2 Maccabees, 10

1. Now Maccabeus and his company, the Lord guiding them, recovered the temple and the city:

1. With God's help Maccabeus and his men seized the Temple and the city.

2. But the altars which the heathen had built in the open street, and also the chapels, they pulled down.

2. They destroyed the altars built by the foreigners in the public squares, as well as the sacred enclosures.

3. And having cleansed the temple they made another altar, and striking stones they took fire out of them, and offered a sacrifice after two years, and set forth incense, and lights, and shewbread.

3. After purifying the Temple, they built a new altar. They kindled fire from flint and for the first time in two years offered sacrifices. Once again, there were incense, lamps, and the bread of presence.

4. When that was done, they fell flat down, and besought the Lord that they might come no more into such troubles; but if they sinned any more against him, that he himself would chasten them with mercy, and that they might not be delivered unto the blasphemous and barbarous nations.

4. Having done all this they threw themselves flat on the ground and asked the Lord not to send them such calamities anymore. But if they should sin again, they asked that he would correct them with gentleness and not hand them over again into the hands of blasphemous and ferocious foreigners.

5. Now upon the same day that the strangers profaned the temple, on the very same day it was cleansed again, even the five and twentieth day of the same month, which is Casleu.

5. The purification of the Temple took place on the same date on which the foreigners had profaned it, that is, on the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev.

6. And they kept the eight days with gladness, as in the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts.

6. For eight days they celebrated the feast with rejoicing, in the same way that they celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles remembering how, not long before on that same date, they were dwelling in the mountains and caves like wild animals.

7. Therefore they bare branches, and fair boughs, and palms also, and sang psalms unto him that had given them good success in cleansing his place.

7. Then, carrying leafy branches and palms, they chanted hymns to Him who had brought the cleansing of his own Holy Place to a happy end.

8. They ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days should be kept of the whole nation of the Jews.

8. They also decided by public vote that this event would be commemorated annually by the whole Jewish nation.

9. And this was the end of Antiochus, called Epiphanes.

9. This is all that refers to the death of Antiochus, called Epiphanes.

10. Now will we declare the acts of Antiochus Eupator, who was the son of this wicked man, gathering briefly the calamities of the wars.

10. We shall now proceed to narrate the events that happened under Antiochus Eupator, son of the impious, and to relate briefly the calamities brought about by the war.

11. So when he was come to the crown, he set one Lysias over the affairs of his realm, and appointed him his chief governor of Celosyria and Phenice.

11. In fact, once he inherited the kingdom, he appointed Lysias to be in charge of his affairs and to act as high commissioner for Coele-Syria and Phoenicia.

12. For Ptolemeus, that was called Macron, choosing rather to do justice unto the Jews for the wrong that had been done unto them, endeavoured to continue peace with them.

12. Now Ptolemy, called Macron, was the first governor to do justice to the Jews. He was upset by injustices done against them, so he tried to solve all their problems satisfactorily.

13. Whereupon being accused of the king's friends before Eupator, and called traitor at every word because he had left Cyprus, that Philometor had committed unto him, and departed to Antiochus Epiphanes, and seeing that he was in no honourable place, he was so discouraged, that he poisoned himself and died.

13. But the Friends of King Eupator made use of this to accuse him before the king. They continually called him a traitor, reminding him that he had once abandoned the land of Cyprus, which had been entrusted to him by Philometor, in order to go over to Antiochus Epiphanes. Since he could not discharge his high office with dignity, he was driven to despair and committed suicide by poisoning himself.

14. But when Gorgias was governor of the holds, he hired soldiers, and nourished war continually with the Jews:

14. It was then that Gorgias was appointed military commissioner of those regions, and began to stir up war against the Jews by any means.

15. And therewithall the Idumeans, having gotten into their hands the most commodious holds, kept the Jews occupied, and receiving those that were banished from Jerusalem, they went about to nourish war.

15. On the other hand, the Idumeans had strong fortresses and harassed the Jews. Gathering the fugitives from Jerusalem, they managed to prolong the war.

16. Then they that were with Maccabeus made supplication, and besought God that he would be their helper; and so they ran with violence upon the strong holds of the Idumeans,

16. The men of Maccabeus, after praying and asking the Lord to come and fight at their side, attacked the fortresses of the Idumeans.

17. And assaulting them strongly, they won the holds, and kept off all that fought upon the wall, and slew all that fell into their hands, and killed no fewer than twenty thousand.

17. They carried on with their assaults and the place fell into their power. They repelled those who fought on the ramparts, slaughtered all who fell into their hands, and killed more than twenty thousand men.

18. And because certain, who were no less than nine thousand, were fled together into two very strong castles, having all manner of things convenient to sustain the siege,

18. At least nine thousand men took refuge in the two towers that were strongly fortified with everything they needed to withstand a prolonged siege.

19. Maccabeus left Simon and Joseph, and Zaccheus also, and them that were with him, who were enough to besiege them, and departed himself unto those places which more needed his help.

