jewish kindred in Egypt,
Greetings and true peace.
2 May God do good to you, and may he remember his covenant with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, his faithful servants. 3 May he
give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a
strong heart and a willing spirit. 4 May he open your heart to
his law and his commandments, and may he bring peace. 5 May he
hear your prayers and be reconciled to you, and may he not
forsake you in time of evil. 6 We are now praying for you here.
7 In the reign of Demetrius, in the one hundred sixty-ninth
year,[a] we Jews wrote to you, in the critical distress that
came upon us in those years after Jason and his company revolted
from the holy land and the kingdom 8 and burned the gate and
shed innocent blood. We prayed to the Lord and were heard, and
we offered sacrifice and grain offering, and we lit the lamps
and set out the loaves. 9 And now see that you keep the festival
of booths in the month of Chislev, in the one hundred
eighty-eighth year.[b]
A Letter to Aristobulus
10 The people of Jerusalem and of Judea and the senate and
Judas,
To Aristobulus, who is of the family of the anointed priests,
teacher of King Ptolemy, and to the Jews in Egypt,
Greetings and good health.
11 Having been saved by God out of grave dangers we thank him
greatly for taking our side against the king,[c] 12 for he drove
out those who fought against the holy city. 13 When the leader
reached Persia with a force that seemed irresistible, they were
cut to pieces in the temple of Nanea by a deception employed by
the priests of the goddess[d] Nanea. 14 On the pretext of
intending to marry her, Antiochus came to the place together
with his Friends, to secure most of its treasures as a dowry. 15
When the priests of the temple of Nanea had set out the
treasures and Antiochus had come with a few men inside the wall
of the sacred precinct, they closed the temple as soon as he
entered it. 16 Opening a secret door in the ceiling, they threw
stones and struck down the leader and his men; they dismembered
them and cut off their heads and threw them to the people
outside. 17 Blessed in every way be our God, who has brought
judgment on those who have behaved impiously.
Fire Consumes Nehemiah’s Sacrifice
18 Since on the twenty-fifth day of Chislev we shall celebrate
the purification of the temple, we thought it necessary to
notify you, in order that you also may celebrate the festival of
booths and the festival of the fire given when Nehemiah, who
built the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices.
19 For when our ancestors were being led captive to Persia, the
pious priests of that time took some of the fire of the altar
and secretly hid it in the hollow of a dry cistern, where they
took such precautions that the place was unknown to anyone. 20
But after many years had passed, when it pleased God, Nehemiah,
having been commissioned by the king of Persia, sent the
descendants of the priests who had hidden the fire to get it.
And when they reported to us that they had not found fire but
only a thick liquid, he ordered them to dip it out and bring it.
21 When the materials for the sacrifices were presented,
Nehemiah ordered the priests to sprinkle the liquid on the wood
and on the things laid upon it. 22 When this had been done and
some time had passed, and when the sun, which had been clouded
over, shone out, a great fire blazed up, so that all marveled.
23 And while the sacrifice was being consumed, the priests
offered prayer—the priests and everyone. Jonathan led, and the
rest responded, as did Nehemiah. 24 The prayer was to this
effect:
“O Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, you are awe-inspiring
and strong and just and merciful, you alone are king and are
kind, 25 you alone are bountiful, you alone are just and
almighty and eternal. You rescue Israel from every evil; you
chose the ancestors and consecrated them. 26 Accept this
sacrifice on behalf of all your people Israel and preserve your
portion and make it holy. 27 Gather together our scattered
people, set free those who are slaves among the Gentiles, look
on those who are rejected and despised, and let the Gentiles
know that you are our God. 28 Punish those who oppress and are
insolent with pride. 29 Plant your people in your holy place, as
Moses promised.”
30 Then the priests sang the hymns. 31 After the materials of
the sacrifice had been consumed, Nehemiah ordered that the
liquid that was left should be poured on large stones. 32 When
this was done, a flame blazed up; but when the light from the
altar shone back, it went out. 33 When this matter became known,
and it was reported to the king of the Persians that, in the
place where the exiled priests had hidden the fire, the liquid
had appeared with which Nehemiah and his associates had burned
the materials of the sacrifice, 34 the king investigated the
matter, and enclosed the place and made it sacred. 35 And with
those persons whom the king favored he exchanged many excellent
gifts. 36 Nehemiah and his associates called this “nephthar,”
which means purification, but by most people it is called
naphtha.[e]
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 1:7 143 b.c.
2 Maccabees 1:9 124 b.c.
2 Maccabees 1:11 Cn: Gk as those who array themselves against a
king
2 Maccabees 1:13 Gk lacks the goddess
2 Maccabees 1:36 Gk nephthai
#Post#: 13350--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:12 am
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2 Maccabees 2 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jeremiah Hides the Tent, Ark, and Altar
2 One finds in the records that the prophet Jeremiah ordered
those who were being deported to take some of the fire, as has
been mentioned, 2 and that the prophet, after giving them the
law, instructed those who were being deported not to forget the
commandments of the Lord, or to be led astray in their thoughts
on seeing the gold and silver statues and their adornment. 3 And
with other similar words he exhorted them that the law should
not depart from their hearts.
4 It was also in the same document that the prophet, having
received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should
follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where
Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God. 5
Jeremiah came and found a cave-dwelling, and he brought there
the tent and the ark and the altar of incense; then he sealed up
the entrance. 6 Some of those who followed him came up intending
to mark the way, but could not find it. 7 When Jeremiah learned
of it, he rebuked them and declared: “The place shall remain
unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows
his mercy. 8 Then the Lord will disclose these things, and the
glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown
in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should
be specially consecrated.”
9 It was also made clear that being possessed of wisdom
Solomon[a] offered sacrifice for the dedication and completion
of the temple. 10 Just as Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire
came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices, so also
Solomon prayed, and the fire came down and consumed the whole
burnt offerings. 11 And Moses said, “They were consumed because
the sin offering had not been eaten.” 12 Likewise Solomon also
kept the eight days.
13 The same things are reported in the records and in the
memoirs of Nehemiah, and also that he founded a library and
collected the books about the kings and prophets, and the
writings of David, and letters of kings about votive offerings.
14 In the same way Judas also collected all the books that had
been lost on account of the war that had come upon us, and they
are in our possession. 15 So if you have need of them, send
people to get them for you.
16 Since, therefore, we are about to celebrate the purification,
we write to you. Will you therefore please keep the days? 17 It
is God who has saved all his people, and has returned the
inheritance to all, and the kingship and the priesthood and the
consecration, 18 as he promised through the law. We have hope in
God that he will soon have mercy on us and will gather us from
everywhere under heaven into his holy place, for he has rescued
us from great evils and has purified the place.
