1 Maccabees, 1

1. And it happened, after that Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his stead, the first over Greece,

1. Everything began with the conquests of Alexander the first, son of Philip, the Macedonian. Setting out from Greece, he killed Darius, king of the Persians and the Medes. Being already King of Greece, he took the throne of Darius.

2. And made many wars, and won many strong holds, and slew the kings of the earth,

2. After fighting many battles, conquering strongholds and putting to death the kings of those nations,

3. And went through to the ends of the earth, and took spoils of many nations, insomuch that the earth was quiet before him; whereupon he was exalted and his heart was lifted up.

3. he reached the ends of the earth and plundered several nations. And when the world became quiet and subject to his power, he became proud.

4. And he gathered a mighty strong host and ruled over countries, and nations, and kings, who became tributaries unto him.

4. He gathered a strong army, ruled over provinces and nations, and rulers paid him taxes.

5. And after these things he fell sick, and perceived that he should die.

5. But he fell sick, and knowing he was going to die,

6. Wherefore he called his servants, such as were honourable, and had been brought up with him from his youth, and parted his kingdom among them, while he was yet alive.

6. he summoned his generals and the noblemen who had been brought up with him from his youth; and while still alive, he divided his kingdom among them.

7. So Alexander reigned twelves years, and then died.

7. Alexander had reigned for twelve years when he died.

8. And his servants bare rule every one in his place.

8. His generals assumed power, each one in the region assigned to him.

9. And after his death they all put crowns upon themselves; so did their sons after them many years: and evils were multiplied in the earth.

9. And immediately after Alexander's death, they made themselves kings and their sons after them, filling the earth with evil for many years.

10. And there came out of them a wicked root Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been an hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred and thirty and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

10. From their descendants there came a godless offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus, who had been held as hostage in Rome. He became king in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the Greek era, (175 B.C.).

11. In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us: for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow.

11. It was then that some rebels emerged from Israel, who succeeded in winning over many people. They said, "Let us renew contact with the peoples around us for we have had endured many misfortunes since we separated from them."

12. So this device pleased them well.

12. This proposal was well-received

13. Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them licence to do after the ordinances of the heathen:

13. and some eagerly went to the king. The king authorized them to adopt the customs of the pagan nations.

14. Whereupon they built a place of exercise at Jerusalem according to the customs of the heathen:

14. With his permission, they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem in the pagan style.

15. And made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mischief.

15. And as they wanted to be like the pagans in everything, they made artificial foreskins for themselves and abandoned the Holy Covenant, sinning as they pleased.

16. Now when the kingdom was established before Antiochus, he thought to reign over Egypt that he might have the dominion of two realms.

16. When Antiochus felt confident of his power, he decided to seize Egypt and rule over the two nations.

17. Wherefore he entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots, and elephants, and horsemen, and a great navy,

17. He entered Egypt with a strong army, with chariots of war, elephants, horses and a great fleet

18. And made war against Ptolemee king of Egypt: but Ptolemee was afraid of him, and fled; and many were wounded to death.

18. and attacked Ptolemy, king of Egypt. Ptolemy had to retreat and was defeated, and many of his men died.

19. Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt and he took the spoils thereof.

19. The victors seized the fortified cities of Egypt and plundered the land.

20. And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude,

20. In the year one hundred and forty-three (169 B.C.), when Antiochus returned after defeating Egypt, he passed through Israel and went up to Jerusalem with a strong army.

21. And entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof,

21. He arrogantly broke into the sanctuary and removed the golden altar, the lampstand for the light with all its accessories,

22. And the table of the shewbread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials. and the censers of gold, and the veil, and the crown, and the golden ornaments that were before the temple, all which he pulled off.

22. the table for the bread of offering, the libation vessels, the cups, the golden censers, the curtains and the crowns, and stripped away all the decorations, the golden moldings that used to cover the Temple entrance.

23. He took also the silver and the gold, and the precious vessels: also he took the hidden treasures which he found.

23. He also took possession of the silver, gold, valuable objects and all the hidden treasures he could find.

24. And when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great massacre, and spoken very proudly.

24. He took everything with him and left for his country, after shedding much blood and making arrogant statements.

25. Therefore there was a great mourning in Israel, in every place where they were;

25. There was great mourning throughout the land of Israel:

26. So that the princes and elders mourned, the virgins and young men were made feeble, and the beauty of women was changed.

26. The leaders and the elders groaned, young men and maidens lost courage, and women grew pale;

27. Every bridegroom took up lamentation, and she that sat in the marriage chamber was in heaviness,

27. bridegrooms sang lamentations, and the young bride wept in her marriage-bed.

28. The land also was moved for the inhabitants thereof, and all the house of Jacob was covered with confusion.

28. The earth quaked, in sorrow for its inhabitants, and all the people of Jacob were humiliated.

29. And after two years fully expired the king sent his chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Juda, who came unto Jerusalem with a great multitude,

29. After two years, the king sent to the cities of Judah the chief tax collector and he came to Jerusalem with a strong army.

30. And spake peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit: for when they had given him credence, he fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people of Israel.

30. He spoke to the people with words of peace in order to deceive them. But when he had gained their confidence, he suddenly fell on the city and dealt it a terrible blow, killing many Israelites.

