|
1 Now king Antiochus was going through the
higher countries, and he heard that the city of Elymais
in Persia was greatly renowned, and abounding in silver and gold.
2 And that there was in it a temple,
exceeding rich: and coverings of gold, and breastplates, and shields which
king Alexander, son of Philip the Macedonian that reigned first in Greece,
had left there.
3 Lo, he came, and sought to take the city
and to pillage it: But he was not able, because the design was known to them
that were in the city.
4 And they rose up against him in battle, and
he fled away from thence, and departed with great sadness, and returned
towards Babylonia.
5 And whilst he was in Persia, there came
one that told him, how the armies that were in the land of Juda were put to flight:
6 And that Lysias
went with a very great power, and was put to flight before the face of the
Jews, and that thy were grown strong by the armour, and power, and store of spoils, which they had
gotten out of the camps which they had destroyed:
7 And that they had thrown down the
abomination which he had set up upon the altar in Jerusalem, and that they
had compassed about the sanctuary with high walls as before, and Bethsura also his city.
8 And it came to pass when the king heard
these words, that he was struck with fear, and exceedingly moved: and he laid
himself down upon his bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not fallen
out to him as he imagined.
9 And he remained there many days: for great
grief came more and more and more upon him, and he made account that he
should die.
10 And he called for all his friends, and said
to them: Sleep is gone from my eyes, and I am fallen away, and my heart is
cast down for anxiety.
11 And I said in my heart: Into how much
tribulation am I come, and into what floods of sorrow, wherein now I am: I
that was pleasant and beloved in my power!
12 But now I remember the evils that I have
done in Jerusalem, from whence also I took away all the spoils of gold, and
of silver that were in it, and I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Juda without cause.
13 I know therefore that for this cause
these evils have found me: and behold I perish with great grief in a strange
land.
14 Then he called Philip, one of his friends,
and he made him regent over all his kingdom.
15 And he gave him the crown, and his robe,
and his ring, that he should go to Antiochus his son, and should bring him up
for the kingdom.
16 So king Antiochus died there in the year
one hundred and forty-nine.
17 And Lysias
understood that the king was dead, and he set up Antiochus his son to reign,
whom he brought up young: and he called his name Eupator.
18 Now they that were in the castle, had shut
up the Israelites round about the holy places: and they were continually
seeking their hurt, and to strengthen the Gentiles.
19 And Judas purposed to destroy them: and he
called together all the people, to besiege them.
20 And they came together, and besieged them
in the year one hundred and fifty, and they made battering slings and
engines.
21 And some of the besieged got out: and some
wicked men of Israel joined themselves unto them.
22 And they went to the king, and said: How
long dost thou delay to execute the judgment, and to revenge our brethren?
23 We determined to serve thy father and to
do according to his orders, and obey his edicts:
24 And for this they of our nation are
alienated from us, and have slain as many of us as they could find, and have
spoiled our inheritances.
25 Neither have they put forth their hand against
us only, but also against all our borders.
26 And behold they have approached this day to
the castle of Jerusalem to take it, and they have fortified the stronghold of
Bethsura:
27 And unless thou speedily prevent them,
they will do greater things than these, and thou shalt
not be able to subdue them.
28 Now when the king heard this, he was angry:
and he called together all his friends, and the captains of his army, and
them that were over the horsemen.
29 There came also to him from other realms, and
from the islands of the sea hired troops.
30 And the number of his army was an hundred
thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants,
trained to battle.
31 And they went through Idumea,
and approached to Bethsura, and fought many days,
and they made engines: but they sallied forth and burnt them with fire, and
fought manfully.
32 And Judas departed from the castle, and
removed the camp to Bethzacharam, over against the
king's camp.
33 And the king rose before it was light, and
made his troops march on fiercely towards the way of Bethzacharam:
and the armies made themselves ready for the battle, and they sounded the
trumpets:
34 And they shewed
the elephants the blood of grapes, and mulberries to provoke them to fight.
35 And they distributed the beasts by the
legions: and there stood by every elephant a thousand men in coats of mail,
and with helmets of brass on their heads: and five hundred horsemen set in
order were chosen for every beast.
36 These before the time wheresoever
the beast was, the were there: and withersoever it
went, they went, and they departed not from it.