The Compiler’s Preface
19 The story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, and the
purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the
altar, 20 and further the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and
his son Eupator, 21 and the appearances that came from heaven to
those who fought bravely for Judaism, so that though few in
number they seized the whole land and pursued the barbarian
hordes, 22 and regained possession of the temple famous
throughout the world, and liberated the city, and re-established
the laws that were about to be abolished, while the Lord with
great kindness became gracious to them— 23 all this, which has
been set forth by Jason of Cyrene in five volumes, we shall
attempt to condense into a single book. 24 For considering the
flood of statistics involved and the difficulty there is for
those who wish to enter upon the narratives of history because
of the mass of material, 25 we have aimed to please those who
wish to read, to make it easy for those who are inclined to
memorize, and to profit all readers. 26 For us who have
undertaken the toil of abbreviating, it is no light matter but
calls for sweat and loss of sleep, 27 just as it is not easy for
one who prepares a banquet and seeks the benefit of others.
Nevertheless, to secure the gratitude of many we will gladly
endure the uncomfortable toil, 28 leaving the responsibility for
exact details to the compiler, while devoting our effort to
arriving at the outlines of the condensation. 29 For as the
master builder of a new house must be concerned with the whole
construction, while the one who undertakes its painting and
decoration has to consider only what is suitable for its
adornment, such in my judgment is the case with us. 30 It is the
duty of the original historian to occupy the ground, to discuss
matters from every side, and to take trouble with details, 31
but the one who recasts the narrative should be allowed to
strive for brevity of expression and to forego exhaustive
treatment. 32 At this point therefore let us begin our
narrative, without adding any more to what has already been
said; for it would be foolish to lengthen the preface while
cutting short the history itself.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 2:9 Gk he
#Post#: 13351--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:13 am
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2 Maccabees 3 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Arrival of Heliodorus in Jerusalem
3 While the holy city was inhabited in unbroken peace and the
laws were strictly observed because of the piety of the high
priest Onias and his hatred of wickedness, 2 it came about that
the kings themselves honored the place and glorified the temple
with the finest presents, 3 even to the extent that King
Seleucus of Asia defrayed from his own revenues all the expenses
connected with the service of the sacrifices.
4 But a man named Simon, of the tribe of Benjamin, who had been
made captain of the temple, had a disagreement with the high
priest about the administration of the city market. 5 Since he
could not prevail over Onias, he went to Apollonius of
Tarsus,[a] who at that time was governor of Coelesyria and
Phoenicia, 6 and reported to him that the treasury in Jerusalem
was full of untold sums of money, so that the amount of the
funds could not be reckoned, and that they did not belong to the
account of the sacrifices, but that it was possible for them to
fall under the control of the king. 7 When Apollonius met the
king, he told him of the money about which he had been informed.
The king[b] chose Heliodorus, who was in charge of his affairs,
and sent him with commands to effect the removal of the reported
wealth. 8 Heliodorus at once set out on his journey, ostensibly
to make a tour of inspection of the cities of Coelesyria and
Phoenicia, but in fact to carry out the king’s purpose.
9 When he had arrived at Jerusalem and had been kindly welcomed
by the high priest of[c] the city, he told about the disclosure
that had been made and stated why he had come, and he inquired
whether this really was the situation. 10 The high priest
explained that there were some deposits belonging to widows and
orphans, 11 and also some money of Hyrcanus son of Tobias, a man
of very prominent position, and that it totaled in all four
hundred talents of silver and two hundred of gold. To such an
extent the impious Simon had misrepresented the facts. 12 And he
said that it was utterly impossible that wrong should be done to
those people who had trusted in the holiness of the place and in
the sanctity and inviolability of the temple that is honored
throughout the whole world.
Heliodorus Plans to Rob the Temple
13 But Heliodorus, because of the orders he had from the king,
said that this money must in any case be confiscated for the
king’s treasury. 14 So he set a day and went in to direct the
inspection of these funds.
There was no little distress throughout the whole city. 15 The
priests prostrated themselves before the altar in their priestly
vestments and called toward heaven upon him who had given the
law about deposits, that he should keep them safe for those who
had deposited them. 16 To see the appearance of the high priest
was to be wounded at heart, for his face and the change in his
color disclosed the anguish of his soul. 17 For terror and
bodily trembling had come over the man, which plainly showed to
those who looked at him the pain lodged in his heart. 18 People
also hurried out of their houses in crowds to make a general
supplication because the holy place was about to be brought into
dishonor. 19 Women, girded with sackcloth under their breasts,
thronged the streets. Some of the young women who were kept
indoors ran together to the gates, and some to the walls, while
others peered out of the windows. 20 And holding up their hands
to heaven, they all made supplication. 21 There was something
pitiable in the prostration of the whole populace and the
anxiety of the high priest in his great anguish.
The Lord Protects His Temple
22 While they were calling upon the Almighty Lord that he would
keep what had been entrusted safe and secure for those who had
entrusted it, 23 Heliodorus went on with what had been decided.
24 But when he arrived at the treasury with his bodyguard, then
and there the Sovereign of spirits and of all authority caused
so great a manifestation that all who had been so bold as to
accompany him were astounded by the power of God, and became
faint with terror. 25 For there appeared to them a magnificently
caparisoned horse, with a rider of frightening mien; it rushed
furiously at Heliodorus and struck at him with its front hoofs.
Its rider was seen to have armor and weapons of gold. 26 Two
young men also appeared to him, remarkably strong, gloriously
beautiful and splendidly dressed, who stood on either side of
him and flogged him continuously, inflicting many blows on him.
27 When he suddenly fell to the ground and deep darkness came
over him, his men took him up, put him on a stretcher, 28 and
carried him away—this man who had just entered the aforesaid
treasury with a great retinue and all his bodyguard but was now
unable to help himself. They recognized clearly the sovereign
power of God.
Onias Prays for Heliodorus
29 While he lay prostrate, speechless because of the divine
intervention and deprived of any hope of recovery, 30 they
praised the Lord who had acted marvelously for his own place.
And the temple, which a little while before was full of fear and
disturbance, was filled with joy and gladness, now that the
Almighty Lord had appeared.
31 Some of Heliodorus’s friends quickly begged Onias to call
upon the Most High to grant life to one who was lying quite at
his last breath. 32 So the high priest, fearing that the king
might get the notion that some foul play had been perpetrated by
the Jews with regard to Heliodorus, offered sacrifice for the
man’s recovery. 33 While the high priest was making an
atonement, the same young men appeared again to Heliodorus
dressed in the same clothing, and they stood and said, “Be very
grateful to the high priest Onias, since for his sake the Lord
has granted you your life. 34 And see that you, who have been
flogged by heaven, report to all people the majestic power of
God.” Having said this they vanished.
