The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

[The firste book of Machabeorum [Here bigynneth the first boke of Machabeorum. A. Machabee the first. G. The first boke of Machabeis. H.] .] CAP. I.

[verse 1] AND it is don, after that Alisaundre of Philip, kyng of Macedo, which regn|ede first in Grece, smote, he gon out of the lond of Sethym, smote Darius, kyng [verse 2] of Persis and Medis, and ordeynyde many bateilis, and gate strengthes of alle; [verse 3] and he [Om. AGH.] slewȝe kyngus of erthe, and passide forth vnto eendis of erthe, and toke spuylis of multitude of folkis; and the erthe was stille in the siȝt of hym. [verse 4] And he gadride vertu, and ful stronge oost, and the herte of hym is enhaunsid and lift up. [verse 5] And he gate cuntrees of folkis, and tyrauntis, or stronge men; and thei ben maad to hym in to tribut.

[verse 6] And after these thingus he felle in to bed, and knewe that he shulde die. [verse 7] And he clepide his noble childre, that weren nurishid with hym fro her ȝouthe, and departide to hem his kyngdam, whanne ȝit he leuede. [verse 8] And Alisaundre regnyde twelue ȝeer, and is dead. [verse 9] And his chil|dren weldiden the rewme, eche in his [verse 10] place, and alle puttiden to hem dyademes after his deth, and sonys [the sonys G pr. m.] of hem after hem, many ȝeeris; and yuelis ben mul|tipled in erthe. [verse 11] And there wente out of hem a root of synne, Antiochus the no|ble, the sone of Antiochi kyng, that was at Rome in seegyng, `or plegge [Om. A.] , and regnede in the hundrid and seuen and thretti ȝeer of the rewme of Greekis. [verse 12] In tho days wickid sonys of Yrael wenten out, and counseiliden many, sayinge, Go we, and ordeyne we a testament with heithen men, that ben aboute us; for sithen we departiden fro hem, many yuels founden us. [verse 13] And the word [Lord K.] is seen good in the eeȝen of hem. [verse 14] And summe of the peple senten, and wenten awey to the kyng; and he ȝaue power to hem for to do riȝtwisnesse of heithen men. [verse 15] And thei beeldiden a scole in Jerusalem, vp [verse 16] the lawis of naciouns; and thei maden to hem prepucyes, or hethen customes, and wenten awey fro the holy testament, and weren ioyned to naciouns, and weren solde for to do yuel. [verse 17] And the rewme hadde prosperite in the siȝt of Antio|chus, and he byganne for to regne in the lond of Egypt, for to regne on two rewmes. [verse 18] And he entride into Egipt in a greuous multitude, in chaaris, and oli|fauntis, and horsmen, and a plenteuous [verse 19] multitude of schippis, and he ordeynede bateil aȝens Tholome, kyng of Egipt; and Ptholome dredde of his face, and fleiȝ; and manye woundid fellen doun. [verse 20] And he toke the stronge citees in the lond of Egypt, and he toke prayes of the

lond of Egypt. [verse 21] And Antiochus turnede, after that he smote Egypt, in the hun|drid and three and fourtithe ȝeer, and styede vp [Om. A.] to Yrael. [verse 22] And he stiede vp to Jerusalem in a greuouse multitude, [verse 23] and entride in to the halewyng with pride; and he toke the golden auter, and the candilstike of liȝt, and alle ves|sels therof, and the bord of proposicioun, and vessels of fleetynge sacrifices, and cruetis, and golden morters, and veil, and crownys, and golden ournement that was in face of the temple; and he brake alle. [verse 24] And he toke gold and syluer, and alle desireable vessels, and he toke the [Om. H.] priuy tresours, whiche he fonde; and alle taken up, he wente in to his lond. [verse 25] And he made slawȝter of men, and spake in [Om. K.] grete pride. [verse 26] And grete weiling is maad [verse 27] in Yrael, and in eche place of hem; and princis sorewiden inwardly, and elder men, and meydenys, and ȝung men, ben maad seeke, and fairnesse of wymen is chaungid. [verse 28] Eche husbond toke weilyng, and thei that saten in the husbondis bed, mourneden. [verse 29] And the lond is moued to gidre on men dwellynge therynne, and al the hous of Jacob clothide confusioun. [verse 30] And after two ȝeeris of days, the kyng sente a prince of tributis in to the citees of Juda, and he cam to Jerusalem with grete cumpaignye. [verse 31] And he spake to hem pesible wordis in gyle, and thei bileeuyden to hym. [verse 32] And sodenly he felle yn on the citee, and smote it with grete wounde, and lost miche peple of Yrael. [verse 33] And he toke prayes of the citee, and brente it with fijr, and distruyede housis therof, and wallis therof in cumpas. [verse 34] And thei ledden wymmen caityf, and children, and weldiden beestis. [verse 35] And thei beeld|iden the cytee of Dauid with grete [a grete G sec. m. H.] wall and sad, and sad toures; and it is maad to hem in to strengthe. [verse 36] And thei put|tiden there a folk of synners, wickid men, and thei weren stronge in it; and

