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1 But after the space of three years
Judas, and they that were with him, understood that Demetrius the son of Seleucus was come up with a great power, and a navy by
the haven of Tripolis to places proper for his
purpose.
2 And had made himself master of the
countries against Antiochus, and his general Lysias.
3 Now one Alcimus,
who had been chief priest, but had wilfully defiled
himself in the time of mingling with the heathens, seeing that there was no
safety for him, nor access to the altar,
4 Came to king Demetrius in the year one
hundred and fifty, presenting unto him a crown of gold, and a palm, and
besides these, some boughs which seemed to belong to the temple. And that day
indeed he held his peace.
5 But having gotten a convenient time to
further his madness, being called to counsel by Demetrius, and asked what the
Jews relied upon, and what were their counsels,
6 He answered thereunto: They among the
Jews that are called Assideans, of whom Judas Machabeus is captain, nourish wars, and raise seditions,
and will not suffer the realm to be in peace.
7 For I also being deprived of my
ancestors' glory (I mean of the high priesthood) am now come hither:
8 Principally indeed out of fidelity to
the king's interests, but in the next place also to provide for the good of
my countrymen: for all our nation suffereth much
from the evil proceedings of those men.
9 Wherefore, 0 king, seeing thou know- eat all
these things, take care, I beseech thee, both of the country, and of our
nation, according to thy humanity which is known to all men,
10 For as long as Judas liveth,
it is not possible that the state should be quiet.
11 Now when this man had spoken to this
effect, the rest also of the king's friends, who were enemies of Judas,
incensed Demetrius against him.
12 And forthwith he sent Nicanor,
the commander over the elephants, governor into Judea:
13 Giving him in charge, to take Judas
himself: and disperse all them that were with him, and to make Alcimus the high priest of the great temple.
14 Then the Gentiles who had fled out of Judea
from Judas, came to Nicanor by docks, thinking the
miseries and calamities of the Jews to be the welfare of their affairs.
15 Now when the Jews heard of Nicanor's coming, and that the nations were assembled
against them, they cast earth upon their heads, and made supplication to him,
who chose his people to keep them for ever, and who
protected his portion by evident signs.
16 Then at the commandment of their captain,
they forthwith removed from the place where they were, and went to the town
of Dessau, to meet them.
17 Now Simon the brother of Judas had joined
battle with Nicanor, but was frightened with the
sudden coming of the adversaries.
18 Nevertheless Nicanor
hearing of the valour of Judas' companions, and the
greatness of courage with which they fought for their country, was afraid to
try the matter by the sword.
19 Wherefore he sent Posidonius,
and Theodotius, and Matthias before to pre- sent and
receive the right hands.
20 And when there had been a consultation
thereupon, and the captain had acquainted the multitude with it, the) were
all of one mind to consent to covenants.
21 So they appointed a day upon which they
might commune together by them- selves: and seats were brought out, and set
for each one.
22 But Judas ordered men to be ready in
convenient places, lest some mischief might he suddenly practised
by the enemies: so they made an agreeable conference.
23 And Nicanor abode
in Jerusalem, and did no wrong, but sent away the flocks of the multitudes
that had been gathered together.
24 And Judas was always dear to him from the
heart, and he was well affected to the man.
25 And he desired him to marry a wife, and to
have children. So he married: he lived quietly, and they lived in common.
26 But Alcimus
seeing the love they had one to another, and the covenants, came to
Demetrius, and told him that Nicanor assented to
the foreign interest, for that he meant to make Judas, who was a traitor to
the kingdom, his successor.
27 Then the king being in a rage and provoked
with this man's wicked accusations, wrote to Nicanor,
signifying, that he was greatly displeased with the covenant of friendship:
and that he commanded him nevertheless to send Machabeus
prisoner in all haste to Antioch.
28 When this was known, Nicanor
was in a consternation, and took it grievously that he should make void the
articles that were agreed upon, having received no injury from the man.
29 But because he could not oppose the king,
he watched an opportunity to comply with the orders.
30 But when Machabeus
perceived that Nicanor was more stern to him, and
that when they met together as usual he behaved himself in a rough manner:
and was sensible that this rough behaviour came not
of good, he gathered together a few of his men, and hid himself from Nicanor.
31 But he finding himself notably pre- vented
by the man, came to the great and holy temple: and commanded the priests that
were offering the accustomed sacrifices, to deliver him the man.
32 And when they swore unto him, that they
knew not where the man was whom he sought, he stretched out his hand to the
temple,
33 And swore, saying: Unless you de- liver
Judas prisoner to me, I will lay this temple of God even with the ground, and
will beat down the altar, and I will dedicate this temple to Bacchus.