The Conversion of Heliodorus
35 Then Heliodorus offered sacrifice to the Lord and made very
great vows to the Savior of his life, and having bidden Onias
farewell, he marched off with his forces to the king. 36 He bore
testimony to all concerning the deeds of the supreme God, which
he had seen with his own eyes. 37 When the king asked Heliodorus
what sort of person would be suitable to send on another mission
to Jerusalem, he replied, 38 “If you have any enemy or plotter
against your government, send him there, for you will get him
back thoroughly flogged, if he survives at all; for there is
certainly some power of God about the place. 39 For he who has
his dwelling in heaven watches over that place himself and
brings it aid, and he strikes and destroys those who come to do
it injury.” 40 This was the outcome of the episode of Heliodorus
and the protection of the treasury.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 3:5 Gk Apollonius son of Tharseas
2 Maccabees 3:7 Gk He
2 Maccabees 3:9 Other ancient authorities read and
#Post#: 13352--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:14 am
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2 Maccabees 4 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Simon Accuses Onias
4 The previously mentioned Simon, who had informed about the
money against[a] his own country, slandered Onias, saying that
it was he who had incited Heliodorus and had been the real cause
of the misfortune. 2 He dared to designate as a plotter against
the government the man who was the benefactor of the city, the
protector of his compatriots, and a zealot for the laws. 3 When
his hatred progressed to such a degree that even murders were
committed by one of Simon’s approved agents, 4 Onias recognized
that the rivalry was serious and that Apollonius son of
Menestheus,[b] and governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, was
intensifying the malice of Simon. 5 So he appealed to the king,
not accusing his compatriots but having in view the welfare,
both public and private, of all the people. 6 For he saw that
without the king’s attention public affairs could not again
reach a peaceful settlement, and that Simon would not stop his
folly.
Jason’s Reforms
7 When Seleucus died and Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes,
succeeded to the kingdom, Jason the brother of Onias obtained
the high priesthood by corruption, 8 promising the king at an
interview[c] three hundred sixty talents of silver, and from
another source of revenue eighty talents. 9 In addition to this
he promised to pay one hundred fifty more if permission were
given to establish by his authority a gymnasium and a body of
youth for it, and to enroll the people of Jerusalem as citizens
of Antioch. 10 When the king assented and Jason[d] came to
office, he at once shifted his compatriots over to the Greek way
of life.
11 He set aside the existing royal concessions to the Jews,
secured through John the father of Eupolemus, who went on the
mission to establish friendship and alliance with the Romans;
and he destroyed the lawful ways of living and introduced new
customs contrary to the law. 12 He took delight in establishing
a gymnasium right under the citadel, and he induced the noblest
of the young men to wear the Greek hat. 13 There was such an
extreme of Hellenization and increase in the adoption of foreign
ways because of the surpassing wickedness of Jason, who was
ungodly and no true[e] high priest, 14 that the priests were no
longer intent upon their service at the altar. Despising the
sanctuary and neglecting the sacrifices, they hurried to take
part in the unlawful proceedings in the wrestling arena after
the signal for the discus-throwing, 15 disdaining the honors
prized by their ancestors and putting the highest value upon
Greek forms of prestige. 16 For this reason heavy disaster
overtook them, and those whose ways of living they admired and
wished to imitate completely became their enemies and punished
them. 17 It is no light thing to show irreverence to the divine
laws—a fact that later events will make clear.
Jason Introduces Greek Customs
18 When the quadrennial games were being held at Tyre and the
king was present, 19 the vile Jason sent envoys, chosen as being
Antiochian citizens from Jerusalem, to carry three hundred
silver drachmas for the sacrifice to Hercules. Those who carried
the money, however, thought best not to use it for sacrifice,
because that was inappropriate, but to expend it for another
purpose. 20 So this money was intended by the sender for the
sacrifice to Hercules, but by the decision of its carriers it
was applied to the construction of triremes.
21 When Apollonius son of Menestheus was sent to Egypt for the
coronation[f] of Philometor as king, Antiochus learned that
Philometor[g] had become hostile to his government, and he took
measures for his own security. Therefore upon arriving at Joppa
he proceeded to Jerusalem. 22 He was welcomed magnificently by
Jason and the city, and ushered in with a blaze of torches and
with shouts. Then he marched his army into Phoenicia.
Menelaus Becomes High Priest
23 After a period of three years Jason sent Menelaus, the
brother of the previously mentioned Simon, to carry the money to
the king and to complete the records of essential business. 24
But he, when presented to the king, extolled him with an air of
authority, and secured the high priesthood for himself,
outbidding Jason by three hundred talents of silver. 25 After
receiving the king’s orders he returned, possessing no
qualification for the high priesthood, but having the hot temper
of a cruel tyrant and the rage of a savage wild beast. 26 So
Jason, who after supplanting his own brother was supplanted by
another man, was driven as a fugitive into the land of Ammon. 27
Although Menelaus continued to hold the office, he did not pay
regularly any of the money promised to the king. 28 When
Sostratus the captain of the citadel kept requesting payment—for
the collection of the revenue was his responsibility—the two of
them were summoned by the king on account of this issue. 29
Menelaus left his own brother Lysimachus as deputy in the high
priesthood, while Sostratus left Crates, the commander of the
Cyprian troops.
The Murder of Onias
30 While such was the state of affairs, it happened that the
people of Tarsus and of Mallus revolted because their cities had
been given as a present to Antiochis, the king’s concubine. 31
So the king went hurriedly to settle the trouble, leaving
Andronicus, a man of high rank, to act as his deputy. 32 But
Menelaus, thinking he had obtained a suitable opportunity, stole
some of the gold vessels of the temple and gave them to
Andronicus; other vessels, as it happened, he had sold to Tyre
and the neighboring cities. 33 When Onias became fully aware of
these acts, he publicly exposed them, having first withdrawn to
a place of sanctuary at Daphne near Antioch. 34 Therefore
Menelaus, taking Andronicus aside, urged him to kill Onias.
Andronicus[h] came to Onias, and resorting to treachery, offered
him sworn pledges and gave him his right hand; he persuaded him,
though still suspicious, to come out from the place of
sanctuary; then, with no regard for justice, he immediately put
him out of the way.
