The Second Book of Maccabees

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 8 -

Judas Machabeus gathering an army gains divers victories.

But Judas Machabeus, and they that were with him, went privately into the towns: and calling together their kinsmen and friends, and taking unto them such as continued in the Jews’ religion, they assembled six thousand men.

And they called upon the Lord that he would look upon his people that was trodden down by all, and would have pity on the temple, that was defiled by the wicked:

That he would have pity also upon the city that was destroyed, that was ready to be made even with the ground, and would hear the voice of the blood that cried to him:

That he would remember also the most unjust deaths of innocent children, and the blasphemies offered to his name, and would shew his indignation on this occasion.

Now when Machabeus had gathered a multitude, he could not be withstood by the heathens: for the wrath of the Lord was turned into mercy.

So coming unawares upon the towns and cities, he set them on fire, and taking possession of the most commodious places, he made no small slaughter of the enemies,

And especially in the nights he went upon these expeditions, and the fame of his valour was spread abroad every where.

Then Philip, seeing that the man gained ground by little and little, and that things for the most part succeeded prosperously with him, wrote to Ptolemee the governor of Celesyria and Phenicia, to send aid to the king’s affairs.

And he with all speed sent Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of his special friends, giving him no fewer than twenty thousand armed men of different nations, to root out the whole race of the Jews, joining also with him Gorgias, a good soldier, and of great experience in matters of war.

And Nicanor purposed to raise for the king the tribute of two thousand talents, that was to be given to the Romans, by making so much money of the captive Jews:

Wherefore he sent immediately to the cities upon the sea coast, to invite men together to buy up the Jewish slaves, promising that they should have ninety slaves for one talent, not reflecting on the vengeance, which was to follow him from the Almighty.

Now when Judas found that Nicanor was coming, he imparted to the Jews that were with him, that the enemy was at hand.

And some of them being afraid, and distrusting the justice of God, fled away:

Others sold all that they had left, and withal besought the Lord, that he would deliver them from the wicked Nicanor, who had sold them before he came near them:

And if not for their sakes, yet for the covenant that he had made with their fathers, and for the sake of his holy and glorious name that was invoked upon them.

But Machabeus calling together seven thousand that were with him, exhorted them not to be reconciled to the enemies, nor to fear the multitude of the enemies who came wrongfully against them, but to fight manfully:

Setting before their eyes the injury they had unjustly done the holy place, and also the injury they had done to the city, which had been shamefully abused, besides their destroying the ordinances of the fathers.

For, said he, they trust in their weapons, and in their boldness: but we trust in the Almighty Lord, who at a beck can utterly destroy both them that come against us, and the whole world.

Moreover he put them in mind also of the helps their fathers had received from God: and how under Sennacherib a hundred and eighty-five thousand had been destroyed.

And of the battle that they had fought against the Galatians in Babylonia, how they, being in all but six thousand, when it came to the point, and Macedonians their companions were a stand, slew a hundred and twenty thousand, because of the help they had from heaven, and for this they received many favours.

With these words they were greatly encouraged, and disposed even to die for the laws and their country.

So he appointed his brethren cap over each division of his army, Simon, and Joseph, and Jonathan, giving to one fifteen hundred men.

And after the holy Book had been read to them by Esdras, and he had given them for a watchword, The help of God: himself leading the first band, he joined battle with Nicanor:

And the Almighty being their helper, they slew above nine thousand men: and having wounded and disabled the greater part of Nicanor’s army, they obliged them to fly.

And they took the money of them that came to buy them, and they pursued them on every side.

But they came back for want of time: for it was the day before the sabbath: and therefore they did not continue the pursuit.

But when they had gathered together their arms and their spoils, they kept the sabbath: blessing the Lord who had delivered them that day, distilling the beginning of mercy upon them.

Then after the sabbath they divided the spoils to the feeble and the orphans, and the widows: and the rest they took for themselves and their servants.

When this was done, and they had all made a common supplication, they besought the merciful Lord to be reconciled to his servants unto the end.

