|
[1]In those dayes there did stand vp one Mathathias the sonne of Iohn, the sonne of Simeon the priest, out of the kinred of Ioarib, from Hierusalem, and dwelt vpon the mount of Modin,
[2]And had fiue sonnes: Iohn, called Gaddis,
[3]Simon called Thasi,
[4]Iudas, otherwyse called Machabeus,
[5]Eleazer, otherwyse called Abaron, and Ionatha whose sirname was Apphus.
[6]These sawe the euill that was done among the people of Iuda and Hierusalem.
[7]And Mathathias sayd: Wo is me, alas that euer I was borne, to see this miserie of my people, & the piteous destruction of the holy citie, and thus to sit so still, it beyng deliuered into the handes of the enemies.
[8]Her sanctuarie is come into the power of straungers, her temple is as it were a man that hath lost his good name:
[9]Her pretious ornamentes are caried away captiue, her olde men are slayne in the streetes, and her young men are fallen thorowe the sworde of the enemies.
[10]What people is it that hath not some possession in her kingdome: or who hath not gotten some of her spoyles?
[11]All her glorie is taken away, she was a free woman, and nowe she is become an handemayde.
[12]Behold our sanctuarie, our beautie and honour is wasted away and defiled by the gentiles.
[13]What helpeth it vs then to liue?
[14]And Mathathias rent his clothes, he and his sonnes, and put sackecloth vpon them, and mourned very sore.
[15]Then came the men thyther whiche were sent of king Antiochus, to compell such as were fled into the citie of Modin, for to do sacrifice, & to burne incense vnto idoles, and to forsake the lawe of God.
[16]So many of the people of Israel consented and enclined vnto them: but Mathathias and his sonnes remayned stedfast.
[17]Then spake the commissioners of king Antiochus, and sayd vnto Mathathias: Thou art a noble man, of hye reputation, and great in this citie, hauing many fayre children and brethren:
[18]Come thou therfore first and fulfill the kinges commaundement, like as all the heathen haue done, yea and the men of Iuda, and such as remayne at Hierusalem: so shalt thou and thy children be in the kinges fauour, and enriched with golde, siluer, and great rewardes.
[19]Mathathias aunswered, & spake with a loude voyce: Though all nations obey the king Antiochus, and fall away euery man from keping the law of their fathers, though they consent to his commaundementes:
[20]Yet will I and my sonnes and my brethren not fall from the lawes of our fathers.
[21]God forbid we shoulde: that were not good for vs that we shoulde forsake the lawe and ordinaunces of God, and to agree vnto the commaundement of king Antiochus.
[22]Therfore we will do no such sacrifice, neither breake the statutes of our lawe, to go another way.
[23]And when he had spoken these wordes, there came one of the Iewes, whiche openly in the sight of all, did sacrifice vnto the idoles vpon the aulter in the citie of Modin according to the kinges commaundement.
[24]When Mathathias sawe this, it greeued hym at the heart, so that his reynes shoke withall, and his wrath kindled for very zeale of the law: With that he start vp, and killed the Iewe beside the aulter:
[25]Yea and slue the kinges commissioner that compelled hym to do sacrifice, & destroyed the aulter at the same time:
[26]Such a zeale had he vnto the lawe of God, like as Phinehes dyd vnto Zambri the sonne of Salomi.
[27]And Mathathias cryed with a loude voyce thorow the citie, saying: Who so is feruent in the law, and will kepe the couenaunt, let him folowe me.
[28]So he and his sonnes fled into the mountaynes, and left all that euer they had in the citie.
[29]Many other godly men also which lyued iustly and vprightly departed into the wildernesse, with their children, their wiues, and their cattell, and remayned there: for the tiranny increased sore vpon them.
[30]Now when the kinges seruauntes, and the hoast whiche was at Hierusalem in the citie of Dauid, hearde that certayne men had broken the kinges commaundement, and were gone their way to the wildernesse into secrete places:
[31]Then many pursued after them, and after they had ouertaken them, they camped them selues, and set the battel in aray against them in the Sabbath day,
[32]And sayd vnto them: Will ye yet rebell? Get you hence, and do the commaundement of king Antiochus, and ye shall lyue.