Andronicus Is Punished
35 For this reason not only Jews, but many also of other
nations, were grieved and displeased at the unjust murder of the
man. 36 When the king returned from the region of Cilicia, the
Jews in the city[i] appealed to him with regard to the
unreasonable murder of Onias, and the Greeks shared their hatred
of the crime. 37 Therefore Antiochus was grieved at heart and
filled with pity, and wept because of the moderation and good
conduct of the deceased. 38 Inflamed with anger, he immediately
stripped off the purple robe from Andronicus, tore off his
clothes, and led him around the whole city to that very place
where he had committed the outrage against Onias, and there he
dispatched the bloodthirsty fellow. The Lord thus repaid him
with the punishment he deserved.
Unpopularity of Lysimachus and Menelaus
39 When many acts of sacrilege had been committed in the city by
Lysimachus with the connivance of Menelaus, and when report of
them had spread abroad, the populace gathered against
Lysimachus, because many of the gold vessels had already been
stolen. 40 Since the crowds were becoming aroused and filled
with anger, Lysimachus armed about three thousand men and
launched an unjust attack, under the leadership of a certain
Auranus, a man advanced in years and no less advanced in folly.
41 But when the Jews[j] became aware that Lysimachus was
attacking them, some picked up stones, some blocks of wood, and
others took handfuls of the ashes that were lying around, and
threw them in wild confusion at Lysimachus and his men. 42 As a
result, they wounded many of them, and killed some, and put all
the rest to flight; the temple robber himself they killed close
by the treasury.
43 Charges were brought against Menelaus about this incident. 44
When the king came to Tyre, three men sent by the senate
presented the case before him. 45 But Menelaus, already as good
as beaten, promised a substantial bribe to Ptolemy son of
Dorymenes to win over the king. 46 Therefore Ptolemy, taking the
king aside into a colonnade as if for refreshment, induced the
king to change his mind. 47 Menelaus, the cause of all the
trouble, he acquitted of the charges against him, while he
sentenced to death those unfortunate men, who would have been
freed uncondemned if they had pleaded even before Scythians. 48
And so those who had spoken for the city and the villages[k] and
the holy vessels quickly suffered the unjust penalty. 49
Therefore even the Tyrians, showing their hatred of the crime,
provided magnificently for their funeral. 50 But Menelaus,
because of the greed of those in power, remained in office,
growing in wickedness, having become the chief plotter against
his compatriots.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 4:1 Gk and
2 Maccabees 4:4 Vg Compare verse 21: Meaning of Gk uncertain
2 Maccabees 4:8 Or by a petition
2 Maccabees 4:10 Gk he
2 Maccabees 4:13 Gk lacks true
2 Maccabees 4:21 Meaning of Gk uncertain
2 Maccabees 4:21 Gk he
2 Maccabees 4:34 Gk He
2 Maccabees 4:36 Or in each city
2 Maccabees 4:41 Gk they
2 Maccabees 4:48 Other ancient authorities read the people
#Post#: 13353--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:15 am
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2 Maccabees 5 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jason Tries to Regain Control
5 About this time Antiochus made his second invasion of Egypt. 2
And it happened that, for almost forty days, there appeared over
all the city golden-clad cavalry charging through the air, in
companies fully armed with lances and drawn swords— 3 troops of
cavalry drawn up, attacks and counterattacks made on this side
and on that, brandishing of shields, massing of spears, hurling
of missiles, the flash of golden trappings, and armor of all
kinds. 4 Therefore everyone prayed that the apparition might
prove to have been a good omen.
5 When a false rumor arose that Antiochus was dead, Jason took
no fewer than a thousand men and suddenly made an assault on the
city. When the troops on the wall had been forced back and at
last the city was being taken, Menelaus took refuge in the
citadel. 6 But Jason kept relentlessly slaughtering his
compatriots, not realizing that success at the cost of one’s
kindred is the greatest misfortune, but imagining that he was
setting up trophies of victory over enemies and not over
compatriots. 7 He did not, however, gain control of the
government; in the end he got only disgrace from his conspiracy,
and fled again into the country of the Ammonites. 8 Finally he
met a miserable end. Accused[a] before Aretas the ruler of the
Arabs, fleeing from city to city, pursued by everyone, hated as
a rebel against the laws, and abhorred as the executioner of his
country and his compatriots, he was cast ashore in Egypt. 9
There he who had driven many from their own country into exile
died in exile, having embarked to go to the Lacedaemonians in
hope of finding protection because of their kinship. 10 He who
had cast out many to lie unburied had no one to mourn for him;
he had no funeral of any sort and no place in the tomb of his
ancestors.
11 When news of what had happened reached the king, he took it
to mean that Judea was in revolt. So, raging inwardly, he left
Egypt and took the city by storm. 12 He commanded his soldiers
to cut down relentlessly everyone they met and to kill those who
went into their houses. 13 Then there was massacre of young and
old, destruction of boys, women, and children, and slaughter of
young girls and infants. 14 Within the total of three days
eighty thousand were destroyed, forty thousand in hand-to-hand
fighting, and as many were sold into slavery as were killed.
Pillage of the Temple
15 Not content with this, Antiochus[b] dared to enter the most
holy temple in all the world, guided by Menelaus, who had become
a traitor both to the laws and to his country. 16 He took the
holy vessels with his polluted hands, and swept away with
profane hands the votive offerings that other kings had made to
enhance the glory and honor of the place. 17 Antiochus was
elated in spirit, and did not perceive that the Lord was angered
for a little while because of the sins of those who lived in the
city, and that this was the reason he was disregarding the holy
place. 18 But if it had not happened that they were involved in
many sins, this man would have been flogged and turned back from
his rash act as soon as he came forward, just as Heliodorus had
been, whom King Seleucus sent to inspect the treasury. 19 But
the Lord did not choose the nation for the sake of the holy
place, but the place for the sake of the nation. 20 Therefore
the place itself shared in the misfortunes that befell the
nation and afterward participated in its benefits; and what was
forsaken in the wrath of the Almighty was restored again in all
its glory when the great Lord became reconciled.
21 So Antiochus carried off eighteen hundred talents from the
temple, and hurried away to Antioch, thinking in his arrogance
that he could sail on the land and walk on the sea, because his
mind was elated. 22 He left governors to oppress the people: at
Jerusalem, Philip, by birth a Phrygian and in character more
barbarous than the man who appointed him; 23 and at Gerizim,
Andronicus; and besides these Menelaus, who lorded it over his
compatriots worse than the others did. In his malice toward the
Jewish citizens,[c] 24 Antiochus[d] sent Apollonius, the captain
of the Mysians, with an army of twenty-two thousand, and
commanded him to kill all the grown men and to sell the women
and boys as slaves. 25 When this man arrived in Jerusalem, he
pretended to be peaceably disposed and waited until the holy
sabbath day; then, finding the Jews not at work, he ordered his
troops to parade under arms. 26 He put to the sword all those
who came out to see them, then rushed into the city with his
armed warriors and killed great numbers of people.