19. Maccabeus left Simon, Joseph, and also Zaccheus and his men in sufficient numbers to sustain the siege, and went off to where his presence was more needed.

20. Now they that were with Simon, being led with covetousness, were persuaded for money through certain of those that were in the castle, and took seventy thousand drachms, and let some of them escape.

20. Yet the men of Simon were tempted by greed, and let themselves be bought with the silver of those in the towers. So in exchange for sixty thousand pieces of silver, they allowed a number of them to escape.

21. But when it was told Maccabeus what was done, he called the governors of the people together, and accused those men, that they had sold their brethren for money, and set their enemies free to fight against them.

21. As soon as Maccabeus learned this, he assembled the leaders of the people and accused those men of having sold their brothers for money by letting their enemies escape.

22. So he slew those that were found traitors, and immediately took the two castles.

22. He condemned them to death as traitors, and proceeded at once to capture the towers.

23. And having good success with his weapons in all things he took in hand, he slew in the two holds more than twenty thousand.

23. He killed more than twenty thousand men in those two towers, successfully bringing to an end the undertaking they had begun.

24. Now Timotheus, whom the Jews had overcome before, when he had gathered a great multitude of foreign forces, and horses out of Asia not a few, came as though he would take Jewry by force of arms.

24. Timothy, who had been defeated before by the Jews, gathered together an enormous number of foreign troops and a great number of horses from Asia. He appeared in Judea in order to conquer it by force of arms.

25. But when he drew near, they that were with Maccabeus turned themselves to pray unto God, and sprinkled earth upon their heads, and girded their loins with sackcloth,

25. Before his attack, the men of Maccabeus sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth as a means of entreating God.

26. And fell down at the foot of the altar, and besought him to be merciful to them, and to be an enemy to their enemies, and an adversary to their adversaries, as the law declareth.

26. They bowed at the foot of the altar and asked God to treat them well and to be the enemy of their enemies, the adversary of their adversaries, as written in the Law.

27. So after the prayer they took their weapons, and went on further from the city: and when they drew near to their enemies, they kept by themselves.

27. After praying, they armed themselves and advanced from the city. They stopped when they came close to the enemy.

28. Now the sun being newly risen, they joined both together; the one part having together with their virtue their refuge also unto the Lord for a pledge of their success and victory: the other side making their rage leader of their battle

28. Right at daybreak, they attacked from both sides. One side placed their confidence in their Lord as the pledge of success and victory besides their bravery, while the others were moved by hatred.

29. But when the battle waxed strong, there appeared unto the enemies from heaven five comely men upon horses, with bridles of gold, and two of them led the Jews,

29. When the battle was at its height, there appeared from heaven before the enemies, five radiant men riding on horses with golden bridles, who put themselves at the head of the Jews.

30. And took Maccabeus betwixt them, and covered him on every side weapons, and kept him safe, but shot arrows and lightnings against the enemies: so that being confounded with blindness, and full of trouble, they were killed.

30. They surrounded Maccabeus and defended him with their weapons, making him invulnerable. At the same time, they rained arrows and thunderbolts on the enemy, who in turn fell and were dispersed in great disorder, blinded and confused.

31. And there were slain of footmen twenty thousand and five hundred, and six hundred horsemen.

31. Twenty thousand five hundred infantrymen and six hundred horsemen died.

32. As for Timotheus himself, he fled into a very strong hold, called Gawra, where Chereas was governor.

32. Timothy took refuge in a heavily guarded fortress called Gezer where Chereas was in command.

33. But they that were with Maccabeus laid siege against the fortress courageously four days.

33. The forces of Maccabeus gallantly besieged the fortress for four days.

34. And they that were within, trusting to the strength of the place, blasphemed exceedingly, and uttered wicked words.

34. Those within were confident in the strength of the fortress, so they hurled insults and curses at the Jews.

35. Nevertheless upon the fifth day early twenty young men of Maccabeus' company, inflamed with anger because of the blasphemies, assaulted the wall manly, and with a fierce courage killed all that they met withal.

35. At daybreak on the fifth day, twenty young men from the troops of Maccabeus, enraged by the blasphemies they had been hearing, bravely stormed the wall and with brutal fury killed everyone who stood before them.

36. Others likewise ascending after them, whiles they were busied with them that were within, burnt the towers, and kindling fires burnt the blasphemers alive; and others broke open the gates, and, having received in the rest of the army, took the city,

36. Others took advantage of this diversion to climb the walls and set fire to the towers. They made bonfires and burned the blasphemers alive. Others destroyed the gates while the rest of the army entered to occupy the city.

37. And killed Timotheus, that was hid in a certain pit, and Chereas his brother, with Apollophanes.

37. They killed Timothy who had hidden in a well, and his brother Chereas, and Apollophanes.

38. When this was done, they praised the Lord with psalms and thanksgiving, who had done so great things for Israel, and given them the victory.

38. When all this was over, they chanted hymns and praises to the Lord who had exalted Israel and had given them victory.