[33]They aunswered: We will not go [for thee,] neither will we do the kinges commaundemet, to defile the Sabbath day.
[34]Then began they to fight against them:
[35]But the other gaue them none other aunswere, neither cast they one stone at them, nor made fast their priuie places:
[36]But sayde, We will dye all in our innocencie, heauen & earth shall testifie with vs that ye put vs to death wrongfully.
[37]Thus they fought against them vpon the Sabbath, and slue both men & cattayle, their wyues and their children, to the number of a thousande people.
[38]When Mathathias and his friendes heard this, they mourned for them right sore,
[39]And sayde one to another: If so be that we al do as our brethren haue done, and fight not for our lyues and for our lawes against the heathen, then shall they the sooner roote vs out of the earth.
[40]So they concluded among them selues at the same time, saying:
[41]Whatsoeuer he be that commeth to make battayle with vs vpon the Sabbath day, we will fight against him, and not dye all as our brethren that were murthered in the wildernesse.
[42]Upon this came the assemblie of the Assideans vnto them, whiche were of the strongest men in Israel, and all such as were feruent in the lawe:
[43]And al they that were fled for persecution, came to helpe them, and to stand by them:
[44]Insomuch that they gathered an hoast of men, and slue the wicked doers in their gelousie, and the vngodly men in their wrath: but the rest fled vnto the heathen, and escaped.
[45]Then Mathathias and his friendes went about, and destroyed the aulters,
[46]And circumcised the children that had not yet receaued circumcision, as many as they found within the coastes of Israel:
[47]And folowed mightily vpon the proud men: and this acte prospered in their handes,
[48]Insomuch that they kept the lawe against the power of the gentiles and the kinges, and gaue not ouer their dominion vnto wicked doers.
[49]After this, when the time drewe on fast that Mathathias shoulde dye, he sayde vnto his sonne: Now is pryde and persecution increased, nowe is the time of destruction & wrathfull displeasure:
[50]Wherefore O my sonnes, be ye feruent in the lawe, and ieoparde your liues for the testament of the fathers.
[51]Call to remembraunce what actes our fathers dyd in their time, so shall ye receaue great honour and an euerlasting name.
[52]Remember Abraham: was not he founde faythful in temptation, & it was reckened vnto him for righteousnesse?
[53]Ioseph in time of his trouble kept the commaundement, & was made a Lorde of Egypt.
[54]Phinehes our father was so feruent for the honour of God, that he obtayned the couenaunt of an euerlasting priesthood.
[55]Iosuah for fufilling the word of God, was made the captayne of Israel.
[56]Caleb bare recorde before the congregation, and receaued an heritage.
[57]Dauid also in his mercifull kindnesse, obtayned the throne of an euerlasting kingdome.
[58]Elias being ielous and feruent in the law, was taken vp into heauen.
[59]Ananias, Azarias, and Misael remayned stedfast in faith, and were deliuered out of the fire.
[60]In like maner Daniel beyng vngiltie, was saued from the mouth of the lions.
[61]And thus ye may consider throughout all ages sence the worlde began, that whosouer put their trust in God, were not ouercome.
[62]Feare not ye then the wordes of an vngodly man, for his glorie is but doung and wormes:
[63]To day is he set vp, and to morowe is he gone: for he is turned into earth, and his memoriall is come to naught.
[64]Wherefore O my sonnes, take good heartes vnto you, and quyte your selues like men in the lawe: for if ye do the thinges that are commaunded you in the lawe of the Lorde your God, ye shall obtayne great honour therin.
[65]And beholde, I knowe that your brother Simon is a man of wysdome: see that ye geue eare vnto him alway, he shalbe a father vnto you.
[66]As for Iudas Machabeus, he hath euer ben mightie and strong from his youth vp: let him be your captayne, and order the battayle of the people.
[67]Thus shall ye bring vnto you all those that fauour the lawe, and see that ye auenge the wrong of your people,
[68]And recompence the heathen againe, & applie your selues wholly to the commaundement of the lawe.
[69]So he gaue them his blessing, and was layed by his fathers:
[70]And died in the hundred fourtie and sixe yere at Modin, where his sonnes buried him in his fathers sepulchre, and all Israel made great lamentation for him.
|