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[1]About the same time Antiochus vndertoke his second viage into Egypt. |
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[2]And then were there seene throughout all the citie of [Hierusalem] fourtie dayes longe, horsmen running in the ayre, with robes of golde, and as bandes of speare men, |
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[3]And as troupes of horsmen set in aray, incountering and coursing one against another, with shaking of shieldes and multitude of dartes, and drawing of swordes, and shooting of arrowes, and the glittering of the golden armour seene, and harnesse of all sortes. |
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[4]Wherefore euery man prayed that those tokens might turne to good. |
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[5]Now when there was gone foorth a false rumour, as though Antiochus had ben dead, Iason toke a thousand men, and came sodenly vpon the citie: the citezins ranne vnto the walles, at the last was the citie taken, and Menelaus fled into the castle. |
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[6]As for Iason, he spared not his owne citezins in the slaughter, neither considered he what great euill it were to destroy the prosperitie of his owne kinsemen: but did as one that had gotten the victory of his enemies, and not of his friendes. |
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[7]For all this gat he not the superioritie, but at the last receaued confusion for his malice, and fled againe lyke a vacabound into the land of the Ammonites. |
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[8]Finally, for a rewarde of his wickednesse, he was accused before Aretha the king of the Arabians, insomuch that he was faine to flee from citie to citie, being despised of euery man as a forsaker of the lawes, and an abhominable person: and at the last as an open enemie of his owne naturall countrey and of the citezins, he was driuen into Egypt. |
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[9]Thus he that afore put many out of their owne natiue lande, perished from home him selfe: he went to Lacedemon, thinking there to haue gotten succour by reason of kinred. |
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[10]And he that afore had caste many one out vnburied, was throwen out him selfe, no man mourning for him, nor putting him in his graue: so that he neither enioyed the buriall of a straunger, neither was he partaker of his fathers sepulchre. |
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[11]Now when this was done, the king suspected that the Iewes woulde haue fallen from him, wherefore he came in a great displeasure out of Egypt, & toke the citie by violence. |
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[12]He commaunded his men of warre also, that they should kill and not spare: but slay downe such as withstoode them, or clymed vp vpon the houses. |
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[13]Thus was there a great slaughter of young men, olde men, women, children, and virgins. |
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[14]In three dayes were there slaine fourscore thousand, fourtie thousand put in prison: and there were as many solde as were slaine. |
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[15]Yet was he not content with this, but durst go into the most holy temple of al the worlde, Menelaus that traytour to the lawes and to his owne naturall countrey being his guide. |
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[16]And with his wicked handes toke the holy vessels, which other kinges and cities had geuen thyther for the garnishing & honour of the place, them toke he in his handes vnworthyly, and defiled them. |
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[17]So mad was Antiochus, that he considered not how that God was not a litle wroth for the sinnes of them that dwelt in the citie, for the which such confusion came vpon that place. |
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[18]And why? if it had not happened them to haue ben lapped in many sinnes, this Antiochus assoone as he had come, had sodenly ben punished and shut out of his presumption, like as Heliodorus was, whom Seleucus the king sent to robbe the treasurie. |
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[19]Neuerthelesse, God hath not chosen the people for the places sake: but the place for the peoples sake. |
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[20]And therefore is the place become partaker of the peoples trouble, but afterward shall it enioy the wealth of them: And lyke as it was now forsaken in the wrath of almightie God, so when the great God is reconsiled, it shalbe set vp in hie worship againe. |
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[21]So when Antiochus had taken a thousand and eyght hundred talentes out of the temple, he gat him to Antioch in al the haste, thinking in his pride that he might make men saile vpon the drye lande, and to go vpon the sea, such an hie minde had he. |
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[22]He left deputies there to vexe the people: at Hierusalem left he Philip a Phrygian, in maners more cruell then him selfe that set him there: |
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[23]At Garizim he left Andronicus and Menelaus, which were more greeuous to the citezins then other. |
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[24]Nowe as he was thus set in malice against the Iewes, he sent Apollonius, a cruell prince, with an armie of twentie and two thousand, commaunding him to slay those that were of perfect age, and to sell the women, maydens, and children. |
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[25]When he came now to Hierusalem, he faigned peace, & kept him still vntill the Sabbath day: and then he commaunded his men to take them to their weapons, for the Iewes kept holy day: |
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[26]And so he slue all them that were gone foorth to the open play, running [here and there] through the citie with his men weaponed, and murthered a great number. |
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[27]But Iudas Machabeus, which was the tenth, fled into the wildernesse, led his lyfe there with his company among wylde beastes and vpon the mountaynes, dwelling there, and eating hearbes, lest they shoulde be partakers of the filthynesse. |