Page 1259 - bible

Second Book of Machabees 1253

being reconciled, offered sacrifice, honoured the Machabeus is captain, nourish wars, and raise
temple, and left gifts. seditions, and will not suffer the realm to be in
24 He embraced Machabeus, and made him peace.
governor and prince from Ptolemais unto the 7 For I also being deprived of my ancestor’s
Gerrenians. glory (I mean of the high priesthood) am now
25 But when he was come to Ptolemais, the come hither:
men of that city were much displeased with the 8 Principally indeed out of fidelity to the
conditions of the peace, being angry for fear they king’s interests, but in the next place also to pro-
should break the covenant. vide for the good of my countrymen: for all our
26 Then Lysias went up to the judgment seat, nation suffereth much from the evil proceedings
and set forth the reason, and appeased the peo- of these men.
ple, and returned to Antioch: and thus matters 9 Wherefore, O king, seeing thou knowest all
went with regard to the king’s coming and his these things, take care, I beseech thee, both of
return. the country, and of our nation, according to thy
humanity which is known to all men.
10 For as long as Judas liveth it is not possible
Chapter 14 that the state should be quiet.
11 Now when this man had spoken to this ef-
But after the space of three years Judas, and fect the rest also of the king’s friends, who were
they that were with him, understood that enemies of Judas, incensed Demetrius against
Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, was come up him.
with a great power, and a navy by the haven 12 And forthwith he sent Nicanor, the com-
of Tripolis, to places proper for his purpose, mander over the elephants, governor into Judea:
2 And had made himself master of the coun- 13 Giving him in charge, to take Judas him-
tries against Antiochus, and his general, Lysias. self: and disperse all them that were with him,
3 Now one Alcimus, who had been chief priest, and to make Alcimus the high priest of the great
but had wilfully defiled himself in the time of temple.
mingling with the heathens, seeing that there 14 Then the Gentiles who had fled out of
was no safety for him, nor access to the altar, Judea, from Judas, came to Nicanor by flocks,
4 Came to king Demetrius in the year one thinking the miseries and calamities of the Jews
hundred and fifty, presenting unto him a crown to be the welfare of their affairs.
of gold, and a palm, and besides these, some 15 Now when the Jews heard of Nicanor’s
boughs that seemed to belong to the temple. coming, and that the nations were assembled
And that day indeed he held his peace. against them, they cast earth upon their heads,
5 But having gotten a convenient time to fur- and made supplication to him who chose his peo-
ther his madness, being called to counsel by ple to keep them for ever, and who protected his
Demetrius, and asked what the Jews relied upon, portion by evident signs.
and what were their counsels, 16 Then at the commandment of their cap-
6 He answered thereunto: They among the tain, they forthwith removed from the place
Jews that are called Assideans, of whom Judas where they were, and went to the town of