34 And when he had spoken thus he departed.
But the priests stretching forth their hands to heaven, called upon him that
was ever the defender of their nation, saying in this manner:
35 Thou, O Lord of all things, who wantest nothing, wast pleased
that the temple of thy habitation should be amongst us.
36 Therefore now, 0 Lord the holy of all holies,
keep this house for ever undefiled which was lately cleansed.
37 Now Razias, one
of the ancients of Jerusalem, was accused to Nicanor,
a man that was a lover of the city, and of good report, who for his affection
was called the father of the Jews.
38 This man, for a long time, had held fast his
purpose of keeping himself pure in the Jews' religion, and was ready to
expose his body and life, that he might persevere therein.
39 So Nicanor
being willing to declare the hatred that he bore the Jews, sent five hundred
soldiers to take him.
40 For he thought by insnaring
him to hurt the Jews very much.
41 Now as the multitude sought to rush into
his house, and to break open the door, and to set fire to it, when he was
ready to be taken, he struck himself with his sword:
42 Choosing to die nobly rather than to
fall into the hands of the wicked, and to suffer abuses unbecoming his noble
birth.
43 But whereas through haste he missed of
giving himself a sure wound, and the crowd was breaking into the doors, he
ran boldly to the wall, and manfully threw himself down to the crowd:
44 But they quickly making room for his
fall, he came upon the midst of the neck.
45 And as he had yet breath in him, being
inflamed in mind he arose: and while his blood ran down with a great stream,
and he was grievously wounded, he ran through the crowd:
46 And standing upon a steep rock, when he
was now almost without blood, grasping his bowels with both hands, he cast
them upon the throng, calling upon the Lord of life and spirit, to restore
these to him again: and so he departed this life.
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1- و بعد مدة ثلاث سنين بلغ
اصحاب يهوذا ان ديمتريوس بن سلوقس قد ركب البحر من ميناء طرابلس بجيش كثيف و
اسطول.
2- و استولى على البلاد بعد ما قتل انطيوكس و
ليسياس وكيله.
3- و ان الكيمس الذي كان قد قلد الكهنوت
الاعظم ثم انقاد الى النجاسة ايام الاختلاط ايقن ان لا خلاص له البتة و لا سبيل
الى ارتقاء المذبح المقدس.
4- فاتى ديمتريوس الملك في السنة المئة و
الحادية و الخمسين و اهدى اليه اكليلا من ذهب و سعفة و اغصانا من زيتون مما يختص
بالهيكل و بقي في ذلك اليوم ساكتا.
5- ثم اصاب فرصة توافق رعونة مقاصده فان
ديمتريوس دعاه الى ديوانه و ساله عن احوال اليهود و ما في نياتهم.
6- فقال ان الحسيديين من اليهود الذين عليهم
يهوذا المكابي لا يزالون في الحروب و الفتن و لا يدعون للملكة راحة.
7- و هاءنذا قد سلبت كرامة ابائي اعني الكهنوت
الاعظم فقدمت الى هنا.
8- اولا لاوفي خدمتي فيما ياول الى مصلحة
الملك و ثانيا للسعي في مصلحة قومي لان سفه اولئك الناس قد انزل بامتنا البلاء
الشديد.
9- فاذ قد اطلعت ايها الملك على تفصيل ذلك
فالتفت الى بلادنا و امتنا المبغي عليها بما فيك من الرفق و الاحسان الى الجميع.
10- فانه ما دام يهوذا باقيا فمن المحال ان
تكون الاحوال في دعة.
11- و لما اتم مقاله جعل سائر اصدقاء ديمتريوس
و هم اعداء ليهوذا و يوغرونه عليه.
12- فاستحضر من ساعته نكانور مدبر الفيلة و
اقامه قائدا على اليهودية و ارسله.
13- و امره ان يقتل يهوذا و يبدد اصحابه و
يقيم الكيمس كاهنا اعظم للهيكل الشهير.
14- فاخذ الامم الذين في اليهودية يفرون عن
يهوذا و ينضمون افواجا الى نكانور و هم يعدون نكبات اليهود و رزاياهم حظا لهم.
15- و لما بلغ اليهود قدوم
نكانور و انضمام الامم اليه حثوا التراب على رؤوسهم و ابتهلوا الى الذي اقام
شعبه ليبقى مدى الدهر مدافعا عن ميراثه بايات بينة.
16- ثم امرهم القائد فبادروا المسير من هناك و
التقوهم عند قرية دساو.
17- و كان سمعان اخو يهوذا قد نازل نكانور
فجاءته نجدة على حين بغتة فادركه بعض الفشل.
18- و لكن لما سمع نكانور بما
ابداه اصحاب يهوذا من الباس و البسالة في مدافعاتهم عن الوطن اشفق من ان يفصل
الامر بالسلاح.