37 And upon the beast, there were strong
wooden towers, which covered every one of them: and engines upon them: and
upon every one thirty-two valiant men, who fought from above; and an Indian
to rule the beast.
38 And the rest of the horsemen he placed on
this side and on that side at the two wings, with trumpets to stir up the
army, and to hasten them forward that stood thick together in the legions
thereof.
39 Now when the sun shone upon the shields of
gold, and of brass, the mountains glittered therewith, and they shone like
lamps of fire.
40 And part of the king's army was
distinguished by the high mountains, and the other part by the low places:
and they marched on warily and orderly.
41 And all the inhabitants of the land were
moved at the noise of their multitude, and the marching of the company, and
the rattling of the armour, for the army was
exceeding great and strong.
42 And Judas and his army drew near for
battle: and there fell of the king's army six hundred men.
43 And Eleazar the
son of Saura saw one of the beasts harnessed with
the king's harness: and it was higher than the other beasts: and it seemed to
him that the king was on it:
44 And he exposed himself to deliver his
people and to get himself an everlasting name.
45 And he ran up to it boldly in the midst of
the legion, killing on the right hand, and on the left, and they fell by him
on this side and that side.
46 And he went between the feet of the
elephant, and put himself under it: and slew it, and it fell to the ground
upon him, and he died there.
47 Then they seeing the strength of the king
and the fierceness of his army, turned away from them.
48 But the king's army went up against them to
Jerusalem: and the king's army pitched their tents against Judea and mount Sion.
49 And he made peace with them that were in Bethsura: and they came forth out of the city, because
they had no victuals, being shut up there, for it was the year of rest to the
land.
50 And the king took Bethsura:
and he placed there a garrison to keep it.
51 And he turned his army against the
sanctuary for many days: and he set up there battering slings, and engines
and instruments to cast fire, and engines to cast stones and javelins, and
pieces to shoot arrows, and slings.
52 And they also made engines against their
engines, and they fought for many days.
53 But there were no victuals in the city,
because it was the seventh year: and such as had stayed in Judea of them that
came from among the nations, had eaten the residue of all that which had been
stored up.
54 And there remained in the holy places but a
few, for the famine had prevailed over them: and they were dispersed every
man to his own place.
55 Now Lysias
heard that Philip, whom king Antiochus while he lived had appointed to bring
up his son Antiochus, and to reign, to be king,
56 Was returned from Persia, and Media,
with the army that went with him, and that he sought to take upon him the
affairs of the kingdom:
57 Wherefore he made haste to go, and say
to the king and to the captains of the army: We decay daily, and our
provision of victuals is small, and the place that we lay siege to is strong,
and it lieth upon us to take order for the affairs
of the kingdom.
58 Now therefore let us come to an agreement
with these men, and make peace with them and with all their nation.
59 And let us covenant with them, that they
may live according to their own laws as before. For because of our despising
their laws, they have been provoked, and have done all these things.
60 And the proposal was acceptable in the
sight of the king, and of the princes: and he sent to them to make peace: and
they accepted of it.
61 And the king and the princes swore to them:
and they came out of the stronghold.
62 Then the king entered into mount Sion, and saw the strength of the place: and he quickly
broke the oath that he had taken, and gave commandment to throw down the wall
round about.
63 And he departed in haste, and returned to
Antioch, where he found Philip master of the city: and he fought against him,
and took the city.
|
1- و فيما كان انطيوكس الملك
يجول في الاقاليم العليا سمع بذكر المايس و هي مدينة بفارس مشهورة باموالها من
الفضة و الذهب.
2- و ان بها هيكلا فيه كثير من الاموال و فيه
سجوف الذهب و الدروع و الاسلحة التي تركها ثم الاسكندر بن فيلبس الملك المكدوني
الذي كان اول ملك في اليونان.
3- فاتى و حاول ان ياخذ المدينة و ينهبها فلم
يستطع لان الامر كان قد عرف عند اهل المدينة.
4- فثاروا اليه و قاتلوه فهرب و
مضى من هناك بغم شديد راجعا الى بابل.
5- و جاءه في فارس مخبر بان
الجيوش التي وجهت الى ارض يهوذا قد انكسرت.