27 But Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, got away to the
wilderness, and kept himself and his companions alive in the
mountains as wild animals do; they continued to live on what
grew wild, so that they might not share in the defilement.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 5:8 Cn: Gk Imprisoned
2 Maccabees 5:15 Gk he
2 Maccabees 5:23 Or worse than the others did in his malice
toward the Jewish citizens
2 Maccabees 5:24 Gk he
#Post#: 13354--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:16 am
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2 Maccabees 6 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Suppression of Judaism
6 Not long after this, the king sent an Athenian[a] senator[b]
to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their ancestors and no
longer to live by the laws of God; 2 also to pollute the temple
in Jerusalem and to call it the temple of Olympian Zeus, and to
call the one in Gerizim the temple of
Zeus-the-Friend-of-Strangers, as did the people who lived in
that place.
3 Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil. 4 For
the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the
Gentiles, who dallied with prostitutes and had intercourse with
women within the sacred precincts, and besides brought in things
for sacrifice that were unfit. 5 The altar was covered with
abominable offerings that were forbidden by the laws. 6 People
could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the festivals of
their ancestors, nor so much as confess themselves to be Jews.
7 On the monthly celebration of the king’s birthday, the Jews[c]
were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake of the
sacrifices; and when a festival of Dionysus was celebrated, they
were compelled to wear wreaths of ivy and to walk in the
procession in honor of Dionysus. 8 At the suggestion of the
people of Ptolemais[d] a decree was issued to the neighboring
Greek cities that they should adopt the same policy toward the
Jews and make them partake of the sacrifices, 9 and should kill
those who did not choose to change over to Greek customs. One
could see, therefore, the misery that had come upon them. 10 For
example, two women were brought in for having circumcised their
children. They publicly paraded them around the city, with their
babies hanging at their breasts, and then hurled them down
headlong from the wall. 11 Others who had assembled in the caves
nearby, in order to observe the seventh day secretly, were
betrayed to Philip and were all burned together, because their
piety kept them from defending themselves, in view of their
regard for that most holy day.
Providential Significance of the Persecution
12 Now I urge those who read this book not to be depressed by
such calamities, but to recognize that these punishments were
designed not to destroy but to discipline our people. 13 In
fact, it is a sign of great kindness not to let the impious
alone for long, but to punish them immediately. 14 For in the
case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish
them until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but
he does not deal in this way with us, 15 in order that he may
not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached
their height. 16 Therefore he never withdraws his mercy from us.
Although he disciplines us with calamities, he does not forsake
his own people. 17 Let what we have said serve as a reminder; we
must go on briefly with the story.
The Martyrdom of Eleazar
18 Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now
advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open
his mouth to eat swine’s flesh. 19 But he, welcoming death with
honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the rack of
his own accord, spitting out the flesh, 20 as all ought to go
who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to
taste, even for the natural love of life.
21 Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the
man aside because of their long acquaintance with him, and
privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper
for him to use, and to pretend that he was eating the flesh of
the sacrificial meal that had been commanded by the king, 22 so
that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated
kindly on account of his old friendship with them. 23 But making
a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old
age and the gray hairs that he had reached with distinction and
his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according
to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling
them to send him to Hades.
24 “Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life,” he said,
“for many of the young might suppose that Eleazar in his
ninetieth year had gone over to an alien religion, 25 and
through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment
longer, they would be led astray because of me, while I defile
and disgrace my old age. 26 Even if for the present I would
avoid the punishment of mortals, yet whether I live or die I
will not escape the hands of the Almighty. 27 Therefore, by
bravely giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my
old age 28 and leave to the young a noble example of how to die
a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws.”
When he had said this, he went[e] at once to the rack. 29 Those
who a little before had acted toward him with goodwill now
changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in
their opinion sheer madness.[f] 30 When he was about to die
under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: “It is clear to the
Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved
from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under
this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things
because I fear him.”
31 So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of
nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to
the great body of his nation.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 6:1 Other ancient authorities read Antiochian
2 Maccabees 6:1 Or Geron an Athenian
2 Maccabees 6:7 Gk they
2 Maccabees 6:8 Cn: Gk suggestion of the Ptolemies (or of
Ptolemy)
2 Maccabees 6:28 Other ancient authorities read was dragged
2 Maccabees 6:29 Meaning of Gk uncertain
#Post#: 13355--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:17 am
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2 Maccabees 7 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Martyrdom of Seven Brothers
7 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were
arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture
with whips and thongs, to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh. 2
One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, “What do you
intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather
than transgress the laws of our ancestors.”
3 The king fell into a rage, and gave orders to have pans and
caldrons heated. 4 These were heated immediately, and he
commanded that the tongue of their spokesman be cut out and that
they scalp him and cut off his hands and feet, while the rest of
the brothers and the mother looked on. 5 When he was utterly
helpless, the king[a] ordered them to take him to the fire,
still breathing, and to fry him in a pan. The smoke from the pan
spread widely, but the brothers[b] and their mother encouraged
one another to die nobly, saying, 6 “The Lord God is watching
over us and in truth has compassion on us, as Moses declared in
his song that bore witness against the people to their faces,
when he said, ‘And he will have compassion on his servants.’”[c]
7 After the first brother had died in this way, they brought
forward the second for their sport. They tore off the skin of
his head with the hair, and asked him, “Will you eat rather than
have your body punished limb by limb?” 8 He replied in the
language of his ancestors and said to them, “No.” Therefore he
in turn underwent tortures as the first brother had done. 9 And
when he was at his last breath, he said, “You accursed wretch,
you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the
universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life,
because we have died for his laws.”
10 After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it
was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously
stretched forth his hands, 11 and said nobly, “I got these from
Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I
hope to get them back again.” 12 As a result the king himself
and those with him were astonished at the young man’s spirit,
for he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
13 After he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the
fourth in the same way. 14 When he was near death, he said, “One
cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to cherish
the hope God gives of being raised again by him. But for you
there will be no resurrection to life!”
15 Next they brought forward the fifth and maltreated him. 16
But he looked at the king,[d] and said, “Because you have
authority among mortals, though you also are mortal, you do what
you please. But do not think that God has forsaken our people.
17 Keep on, and see how his mighty power will torture you and
your descendants!”
18 After him they brought forward the sixth. And when he was
about to die, he said, “Do not deceive yourself in vain. For we
are suffering these things on our own account, because of our
sins against our own God. Therefore[e] astounding things have
happened. 19 But do not think that you will go unpunished for
having tried to fight against God!”
