Page 1231 - bible

First Book of Machabees 1225

ful prophet: to all the people:
42 And that he should be chief over them, 2 And the contents were these: King Anti-
and that he should have the charge of the sanc- ochus to Simon, the high priest, and to the na-
tuary, and that he should appoint rulers over tion of the Jews, greeting.
their works, and over the country, and over the 3 Forasmuch as certain pestilent men have
armour, and over the strong holds; usurped the kingdom of our fathers, and my pur-
43 And that he should have care of the holy pose is to challenge the kingdom, and to restore
places; and that he should be obeyed by all, and it to its former estate; and I have chosen a great
that all the writings in the country should be army, and have built ships of war.
made in his name; and that he should be clothed 4 And I design to go through the country, that
with purple and gold: I may take revenge of them that have destroyed
44 And that it should not be lawful for any our country, and that have made many cities des-
of the people, or of the priests, to disannul any olate in my realm.
of these things, or to gainsay his words, or to 5 Now, therefore, I confirm unto thee all the
call together an assembly in the country without oblations which all the kings before me remitted
him: or to be clothed with purple, or to wear a to thee, and what other gifts soever they remit-
buckle of gold. ted to thee:
45 And whosoever shall do otherwise, or shall 6 And I give thee leave to coin thy own money
make void any of these things, shall be punished. in thy country:
46 And it pleased all the people to establish 7 And let Jerusalem be holy and free, and
Simon, and to do according to these words. all the armour that hath been made, and the
47 And Simon accepted thereof, and was well fortresses which thou hast built, and which thou
pleased to execute the office of the high priest- keepest in thy hands, let them remain to thee.
hood, and to be captain, and prince of the nation 8 And all that is due to the king, and what
of the Jews, and of the priests, and to be chief should be the king’s hereafter, from this present
over all. and for ever, is forgiven thee.
9 And when we shall have recovered our king-
48 And they commanded that this writing
should be put in tables of brass, and that they dom, we will glorify thee, and thy nation, and
the temple, with great glory, so that your glory
should be set up within the compass of the sanc-
shall be made manifest in all the earth.
tuary, in a conspicuous place:
10 In the year one hundred and seventy-four,
49 And that a copy thereof should be put in
Antiochus entered into the land of his fathers,
the treasury, that Simon, and his sons, may have
and all the forces assembled to him, so that few
it.
were left with Tryphon.
11 And king Antiochus pursued after him, and
Chapter 15 he fled along by the sea coast and came to Dora.
12 For he perceived that evils were gathered
And king Antiochus, the son of Demetrius, sent together upon him, and his troops had forsaken
letters from the isles of the sea to Simon, the him.
priest, and prince of the nation of the Jews, and 13 And Antiochus camped above Dora with a