The Israelites' Success over the Edomites and the Philistines.

The valiant Judas and his brothers became greatly renowned throughout Israel and among all the Gentiles, wherever their name was heard, and crowds thronged around them to offer them praise. Then Judas and his brothers went forth and attacked the descendants of Esau in the country toward the south. He conquered Hebron and its villages, destroying its fortifications and burning down the towers encircling it. He then marched into the land of the Philistines and passed through Marisa. On that day, several priests who inadvisedly went out to fight in their desire to prove their courage fell in battle. Judas next turned toward Azotus in the land of the Philistines. He destroyed their altars and burned the statues of their gods, plundered their towns, and then returned to the land of Judah.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 5, VERSES 63 - 68

Defeat and Death of Antiochus IV.

As King Antiochus was going through the upper provinces, he heard that Elymais, a city in Persia, was renowned for its wealth in silver and gold, and that its temple was very rich, containing gold shields, breastplates, and weapons left there by Alexander, the son of Philip, the king of Macedon and the first to reign over the Greeks. Therefore, he journeyed there in an attempt to capture and plunder the city, but he was unsuccessful because the people of the city had become aware of his designs and rose up in battle against him. He was put to flight and had to withdraw in great disappointment and retreat toward Babylon.

       While he was still in Persia, a messenger brought him the news that the armies that had invaded the land of Judah had been routed, that Lysias--who had advanced with a massive force--had been put to flight by the Israelites, that the Israelites had grown increasingly strong as a result of the weapons, equipment, and abundant spoils they had captured from the armies they had destroyed, that they had pulled down the Abomination he had built upon the altar in Jerusalem, and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as they had done in the past and had fortified his city of Beth-zur.

       When the king heard this report, he was distraught and deeply shaken. Sick with grief because his plans had failed, he retreated to his bed. He lay there for many days, overwhelmed repeatedly with disappointment, and he realized that he was at the point of death.

       Therefore, he summoned all his Friends and said to them: "Sleep is gone from my eyes, and my heart is overwhelmed with anxiety. I have asked myself: 'Why have I been brought to these depths of despair, inasmuch as during my reign I was always kind and greatly beloved?' But now I recall the evil deeds I perpetrated in Jerusalem in seizing all its vessels of silver and gold and unjustifiably ordering the extermination of the inhabitants of Judah. I am certain that this is the reason why these misfortunes have afflicted me, and why I am dying here of bitter grief in a strange land."

       Then he summoned Philip, one of his Friends, and appointed him ruler over his entire kingdom. He gave him his crown, his robe, and his signet ring, entrusting him with the authority to educate his son Antiochus and train him to be king. King Antiochus died in Persia, in the year one hundred and forty-nine.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 6, VERSES 1 - 16

Judas Besieges the Citadel of Jerusalem.

When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he designated the king's son Antiochus, whom he had brought up from childhood, to succeed him as king, and he gave him the name Eupator.

       Meanwhile, the men garrisoned in the citadel were blockading the Israelites in the sanctuary, taking advantage of every opportunity to harm them and thereby further the cause of the Gentiles. Judas therefore resolved to bring about their destruction, and he mobilized all the people to besiege them. They assembled and stormed the citadel in the year one hundred and fifty, employing catapults and engines of war whose construction he had ordered. Some of those besieged in the garrison escaped, joined by some godless Israelites. They approached the king and said:

       "How much longer are you going to delay in your pursuit of justice and avenging our comrades? We were happy to serve your father, to follow his instructions, and to obey his commands. As a result, our own kindred have besieged the citadel and turned against us. They have put to death as many of us as they have been able to capture, and they have plundered our property. Furthermore we are not the only ones against whom they have taken action, for they have attacked all the lands throughout your territory. At this very moment they are besieging the citadel in Jerusalem, determined to capture it, and they have fortified the sanctuary and Beth-zur. Unless you quickly make some move to impede them, they will do far worse things than these, and you will not be able to stop them."

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 6, VERSES 17 - 27

The Battle of Beth-zur.

The king became enraged when he heard this, and he summoned all his Friends, his generals, and the commanders of his calvary. He also recruited mercenary forces from other kingdoms and from the islands of the seas. His forces numbered one hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war. They advanced through Idumea and besieged Beth-zur, continuing the attack for many days. They also constructed engines of war, but the defenders made a raid and set them on fire, fighting courageously.

