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RUINS AT THE ANCIENT JERICHO.Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
The modern village of Jericho, near the ruins of ancient Jericho. With its mud walls and thatched roofs, it is one of the poorest and most miserable villages in all Palestine.
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And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, "What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother."
And the king of Israel said unto him, "Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab."
And Elisha said, "As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. But now bring me a minstrel." And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
And he said, "Thus saith the Lord, 'Make this valley full of trenches.' For thus saith the Lord, 'Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water: and ye shall drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts.'
"And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones."
And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of offering the oblation, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all that were able to put on armor, and upward,{392}and stood on the border. And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water over against them as red as blood: and they said, "This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil."
And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: and they went forward into the land smiting the Moabites. And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees: until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew sword, to break through unto the king of Edom: but they could not. Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
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THE PLAINS OF JERICHO.
Now almost uninhabited, covered with wild growth. The mounds in the middle distance cover the ancient city.
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JEHU.
[Footnote: How Jehu, a captain in the army, came to the throne of Israel, is told in the"Stories of Elijah and Elisha"in this volume.]
How Jehu Destroyed the Children of Ahab and the Children of Ahaziah, and the Priests of Baal.
Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and unto them that brought up the sons of Ahab, saying, "And now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armor; look ye out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house."
But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, "Behold, the two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?"
And he that was over the household, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and they that brought up the children, sent to Jehu, saying, "We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any man king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes."
Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, "If ye be on my side, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to-morrow this time."
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Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up. And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them unto him to Jezreel.
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons."
And he said, "Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning." And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, "Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who smote all these? Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord hath done that which he spoke by his servant Elijah."
So Jehu smote all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him none remaining. And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria.
And as he was at the shearing house of the shepherds in the way, Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, "Who are ye?" And they answered, "We are the brethren of Ahaziah: and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen."
And he said, "Take them alive."
And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
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And when he was departed thence, he came upon Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, "Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?"
And Jehonadab answered, "It is."
"If it be, give me thine hand." And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
And he said, "Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord,"
So they made him ride in his chariot. And when he came to Samaria, he smote all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Elijah.
And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, "Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live." But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal.
And Jehu said, "Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal." And they proclaimed it.
And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another.
And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard{398}and to the captains, "Go in, and slay them; let none come forth." And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. And they brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them. And they broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and defiled it, unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan.
And the Lord said unto Jehu, "Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."
But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin.
In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. And Jehu died: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
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JEHOAHAZ.
(The kingdom of Israel was nearly blotted out by the raids of the Syrians during the weak reign of Jehoahaz.)
In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, continually.
And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, how that the king of Syria oppressed them. And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin, but walked therein: and there remained the Asherah also in Samaria.
And there were left to Jehoahaz of the people only fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria destroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing. And Jehoahaz died; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.
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JOASH.
(The oppression of the Syrians continued into the reign of Joash, but in the later days of the reign, Joash gained the ascendency over his foes in three great battles, according to the prophecy of Elisha when he was about to die, as is told in the"Stories of Elijah and Elisha"in another chapter of this volume.)
And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. But the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet. And Hazael king of Syria died; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. And Joash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash smite him, and recovered the cities of Israel.
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JEROBOAM II.
(Jeroboam II. was an evil king, but as a soldier he was one of the greatest in the history of Israel. He extended the territory of the people in every direction. The country was prosperous in a commercial sense as it never had been before. The rich people lived in the most luxurious houses and spent their time in idleness and dissipation. But there was another side to the picture. The poor were terribly oppressed, and there was no such thing as justice. The people worshiped idols and indulged in all kinds of evil practices. We know most about the reign through the prophet Amos, who sternly denounced all this wickedness.)
In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: departing not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
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ZECHARIAH.
(After the splendid but utterly corrupt reign of Jeroboam II., came a succession of little kings, ruling by virtue of the assassin's knife. The first was Zechariah. He reigned only six months before a conspirator, Shallum, slew him.)
In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Shallum the son of Jabish conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.
This was the word of the Lord which he spoke unto Jehu, saying, "Thy sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel." And so it came to pass.
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SHALLUM.
(Shallum's reign was shorter still. He was on the throne only one month before the swift fate overtook him, and he fell before a successful rival, Menahem.)
Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned the space of a month in Samaria. And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.
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MENAHEM.
(Although Menahem was able to wrest the crown away from Shallum, he did not prove to be much of a soldier. It was in his reign perhaps that the Assyrians first came into the territory of Israel, though they had been in Philistia before, while probably Ahab and certainly Jehu had paid tribute. Instead of resisting them, the king taxed his people heavily to pay the great tribute exacted by the Lords of the North.)
In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin.
There came against the land Tiglath-pileser the king of Assyria; and Menahem gave Tiglath-pileser a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. And Menahem died; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.
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DAMASCUSFrom a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass., and used by special permission.
"In the bazars of Damascus can be found all the color and richness of the East. In the long dusk tunnels, shot by solid shafts of life, all is beautiful--the old walnut wood, the brown tobacco bales, the carpets, the spotted brown scones in the bakers' shops, the tawny sweetmeats, the golden Hauran wheat, the piles of green melons, the tables of snow from Hermon, the armor and the rich saddlebags, the human dresses. But even the bazars of Damascus fail to exhaust the significance of the city. To gather more of this you must come out upon the three great roads which go forth from her--west, south, and east. The western travels by Galilee to the Levant and the Nile. The southern, which leaves the city by the 'Gates of God,' takes the pilgrims to Mecca. The eastern is the road to Bagdad, Egypt, Arabia, Persia,--the city of the khalifs lies in the midst of the three, and the Mediterranean is behind her."
--G. A. Smith.
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PEKAHIAH.
(We come now to another series of dark and bloody reigns, before the sun of Israel set forever in blood. After Pekahiah had reigned for two years, Pekah, the captain of his body guard, overpowered him with a company of fifty soldiers, and succeeded to the throne.)
In the fiftieth year of Uzziah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the castle of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites: and he slew him, and reigned in his stead.
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PEKAH.
(In Pekah's reign those irresistible invasions from the north continued. The only possible safety lay in a confederacy of all the southern states. In such a confederacy Israel and Syria and Philistia joined. Judah would not come in and the northern states tried to force her to do so. This attempt was successful in so far as the defeat of Judah was concerned, but the effort instead of uniting only weakened the two nations. The Assyrians overran the northern country, captured many important towns and took many captives. At last Pekah fell a victim to the assassin and Hoshea ruled over a broken and disorganized state.)
In the two and fiftieth year of Uzziah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin.
In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria. And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.
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DAMASCUS--THE RIVER ABANA.From a picture in the possession of the Detroit Photograph Company and used by kind permission.
Damascus is one of the oldest cities of the world. It is on the edge of the desert and is made possible by the river Abana, which "bursts full born from the heart of Lebanon, runs a course of ten miles in a narrow gorge, and from the mouth flings itself abroad in seven streams and after watering the greater part of the plain it dies a way in a large marsh. Damascus was easily conquered by Nineveh, Babylon, and Memphis--she probably preceded them and she has outlived them. She has been twice supplanted,--by Antioch, and she has seen Antioch decay; by Bagdad, and Bagdad is forgotten. She has been many times sacked and twice at least the effective classes of her population have been swept into captivity, but this has not broken the chain of her history."--G. A. Smith.
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HOSHEA.
(In spite of all the warnings of the prophets the people of Israel continued to disobey God and to do the things which were evil in his sight. The nation had its chance, and it threw that chance away. Then a terrible fate overtook it. A great wave of invasion came sweeping down from the North, and submerged the Northern kingdom. Samaria, the capital city, was destroyed, and the people were carried away by thousands into captivity.)
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in the Assyrian cities. And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which brought them up out of the land of{412}Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made. And the children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities. And they set them up pillars and sacred symbols upon every high hill, and under every green tree: and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger: and they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, "Ye shall not do this thing."
Yet the Lord testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by every prophet, and by every seer, saying, "Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets." Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their hearts, like to the hearts of their fathers, who believed not in the Lord their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they{413}burned their sons and their daughters as sacrifice, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And the Lord rejected all the people of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin. And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he spoke by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, unto this day.
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TALES OF THE MACCABEESPERSONS OF THE STORY.