Moreover they slew above twenty thousand of them that were with Timotheus and Bacchides who fought them, and they made themselves masters of the high strong holds: and they divided amongst them many spoils, giving equal portions to the feeble, the fatherless and the widows, yea and the aged also.

And when they had carefully gathered together their arms, they laid them all up in convenient places, and the residue of their spoils they carried to Jerusalem:

They slew also Philarches who was with Timotheus, a wicked man, who had many ways afflicted the Jews.

And when they kept the feast of the victory at Jerusalem, they burnt Callisthenes, that had set fire to the holy gates, who had taken refuge in a certain house, rendering to him a worthy reward for his impieties:

But as for that most wicked man Nicanor, who had brought a thousand merchants to the sale of the Jews,

Being through the help of the Lord brought down by them, of whom he had made no account, laying; aside his garment of glory, fleeing through the midland country, he came alone to Antioch, being rendered very unhappy by the destruction of his army.

And he that had promised to levy the tribute for the Romans by the means of the captives of Jerusalem, now professed that the Jews had God for their protector, and therefore they could not be hurt, because they followed the laws appointed by him.

Judas Machabeus gathering an army gains divers victories.

But Judas, who is also called Maccabaeus, and those who were with him, making their way secretly into the villages, called to them their kindred. Taking to them those who had continued in the Jews’ religion, gathered together about six thousand.

They called upon the Lord to look at the people who were oppressed by all, and to have compassion on the sanctuary that had been profaned by the ungodly men,

and to have pity on the city that was suffering ruin and ready to be leveled to the ground, and to listen to the blood that cried out to him,

and to remember the lawless destruction of the innocent infants, and concerning the blasphemies that had been committed against his name, and to show his hatred of wickedness.

When Maccabaeus had trained his men for service, the heathen at once found him irresistible, for the wrath of the Lord was turned into mercy.

(a)Coming without warning, he set fire to cities and villages. And in winning back the most important positions, putting to flight no small number of the enemies,

he especially took advantage of the nights for such assaults. His courage was loudly talked of everywhere.

But when Philip saw the man gaining ground little by little, and increasing more and more in his success, he wrote to Ptolemy, the governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, that he should support the king’s cause.

Ptolemy quickly appointed Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of the king’s (b) chief friends, and sent him, in command of no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations, to destroy the whole race of Judea. With him he joined Gorgias also, a captain and one who had experience in matters of war.

Nicanor resolved by the sale of the captive Jews to make up for the king the tribute of two thousand talents which he was to pay to the Romans.

Immediately he sent to the cities upon the sea coast, inviting them to buy Jewish (c)slaves, promising to deliver seventy (d)slaves for a talent, not expecting the judgment that was to overtake him from the Almighty.

News came to Judas concerning Nicanor’s invasion. When he communicated to those who were with him the presence of the army,

those who were cowardly and distrustful of God’s judgment (e)ran away and left the country.

Others sold all that they had left, and at the same time implored the Lord to deliver those who had been sold as slaves by the impious Nicanor before he ever met them,

if not for their own sakes, then for the covenants made with their ancestors, and because he had called them by his holy and glorious name.

So Maccabaeus gathered his men together, six thousand in number, and exhorted them not to be frightened by the enemy, nor to fear the great multitude of the heathen who came wrongfully against them, but to fight nobly,

setting before their eyes the outrage that had been lawlessly perpetrated upon the holy place, and the torture of the city that had been turned to mockery, and further the overthrow of the way of life received from their ancestors.

“For they,” he said, “trust their weapons and daring deeds, but we trust in the almighty God, since he is able at a nod to cast down those who are coming against us, and even the whole world.”

Moreover, he recounted to them the help given from time to time in the days of their ancestors, both in the days of Sennacherib, when one hundred eighty-five thousand perished,

and in the land of Babylon, in the battle that was fought against the(f) Gauls, how they came to the battle with eight thousand in all, with four thousand Macedonians, and how, the Macedonians being hard pressed, the (g)six thousand destroyed the hundred and twenty thousand because of the help which they had from heaven, and took a great deal of plunder.

