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| [1]When these couenauntes were made, Lysias went vnto the king: and the Iewes tilled their grounde. |
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| [2]But Timotheus, & Apolonius the sonne of Gennei, Ierome, and Demophon [the proude] Nicanor the captayne of Cypers, and they that lay in those places, would not let them lyue in rest & peace. |
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| [3]They of Ioppa also dyd euen such a shameful deede: they prayed the Iewes that dwelt among them, to go with their wyues & children into the shippes which they had prepared, and dyd with them as though they had ought them no euyll will. |
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| [4]Forsomuch then as there was gone foorth a generall proclamation thorowe the citie because of peace, they consented therto, & suspect nothing: but when they were gone foorth into the deepe, they drowned no lesse then two hundred of them. |
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| [5]Whe Iudas knew of this crueltie shewed vnto his people, he comaunded those that were with him to make them redy, |
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| [6]Exhorting them to call vpon God the righteous iudge, went foorth against those murtherers of his brethren, set fire in the hauen by night, brent vp the shippes: and those that escaped from the fire, he slue [with the sworde.] |
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| [7]And when he had done this, he departed, as though he woulde come againe and roote out all them of Ioppa. |
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| [8]But when he had gotten word that the Iamnites were mynded to do in lyke maner vnto the Iewes which dwelt among them, |
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| [9]He came vpon the Iamnites by night, & set fire on the hauen with the shippes: so that the light of the fire was seene at Hierusalem vpon a two hundred and fourtie furlonges. |
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| [10]Nowe when they were gone from thence nyne furlonges in there iourney towarde Timotheus, fiue thousande men of foote, and fyue hundreth horsemen of the Arabians, fought with hym. |
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| [11]So when the battell was earnest, and prospered with Iudas thorowe the helpe of God: the residue of the Arabians beyng ouercome, besought Iudas to be at one with them, and promised to geue him certayne pastures, and to do him good in other thinges. |
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| [12]Iudas thinking that they shoulde in deede be profitable concerning many thinges, promised them peace: wherevpon they shoke handes, and so they departed to their tentes. |
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| [13]Iudas went also vnto a citie, whiche was very fast kept with brydges, fensed round about with walles, and diuers kindes of people dwelling therin, called Caspin. |
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| [14]They that were within it, put such trust in the strength of the walles, and in their store of vittayles, that they were the slacker in their doynges, cursing and reuiling Iudas with blasphemies, and speaking such wordes as it becommeth not. |
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| [15]But Machabeus calling vpon the great prince of the (world, which without any battayle rammes or ordinaunce of warre, did cast downe the walles of Iericho, in time of Iosuah) fel manfully vpon the walles, |
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| [16]Toke the citie, & thorow the helpe of the Lorde made an exceeding great slaughter: insomuch that a lake of two furlonges brode whiche lay therby seemed to flowe with the blood of the slayne. |
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| [17]Then departed they from thence seuen hundred and fiftie furlonges, and came to Taraca vnto the Iewes that are called Tubianei. |
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| [18]But as for Timotheus they could not get him there: for (not one matter dispatched) he was departed from thence, and had left certayne men in a very strong holde. |
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| [19]But Dositheus & Sosipater, whiche were captaynes with Machabeus, slue those that Timotheus had left in the house of defence, more then ten thousand men. |
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| [20]And Machabeus prepared him with the sixe thousand men that were about him, set them in order by companies, & went foorth against Timotheus, which had with him an hundred and twentie thousande men of foote, two thousande and fyue hundred horsemen. |
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| [21]When Timotheus had knowledge of Iudas comming, he sent the women, children, and the other baggage vnto a castle called Carnion: For it could not be wonne, and was hard to come vnto, the wayes of the same places were so narowe. |
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| [22]And when Iudas his first bande came in sight, the enemies were smitten with feare, thorowe the presence of God which seeth all thinges: Insomuch that they fleyng one here, another there, were rather discomfited of their owne people, & wounded with the strokes of their owne swordes. |
