1 Maccabees 3

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

The Early Victories of Judas

3 Then Judas his son, who was called Maccabe′us, took command in his place. ² All his brothers and all who had joined his father helped him; they gladly fought for Israel.

¹⁰ But Apollo′nius gathered together Gentiles and a large force from Samar′ia to fight against Israel. ¹¹ When Judas learned of it, he went out to meet him, and he defeated and killed him. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled. ¹² Then they seized their spoils; and Judas took the sword of Apollo′nius, and used it in battle the rest of his life.

¹³ Now when Seron, the commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had gathered a large company, including a body of faithful men who stayed with him and went out to battle, ¹⁴ he said, “I will make a name for myself and win honor in the kingdom. I will make war on Judas and his companions, who scorn the king’s command.” ¹⁵ And again a strong army of ungodly men went up with him to help him, to take vengeance on the sons of Israel.

¹⁶ When he approached the ascent of Beth-hor′on, Judas went out to meet him with a small company. ¹⁷ But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, “How can we, few as we are, fight against so great and strong a multitude? And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing today.” ¹⁸ Judas replied, “It is easy for many to be hemmed in by few, for in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between saving by many or by few. ¹⁹ It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven. ²⁰ They come against us in great pride and lawlessness to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to despoil us; ²¹ but we fight for our lives and our laws. ²² He himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of them.”

²³ When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him. ²⁴ They pursued them^[b] down the descent of Beth-hor′on to the plain; eight hundred of them fell, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines. ²⁵ Then Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell upon the Gentiles round about them. ²⁶ His fame reached the king, and the Gentiles talked of the battles of Judas.

The Policy of Antiochus

²⁷ When king Anti′ochus heard these reports, he was greatly angered; and he sent and gathered all the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army. ²⁸ And he opened his coffers and gave a year’s pay to his forces, and ordered them to be ready for any need. ²⁹ Then he saw that the money in the treasury was exhausted, and that the revenues from the country were small because of the dissension and disaster which he had caused in the land by abolishing the laws that had existed from the earliest days. ³⁰ He feared that he might not have such funds as he had before for his expenses and for the gifts which he used to give more lavishly than preceding kings. ³¹ He was greatly perplexed in mind, and determined to go to Persia and collect the revenues from those regions and raise a large fund.

³² He left Lys′ias, a distinguished man of royal lineage, in charge of the king’s affairs from the river Euphra′tes to the borders of Egypt. ³³ Lys′ias was also to take care of Anti′ochus his son until he returned. ³⁴ And he turned over to Lys′ias^[c] half of his troops and the elephants, and gave him orders about all that he wanted done. As for the residents of Judea and Jerusalem, ³⁵ Lys′ias was to send a force against them to wipe out and destroy the strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem; he was to banish the memory of them from the place, ³⁶ settle aliens in all their territory, and distribute their land. ³⁷ Then the king took the remaining half of his troops and departed from Antioch his capital in the one hundred and forty-seventh year.^[d] He crossed the Euphra′tes river and went through the upper provinces.

Preparations for Battle

³⁸ Lys′ias chose Ptol′emy the son of Dorym′enes, and Nica′nor and Gor′gias, mighty men among the friends of the king, ³⁹ and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded. ⁴⁰ So they departed with their entire force, and when they arrived they encamped near Emma′us in the plain. ⁴¹ When the traders of the region heard what was said of them, they took silver and gold in immense amounts, and fetters,^[e] and went to the camp to get the sons of Israel for slaves. And forces from Syria and the land of the Philistines joined with them.

⁴² Now Judas and his brothers saw that misfortunes had increased and that the forces were encamped in their territory. They also learned what the king had commanded to do to the people to cause their final destruction. ⁴³ But they said to one another, “Let us repair the destruction of our people, and fight for our people and the sanctuary.” ⁴⁴ And the congregation assembled to be ready for battle, and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion.

⁴⁶ So they assembled and went to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because Israel formerly had a place of prayer in Mizpah. ⁴⁷ They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and rent their clothes. ⁴⁸ And they opened the book of the law to inquire into those matters about which the Gentiles were consulting the images of their idols. ⁴⁹ They also brought the garments of the priesthood and the first fruits and the tithes, and they stirred up the Naz′irites who had completed their days; ⁵⁰ and they cried aloud to Heaven, saying,

⁵⁴ Then they sounded the trumpets and gave a loud shout. ⁵⁵ After this Judas appointed leaders of the people, in charge of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens. ⁵⁶ And he said to those who were building houses, or were betrothed, or were planting vineyards, or were fainthearted, that each should return to his home, according to the law. ⁵⁷ Then the army marched out and encamped to the south of Emma′us.

⁵⁸ And Judas said, “Gird yourselves and be valiant. Be ready early in the morning to fight with these Gentiles who have assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary. ⁵⁹ It is better for us to die in battle than to see the misfortunes of our nation and of the sanctuary. ⁶⁰ But as his will in heaven may be, so he will do.”