2 Maccabees 15
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 15
Nicanor’s Blasphemy. 1 When Nicanor was informed that Judas and his troops were in the region of Samaria, he made plans to attack them on their day of rest when there would be no risk.[a] 2 Those Jews who had been forced to accompany him pleaded: “Do not massacre them in so savage and barbaric a fashion. Show respect for the day that the All-seeing has exalted and sanctified above all other days.” 3 At this, the thrice-accursed wretch asked if there was a sovereign in heaven who had commanded the observance of the Sabbath day. 4 When the Jews declared, “The living Lord himself, the ruler in heaven, ordered us to keep holy the seventh day,” 5 he replied, “And I am a sovereign on earth, and I command you to take up arms and carry out the king’s business.” Nevertheless, he did not succeed in carrying out his wicked plan.
Judas’s Humble Trust Is Contrasted with Nicanor’s Haughty Certainty.[b] 6 Nicanor, in his utter boastfulness and arrogance, had planned to erect a public monument of victory over Judas and his men. 7 However, Maccabeus remained confident, firm in his belief that he would receive help from the Lord. 8 He urged his troops to have no fear of the attack of the enemy but to keep in mind the help that they had received from Heaven in former times and to remain confident that victory would be theirs through the help of the Almighty. 9 He encouraged them by citing the Law and the Prophets,[c] and by reminding them of the struggles they had already survived in the past, he filled them with fresh enthusiasm. 10 When he had stirred up their courage, he issued his orders, reminding them at the same time of the treachery of the Gentiles and their violation of oaths. 11 Having armed each of them not so much with the protection of shield and spear as with the confidence aroused by brave words, he encouraged all of them by relating a dream, a type of vision, that was worthy of belief.
12 What he had seen was this: Onias, the former high priest, a good and noble man, modest in bearing, gentle in manner, eloquent in speech, and trained from childhood in every virtue, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole Jewish community. 13 Next, in the same fashion, another man appeared, distinguished by his great age and dignity, an impressive air of majesty and extraordinary authority. 14 Onias then began to speak. “This is God’s prophet Jeremiah,” he said, “who loves the family of Israel and fervently prays for his people and the holy city.” 15 Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and presented Judas with a gold sword. As he gave it to him, he said, 16 “Take this holy sword as a gift from God. With it you will crush your enemies.”
17 Preparations for Combat.[d] Encouraged by the noble words of Judas, which had the power to inspire valor and stir up courage in the hearts of the young, the Jews resolved not to delay but to bravely take the offensive and engage in hand-to-hand combat, inasmuch as their city, their holy things,[e] and their temple were in danger. 18 Their concern was not so much for their wives and children or their brothers and sisters and kindred as it was for the consecrated sanctuary. 19 Those who remained in the city experienced a similar anxiety, for they were anxious about the battle that was about to take place in the open country.
20 Everyone now awaited the moment of decision. The enemy was already mounting the attack, with their troops drawn up in battle formation, with their elephants deployed in strategic positions, and with the cavalry stationed on the flanks. 21 Observing the deployment of the troops, the variety of the weapons, and the savagery of the elephants, Maccabeus stretched out his hands toward heaven and called upon the Lord who works miracles, for he was well aware that it was not by force of arms but, as God himself decides, that victory is won by those who deserve it. 22 His prayer was in these words:
“You, O Lord, sent your angel in the days of King Hezekiah of Judea, and he slew at least one hundred and eighty-five thousand men of Sennacherib’s army. 23 Now, O Sovereign of the heavens, please send a good angel once again to go before us spreading terror and panic. 24 May these blasphemers who have come to attack your holy people be struck down by the might of your arm.” With these words he brought his prayer to a close.