20 The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable
memory. Although she saw her seven sons perish within a single
day, she bore it with good courage because of her hope in the
Lord. 21 She encouraged each of them in the language of their
ancestors. Filled with a noble spirit, she reinforced her
woman’s reasoning with a man’s courage, and said to them, 22 “I
do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who
gave you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements
within each of you. 23 Therefore the Creator of the world, who
shaped the beginning of humankind and devised the origin of all
things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you
again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his
laws.”
24 Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt, and
he was suspicious of her reproachful tone. The youngest brother
being still alive, Antiochus[f] not only appealed to him in
words, but promised with oaths that he would make him rich and
enviable if he would turn from the ways of his ancestors, and
that he would take him for his Friend and entrust him with
public affairs. 25 Since the young man would not listen to him
at all, the king called the mother to him and urged her to
advise the youth to save himself. 26 After much urging on his
part, she undertook to persuade her son. 27 But, leaning close
to him, she spoke in their native language as follows, deriding
the cruel tyrant: “My son, have pity on me. I carried you nine
months in my womb, and nursed you for three years, and have
reared you and brought you up to this point in your life, and
have taken care of you.[g] 28 I beg you, my child, to look at
the heaven and the earth and see everything that is in them, and
recognize that God did not make them out of things that
existed.[h] And in the same way the human race came into being.
29 Do not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers.
Accept death, so that in God’s mercy I may get you back again
along with your brothers.”
30 While she was still speaking, the young man said, “What are
you[i] waiting for? I will not obey the king’s command, but I
obey the command of the law that was given to our ancestors
through Moses. 31 But you,[j] who have contrived all sorts of
evil against the Hebrews, will certainly not escape the hands of
God. 32 For we are suffering because of our own sins. 33 And if
our living Lord is angry for a little while, to rebuke and
discipline us, he will again be reconciled with his own
servants.[k] 34 But you, unholy wretch, you most defiled of all
mortals, do not be elated in vain and puffed up by uncertain
hopes, when you raise your hand against the children of heaven.
35 You have not yet escaped the judgment of the almighty,
all-seeing God. 36 For our brothers after enduring a brief
suffering have drunk[l] of ever-flowing life, under God’s
covenant; but you, by the judgment of God, will receive just
punishment for your arrogance. 37 I, like my brothers, give up
body and life for the laws of our ancestors, appealing to God to
show mercy soon to our nation and by trials and plagues to make
you confess that he alone is God, 38 and through me and my
brothers to bring to an end the wrath of the Almighty that has
justly fallen on our whole nation.”
39 The king fell into a rage, and handled him worse than the
others, being exasperated at his scorn. 40 So he died in his
integrity, putting his whole trust in the Lord.
41 Last of all, the mother died, after her sons.
42 Let this be enough, then, about the eating of sacrifices and
the extreme tortures.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 7:5 Gk he
2 Maccabees 7:5 Gk they
2 Maccabees 7:6 Gk slaves
2 Maccabees 7:16 Gk at him
2 Maccabees 7:18 Lat: Other ancient authorities lack Therefore
2 Maccabees 7:24 Gk he
2 Maccabees 7:27 Or have borne the burden of your education
2 Maccabees 7:28 Or God made them out of things that did not
exist
2 Maccabees 7:30 The Gk here for you is plural
2 Maccabees 7:31 The Gk here for you is singular
2 Maccabees 7:33 Gk slaves
2 Maccabees 7:36 Cn: Gk fallen
#Post#: 13356--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:18 am
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2 Maccabees 8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Revolt of Judas Maccabeus
8 Meanwhile Judas, who was also called Maccabeus, and his
companions secretly entered the villages and summoned their
kindred and enlisted those who had continued in the Jewish
faith, and so they gathered about six thousand. 2 They implored
the Lord to look upon the people who were oppressed by all; and
to have pity on the temple that had been profaned by the
godless; 3 to have mercy on the city that was being destroyed
and about to be leveled to the ground; to hearken to the blood
that cried out to him; 4 to remember also the lawless
destruction of the innocent babies and the blasphemies committed
against his name; and to show his hatred of evil.
5 As soon as Maccabeus got his army organized, the Gentiles
could not withstand him, for the wrath of the Lord had turned to
mercy. 6 Coming without warning, he would set fire to towns and
villages. He captured strategic positions and put to flight not
a few of the enemy. 7 He found the nights most advantageous for
such attacks. And talk of his valor spread everywhere.
8 When Philip saw that the man was gaining ground little by
little, and that he was pushing ahead with more frequent
successes, he wrote to Ptolemy, the governor of Coelesyria and
Phoenicia, to come to the aid of the king’s government. 9 Then
Ptolemy[a] promptly appointed Nicanor son of Patroclus, one of
the king’s chief[b] Friends, and sent him, in command of no
fewer than twenty thousand Gentiles of all nations, to wipe out
the whole race of Judea. He associated with him Gorgias, a
general and a man of experience in military service. 10 Nicanor
determined to make up for the king the tribute due to the
Romans, two thousand talents, by selling the captured Jews into
slavery. 11 So he immediately sent to the towns on the seacoast,
inviting them to buy Jewish slaves and promising to hand over
ninety slaves for a talent, not expecting the judgment from the
Almighty that was about to overtake him.
Preparation for Battle
12 Word came to Judas concerning Nicanor’s invasion; and when he
told his companions of the arrival of the army, 13 those who
were cowardly and distrustful of God’s justice ran off and got
away. 14 Others sold all their remaining property, and at the
same time implored the Lord to rescue those who had been sold by
the ungodly Nicanor before he ever met them, 15 if not for their
own sake, then for the sake of the covenants made with their
ancestors, and because he had called them by his holy and
glorious name. 16 But Maccabeus gathered his forces together, to
the number six thousand, and exhorted them not to be frightened
by the enemy and not to fear the great multitude of Gentiles who
were wickedly coming against them, but to fight nobly, 17
keeping before their eyes the lawless outrage that the
Gentiles[c] had committed against the holy place, and the
torture of the derided city, and besides, the overthrow of their
ancestral way of life. 18 “For they trust to arms and acts of
daring,” he said, “but we trust in the Almighty God, who is able
with a single nod to strike down those who are coming against
us, and even, if necessary, the whole world.”
19 Moreover, he told them of the occasions when help came to
their ancestors; how, in the time of Sennacherib, when one
hundred eighty-five thousand perished, 20 and the time of the
battle against the Galatians that took place in Babylonia, when
eight thousand Jews[d] fought along with four thousand
Macedonians; yet when the Macedonians were hard pressed, the
eight thousand, by the help that came to them from heaven,
destroyed one hundred twenty thousand Galatians[e] and took a
great amount of booty.
