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1 At the same time Antiochus prepared for
a second journey into Egypt.
2 And it
came to pass that through the whole city of Jerusalem for the space of forty
days there were seen horsemen running in the air, in gilded raiment, and
armed with spears, like bands of soldiers.
3 And
horses set in order by ranks, running one against another, with the shakings
of shields, and a multitude of men in helmets, with drawn swords, and casting
of darts, and glittering of golden armour, and of
harnesses of all sorts.
4 Wherefore
all men prayed that these prodigies might turn to good.
5 Now when
there was gone forth a false rumour, as though
Antiochus had been dead, Jason taking with him no fewer than a thousand men,
suddenly assaulted the city: and though the citizens ran together to the
wall, the city at length was taken, and Menelaus fled into the castle.
6 But
Jason slew his countrymen without mercy, not considering that prosperity
against one's own kindred is a very great evil, thinking they had been
enemies, and not citizens, whom he conquered.
7 Yet he
did not gee the principality, but received confusion at tile end, for the
reward of his treachery, and fled again into the country of the Ammonites.
8 At the
last having been shut up by Aretas the king of the
Arabians, in order for his destruction, flying from city to city, hated by
all men, as a forsaker of the laws, and execrable,
as an enemy of his country and countrymen, he was thrust out into Egypt:
9 And he
that had driven many out of their country, perished in a strange land, going
to Lacedemon, as if for kindred sake he should have
refuge there:
10 But he
that had cast out many unburied, was himself cast forth both unlamented and
unburied, neither having foreign burial, nor being partaker of the sepulchre of his fathers.
11 Now when
these things were done, the king suspected that the Jews would forsake the
alliance: whereupon departing out of Egypt with a furious mind, he took the
city by force of arms.
12 And
commanded the soldiers to kill, and not to spare any that came in their way,
and to go up into the houses slay.
13 Thus
there was a slaughter of young and old, a destruction of women children, and
killing of virgins and infants.
14 And there
were slain in the space o three whole days fourscore thousand, forty thousand
were made prisoners, and as many sold.
15 But this
was not enough; he presumed also to enter into the temple, the most holy in
all the world, Menelaus, that traitor to the laws, and to his country, being
his guide.
16 And
taking in his wicked hands the holy vessels, which were given by other kings
and cities, for the ornament and the glory of the place, he unworthily
handled and profaned them.
17 Thus
Antiochus going astray in mind, did not consider that God was angry for a
while, because of the sins of the habitants of the city: and therefore
contempt had happened to the place:
18 Otherwise
had they not been involved in many sins, as Heliodorus,
who was sent by king Seleucus to rob treasury, so
this man also, as soon as had come, had been forthwith scourged, and put back
from his presumption.
19 But God
did not choose the people for the place's sake, but the place for the
people's sake.
20 And
therefore the place also itself was made partaker of the evils of the people:
but afterward shall communicate in the good things thereof, and as it was
forsaken in the wrath of almighty God, shall be exalted again with great
glory, when the great Lord shall be reconciled.
21 So when
Antiochus had taken away out of the temple a thousand and eight hundred
talents, he went back in all haste to Antioch, thinking through pride, that
he might now make the land navigable, and the sea passable on foot: such was
the haughtiness of his mind.
22 He left
also governors to afflict the people: at Jerusalem, Philip, a Phrygian by
birth, but in manners more barbarous than he that set him there:
23 And in Gazarim, Andronicus and Menelaus, who bore a more heavy
hand upon the citizens than the rest.
24 And
whereas he was set against the Jews, he sent that hateful prince Apollonius
with an army of two and twenty thousand men, commanding him to kill all that
were of perfect age, and to sell the women and the younger sort.
25 Who when
he was come to Jerusalem, pretending peace, rested till the holy day of the sabbath: and then the Jews keeping holiday, he commanded
his men to take arms.
26 And he
slew all that were come forth to see: and running through the city with armed
men, he destroyed a very great multitude.
27 But
Judas Machabeus, who was the tenth, had withdrawn
himself into a desert place, and there lived amongst wild beasts in the
mountains with his company: and they continued feeding on herbs, that they
might not be partakers of the pollution.
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1- في ذلك الزمان تجهز انطيوكس
لغزو مصر ثانية.
2- فحدث انه ظهر في المدينة كلها مدة اربعين
يوما فرسان تعدو في الجو و عليهم ملابس ذهبية و في ايديهم رماح و هم مكتبون
كتائب.
3- و قنابل من الخيل مصطفة و هجوم و كر بين
الفريقين و تقليب تروس و حراب كثيرة و استلال سيوف و رشق نبال و لمعان حلي ذهبية
و دروع من كل صنف.