25 The Gentiles Are Defeated.[f] Nicanor and his forces advanced to the sound of trumpets and songs of battle, 26 but Judas and his troops countered by engaging the enemy with invocations and prayers. 27 Fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they cut down at least thirty-five thousand men and greatly rejoiced over this manifestation of God’s power. 28 When the battle was over and they were joyfully departing, they recognized Nicanor lying dead in full armor. 29 Thereupon, they raised tumultuous shouts in their ancestral tongue in praise of the divine Sovereign.
30 Then Judas, who had devoted himself, body and soul, to the defense of his people and had maintained from his youth his love for his compatriots, ordered them to cut off Nicanor’s head and his whole right arm and carry them to Jerusalem. 31 When he arrived there and had called the people together and stationed the priests before the altar, he sent for those in the citadel 32 and showed them the head of the vile Nicanor and the wretched blasphemer’s arm that had been boastfully stretched out against the holy house of the Almighty. 33 He cut out the tongue of the godless Nicanor and swore that he would feed it piecemeal to the birds and hang up the rewards of his folly opposite the temple. 34 On hearing this, everyone looked to heaven and blessed the Lord for the manifestation of his divine power, saying, “Blessed be he who has preserved his own place from defilement.”
35 Judas hung Nicanor’s head from the citadel, a clear and evident sign to everyone of the help of the Lord. 36 By public vote it was unanimously decreed never to allow that day to pass unobserved, but to celebrate it on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, called Adar in Aramaic,[g] the eve of Mordecai’s day.
Author’s Epilogue
37 This, then, was the fate of Nicanor, and since that time, the city has remained in the possession of the Hebrews. Therefore, I will bring my own work to an end here too. 38 If it has been well written and to the point, that has been my purpose. If it is poorly done and mediocre, that is the best I can do. 39 For just as it is injurious to drink wine by itself or water by itself, whereas wine mixed with water produces a pleasant and delicious drink that enhances one’s enjoyment, so a skillful style used in presenting a story will delight the ears of those who read the work. Let this, then, be the end.
Footnotes
- 2 Maccabees 15:1 The Maccabees had decided to defend themselves even on the day of the Sabbath (see 1 Mac 2:32-41).
- 2 Maccabees 15:6 Judas expects little from armaments and everything from God; he also knows that he can rely on the prayer of the saints like the former high priest Onias III (see 2 Mac 3:1-40) and the prophet Jeremiah, who was regarded by the post-Exilic Jews as one of the greatest figures in their history (see 2 Mac 2:1; Mt 16:14). This concept is something new in the Old Testament—a clear belief in the intercession of the saints.
- 2 Maccabees 15:9 The Law and the Prophets were now regarded as Scripture and known as the “sacred books” (1 Mac 12:9). Not all the other Books had been collected at this time (see Prologue to Wisdom of Ben Sira: “the Law . . . , the Prophets, and the rest of the Books”).
- 2 Maccabees 15:17 North of Jerusalem, the pagan forces are deployed in impressive array. However, the Jews face them with the ardor that comes from heroic faith—with complete trust in God. Judas prays for a victory like the one that God granted the Jews over Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, in the time of Hezekiah (Isa 37:36; 2 Ki 19:35)—and his prayers are heard.
- 2 Maccabees 15:17 Holy things: the expression ta hagia usually designates the temple or the sanctuary. Here it seems obvious that it refers to religious institutions, to the laws on which the Jewish life was based.
- 2 Maccabees 15:25 Two armies and two civilizations confront one another: the battle songs of the Greeks are answered by the prayers of the Jews. In all probability the author is distorting the historical fact; he wishes to stress that the victory goes to the people of God. Judas reserves for the impious the fate that was assigned to blasphemers. From now on Israel will joyfully celebrate the anniversary of that memorable day: “Nicanor’s Day” instituted in February–March 160 B.C.
- 2 Maccabees 15:36 Adar in Aramaic: the last month of the Jewish year, corresponding approximately with our month of March. “Nicanor’s Day” was celebrated until A.D. 70 (when the Romans destroyed the temple) together with the “feast of Mordecai,” that is, Purim (Est 9:17-32).