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| [23]Iudas also was very earnest in folowing vpon them, punishing those vngodly, & slue thirtie thousande men of them. |
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| [24]Timotheus also hym selfe fel into the handes of Dositheus and Sosipater, whom he besought with much craft to let him go with his lyfe, because he had many of the Iewes fathers & brethren in prison, which if they put him to death shoulde be despised. |
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| [25]So when he had promised faythfully to deliuer them againe according to the condition made, they let him go without harme, for the health of the brethren. |
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| [26]Then Machabeus marched foorth to Carnion and Atargation, and there slue twentie and fiue thousande men. |
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| [27]Nowe after that he had chased away and slayne his enemies, he remoued the hoast towarde Ephron a strong citie, wherin was Lysias and a great multitude of diuers nations: and the strong young men kept the walles, defending them mightyly, in this citie was much ordinaunce and prouision of dartes. |
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| [28]But when Iudas and his companie had called vpon almightie God, which with his power breaketh the strength of the enemies, they wan the citie, and slue twentie and fiue thousand of them that were within. |
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| [29]From thence went they to the citie of the Seythians, which lyeth sixe hundred furlonges from Hierusalem. |
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| [30]But when the Iewes whiche were in the citie, testified that the citezins dealt louingly with them, yea & intreated the kindly in the time of their aduersitie, |
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| [31]Iudas and his companie gaue them thankes, desiring them to be friendly stil vnto them: and so they came to Hierusalem, the hye feast of the weekes beyng at hande. |
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| [32]And after the feast of Pentecost, they went foorth against Gorgias the gouernour of Idumea, |
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| [33]Who came out with three thousande men of foote, & foure hundred horsemen. |
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| [34]Whiche when they mette together, it chaunced a fewe of the Iewes to be slayne. |
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| [35]And Dositheus one of the Bacenors, a mightie horsman, toke holde of Gorgias, and woulde haue taken him quicke: but an horseman of Thracia fell vpon him, and smote of his arme, so that Gorgias escaped and fled into Moresa. |
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| [36]When they nowe that were of Gorgias side, had foughten long and were weery, Iudas called vpon the Lorde, that he would be their helper, and captayne of the fielde: |
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| [37]And with that he began in his owne language, & song Psalmes with a loude voyce: insomuch that he made the enemies afrayde, & Gorgias men of warre toke their flight. |
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| [38]So Iudas gathered his hoast, and came into the citie of Odolla: and when the seuenth day came vpon them, they clensed them selues as the custome was, & kept the Sabbath in the same place. |
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| [39]And vpon the day folowing, as necessitie required, Iudas and his company came to take vp the bodyes of them that were slayne, and to burie them in the fathers graues. |
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| [40]Nowe vnder the coates of certayne Iewes which were slayne, they founde iewels that they had taken [out of the temple and] from the idoles of the Iamnites, whiche thing is forbidden the Iewes by the lawe: then euery man sawe that this was the cause wherfore they were slayne. |
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| [41]And so euery man gaue thankes vnto the Lorde for his righteous iudgement, whiche had opened the thing that was hyd. |
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| [42]They fel downe also vnto their prayers, and besought God that the fault whiche was made might be put out of remembraunce: Besides that, Iudas exhorted the people earnestly to kepe them selues from such sinne, forsomuch as they sawe before their eyes that these men were slayne for the same offence. |
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| [43]So he gathered of euery one a certayne, and sent two thousande drachmes of siluer vnto Hierusalem, that there might a sacrifice be offered for the misdeede: In the which place he did wel and right, for he had some consideration and pondring of the lyfe that is after this time. |
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| [44]For if he had not thought that they whiche were slayne shoulde ryse againe, it had ben superfluous and vayne to make any vowe or sacrifice for them that were dead. |
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| [45]But forsomuch as he sawe that they which die in the fauour & beleefe of god, are in good rest and ioy, he thought it to be good & honorable for a reconsiling, to do the same for those which were slaine, that the offence might be forgeuen. |
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