6- و ان ليسياس قد انهزم من
وجههم و كان قد خرج عليهم في جيش في غاية القوة فتعززوا بالسلاح و الذخائر و
الغنائم الكثيرة التي اخذوها ممن دمروهم من الجيوش.
7- و هدموا الرجاسة التي كان قد
بناها على المذبح في اورشليم و حوطوا المقدس بالاسوار الرفيعة كما كان من قبل و
حصنوا بيت صور مدينتهم.
8- فلما سمع الملك هذا الكلام
بهت و اضطرب جدا و انطرح على الفراش و قد اوقعه الغم في السقم لان الامر وقع على
خلاف مشتهاه.
9- فلبث هناك اياما كثيرة لانه
تجدد فيه غم شديد و ايقن بالموت.
10- فدعا جميع اصحابه و قال لهم
لقد شرد النوم عن عيني و سقط قلبي من الكرب.
11- فقلت في نفسي الى اي بلاء
صرت و ما اعظم اللجة التي انا فيها بعد ان كنت مسرورا و محبوبا في سلطاني.
12- اني لاتذكر المساوئ التي
صنعتها في اورشليم و كيف اخذت كل انية الذهب و الفضة التي كانت فيها و ارسلت
لابادة سكان يهوذا بغير سبب.
13- فانا اعلم باني لاجل ذلك
اصابتني هذه البلايا و ها انا اهلك بكمد شديد في ارض غريبة.
14- ثم دعا فيلبس احد اصحابه و
اقامه على جميع مملكته.
15- و دفع اليه تاجه و حلته و
خاتمه و اوصاه بتدبير انطيوكس ابنه و ترشيحه للملك.
16- و مات هناك انطيوكس الملك في
السنة المئة و التاسعة و الاربعين.
17- و علم ليسياس ان الملك قد
توفي و ملك موضعه انطيوكس ابنه الذي رباه هو في حداثته و سماه باسم اوباطور.
18- و كان اهل القلعة يصدون
اسرائيل عن دخول المقادس و يحاولون الاضرار بهم من كل جانب و توطيد الامم بينهم.
19- فعزم يهوذا على الايقاع بهم
و حشد جميع الشعب لمحاصرتهم.
20- فاجتمعوا معا و حاصروهم سنة
مئة و خمسين و نصب عليهم القذافات و المجانيق.
21- فخرج بعض منهم من الحصار
فانضم اليهم نفر منافقون من اسرائيل.
22- و انطلقوا الى الملك و قالوا
الى متى لا تجري القضاء و لا تنتقم لاخوتنا.
23- انا ارتضينا بخدمة ابيك و
العمل باوامره و اتباع رسومه.
24- و لذلك ابناء شعبنا يحاصرون
القلعة بغضا لنا و كل من صادفوه منا قتلوه و نهبوا املاكنا.
25- و لم يكتفوا بمد ايديهم
علينا و لكنهم تجاوزا الى جميع تخومنا.
26- و ها انهم قد زحفوا الى قلعة
اورشليم ليستحوذوا عليها و على المقدس و حصنوا بيت صور.
27- فالان ان لم تسرع و تبادرهم
فسيصنعون شرا من ذلك فلا تقدر ان تكفهم.
28- فلما سمع الملك غضب و جمع جميع اصحابه و قواد جيشه و رؤساء الفرسان.
29- و جاءته من ممالك اخرى و من
جزائر البحار جنود مستاجرة.
30- و كان عدد جيوشه مئة الف
راجل و عشرين الف فارس و اثنين و ثلاثين فيلا مضراة على الحرب.
31- فزحفوا مجتازين في ادوم و
نزلوا عند بيت صور و حاربوا اياما كثيرة و صنعوا المجانيق فخرجوا و احرقوها
بالنار و قاتلوا بباس.
32- فسار يهوذا عن القلعة و نزل
ببيت زكريا تجاه محلة الملك.
33- فبكر الملك و وجه بباس جيشه
الى طريق بيت زكريا فتاهبت الجيوش للقتال و نفخوا في الابواق.
34- و اروا الفيلة عصير العنب و
التوت حتى يهيجوها للقتال.
