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[1]In the hundred fiftie and one yere, came Demetrius the sonne of Seleucus from the citie of Rome with a smal company of men, vnto a citie of the sea coast, and there he bare rule.
[2]And when he came to Antioch the citie of his progenitours, his hoast toke Antiochus and Lysias, to bring them vnto him.
[3]But when it was tolde him, he saide: let me not see their faces.
[4]So the hoast put them to death. Now whe demetrius was set vpon the throne of his kingdome,
[5]There came vnto him wicked and vngodlie men of Israel, whose captayne was Alcimus, that woulde haue ben made hie priest:
[6]These men accused the people of Israel vnto the king, saying: Iudas and his brethren haue slaine thy frendes, and driuen vs out of our owne lande.
[7]Wherfore, send now some man, to who thou geuest credence, that he may go and see al the destruction which he hath done vnto vs and to the kinges lande, and let him be punished, with all his friendes and fauourers.
[8]Then the king chose Bacchides a friend of his, which was a man of great power in the realme beyond the water, and faithful vnto the king, and sent him [to see the destruction that Iudas had done.]
[9]And as for that wicked Alcimus, he made him hie priest, and commaunded him to be auenged of the children of Israel.
[10]So they departed [from the king] and came with a great hoast into the lande of Iuda, sending messengers to Iudas and his brethren, & speaking vnto them with peaceable wordes, but vnder disceite.
[11]Therefore Iudas and his people beleued not their saying: for they saw that they were come with a great hoast.
[12]After this, came the scribes together vnto Alcimus & Bacchides, to entreate of reasonable couenauntes:
[13]And the Assideans were the first among the children of Israel that required peace of them,
[14]Saying: Alcimus the priest is come of the seede of Aaron, how can he deceaue vs though he come with an armie?
[15]So he gaue them louing wordes, and swore vnto them, & saide: We wyl do you no harme, neither your friendes.
[16]And they beleued him: but the very same day toke he threescore men of them, and slue them, according to the wordes that are written,
[17]They haue cast the fleshe of thy sainctes and shed their blood rounde about Hierusalem, & there was no man that would burie them.
[18]So there came a great feare and dreade among al ye people, saying: There is neither trueth nor righteousnesse in them: for they haue broken the appoyntment and oth that they made.
[19]And Bacchides remoued his hoast fro Hierusalem, & pitched his tent at Bethzecha, where he sent foorth, & toke many of them that had forsaken him: He slue many of the people also, and cast them into a great pit.
[20]Then committed he the lande vnto Alcimus, and left men of warre with him to helpe him: and Bacchides him selfe went vnto the king.
[21]And thus Alcimus defended his hye priesthood.
[22]And all such as vexed Israel, resorted vnto him: insomuch that they obtayned the lande of Iuda, and did much euill vnto the Israelites.
[23]Nowe when Iudas sawe all the mischiefe that Alcimus and his company had done (yea more then the heathen them selues) vnto the Israelites:
[24]He went foorth rounde about all the borders of Iurie, and punished those vnfaithfull runnagates, so that they came no more out into the countrie.
[25]So when Alcimus sawe that Iudas & his people had gotten the vpper hand, and that he was not able to abide them: he went againe to the king, and saide all the worst of them that he coulde.
[26]Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his chiefe princes, which bare euil wil vnto Israel, and commaunded him that he should vtterly destroy the people.
[27]So Nicanor came to Hierusalem with a great hoast, and sent vnto Iudas and his brethren with friendly wordes: but vnder disceyte, saying:
[28]There shall be no warre betwixt me and you, I wyll come with a fewe men to see how ye do with frendship.
[29]Upon this he came vnto Iudas, and they saluted one another peaceably: but the enemies were appoynted to take Iudas by violence.
[30]Neuerthelesse, it was tolde Iudas that he came vnto him but vnder disceyte: wherfore he gate him away from him, and would see his face no more.
[31]When Nicanor perceaued that his counsel was bewrayed, he went out to fight against Iudas, beside Capharsalama:
[32]Where there were slaine of Nicanors hoast fiue thousand men, and the residue fled vnto the castle of Dauid.
[33]After this came Nicanor vp vnto mount Sion, and the priestes with the elders of the people went foorth to salute him peaceably, & to shewe him the burnt sacrifices that were offered for the king.
[34]But he laughed them and the people to scorne, mocked them, defiled their offeringes, and spake disdainefully:
[35]Yea, and swore in his wrath, saying: If Iudas and his hoast be not deliuered nowe into my handes, assoone as euer I come againe and fare well, I shall burne vp this house. With that went he out in a great anger.
[36]Then the priestes came in, and stoode before the aulter of the temple, weeping, and saying:
[37]Forsomuch as thou O Lorde hast chosen this house, that thy name might be called vpon therin, and that it should be an house of prayer and petition for thy people:
[38]Be auenged of this man and his hoast, and let them be slaine with the sword: remember the blasphemies of them, and suffer not them to continue any longer.
[39]When Nicanor was gone from Hierusalem, he pitched his tent at Bethoron, and there an hoast met him out of Syria.
[40]And Iudas came to Adarsa with three thousand men, and made his prayer vnto God, saying:
[41]O Lorde, because the messengers of king Sennacherib blasphemed thee, the angell went foorth and slue an hundred fourscore and fiue thousand of them:
[42]Euen so, destroy thou this hoast before vs to day, that other people may knowe howe that he hath blasphemed thy santuary, and punishe him according to his maliciousnes.
[43]And so the hoastes stroke the fielde the thirteenth day of the moneth Adar: and Nicanors hoast was discomfited, and he him selfe was first slaine in the battaile.
[44]When Nicanors men of warre sawe that he was killed, they cast away their weapons and fled:
[45]But the Iewes folowed vpon them a whole dayes iourney, from Adazer vnto Gazara, blowing with the trumpettes, and making tokens after them.
[46]So the Iewes came foorth of all the townes rounde about, & blew out their hornes vpon them, and turned against them: Thus were they all slaine, and not one of them left.
[47]Then they toke their substaunce for a pray, and smote of Nicanors head, and his right hande which he helde vp so proudely, and brought it with them, and hanged it vp afore Hierusalem.
[48]Wherefore the people were exceedingly reioyced, and passed ouer that day in great gladnes.
[49]And Iudas ordayned that the same day [namely] the thirteenth day of the moneth Adar, shoulde be kept in mirth euery yere.
[50]Thus the lande of Iuda was in rest a litle while.
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