19- فارسل بوسيدونيوس و تاودوتس و متتيا لعرض
الصلح و امضائه.
20- فبحثوا في الامر طويلا و عرض القائد ذلك
على الجمهور فاجمعوا كلهم على راي واحد و قبلوا العهد.
21- و عينوا يوما يواجهونهم فيه سرا فاقبل
نكانور و جيء بالكراسي من الجانبين.
22- و اقام يهوذا رجالا متسلحين متاهبين في
المواضع الموافقة مخافة ان يدهمهم الاعداء بشر ثم تفاوضوا و عقدوا الاتفاق.
23- و اقام نكانور باورشليم لا ياتي منكرا و
اطلق الجيوش التي اجتمعت اليه افواجا.
24- و كان كثير التردد الى يهوذا و صبا اليه
بقلبه.
25- و حثه على الزواج و الاستيلاد فتزوج و لبث
في راحة و طيب عيش.
26- و لما راى الكيمس ما هما فيه
من التصافي و التعاهد عاد فاتى الى ديمتريوس و قال ان نكانور يرى في الامور راي
الفساد و انه قد عين في موضعه يهوذا الكامن للملكة كاهنا اعظم.
27- فاستشاط الملك غضبا و وغر صدره بسعاية ذلك
الفاجر فكتب الى نكانور يقول انه ساخط من ذلك العهد و يامره بان يبادر الى ارسال
المكابي مقيدا الى انطاكية.
28- فلما وقف نكانور على ذلك ادركته الحيرة و
صعب عليه ان ينقض عهده و لم ير من الرجل ظلما.
29- و لكن اذ لم يجد سبيلا الى مقاومة الملك
تربص فرصة ليمضي الامر بالمكيدة.
30- و راى المكابي ان نكانور قد تغير عليه و
لم يعد يتلقاه ببشاشته المالوفة ففطن ان هذا التغير ليس عن خير فجمع عددا من
اصحابه و تغيب عن نكانور.
31- فلما راى نكانور ان الرجل قد سبقه بحزمه و
دهائه انطلق الى الهيكل العظيم المقدس و كان الكهنة يقدمون الذبائح على عادتهم
فامرهم ان يسلموا اليه الرجل.
32- فاقسموا و قالوا انهم لا يعلمون اين الذي
يطلبه فمد يمينه على الهيكل.
33- و اقسم قائلا لئن لم تسلموا الي يهوذا
موثقا لاهدمن بيت الله هذا الى الارض و لاقلعن المذبح و اشيدن هنا هيكلا شهيرا
لديونيسيوس.
34- قال هذا و انصرف فرفع الكهنة ايديهم الى
السماء و دعوا من هو نصير امتنا على الدوام قائلين.
35- يا من هو رب الجميع الغني عن كل شيء لقد
حسن لديك ان يكون هيكل سكناك فيما بيننا.
36- فالان ايها الرب يا قدوس كل قداسة صن هذا
البيت الذي قد طهر عن قليل و احفظه طاهرا الى الابد.
37- و كان في اورشليم شيخ اسمه
رازيس و هو رجل محب لوطنه محمود السمعة يسمى بابي اليهود لما كان عنده من الغيرة
عليهم فوشي به الى نكانور.
38- و كان فيما سلف من ايام الاختلاط مخلص
التمسك بدين اليهود و لم يزل يبذل جسمه و نفسه في سبيل الدين.
39- و اراد نكانور ان يبدي ما كان عنده من
الحنق على اليهود فارسل اكثر من خمس مئة جندي ليقبضوا عليه.
40- لاعتقاده انه ان امسكه فقد
انزل بهم مصيبة عظيمة.
41- فلما راى الجنود قد اوشكوا
ان يستولوا على البرج و يفتحوا باب الدار و قد اطلقوا النار لاحراق الابواب و
اصبح محاطا من كل جانب وجا نفسه بالسيف.
42- و اختار ان يموت بكرامة و لا يصير في ايدي
المجرمين و يشتم بما لا يليق باصله الكريم.
43- و لكنه لعجلته اخطا المقتل و اذ كانت
الجنود قد هجمت الى داخل الابواب رقي الى السور بقلب جليد و القى بنفسه من فوق
الجنود.
44- فانفرجوا لحينهم فسقط في وسط الفرجة.
45- و اذ كان به رمق و قد اشتعلت فيه الحمية
قام و دمه يتفجر كالينبوع و جراحه بالغة و اخترق الجنود عدوا.
46- و استولى قائما على صخرة عالية و قد نزف
دمه ثم اخرج امعاءه و حملها بيديه و طرحها على الجند و دعا رب الحياة و الروح ان
يردهما عليه ثم فاضت نفسه
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