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1 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.
2 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:
3 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:
4 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.
5 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.
6 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 ?
7 And
especially in the nights he went upon these expeditions, and the fame of his valour was spread abroad every where.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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:
11 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.
12 Now when
Judas found that Nicanor was coming, he imparted to
the Jews that were with him, that the enemy was at hand.
13 And some
of them being afraid, and distrusting the justice of God, fled away:
14 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:
15 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.
16 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:
17 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.
18 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.
19 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.
20 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.
21 With
these words they were greatly encouraged, and disposed even to die for the
laws and their country.
22 So he
appointed his brethren cap over each division of his army, Simon, and Joseph,
and Jonathan, giving to one fifteen hundred men.
23 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:
24 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.
25 And they
took the money of them that came to buy them, and they pursued them on every
side.
26 But they
came back for want of time: for it was the day before the sabbath:
and therefore they did not continue the pursuit.
27 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.
28 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.
29 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.
30 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.
31 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
:
32 They slew
also Philarches who was with Timotheus,
a wicked man, who had many ways afflicted the Jews.
33 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:
34 But as
for that most wicked man Nicanor, who had brought a
thousand merchants to the sale of the Jews,
35 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.
36 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.
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1- و كان يهوذا المكابي و من معه
يتسللون الى القرى و يندبون ذوي قرابتهم و يستضمون الذين ثبتوا على دين اليهود
حتى جمعوا ستة الاف.
2- و كانوا يبتهلون الى الرب ان ينظر الى شعبه
الذي اصبح يدوسه كل احد و يعطف على الهيكل الذي دنسه اهل النفاق.
3- و يرحم المدينة المتهدمة التي اشرفت على
الامحاء و يصغي الى صوت الدماء الصارخة اليه.
4- و يذكر اهلاك الاطفال الابرئاء ظلما و
التجاديف على اسمه و يجهر ببغضته للشر.
5- و لما اصبح المكابي في جيش لم تعد الامم
تثبت امامه اذ كان سخط الرب قد استحال الى رحمة.
6- فجعل يفاجئ المدن و القرى و يحرقها حتى اذا
استولى على مواضع توافقه تغلب على الاعداء في مواقع جمة.
7- و كان اكثر غاراته ليلا فذاع خبر شجاعته في
كل مكان.
8- فلما راى فيلبس ان الرجل اخذ
في التقدم شيئا فشيئا و قد اوتي الفوز في اكثر اموره كتب الى بطلماوس قائد بقاع
سورية فينيقية يساله المناجدة لصيانة مصالح الملك.
9- فاختار لساعته نكانور بن بتركلس من خواص
اصدقاء الملك و جعل تحت يده لفيفا من الامم يبلغ عشرين الفا ليستاصل ذرية اليهود
عن اخرهم و ضم اليه جرجياس و هو من القواد المحنكين في امر الحرب.
10- فرسم نكانور ان يؤخذ من مبيع سبي اليهود
الفا القنطار التي كانت للرومانيين على الملك.
11- و ارسل في الحال الى مدن الساحل يدعو الى
مشتري رقاب اليهود مسعرا كل تسعين رقبة بقنطار و لم يخطر له ما سيحل به من نقمة
القدير.
12- فاتصل بيهوذا خبر مقدم نكانور فاخبر الذين
معه بمجيء الجيش.
13- فبدا الذين خافوا و لم يثقوا بعدل الله
ينسابون كل واحد من مكانه.
14- و باع اخرون كل ما كان باقيا لهم و كانوا
يبتهلون الى الرب ان ينقذهم من نكانور الكافر الذي باعهم قبل الملتقى.
15- و ذلك ان لم يكن من اجلهم فمن اجل عهده مع
ابائهم و حرمة اسمه العظيم الذي هم مسمون به.
16- فحشد المكابي اصحابه و هم ستة الاف و
حرضهم ان لا يرتاعوا من الاعداء و لا يخافوا من كثرة الامم المجتمعة عليهم بغيا
و ان يقاتلوا بباس.
