2 Maccabees 10
The tenth chapter of 2
Maccabees is offered here in the Revised Standard version; the first
chapter can be found here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purification of the temple
Now
Maccabeus and his followers, the Lord leading them on, recovered the temple
and the city; 
and
they tore down the altars which had been built in the public square by
the foreigners, and also destroyed the sacred precincts. 
They
purified the sanctuary, and made another altar of sacrifice; then, striking
fire out of flint, they offered sacrifices, after a lapse of two years,
and they burned incense and lighted
lamps and set out the bread of the Presence. 
And
when they had done this, they fell prostrate and besought the Lord that
they might never again fall into such misfortunes, but that, if they should
ever sin, they might be disciplined by Him with forbearance and not be
handed over to blasphemous and barbarous nations.
It
happened that on the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned
by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that is,
on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was Kislev. 
And
they celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the
feast of booths, remembering how not long before, during the feast of booths,
they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals. 
Therefore
bearing ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm,
they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success to the
purifying of his own holy place. 
They
decreed by public ordinance and vote that the whole nation of the Jews
should observe these days every year.[1]
Such
then was the end of Antiochus,
who was called Epiphanes.
Continued war
Now we will tell what
took place under Antiochus
Eupator, who was the son of that ungodly man, and will give
a brief summary of the principal calamities of the wars. 
This
man, when he succeeded to the kingdom, appointed one Lysias to have charge
of the government and to be chief governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia. 
Ptolemy,
who was called Macron, took the lead in showing justice to the Jews because
of the wrong that had been done to them, and attempted to maintain peaceful
relations with them. 
As
a result he was accused before Eupator by the king's friends. He heard
himself called a traitor at every turn, because he had abandoned Cyprus,
which [Ptolemy VI] Philometor
had entrusted to him, and had gone over to Antiochus Epiphanes. Unable
to command the respect due his office, he took poison and ended his life.
When Gorgias became
governor of the region, he maintained a force of mercenaries, and at every
turn kept on warring against the Jews. 
Besides
this, the Idumeans, who had control of important strongholds, were harassing
the Jews; they received those who were banished from Jerusalem, and endeavored
to keep up the war.
But
Maccabeus and his men, after making solemn supplication and beseeching
God to fight on their side, rushed to the strongholds of the Idumeans. 
Attacking
them vigorously, they gained possession of the places, and beat off all
who fought upon the wall, and slew those whom they encountered, killing
no fewer than twenty thousand.
When no less than
nine thousand took refuge in two very strong towers well equipped to withstand
a siege, 
Maccabeus
left Simon and Joseph, and also Zacchaeus and his men, a force sufficient
to besiege them; and he himself set off for places where he was more urgently
needed. 
But the
men with Simon, who were money-hungry, were bribed by some of those who
were in the towers, and on receiving seventy thousand drachmas let some
of them slip away.
When word of what
had happened came to Maccabeus, he gathered the leaders of the people,
and accused these men of having sold their brethren for money by setting
their enemies free to fight against them. 
Then
he slew these men who had turned traitor, and immediately captured the
two towers. 
Having
success at arms in everything he undertook, he destroyed more than twenty
thousand in the two strongholds.
Death of Timothy
Now Timothy, who had
been defeated by the Jews before, gathered a tremendous force of mercenaries
and collected the cavalry from Asia in no small number. He came on, intending
to take Judea by storm. 
As
he drew near, Maccabeus and his men sprinkled dust upon their heads and
girded their loins with sackcloth, in supplication to God. 
Falling
upon the steps before the altar, they besought him to be gracious to them
and to be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their adversaries,
as the law declares. 
And
rising from their prayer they took up their arms and advanced a considerable
distance from the city; and when they came near to the enemy they halted.
Just as dawn was
breaking, the two armies joined battle, the one having as pledge of success
and victory not only their valor but their reliance upon the Lord, while
the other made rage their leader in the fight. 
When
the battle became fierce, there appeared to the enemy from heaven five
resplendent men on horses with golden bridles, and they were leading the
Jews. 
Surrounding
Maccabeus and protecting him with their own armor and weapons, they kept
him from being wounded. And they showered arrows and thunderbolts upon
the enemy, so that, confused and blinded, they were thrown into disorder
and cut to pieces. 
Twenty
thousand five hundred were slaughtered, besides six hundred horsemen.
Timothy himself
fled to a stronghold called Gazara, especially well garrisoned, where Chaereas
was commander. 
Then
Maccabeus and his men were glad, and they besieged the fort for four days. 
The
men within, relying on the strength of the place, blasphemed terribly and
hurled out wicked words. 
But
at dawn of the fifth day, twenty young men in the army of Maccabeus, fired
with anger because of the blasphemies, bravely stormed the wall and with
savage fury cut down every one they met. 
Others
who came up in the same way wheeled around against the defenders and set
fire to the towers; they kindled fires and burned the blasphemers alive.
Others broke open the gates and let in the rest of the force, and they
occupied the city. 
They
killed Timothy, who was hidden in a cistern, and his brother Chaereas,
and Apollophanes.
When they had accomplished
these things, with hymns and thanksgivings they blessed the Lord who shows
great kindness to Israel and gives them the victory.
>> to chapter 11 >>
Chanukah.
Latest revision: 7 December 2006