Mattathias, a Jewish priest.Sons of Mattathias.John,Simon,Judas,Eleazar,Jonathan,Alexander the Great.Antiochus, king of Syria.Syrian generals under Antiochus.Apollonius,Seron,Ptolemy,Nicanor,Gorgias,Lysias, regent of Syria.Philip, pretender to Syrian crown.Demetrius I., king of Syria.Syrian generals under Demetrius.Bacchides,Nicanor,Alexander Bolas, A general who contested with Demetrius for the Syrian crown.Demetrius II., king of Syria.Antiochus, son of Bolas, pretender to the crown.Tryphon, a general who supported Antiochus, and who afterward became king.Antiochus VII., brother of Demetrius II., who defeated Tryphon.Ptolemy, king of Egypt.
PLACE OF THE STORY.
The action moves over nearly the whole of Palestine. Some of the places mentioned are Modin, home of the Maccabees, Jerusalem, Beth-Horon, Bethsura, Jaffa, Kedesh, Gazara.
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THE MACCABEES.The Story of a Village Priest and His Five Sons Who Made a Gallant Struggle for Liberty.
(Palestine was one of the countries overrun and conquered by Alexander the Great. One of his successors, Antiochus IV., attempted to force Greek customs and worship upon the people. Many Jews yielded, but some resisted. Because of this resistance the foreign soldiery massacred many of the people, including helpless women and children. Jerusalem was destroyed, and the altars of the Lord broken down and polluted. Then, as in the brave days of old, arose a deliverer. A priest named Mattathias lived with his five stalwart sons in the little village of Modin. They slew the king's officer who attempted to impose foreign religious rites upon the villagers, and, fleeing to the mountains, set up the standard of revolt. The greatest of the sons of the priest was called Maccabaeus, "the Hammer," because he smote his enemies so fiercely. From this, his family and his followers came to be called "Maccabees." These great warriors won many battles against great odds, and set the nation free. There is no more heroic story in all the history of Israel than theirs. The story is told in the "Books of the Maccabees," which are contained in what is called the "Apocrypha.")
[Footnote: Apocrypha--See note at the end of the volume.III.489,V.510,V.527.]
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I.How Alexander the Great, After He Had Conquered the World, Died, and How the Evil Antiochus Reigned in His Stead in Palestine.
And it came to pass, after Alexander the Macedonian, the son of Philip, came and smote Darius king of the Persians and Medes, and reigned in his stead, that he fought many battles, and won many strongholds, and slew the kings of the earth, and went through to the ends of the earth, and took spoils of a multitude of nations. And the earth was quiet before him, and he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up, and he gathered together an exceeding strong host, and ruled over countries and nations and principalities, and they became tributary unto him. And after these things he fell sick, and perceived that he should die. And he called his generals, and he divided unto them his kingdom, while he was yet alive. And Alexander reigned twelve years, and he died. And his generals bore rule, each one in his place. And they all put crowns upon themselves after he was dead, and so did their sons after them many years: and they multiplied evils in the earth.
In those days came there forth out of Israel transgressors of the law, and persuaded many, saying, "Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles that are round about us; for since we were parted from them many evils have befallen us."
And the saying was good in their eyes. And certain of the people were eager in this matter and went to the king, and he gave them license to do after the ordinances{420}of the Gentiles. And they forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the Gentiles, and sold themselves to do evil.
II.How Antiochus, After He Had Conquered Egypt, Returned to Bring Woeful Persecution Upon the Jews.
And a wicked ruler arose, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been a hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred and thirty and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.
And the kingdom was well ordered in the sight of Antiochus, and he thought to reign over Egypt, that he might reign over the two kingdoms. And he entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots, and with elephants, and with horsemen, and with a great navy; and he made war against Ptolemy king of Egypt; and Ptolemy was put to shame before him, and fled; and many fell wounded to death. And they got possession of the strong cities in the land of Egypt; and he took the spoils of Egypt.
And Antiochus, after he had smitten Egypt, returned in the hundred and forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude, and entered presumptuously into the sanctuary, and took the golden altar, and the candlestick, and all that pertained thereto, and the table of the showbread, and the cups, and the bowls, and the golden censers, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden ornaments which were before the temple, and he pulled them all off. And he took{421}the silver and the gold and the precious vessels; and he took the hidden treasures which he found. And when he had taken all, he went away into his own land, having made a great massacre.