Judas Defeats Nicanor
21 With these words he filled them with courage and made them
ready to die for their laws and their country; then he divided
his army into four parts. 22 He appointed his brothers also,
Simon and Joseph and Jonathan, each to command a division,
putting fifteen hundred men under each. 23 Besides, he appointed
Eleazar to read aloud[f] from the holy book, and gave the
watchword, “The help of God”; then, leading the first division
himself, he joined battle with Nicanor.
24 With the Almighty as their ally, they killed more than nine
thousand of the enemy, and wounded and disabled most of
Nicanor’s army, and forced them all to flee. 25 They captured
the money of those who had come to buy them as slaves. After
pursuing them for some distance, they were obliged to return
because the hour was late. 26 It was the day before the sabbath,
and for that reason they did not continue their pursuit. 27 When
they had collected the arms of the enemy and stripped them of
their spoils, they kept the sabbath, giving great praise and
thanks to the Lord, who had preserved them for that day and
allotted it to them as the beginning of mercy. 28 After the
sabbath they gave some of the spoils to those who had been
tortured and to the widows and orphans, and distributed the rest
among themselves and their children. 29 When they had done this,
they made common supplication and implored the merciful Lord to
be wholly reconciled with his servants.[g]
Judas Defeats Timothy and Bacchides
30 In encounters with the forces of Timothy and Bacchides they
killed more than twenty thousand of them and got possession of
some exceedingly high strongholds, and they divided a very large
amount of plunder, giving to those who had been tortured and to
the orphans and widows, and also to the aged, shares equal to
their own. 31 They collected the arms of the enemy,[h] and
carefully stored all of them in strategic places; the rest of
the spoils they carried to Jerusalem. 32 They killed the
commander of Timothy’s forces, a most wicked man, and one who
had greatly troubled the Jews. 33 While they were celebrating
the victory in the city of their ancestors, they burned those
who had set fire to the sacred gates, Callisthenes and some
others, who had fled into one little house; so these received
the proper reward for their impiety.[i]
34 The thrice-accursed Nicanor, who had brought the thousand
merchants to buy the Jews, 35 having been humbled with the help
of the Lord by opponents whom he regarded as of the least
account, took off his splendid uniform and made his way alone
like a runaway slave across the country until he reached
Antioch, having succeeded chiefly in the destruction of his own
army! 36 So he who had undertaken to secure tribute for the
Romans by the capture of the people of Jerusalem proclaimed that
the Jews had a Defender, and that therefore the Jews were
invulnerable, because they followed the laws ordained by him.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 8:9 Gk he
2 Maccabees 8:9 Gk one of the first
2 Maccabees 8:17 Gk they
2 Maccabees 8:20 Gk lacks Jews
2 Maccabees 8:20 Gk lacks Galatians
2 Maccabees 8:23 Meaning of Gk uncertain
2 Maccabees 8:29 Gk slaves
2 Maccabees 8:31 Gk their arms
2 Maccabees 8:33 Meaning of Gk uncertain
#Post#: 13359--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:21 am
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2 Maccabees 9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Last Campaign of Antiochus Epiphanes
9 About that time, as it happened, Antiochus had retreated in
disorder from the region of Persia. 2 He had entered the city
called Persepolis and attempted to rob the temples and control
the city. Therefore the people rushed to the rescue with arms,
and Antiochus and his army were defeated,[a] with the result
that Antiochus was put to flight by the inhabitants and beat a
shameful retreat. 3 While he was in Ecbatana, news came to him
of what had happened to Nicanor and the forces of Timothy. 4
Transported with rage, he conceived the idea of turning upon the
Jews the injury done by those who had put him to flight; so he
ordered his charioteer to drive without stopping until he
completed the journey. But the judgment of heaven rode with him!
For in his arrogance he said, “When I get there I will make
Jerusalem a cemetery of Jews.”
5 But the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him with an
incurable and invisible blow. As soon as he stopped speaking he
was seized with a pain in his bowels, for which there was no
relief, and with sharp internal tortures— 6 and that very
justly, for he had tortured the bowels of others with many and
strange inflictions. 7 Yet he did not in any way stop his
insolence, but was even more filled with arrogance, breathing
fire in his rage against the Jews, and giving orders to drive
even faster. And so it came about that he fell out of his
chariot as it was rushing along, and the fall was so hard as to
torture every limb of his body. 8 Thus he who only a little
while before had thought in his superhuman arrogance that he
could command the waves of the sea, and had imagined that he
could weigh the high mountains in a balance, was brought down to
earth and carried in a litter, making the power of God manifest
to all. 9 And so the ungodly man’s body swarmed with worms, and
while he was still living in anguish and pain, his flesh rotted
away, and because of the stench the whole army felt revulsion at
his decay. 10 Because of his intolerable stench no one was able
to carry the man who a little while before had thought that he
could touch the stars of heaven. 11 Then it was that, broken in
spirit, he began to lose much of his arrogance and to come to
his senses under the scourge of God, for he was tortured with
pain every moment. 12 And when he could not endure his own
stench, he uttered these words, “It is right to be subject to
God; mortals should not think that they are equal to God.”[b]
Antiochus Makes a Promise to God
13 Then the abominable fellow made a vow to the Lord, who would
no longer have mercy on him, stating 14 that the holy city,
which he was hurrying to level to the ground and to make a
cemetery, he was now declaring to be free; 15 and the Jews, whom
he had not considered worth burying but had planned to throw out
with their children for the wild animals and for the birds to
eat, he would make, all of them, equal to citizens of Athens; 16
and the holy sanctuary, which he had formerly plundered, he
would adorn with the finest offerings; and all the holy vessels
he would give back, many times over; and the expenses incurred
for the sacrifices he would provide from his own revenues; 17
and in addition to all this he also would become a Jew and would
visit every inhabited place to proclaim the power of God. 18 But
when his sufferings did not in any way abate, for the judgment
of God had justly come upon him, he gave up all hope for himself
and wrote to the Jews the following letter, in the form of a
supplication. This was its content:
Antiochus’s Letter and Death
19 “To his worthy Jewish citizens, Antiochus their king and
general sends hearty greetings and good wishes for their health
and prosperity. 20 If you and your children are well and your
affairs are as you wish, I am glad. As my hope is in heaven, 21
I remember with affection your esteem and goodwill. On my way
back from the region of Persia I suffered an annoying illness,
and I have deemed it necessary to take thought for the general
security of all. 22 I do not despair of my condition, for I have
good hope of recovering from my illness, 23 but I observed that
my father, on the occasions when he made expeditions into the
upper country, appointed his successor, 24 so that, if anything
unexpected happened or any unwelcome news came, the people
throughout the realm would not be troubled, for they would know
to whom the government was left. 25 Moreover, I understand how
the princes along the borders and the neighbors of my kingdom
keep watching for opportunities and waiting to see what will
happen. So I have appointed my son Antiochus to be king, whom I
have often entrusted and commended to most of you when I hurried
off to the upper provinces; and I have written to him what is
written here. 26 I therefore urge and beg you to remember the
public and private services rendered to you and to maintain your
present goodwill, each of you, toward me and my son. 27 For I am
sure that he will follow my policy and will treat you with
moderation and kindness.”