31. And when he had taken the spoils of the city, he set it on fire, and pulled down the houses and walls thereof on every side.

31. He plundered the city, burning and destroying the palaces and the surrounding walls.

32. But the women and children took they captive, and possessed the cattle.

32. He took women and children captive and seized the livestock.

33. Then builded they the city of David with a great and strong wall, and with mighty towers, and made it a strong hold for them.

33. Then they rebuilt the city of David with a high and solid wall protected by strong towers, and this became their fortress.

34. And they put therein a sinful nation, wicked men, and fortified themselves therein.

34. There they set evil men and apostates who defended it.

35. They stored it also with armour and victuals, and when they had gathered together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid them up there, and so they became a sore snare:

35. They stored up weapons and provisions, and everything they looted in the city, posing a constant threat.

36. For it was a place to lie in wait against the sanctuary, and an evil adversary to Israel.

36. It became an ambush for the sanctuary, a grave and constant threat to Israel.

37. Thus they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled it:

37. They shed innocent blood around the sanctuary and defiled the sanctuary itself.

38. Insomuch that the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them: whereupon the city was made an habitation of strangers, and became strange to those that were born in her; and her own children left her.

38. The inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them. She became a colony of strangers, and was a stranger to her children who abandoned her.

39. Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach her honour into contempt.

39. Her sanctuary became empty as the desert, her feasts became days of mourning, her Sabbaths were ridiculed, and her fame became an object of contempt.

40. As had been her glory, so was her dishonour increased, and her excellency was turned into mourning.

40. As her glory had been great, so now was her dishonor, for her greatness was turned into grief.

41. Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people,

41. Antiochus issued a decree to his whole kingdom.

42. And every one should leave his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king.

42. All the peoples of his empire had to renounce their particular customs and become one people.

43. Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the sabbath.

43. All the pagan nations obeyed and respected the king's decree, and even in Israel many accepted the imposed cult. They offered sacrifices to idols and no longer respected the Sabbath.

44. For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Juda that they should follow the strange laws of the land,

44. The King sent messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judea to carry the decree which imposed strange customs.

45. And forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the temple; and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival days:

45. In accordance with it, burnt offerings, sacrifices and other offerings in the sanctuary were suppressed. It also ordered that Sabbaths and sacred feasts be like ordinary days.

46. And pollute the sanctuary and holy people:

46. The sanctuary and its ministers were no longer to be regarded sacred,

47. Set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine's flesh, and unclean beasts:

47. instead, altars, sacred enclosures and temples were to be dedicated to idols. They were to offer pigs and unclean animals in sacrifice,

48. That they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation:

48. and not perform on their sons the rite of circumcision. To sum up, they were to defile themselves by all kinds of impurity and profanity

49. To the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances.

49. in order to forget the Law and change all their customs.

50. And whosoever would not do according to the commandment of the king, he said, he should die.

50. The decree finally declared: "Anyone who does not fulfill the king's order shall die."

51. In the selfsame manner wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed overseers over all the people, commanding the cities of Juda to sacrifice, city by city.

51. The king published this obligation throughout the province and inspectors appointed by him went around the land of Judea. They saw to it that sacrifices were offered in all cities.

52. Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit every one that forsook the law; and so they committed evils in the land;

52. Many Israelites joined them, abandoned the Law and committed countless evils

53. And drove the Israelites into secret places, even wheresoever they could flee for succour.

53. obliging the true Israelites to find places of refuge to hide themselves.

54. Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side;

54. On the fifteenth day of the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five, Antiochus erected the "abominable idol of the invaders" on the altar of the temple. Pagan altars were built throughout the whole land of Judea;

55. And burnt incense at the doors of their houses, and in the streets.

55. incense was offered at the doors of their houses and in the squares.

56. And when they had rent in pieces the books of the law which they found, they burnt them with fire.

56. There wicked men tore up the books of the Law they found and burned them.

57. And whosoever was found with any the book of the testament, or if any committed to the law, the king's commandment was, that they should put him to death.

57. They killed anyone they caught in possession of the book of the Covenant and who fulfilled the precepts of the Law, as the royal decree had ordered.

58. Thus did they by their authority unto the Israelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities.

58. And being men in power, they pursued the Israelite rebels they found month after month in the cities.

59. Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God.

59. On the twenty-fifth day of every month, they offered their sacrifices on the new altar they had built upon the altar of the Temple.

60. At which time according to the commandment they put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised.

60. The women who, in defiance of the decree, had the rite of circumcision performed on their children, were put to death with their babies hung around their necks.

61. And they hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houses, and slew them that had circumcised them.

61. Their families and all who had taken part in the circumcision were also put to death.

62. Howbeit many in Israel were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing.

62. But in spite of all this, many Israelites still remained firm and determined not to eat unclean food.

63. Wherefore the rather to die, that they might not be defiled with meats, and that they might not profane the holy covenant: so then they died.

63. They preferred to die rather than to make themselves unclean with those foods (prohibited by the Law) that violated the Holy Covenant.

64. And there was very great wrath upon Israel.

64. And Israel suffered a very great trial.