       Then Judas left the citadel and encamped at Beth-zechariah, opposite the camp of the king. The king rose at daybreak, and after a forced march along the road to Beth-zechariah, his forces drew up in battle formation and sounded their trumpets. The elephants were roused for battle by being given a mixture of grapes and mulberries to drink. These beasts were distributed among the phalanxes. With each elephant there were stationed a thousand men arrayed in coats of mail, with bronze helmets. In addition, five hundred picked cavalry were assigned to each beast. They anticipated every move made by the elephant; wherever it went, they immediately accompanied it, never leaving its side. On each elephant, for its protection, and fastened to its back by a harness, was a strong wooden tower that held four soldiers who fought from that position, as well as an Indian driver. The rest of the cavalry were stationed on either side of the army, so that they could harass the enemy while being protected by the phalanxes.

       When the sun shone on the gold and bronze shields, the mountains blazed with their reflection and gleamed like burning torches. Part of the king's army was stationed on the high hills, while others were assembled in the plain. They advanced steadily and in good order, and seized all who trembled as they heard the clamor raised by this vast multitude as they marched and by the clash of their arms, for their army was a very large and powerful force.

       Judas and his army advanced to give battle, and six hundred of the king's army were slain. Eleazar, called Avaran, noted that one of the elephants was adorned with royal armor. Since it was larger than all the other beasts, he thought that the king must be astride it, and he gave his life to save his people and win for himself everlasting renown. He courageously charged toward it through the midst of the phalanx, killing men right and left, so that they fell back on all sides at his approach. He got in position under the elephant and stabbed it from below, slaying it. The beast fell to the ground on top of him, and he died there.

       When the Jews saw the strength and ferocity of the royal forces, they retreated before them. A part of the king's army marched up to Jerusalem to attack them, and the king encamped at both Judea and Mount Zion. He made terms of peace with the people of Beth-zur, and they evacuated the town, for they had no provisions there that would enable them to withstand a siege, since that was a sabbatical year in the land. The king then occupied Beth-zur and stationed a garrison there to defend it.

       He besieged the sanctuary for many days, employing artillery, engines of war to hurl fire and stones, machines to shoot arrows, and catapults. The Jews for their part set up machines of their own to counter theirs, and they continued the battle for many days. However, there was no food in the storerooms because it was the sabbatical year, and those who had fled from the Gentiles and taken refuge in Judea had consumed the last of the reserves. Only a few men remained in the sanctuary; the rest scattered to their own homes, for the famine proved too severe for them.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 6, VERSES 28 - 54

Offer of a Peace Treaty.

Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus, prior to his death, had appointed to bring up his son Antiochus to be king, had returned from Persia and Media with the forces that had accompanied the king, and that he was attempting to seize control of the government. Therefore, he quickly gave orders to withdraw, saying to the king, to the commanders of the army, and to the soldiers, "Every day we are growing weaker, our provisions are running low, the place we are besieging is strong, and the affairs of the kingdom demand our attention. Let us now come to terms with these people and make peace with them and with their entire nation. Let us grant them permission to live in accordance with their laws as they used to do, for it was on account of our abolition of these laws that they became angry and were provoked into doing all these things."

       This proposal met with the approval of the king and his commanders, and he presented the Jews with peace terms, which they accepted. Therefore, the king and his commanders ratified the treaty by oath, and accordingly the Jews emerged from their stronghold. However, when the king entered Mount Zion and saw how strongly the place was fortified, he broke the oath that he had sworn and gave orders to demolish the encircling wall. Then he departed and returned in haste to Antioch. He found Philip in control of the city, but he engaged in battle against him and took the city by force.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 6, VERSES 55 - 63

Demetrius Becomes King.

In the year one hundred and fifty-one, Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, departed from home and, arriving with a few men at a town on the seacoast, began to rule there. As he was entering the royal palace of his ancestors, his troops seized Antiochus and Lysias with the intention of handing them over to him. However, when he was informed of this act, he said, "Keep them out of my sight." The soldiers therefore executed them, and Demetrius ascended the royal throne.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 7, VERSES 1 - 4

Alcimus Invents Intrigues for the New King.

Then all the renegades and godless men of Israel approached him, led by Alcimus who had designs on the high priesthood. They brought to the king this accusation against the people: "Judas and his brothers have killed all your Friends and have driven us out of our country. Send a man whom you trust to go forth and inspect the devastation that Judas has wreaked on us and on the lands ruled by the king, and authorize him to punish him and all their allies."

