Sefarim
Maqabim Alef15
1 Maccabees · Chapter 15
Moreover Antiochus son of Demetrius the king sent letters from the isles of the sea unto Simon the kohen and prince of the Jews, and to all the people;
The contents whereof were these: King Antiochus to Simon the high kohen and prince of his nation, and to the people of the Jews, greeting:
Forasmuch as certain pestilent men have usurped the kingdom of our fathers, and my purpose is to challenge it again, that I may restore it to the old estate, and to that end have gathered a multitude of foreign soldiers together, and prepared ships of war;
My meaning also being to go through the country, that I may be avenged of them that have destroyed it, and made many cities in the kingdom desolate:
Now therefore I confirm unto thee all the oblations which the kings before me granted thee, and whatsoever gifts besides they granted.
I give thee leave also to coin money for thy country with thine own stamp.
And as concerning Yerushalayim and the sanctuary, let them be free; and all the armour that thou hast made, and fortresses that thou hast built, and keepest in thine hands, let them remain unto thee.
And if anything be, or shall be, owing to the king, let it be forgiven thee from this time forth for evermore.
Furthermore, when we have obtained our kingdom, we will honour thee, and thy nation, and thy heikhal, with great honour, so that your honour shall be known throughout the world.
In the hundred threescore and fourteenth year went Antiochus into the land of his fathers: at which time all the forces came together unto him, so that few were left with Tryphon.
Wherefore being pursued by king Antiochus, he fled unto Dora, which lieth by the sea side:
For he saw that troubles came upon him all at once, and that his forces had forsaken him.
Then camped Antiochus against Dora, having with him an hundred and twenty thousand men of war, and eight thousand horsemen.
And when he had compassed the city round about, and joined ships close to the town on the sea side, he vexed the city by land and by sea, neither suffered he any to go out or in.
In the mean season came Numenius and his company from Rome, having letters to the kings and countries; wherein were written these things:
Lucius, consul of the Romans unto king Ptolemee, greeting:
The Jews’ ambassadors, our friends and confederates, came unto us to renew the old friendship and league, being sent from Simon the high kohen, and from the people of the Jews:
And they brought a shield of gold of a thousand pound.
We thought it good therefore to write unto the kings and countries, that they should do them no harm, nor fight against them, their cities, or countries, nor yet aid their enemies against them.
It seemed also good to us to receive the shield of them.
If therefore there be any pestilent fellows, that have fled from their country unto you, deliver them unto Simon the high kohen, that he may punish them according to their own torah.
The same things wrote he likewise unto Demetrius the king, and Attalus, to Ariarathes, and Arsaces,
And to all the countries and to Sampsames, and the Lacedemonians, and to Delus, and Myndus, and Sicyon, and Caria, and Samos, and Pamphylia, and Lycia, and Halicarnassus, and Rhodus, and Aradus, and Cos, and Side, and Aradus, and Gortyna, and Cnidus, and Cyprus, and Cyrene.
And the copy hereof they wrote to Simon the high kohen.
So Antiochus the king camped against Dora the second day, assaulting it continually, and making engines, by which means he shut up Tryphon, that he could neither go out nor in.
At that time Simon sent him two thousand chosen men to aid him; silver also, and gold, and much armour.
Nevertheless he would not receive them, but brake all the covenants which he had made with him afore, and became strange unto him.
Furthermore he sent unto him Athenobius, one of his friends, to commune with him, and say, Ye withhold Joppa and Gazera; with the tower that is in Yerushalayim, which are cities of my realm.
The borders thereof ye have wasted, and done great hurt in the land, and got the dominion of many places within my kingdom.
Now therefore deliver the cities which ye have taken, and the tributes of the places, whereof ye have gotten dominion without the borders of Judea:
Or else give me for them five hundred talents of silver; and for the harm that ye have done, and the tributes of the cities, other five hundred talents: if not, we will come and fight against you
So Athenobius the king’s friend came to Yerushalayim: and when he saw the glory of Simon, and the cupboard of gold and silver plate, and his great attendance, he was astonished, and told him the king’s message.
Then answered Simon, and said unto him, We have neither taken other men’s land, nor holden that which appertaineth to others, but the inheritance of our fathers, which our enemies had wrongfully in possession a certain time.