17- جاعلين نصب عيونهم الاهانة التي الحقوها
بالموضع المقدس عدوانا و ما انزلوه بالمدينة من القهر و العار مع نقض سنن الاباء.
18- و قال ان هؤلاء انما يتوكلون على سلاحهم و
جسارتهم و اما نحن فنتوكل على الله القدير الذي يستطيع في لمحة ان يبيد الثائرين
علينا بل العالم باسره.
19- ثم ذكر لهم النجدات التي امد بها اباؤهم و
ما كان من ابادة المئة و الخمسة و الثمانين الفا على عهد سنحاريب.
20- و الواقعة التي كانت لهم في بابل مع
الغلاطيين كيف برزوا للقتال و هم ثمانية الاف رجل و معهم اربعة الاف من
المكدونيين و كيف حين وهل المكدونيين اهلك اولئك الثمانية الالاف مئة و عشرين
الفا بالنجدة التي اوتها من السماء و عادوا بخير جزيل.
21- و بعدما شددهم بهذا الكلام حتى اضحوا
مستعدين للموت في سبيل الشريعة و الوطن قسمهم اربع فرق.
22- و اقام كل واحد من اخوته
سمعان و يوسف و يوناتان قائدا على فرقة و جعل تحت يده الفا و خمس مئة.
23- ثم امر العازار ان يتلو
عليهم الكتاب المقدس و جعل لهم كلمة السر نصرة الله ثم اتخذ قيادة الكتيبة
الاولى و حمل على نكانور.
24- فايدهم القدير فقتلوا من الاعداء ما يزيد
على تسعة الاف و تركوا اكثر جيش نكانور مجرحين مجدعي الاعضاء و الجاوا الجميع
الى الهزيمة.
25- و غنموا اموال الذين جاءوا لشرائهم ثم
تعقبوهم مسافة غير قصيرة.
26- الى ان حضرت الساعة فامسكوا و عادوا و قد
ادركوا السبت و لذلك لم يطيلوا تعقبهم.
27- و جمعوا اسلحة الاعداء و اخذوا اسلابهم ثم
حفظوا السبت و هم يباركون الرب كثيرا و يعترفون له اذ انقذهم ليعيدوا ذلك اليوم
و من عليهم باستئناف رحمته.
28- و لما انقضى السبت و زعوا على الضعفاء و
الارامل و اليتامى نصيبهم من الغنائم و اقتسموا الباقي بينهم و بين اولادهم.
29- و بعدما فرغوا من ذلك اقاموا صلاة عامة
سائلين الرب الرحيم ان يعود فيتوب على عبيده.
30- و قتلوا ما يزيد على عشرين
الفا من جيوش تيموتاوس و بكيديس و استولوا على حصون مشيدة و اقتسموا كثيرا من
الاسلاب جعلوها سهاما متساوية لهم و للضعفاء و اليتامى و الارامل و الشيوخ.
31- و لما جمعوا اسلحة العدو
رتبوا كل شيء في موضعه اللائق به و حملوا ما بقي من الغنائم الى اورشليم.
32- و قتلوا رئيس جيش تيموتاوس و كان رجلا
شديد النفاق الحق باليهود اضرارا كثيرة.
33- و بينا هم يحتفلون بالظفر في وطنهم احرقوا
كلستانيس و قوما معه في بيت كانوا قد فروا اليه و كانوا قد احرقوا الابواب
المقدسة فنالهم الجزاء الذي استوجبوه بكفرهم.
34- و اما نكانور الشديد الفجور الذي كان قد
استصحب معه الف تاجر لمشتري اليهود.
35- فلما راى الذين كان يحتقرهم قد اذلوه
بامداد الرب خلع ما عليه من الثياب الفاخرة و انساب في كبد البلاد منفردا كالابق
حتى لحق بانطاكية و هو متفجع غاية التفجع لانقراض جيشه.
36- و بعدما كان قد وعد الرومانيين بان يفيهم
الخراج من سبي اورشليم عاد يذيع ان اليهود لهم الله نصير و انهم لذلك لا يغلبون
اذ هم متبعون ما رسم لهم من الشرائع
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