And after two full years the king sent a chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Judah, and he came unto Jerusalem with a great multitude. And he spoke peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit: for when they believed him he fell upon the city suddenly, and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people out of Israel. And he took the spoils of the city, and set it on fire, and pulled down the houses thereof and the walls thereof on every side. And they led captive the women and the children, and the cattle they took in possession. And they builded the city of David with a great and strong wall, with strong towers, and it became unto them a citadel. And they put there a garrison of cruel soldiers, transgressors of the law, and they strengthened themselves therein. And they stored up arms and provisions, and gathering together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid them up there. And they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled the sanctuary. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them; and she became a habitation of strangers, and she became strange to them that were born in her, and her children forsook her. Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her Sabbaths into reproach, her honor into contempt. According to her glory, so was her dishonor multiplied, and her high estate was turned into mourning.
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And King Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, and that each should forsake his own laws. And all the nations agreed according to the word of the king; and many of Israel consented to his worship, and sacrificed to the idols and profaned the Sabbath. And the king sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, that they should follow laws strange to the land, and should forbid whole burnt offerings and sacrifice and drink offerings in the sanctuary; and should profane the Sabbaths and feasts, and pollute the sanctuary and them that were holy; that they should build altars, and temples, and shrines for idols, and should sacrifice swine's flesh and unclean beasts. And whosoever shall not do according to the word of the king, he shall die. According to all these words wrote he to his whole kingdom; and he appointed overseers over all the people, and he commanded the cities of Judah to sacrifice, city by city. And from the people were gathered together unto them many, everyone that had forsaken the law; and they did evil things in the land; and they made the Israelites to hide themselves in every place of refuge which they had.
III.How Mattathias the Priest and His Five Sons Rebelled Against the Authority of the King, and Fled to the Mountains.
In those days rose up Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest from Jerusalem; and he dwelt at Modin. And he had five sons, John, who was surnamed{423}Gaddis; Simon, who was called Thassi; Judas, who was called Maccabaeus; Eleazar, who was called Avaran; Jonathan, who was called Apphus.
And he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Judah and in Jerusalem, and he said,--
"Woe is me! wherefore was I born to see the destruction of my people, and the destruction of the holy city, and to dwell there, when it was given into the hand of the enemy, the sanctuary into the hand of aliens? Her temple is become as a man without glory: her vessels of glory are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in her streets, her young men with the sword of the enemy. What nation hath not inherited her palaces, and gotten possession of her spoils? her adorning is all taken away; instead of a free woman she is become a bond woman: and, behold, our holy things and our beauty and our glory are laid waste, and the Gentiles have profaned them. Wherefore should we live any longer?"
And Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourned exceedingly.
And the king's officers, that were enforcing the evil laws, came into the city Modin to sacrifice. And many of Israel came unto them, and Mattathias and his sons were gathered together. And the king's officers answered and spoke to Mattathias, saying, "Thou art a ruler and an honorable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and brethren: now therefore come thou first and do the commandment of the king, as all the nations have done, and the men of Judah, and they that remain in{424}Jerusalem: and thou and thy house shall be in the number of the king's Friends, and thou and thy sons shall be honored with silver and gold and many gifts."
And Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice, "If all the nations that are under the king's dominion hearken unto him, to fall away each one from the worship of his fathers, and have made choice to follow his commandments, yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. Heaven forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances. We will not hearken to the king's words, to go aside from our worship, on the right hand, or on the left."
And when he had ceased speaking these words, there came a Jew in the sight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king's commandment. And Mattathias saw it, and his zeal was kindled, and he was hot with indignation, and ran, and slew him upon the altar. And the king's officer, who compelled men to sacrifice, he killed at that time, and pulled down the altar. And Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying, "Whosoever is zealous for the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him come forth after me."
And he and his sons fled into the mountains, and forsook all that they had in the city.
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IV.How a Thousand Jews Were Slaughtered Because They Would Not Fight on the Sabbath Day.