Wherefore we, having opportunity, hold the inheritance of our fathers.
And whereas thou demandest Joppa and Gazera, albeit they did great harm unto the people in our country, yet will we give thee an hundred talents for them. Hereunto Athenobius answered him not a word;
But returned in a rage to the king, and made report unto him of these speeches, and of the glory of Simon, and of all that he had seen: whereupon the king was exceeding wroth.
In the mean time fled Tryphon by ship unto Orthosias.
Then the king made Cendebeus captain of the sea coast, and gave him an host of footmen and horsemen,
And commanded him to remove his host toward Judea; also he commanded him to build up Cedron, and to fortify the gates, and to war against the people; but as for the king himself, he pursued Tryphon.
So Cendebeus came to Jamnia and began to provoke the people and to invade Judea, and to take the people prisoners, and slay them.
And when he had built up Cedrou, he set horsemen there, and an host of footmen, to the end that issuing out they might make outroads upon the ways of Judea, as the king had commanded him.
Sefarim
Maqabim Alef16
1 Maccabees · Chapter 16
Then came up John from Gazera, and told Simon his father what Cendebeus had done.
Wherefore Simon called his two eldest sons, Judas and John, and said unto them, I, and my brethren, and my father’s house, have ever from my youth unto this day fought against the enemies of Yisra'el; and things have prospered so well in our hands, that we have delivered Yisra'el oftentimes.
But now I am old, and ye, by Elohim’s mercy, are of a sufficient age: be ye instead of me and my brother, and go and fight for our nation, and the help from shamayim be with you.
So he chose out of the country twenty thousand men of war with horsemen, who went out against Cendebeus, and rested that night at Modin.
And when as they rose in the morning, and went into the plain, behold, a mighty great host both of footmen and horsemen came against them: howbeit there was a water brook betwixt them.
So he and his people pitched over against them: and when he saw that the people were afraid to go over the water brook, he went first over himself, and then the men seeing him passed through after him.
That done, he divided his men, and set the horsemen in the midst of the footmen: for the enemies’ horsemen were very many.
Then sounded they with the holy trumpets: whereupon Cendebeus and his host were put to flight, so that many of them were slain, and the remnant gat them to the strong hold.
At that time was Judas John’s brother wounded; but John still followed after them, until he came to Cedron, which Cendebeus had built.
So they fled even unto the towers in the fields of Azotus; wherefore he burned it with fire: so that there were slain of them about two thousand men. Afterward he returned into the land of Judea in peace.
Moreover in the plain of Yericho was Ptolemeus the son of Abubus made captain, and he had abundance of silver and gold:
For he was the high kohen’s son in torah.
Wherefore his heart being lifted up, he thought to get the country to himself, and thereupon consulted deceitfully against Simon and his sons to destroy them.
Now Simon was visiting the cities that were in the country, and taking care for the good ordering of them; at which time he came down himself to Yericho with his sons, Mattathias and Judas, in the hundred threescore and seventeenth year, in the eleventh month, called Sabat:
Where the son of Abubus receiving them deceitfully into a little hold, called Docus, which he had built, made them a great banquet: howbeit he had hid men there.
So when Simon and his sons had drunk largely, Ptolemee and his men rose up, and took their weapons, and came upon Simon into the banqueting place, and slew him, and his two sons, and certain of his servants.
In which doing he committed a great treachery, and recompensed evil for good.
Then Ptolemee wrote these things, and sent to the king, that he should send him an host to aid him, and he would deliver him the country and cities.
He sent others also to Gazera to kill John: and unto the tribunes he sent letters to come unto him, that he might give them silver, and gold, and rewards.
And others he sent to take Yerushalayim, and the mountain of the heikhal.
Now one had run afore to Gazera and told John that his father and brethren were slain, and, quoth he, Ptolemee hath sent to slay thee also.
Hereof when he heard, he was sore astonished: so he laid hands on them that were come to destroy him, and slew them; for he knew that they sought to make him away.
As concerning the rest of the acts of John, and his wars, and worthy deeds which he did, and the building of the walls which he made, and his doings,
Behold, these are written in the chronicles of his priesthood, from the time he was made high kohen after his father.