35- ثم وزعوها على الفرق فجعلوا
عند كل فيل الف رجل لابسين الدروع المسرودة و على رؤوسهم خوذ النحاس و اقاموا
لكل فيل خمس مئة فارس منتخبين.
36- فكان اولئك حيثما وجد الفيل
سبقوا اليه و حيثما ذهب ذهبوا معه لا يفارقونه.
37- و كان على كل فيل برج حصين
من الخشب يحميه مطوق بالمجانيق و على البرج اثنان و ثلاثون رجلا من ذوي الباس
يقاتلون منه و الهندي يدير الفيل.
38- و جعلوا سائر الفرسان من هنا
و هناك على جانبي الجيش يحثونه و يكتنفونه في الشعاب.
39- فلما لمعت الشمس على تروس
الذهب و النحاس لمعت بها الجبال و تاججت كسرج من نار.
40- و انتشر جيش الملك قسم على
الجبال العالية و قسم في البطاح و مشوا بتحفظ و انتظام.
41- فارتعد كل من سمع جلبتهم و
درجان جمهورهم و قعقعة سلاحهم فان الجيش كان عظيما و قويا جدا.
42- فتقدم يهوذا و جيشه للمبارزة
فسقط من جيش الملك ست مئة رجل.
43- و راى العازار بن سواران
واحدا من الفيلة عليه الدرع الملكية يفوق جميع الفيلة فظن ان عليه الملك.
44- فبذل نفسه ليخلص شعبه و يقيم
لنفسه اسما مخلدا.
45- و عدا اليه مقتحما في وسط
الفرقة يقتل يمنة و يسرة فتفرقوا عنه من هنا و من هناك.
46- و دخل بين قوائم الفيل حتى
صار تحته و قتله فسقط عليه الى الارض فمات مكانه.
47- و ان اليهود لما راوا سطوة
الملك و بطش الجيوش ارتدوا عنهم.
48- فصعد الملك بجيشه نحو اورشليم لملاقاتهم و زحف الى اليهودية و جبل
صهيون.
49- و عقد صلحا مع اهل بيت صور
فخرجوا من المدينة لنفاد الطعام من عندهم مدة حصرهم فيها اذ كان سبت للارض.
50- فاستولى الملك على بيت صور و
اقام هناك حرسا يحافظون عليها.
51- و نزل عند المقدس اياما
كثيرة و نصب هناك القذافات و المجانيق و الات لرشق النار و الحجارة و ادوات لرمي
السهام و مقاليع.
52- و صنع اليهود مجانيق قبالة
مجانيقهم و حاربوا اياما كثيرة.
53- و لم يكن في اوعيتهم طعام
لانها كانت السنة السابعة و كان الذين لجاوا الى اليهودية من الامم قد اكلوا ما
فضل من الذخيرة.
54- فلم يبق في المقادس الا نفر
يسير لان الجوع غلب عليهم فتفرقوا كل واحد الى موضعه.
55- و بلغ ليسياس ان فيلبس الذي اقامه انطيوكس في حياته ليرشح انطيوكس
ابنه للملك.
56- قد رجع من فارس و ماداي و
معه جيوش الملك التي سارت في صحبته و انه يحاول ان يتولى الامور.
57- فبادر و سعى الى الملك و
القواد و الجيش و قال لهم انا لنضعف يوما بعد يوم و قد قل طعامنا و المكان الذي
نحاصره حصين و امور المملكة تستحثنا.
58- و الان فلنعاقد هؤلاء الناس
و لنبرم صلحا معهم و مع جميع امتهم.
59- و لنقرر لهم ان يسلكوا في
سننهم كما كانوا من قبل فانهم لاجل سننهم التي نقضناها غضبوا و فعلوا كل ذلك.
60- فحسن الكلام في عيون الملك و
الرؤساء فارسل اليهم في المصالحة فاجابوا.
61- فحلف لهم الملك و الرؤساء و
على ذلك خرجوا من الحصن.
62- فدخل الملك الى جبل صهيون و
راى الموضع حصينا فنقض الحلف الذي حلفه و امر بهدم السور الذي حوله.
63- ثم انصرف مسرعا و رجع الى
انطاكية فوجد فيلبس قد استولى على المدينة فقاتله و اخذ المدينة عنوة
|