Then many that sought after justice and judgment, went out into the wilderness, to dwell there, they, and their sons, and their wives, and their cattle; because evils were multiplied upon them. And it was told the king's officers, and the forces that were in Jerusalem, the city of David, that certain men, who had broken the king's commandment, were gone out into the secret places in the wilderness; and many pursued after them, and having overtaken them, they encamped against them, and set the battle in array against them on the Sabbath day.
And they said unto them, "Come forth, and do according to the word of the king, and ye shall live."
And they said, "We will not come forth, neither will we do the word of the king, to profane the Sabbath day."
And they hasted to give them battle. And they answered them not, neither cast they a stone at them, nor stopped up the secret places, saying, "Let us all die in our innocency: heaven and earth witness over us, that ye put us to death without trial."
And they rose up against them in battle on the Sabbath, and they died, they and their wives and their children, and their cattle, to the number of a thousand souls.
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V.How Mattathias Died, and Bequeathed the Task of Freeing Israel to His Sons.
And Mattathias and his friends knew it, and they mourned over them exceedingly. And one said to another, "If we all do as our brethren have done, and fight not against the Gentiles for our lives and our ordinances, they will now quickly destroy us from off the earth." And they took counsel on that day, saying, "Whosoever shall come against us to battle on the Sabbath day, let us fight against him, and we shall in no wise all die, as our brethren died in the secret places." Then were gathered together unto them a company of mighty men of Israel, every one that offered himself willingly for the law. And all they that fled from the evils were added to them, and became a stay unto them. And they mustered a host, and smote sinners in their anger, and lawless men in their wrath: and the rest fled to the Gentiles for safety. And Mattathias and his friends went round about, and pulled down the altars. And they pursued after the sons of pride, and the work prospered in their hand. And they rescued the law out of the hand of the Gentiles, and out of the hand of the kings, neither suffered they the sinner to triumph.
And the days of Mattathias drew near that he should die, and he said unto his sons,--
"Now have pride and rebuke gotten strength, and a season of overthrow, and wrath of indignation. And now, my children, be ye zealous for the law, and give your lives{427}for the covenant of your fathers. And call to remembrance the deeds of our fathers, which they did in their generations; and receive great glory and an everlasting name. Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness? Joseph in the time of his distress kept the commandment, and became lord of Egypt. Phinehas our father, because he was zealous exceedingly, obtained the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. Joshua for fulfilling the word became a judge in Israel. Caleb for bearing witness among the people obtained a heritage in the land. David for being merciful inherited the throne of a kingdom for ever and ever. Elijah, because he was exceeding zealous for the law, was taken up into heaven. Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, believed, and were saved out of the flame. Daniel for his innocency was delivered from the mouth of lions. And thus consider ye from generation to generation, that none that put their trust in him shall want for strength. And be not afraid of the words of a sinful man; for his glory shall come to naught. To-day he shall be lifted up, and to-morrow he shall not be found, because he is returned unto his dust, and his thought is perished. And ye, my children, be strong, and show yourselves men in behalf of the law; for therein shall ye obtain glory. And, behold, Simon your brother, I know that he is a man of counsel; give ear unto him alway: he shall be a father unto you. And Judas Maccabaeus, he hath been strong and mighty from his youth: he shall be your captain, and shall fight the battle of the people. And take ye unto you all the doers of{428}the law, and avenge the wrong of your people. Render a recompense to the Gentiles, and take heed to the commandments of the law."
And he blessed them, and was gathered to his fathers. And he died in the hundred and forty and sixth year, and his sons buried him in the sepulchers of his fathers at Modin, and all Israel made great lamentation for him.
VI.How "Judas the Hammer" Took Command of the Forces of Israel.
And his son Judas, who was called Maccabaeus, rose up in his stead. And all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that held with his father, and they fought with gladness the battle of Israel. And he got his people great glory, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike harness about him, and set battles in array, protecting the army with his sword. And he was like a lion in his deeds, and as a lion's whelp roaring for prey. And he pursued the lawless, seeking them out, and he burnt up those that troubled his people. And the lawless shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of lawlessness were sore troubled, and salvation prospered in his hand. And he angered many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed for ever. And he went about among the cities of Judah, and destroyed the ungodly out of the land, and turned away wrath from Israel: and he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth, and he gathered together such as were ready to perish.