And when he had with these words filled them with courage and made them ready to die for the laws and their country, he divided his army into four parts.

He appointed his brothers, Simon, Joseph, and Jonathan, to be leaders of the divisions with him, giving each the command of one thousand five hundred men.

Moreover Eleazer also, having read aloud the sacred book, and having given as watchword, “THE HELP OF GOD”, leading the first band himself, joined battle with Nicanor.

Since the Almighty fought on their side, they killed more than nine thousand of the enemy, and wounded and(h) disabled most of Nicanor’s army, and compelled them all to flee.

They took the money of those who had come there to buy them as slaves. After they had pursued them for some (i)distance, they returned, being constrained by the time of the day;

for it was the day before the Sabbath, and for this reason they made no effort to chase them far.

(j) When they had gathered (k)the weapons of the enemy together, and had stripped off their spoils, they kept the Sabbath, greatly blessing and thanking the Lord who had saved them to this day, because he had begun to show mercy to them.

After the Sabbath, when they had given some of the spoils to the (l) maimed, and to the widows and orphans, they distributed the rest among themselves and their children.

When they had accomplished these things and had made a common supplication, they implored the merciful Lord to be wholly reconciled with his servants.

Having had an encounter with the forces of Timotheus and Bacchides, they killed more than twenty thousand of them, and made themselves masters of exceedingly high strongholds, and divided very much plunder, giving the (m)maimed, orphans, widows, and the aged an equal share with themselves.

(n) When they had gathered the weapons (o) of the enemy together, they stored them all up carefully in the most strategic positions, and they carried the rest of the spoils to Jerusalem.

They killed the (p)phylarch of Timotheus’s forces, a most unholy man, and one who had done the Jews much harm.

(q) As they celebrated the feast of victory in the (r) city of their fathers, they burned those who had set the sacred (s)gates on fire, including Callisthenes, who had fled into (t)a little house. So they received the proper reward for their impiety.

The thrice-accursed Nicanor, who had brought the thousand merchants to buy the Jews as slaves,

being through the help of the Lord humbled by them who in his eyes were held to be of least account, took off his glorious apparel, and passing through the country, (u)shunning all company like a fugitive slave, arrived at Antioch, (v) having, as he thought, had the greatest possible good fortune, though his army was destroyed.

He who had taken upon himself to make tribute sure for the Romans by the captivity of the men of Jerusalem published abroad that the Jews had One who fought for them, and that (w)because this was so, the Jews were invulnerable, because they followed the laws ordained by him.

Footnotes

(a)8:6 The Greek text of verses 6 and 7 is uncertain.

(b)8:9 See 1 Maccabees 10:65 . Compare 2 Maccabees 1:14 ; 2 Maccabees 7:24 ; 2 Maccabees 10:13 ; 2 Maccabees 14:11 ; 1 Maccabees 2:18 .

(d)8:11 Gr. bodies.

(e)8:13 The Greek text here is uncertain.

(f)8:20 Gr. Galatians.

(g)8:20 Some authorities read eight.

(h)8:24 Gr. disabled in their limbs.

(i)8:25 Or, while

(j)8:27 The exact meaning of this clause is uncertain.

(k)8:27 Gr. their weapons...the spoils of the enemy.

(l)8:28 Or, woundedGr. shamefully handled.

(m)8:30 Or, woundedGr. shamefully handled.

(n)8:31 The exact meaning of this clause is uncertain.

(o)8:31 Gr. of them.

(p)8:32 That is, probably, the captain of an irregular auxiliary force. Some write Phylarches,as a proper name.

(q)8:33 The Greek text here is perhaps corrupt.

(r)8:33 Or, country

(s)8:33 Or, porches

(t)8:33 Or, a solitary hut

(u)8:35 Gr. having made himself solitary.

(v)8:35 Or, having won the greatest possible favor by reason of the destruction of his army

(w)8:36 Or, because of thistheir way of lifeGr. because of this manner.