Sefarim
Maqabim Bet1
2 Maccabees · Chapter 1
The brethren, the Jews that be at Yerushalayim and in the land of Judea, wish unto the brethren, the Jews that are throughout Mitsrayim health and peace:
Elohim be gracious unto you, and remember his b'rit that he made with Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya'aqov, his faithful servants;
And give you all an heart to serve him, and to do his will, with a good courage and a willing mind;
And open your hearts in his torah and mitsvot, and send you peace,
And hear your prayers, and be at one with you, and never forsake you in time of trouble.
And now we be here praying for you.
What time as Demetrius reigned, in the hundred threescore and ninth year, we the Jews wrote unto you in the extremity of trouble that came upon us in those years, from the time that Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and kingdom,
And burned the porch, and shed innocent blood: then we prayed unto the master, and were heard; we offered also sacrifices and fine flour, and lighted the lamps, and set forth the loaves.
And now see that ye keep the feast of tabernacles in the month Casleu.
In the hundred fourscore and eighth year, the people that were at Yerushalayim and in Judea, and the council, and Judas, sent greeting and health unto Aristobulus, king Ptolemeus’ master, who was of the stock of the anointed kohanim, and to the Jews that were in Mitsrayim:
Insomuch as Elohim hath delivered us from great perils, we thank him highly, as having been in battle against a king.
For he cast them out that fought within the holy city.
For when the leader was come into Persia, and the army with him that seemed invincible, they were slain in the heikhal of Nanea by the deceit of Nanea’s kohanim.
For Antiochus, as though he would marry her, came into the place, and his friends that were with him, to receive money in name of a dowry.
Which when the kohanim of Nanea had set forth, and he was entered with a small company into the compass of the heikhal, they shut the heikhal as soon as Antiochus was come in:
And opening a privy door of the roof, they threw stones like thunderbolts, and struck down the captain, hewed them in pieces, smote off their heads and cast them to those that were without.
Blessed be our Elohim in all things, who hath delivered up the ungodly.
Therefore whereas we are now purposed to keep the purification of the heikhal upon the five and twentieth day of the month Casleu, we thought it necessary to certify you thereof, that ye also might keep it, as the feast of the tabernacles, and of the fire, which was given us when Neemias offered sacrifice, after that he had builded the heikhal and the altar.
For when our fathers were led into Persia, the kohanim that were then devout took the fire of the altar privily, and hid it in an hollow place of a pit without water, where they kept it sure, so that the place was unknown to all men.
Now after many years, when it pleased Elohim, Neemias, being sent from the king of Persia, did send of the posterity of those kohanim that had hid it to the fire: but when they told us they found no fire, but thick water;
Then commanded he them to draw it up, and to bring it; and when the sacrifices were laid on, Neemias commanded the kohanim to sprinkle the wood and the things laid thereupon with the water.
When this was done, and the time came that the sun shone, which afore was hid in the cloud, there was a great fire kindled, so that every man marvelled.
And the kohanim made a prayer whilst the sacrifice was consuming, I say, both the kohanim, and all the rest, Yonatan beginning, and the rest answering thereunto, as Neemias did.
And the prayer was after this manner; O master, master Elohim, Creator of all things, who art fearful and strong, and righteous, and merciful, and the only and gracious King,
The only giver of all things, the only just, almighty, and everlasting, thou that deliverest Yisra'el from all trouble, and didst choose the fathers, and sanctify them:
Receive the sacrifice for thy whole people Yisra'el, and preserve thine own portion, and sanctify it.
Gather those together that are scattered from us, deliver them that serve among the heathen, look upon them that are despised and abhorred, and let the heathen know that thou art our Elohim.
Punish them that oppress us, and with pride do us wrong.
Plant thy people again in thy holy place, as Mosheh hath spoken.
And the kohanim sung psalms of thanksgiving.
Now when the sacrifice was consumed, Neemias commanded the water that was left to be poured on the great stones.
When this was done, there was kindled a flame: but it was consumed by the light that shined from the altar.
So when this matter was known, it was told the king of Persia, that in the place, where the kohanim that were led away had hid the fire, there appeared water, and that Neemias had purified the sacrifices therewith.
Then the king, inclosing the place, made it holy, after he had tried the matter.
And the king took many gifts, and bestowed thereof on those whom he would gratify.
And Neemias called this thing Naphthar, which is as much as to say, a cleansing: but many men call it Nephi.