4- فكان الجميع يسالون ان يكون مال هذه الاية
خيرا.
5- و ارجف قوم ان انطيوكس قد مات
فاتخذ ياسون جيشا ليس باقل من الف نفس و هجم على المدينة بغتة حتى اذا دفع الذين
على الاسوار و اوشك ان ياخذ المدينة هرب منلاوس الى القلعة.
6- فطفق ياسون يذبح اهل وطنه بغير رحمة و لم
يفطن ان الظفر بالاخوان هو عين الخذلان حتى كان نصرته هذه انما كانت على اعداء
لا على بني امته.
7- لكنه لم يحز الرئاسة و انما احاق به اخيرا
خزي كيده فهرب ثانية الى ارض بني عمون.
8- و كانت خاتمة امره منقلبا سيئا لان ارتاس
زعيم العرب طرده فجعل يفر من مدينة الى مدينة و الجميع ينبذونه و يبغضونه بغضة
من ارتد عن الشريعة و يمقتونه مقت من هو قتال لاهل وطنه حتى دحر الى مصر.
9- فكان ان الذي غرب كثيرين هلك في الغربة في
ارض لكديمون اذ لجا الى هناك بوسيلة القرابة.
10- و الذي طرح كثيرين بغير قبر اصبح لم يبك
عليه و لم يدفن و لم يكن له قبر في وطنه.
11- فلما بلغت الملك هذه الحوادث اتهم اليهود
بالانتقاض عليه فزحف من مصر و قد تنمر في قلبه و اخذ المدينة عنوة.
12- و امر الجنود ان يقتلوا كل من صادفوه دون
رحمة و يذبحوا المختبئين في البيوت.
13- فطفقوا يهلكون الشبان و الشيوخ و يبيدون
الرجال و النساء و الاولاد و يذبحون العذارى و الاطفال.
14- فهلك ثمانون الف نفس في
ثلاثة ايام منهم اربعون الفا في المعركة و بيع منهم عدد ليس باقل من القتلى.
15- و لم يكتف بذلك بل اجترا و
دخل الهيكل الذي هو اقدس موضع في الارض كلها و كان دليله منلاوس الخائن للشريعة
و الوطن.
16- و اخذ الانية المقدسة بيديه الدنستين مع
ما اهدته ملوك الاجانب لزينة الموضع و بهائه و كرامته و قبض عليها بيديه
النجستين و مضى.
17- فتشامخ انطيوكس في نفسه و لم يفطن الى ان
الله غضب حينا لاجل خطايا سكان المدينة و انه لذلك اهمل الموضع.
18- و لولا انهم انهمكوا بخطايا كثيرة لجلد
حال دخوله و ردع عن جسارته كما وقع لهليودورس الذي بعثه سلوقس الملك لافتقاد
الخزانة.
19- و لكن الرب لم يتخذ الامة لاجل الموضع بل
الموضع لاجل الامة.
20- و لذلك بعدما اشترك الموضع في مصائب الامة
عاد فاشترك في نعم الرب و بعدما خذله القدير في غضبه ادرك كل مجد عند توبته
تعالى.
21- و حمل انطيوكس من الهيكل الفا و ثماني مئة
قنطار و بادر الرجوع الى انطاكية و قد خيلت اليه كبرياؤه و تشامخ نفسه انه يقطع
البر بالسفن و البحر بالقدم.
22- و ترك عمالا يراغمون الامة منهم فيلبس في
اورشليم و هو فريجي الاصل و كان اشرس اخلاقا من الذي نصبه.
23- و اندرونكس في جرزيم و ايضا منلاوس الذي
كان اشد جورا على الرعية من كليهما.
24- ثم حمله ما كان عليه من المقت لرعايا
اليهود على ان ارسل ابلونيوس الرئيس البغيض في اثنين و عشرين الف جندي و امره ان
يذبح كل بالغ منهم و يبيع النساء و الصبيان.
25- فلما وفد الى اورشليم اظهر السلام و تربص
الى يوم السبت المقدس حتى اذا دخل اليهود في عطلتهم امر اصحابه بان يتسلحوا.
26- و ذبح جميع الخارجين للتفرج ثم اقتحم
المدينة بالسلاح و اهلك خلقا كثيرا.
27- و ان يهوذا المكابي كان قد انصرف الى
البرية و هو عاشر عشرة فلبث مع اصحابه في الجبال يعيشون عيشة الوحوش و ياكلون
العشب لئلا يشتركوا في النجاسة
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