       The king chose Bacchides, one of the Friends of the King, who was the governor of West-of-Euphrates, an influential personage in the kingdom, and a loyal supporter of the king. He sent him and the godless Alcimus, whom he appointed as high priest, with orders to exact vengeance on the Israelites. They set out, and when they arrived with a large army in the land of Judah, they sent envoys to Judas and his brothers to suggest deceitful proposals of peace. But the latter placed no trust in their words, since they saw the immense force that had accompanied them.

       However, a group of scribes approached Alcimus and Bacchides to ask for just terms of peace. The Hasideans were the first among the Israelites to request a peace agreement, for they said, "A priest of the line of Aaron has come with the army, and he will not be a party to any wrongful act." Alcimus engaged in peace talks with them, and he swore this oath to them: "We will not attempt to injure you or your friends." However, once he had gained their confidence, he arrested sixty of them and put them to death in one day, in fulfillment of the words of Scripture:

       "They have scattered the bodies of your

              faithful ones

       and shed their blood round about

              Jerusalem,

       and there is no one to bury them."

       Then fear and dread of them fell on the whole people. "There is no truth or justice among them," they said. "They have violated their agreement and their sworn oath."

       Bacchides then withdrew from Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-zaith, where he ordered the arrest of many of those who had deserted to him, along with some of the people. He slaughtered them and cast them into an immense pit. After that he placed Alcimus in charge of the province, leaving an army with him to give him support, while he himself went back to the king.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 7, VERSES 5 - 20

The War Springs Up Anew.

Alcimus used every means to continue in his role as high priest, and all those who were reckoned as troublemakers rallied to his support. They gained control of the land of Judah and inflicted great damage on Israel. When Judas saw all the wrongs that Alcimus and his supporters had inflicted on the Israelites, exceeding anything that the Gentiles had done, he went throughout the territory of Judea, punishing those who had deserted and preventing them from gaining access to rural areas. When Alcimus saw that Judas and his supporters were gaining considerable strength and realized that he would not be able to withstand them, he returned to the king and brought malicious charges against them.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 7, VERSES 21 - 25

Nicanor Is Entrusted with Putting Down the Insurgents.

Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his most distinguished officers and a bitter enemy of Israel, with orders to destroy the people. Having arrived in Jerusalem with a large force, he sent to Judas and his brothers this deceitful message couched in peaceful terms: "Let there be no fighting between you and me. I shall come with a small escort to have a peaceful meeting with you."

       When he came to Judas, they greeted each other peaceably, but the enemy had made plans to kidnap Judas. When Judas became aware that Nicanor's visit had a treacherous purpose, he became afraid and refused to meet him again. After Nicanor realized that his plot had been uncovered, he marched out to meet Judas in battle near Caphar-salama. About five hundred of Nicanor's men were slain; the rest fled to the City of David.

       After these events, Nicanor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests from the sanctuary and some of the elders of the people came out to greet him peaceably and to show him the burnt offering that was being offered for the king. But he mocked and jeered at them, defiled them, and spoke arrogantly, swearing in his rage: "Unless Judas and his army are turned over to me immediately, I will burn this temple to the ground when I return victorious." Then he went off in great anger. At this turn of events, the priests went in and stood tearfully before the altar and the sanctuary, saying:

       "YOU have chosen this house to bear YOUR name and to be a house of prayer and supplication for YOUR people. Exact vengeance on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword. Remember their blasphemies and grant them no reprieve."

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 7, VERSES 26 - 38

Judas Routs the Enemy.

Nicanor left Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-horon, where he was joined by an army from Syria. Meanwhile, Judas pitched camp in Adasa with three thousand men, where he offered this prayer: "When the messengers from the king were guilty of blasphemy, YOUR angel sent forth and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand of his men. In the same way, crush this army before us today, so that everyone will come to know that Nicanor has spoken blasphemously against YOUR sanctuary. Judge him according to his wickedness."

       The armies met in battle on the thirteenth of the month of Adar. Nicanor's army was crushed, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle. When his army saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw down their arms and fled. The Jews pursued them a day's journey, from Adasa as far as Gazara, sounding their trumpets in warning as they followed. People emerged from all the surrounding villages of Judea and hemmed in Nicanor's forces, driving them back to confront their pursuers. They all fell by the sword, without a single one managing to escape.

       Then the Jews collected the spoils and the booty. They cut off Nicanor's head and the right hand that he had stretched out so arrogantly, and they brought them to Jerusalem to be put on display there. The people rejoiced greatly and celebrated that day as a great festival. They decreed that this occasion was to be observed each year on the thirteenth day of Adar. And for a short time the land of Judah was at peace.

1ST MACCABEES: CHAPTER 7, VERSES 39 - 50