28 So the murderer and blasphemer, having endured the more
intense suffering, such as he had inflicted on others, came to
the end of his life by a most pitiable fate, among the mountains
in a strange land. 29 And Philip, one of his courtiers, took his
body home; then, fearing the son of Antiochus, he withdrew to
Ptolemy Philometor in Egypt.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 9:2 Gk they were defeated
2 Maccabees 9:12 Or not think thoughts proper only to God
#Post#: 13360--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2 MACCABEES
By: patrick jane Date: May 24, 2020, 10:22 am
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2 Maccabees 10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Purification of the Temple
10 Now Maccabeus and his followers, the Lord leading them on,
recovered the temple and the city; 2 they tore down the altars
that had been built in the public square by the foreigners, and
also destroyed the sacred precincts. 3 They purified the
sanctuary, and made another altar of sacrifice; then, striking
fire out of flint, they offered sacrifices, after a lapse of two
years, and they offered incense and lighted lamps and set out
the bread of the Presence. 4 When they had done this, they fell
prostrate and implored the Lord that they might never again fall
into such misfortunes, but that, if they should ever sin, they
might be disciplined by him with forbearance and not be handed
over to blasphemous and barbarous nations. 5 It happened that on
the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned by the
foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that
is, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was
Chislev. 6 They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in
the manner of the festival of booths, remembering how not long
before, during the festival of booths, they had been wandering
in the mountains and caves like wild animals. 7 Therefore,
carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also
fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who
had given success to the purifying of his own holy place. 8 They
decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole nation
of the Jews should observe these days every year.
9 Such then was the end of Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes.
Accession of Antiochus Eupator
10 Now we will tell what took place under Antiochus Eupator, who
was the son of that ungodly man, and will give a brief summary
of the principal calamities of the wars. 11 This man, when he
succeeded to the kingdom, appointed one Lysias to have charge of
the government and to be chief governor of Coelesyria and
Phoenicia. 12 Ptolemy, who was called Macron, took the lead in
showing justice to the Jews because of the wrong that had been
done to them, and attempted to maintain peaceful relations with
them. 13 As a result he was accused before Eupator by the king’s
Friends. He heard himself called a traitor at every turn,
because he had abandoned Cyprus, which Philometor had entrusted
to him, and had gone over to Antiochus Epiphanes. Unable to
command the respect due his office,[a] he took poison and ended
his life.
Campaign in Idumea
14 When Gorgias became governor of the region, he maintained a
force of mercenaries, and at every turn kept attacking the Jews.
15 Besides this, the Idumeans, who had control of important
strongholds, were harassing the Jews; they received those who
were banished from Jerusalem, and endeavored to keep up the war.
16 But Maccabeus and his forces, after making solemn
supplication and imploring God to fight on their side, rushed to
the strongholds of the Idumeans. 17 Attacking them vigorously,
they gained possession of the places, and beat off all who
fought upon the wall, and slaughtered those whom they
encountered, killing no fewer than twenty thousand.
18 When at least nine thousand took refuge in two very strong
towers well equipped to withstand a siege, 19 Maccabeus left
Simon and Joseph, and also Zacchaeus and his troops, a force
sufficient to besiege them; and he himself set off for places
where he was more urgently needed. 20 But those with Simon, who
were money-hungry, were bribed by some of those who were in the
towers, and on receiving seventy thousand drachmas let some of
them slip away. 21 When word of what had happened came to
Maccabeus, he gathered the leaders of the people, and accused
these men of having sold their kindred for money by setting
their enemies free to fight against them. 22 Then he killed
these men who had turned traitor, and immediately captured the
two towers. 23 Having success at arms in everything he
undertook, he destroyed more than twenty thousand in the two
strongholds.
Judas Defeats Timothy
24 Now Timothy, who had been defeated by the Jews before,
gathered a tremendous force of mercenaries and collected the
cavalry from Asia in no small number. He came on, intending to
take Judea by storm. 25 As he drew near, Maccabeus and his men
sprinkled dust on their heads and girded their loins with
sackcloth, in supplication to God. 26 Falling upon the steps
before the altar, they implored him to be gracious to them and
to be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their
adversaries, as the law declares. 27 And rising from their
prayer they took up their arms and advanced a considerable
distance from the city; and when they came near the enemy they
halted. 28 Just as dawn was breaking, the two armies joined
battle, the one having as pledge of success and victory not only
their valor but also their reliance on the Lord, while the other
made rage their leader in the fight.
29 When the battle became fierce, there appeared to the enemy
from heaven five resplendent men on horses with golden bridles,
and they were leading the Jews. 30 Two of them took Maccabeus
between them, and shielding him with their own armor and
weapons, they kept him from being wounded. They showered arrows
and thunderbolts on the enemy, so that, confused and blinded,
they were thrown into disorder and cut to pieces. 31 Twenty
thousand five hundred were slaughtered, besides six hundred
cavalry.
32 Timothy himself fled to a stronghold called Gazara,
especially well garrisoned, where Chaereas was commander. 33
Then Maccabeus and his men were glad, and they besieged the fort
for four days. 34 The men within, relying on the strength of the
place, kept blaspheming terribly and uttering wicked words. 35
But at dawn of the fifth day, twenty young men in the army of
Maccabeus, fired with anger because of the blasphemies, bravely
stormed the wall and with savage fury cut down everyone they
met. 36 Others who came up in the same way wheeled around
against the defenders and set fire to the towers; they kindled
fires and burned the blasphemers alive. Others broke open the
gates and let in the rest of the force, and they occupied the
city. 37 They killed Timothy, who was hiding in a cistern, and
his brother Chaereas, and Apollophanes. 38 When they had
accomplished these things, with hymns and thanksgivings they
blessed the Lord who shows great kindness to Israel and gives
them the victory.
Footnotes:
2 Maccabees 10:13 Cn: Meaning of Gk uncertain
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