thei puttiden armers, and metis, and [verse 37] gadirden prays of Jerusalem; and put|tiden vp there, and ben maad into a grete gnare. [verse 38] And this thing is maad to aspyingus in yuel of halewyng, and in to yuel gyle in Yrael euermore. [verse 39] And thei shedden out innocent blood, bi cum|pas of the halewyng, and defouliden the halewyng. [verse 40] And dwellers of Jerusalem fledden for hem, and is maad habita|cioun of straungers, and is maad strange, or alien, to his seed, and the sonnys therof forsoken it. [verse 41] The halewyng therof is desolat as wildrenesse; the feestdays therof ben turned in to mournyng, the sabothis therof in to shenship, the hon|ouris therof into nouȝt. [verse 42] Vp the glorie therof the yuel fame therof is multi|plied, and heiȝnesse therof is tourned into mournyng. [verse 43] And kyng Antiochus wrot to al his reume, that al the peple weren oon. And thei forsoken eche man [verse 44] his lawe; and alle folkis consentiden vp [verse 45] the word of kyng Antiochus, and manye of Yrael consentiden to hym, and sacri|fieden to ydolis, and defouliden saboth. [verse 46] And kyng Antiochus sente bokis bi the hond of messangers in to Jerusalem, and in to alle citees of Judee, that thei shul|den [verse 47] sue the lawis of folkis of erthe, and thei shulden forbede burnt sacrifices, and sacrifices, and plesyngis for to be don in [verse 48] the temple of God, and shulden [thei schulden G sec. m. H.] forbede the saboth for to be halewid, and so|lempne days, [verse 49] and holy thingus for to be defoulid, and the holy peple of Yrael. [verse 50] And he comaundide auters for to be beeldid, and templis, and [of A.] ydolis; and swyne fleshe for to be sacrifisid, and [verse 51] commoun, or unclene, beestus; and for to leue her sonys vncircumcidid, and the soulis of hem for to be defoulid in alle vnclennessis and abominaciouns, so that thei shulden forȝete the lawe, and shul|den chaunge alle the iustifiyngis of God.

[verse 52] And who euer diden not the [vp the A.] word of Antiochus, shulden dye. [verse 53] After alle these wordis he wrote to al his rewme, and bifore sette princis to the peple, whiche shulden constreyne these thingis for [Om. G pr. m.] to be don. [verse 54] And thei comaundiden to citees of Juda for to sacrifice. [verse 55] And many of the peple ben gadrid to hem, whiche for|soken lawe [the lawe H.] of the Lord, and diden yuels [verse 56] on erthe; and dryuen out the peple of Yrael of priue places, and in hid places of fugityues, or fleeynge men. [verse 57] In the fyftenthe day of the moneth Casleu, in the hundrid and fyue and fourtithe ȝeere, kyng Antiochus beeldide the abominable ydol of desolacioun, or discomfort, on [vpon A] the auter of God; and bi alle the citees of Jude thei beeldiden auters. [verse 58] And bi|fore ȝatis of housis and in streetis thei [verse 59] brenten encensis, and sacrifieden; and brenten by fijr bokis of the lawe of God, keruynge hem. [verse 60] And anentis whom euer bokis of the [Om. AGH.] testament of the Lord weren founden, and who euer kepte the lawe of the Lord, vp maundement of the kyng thei slewen hym. [verse 61] In her vertu, or power, thei diden these thingus to the peple of Yrael, that was founden in eche moneth in citees. [verse 62] And in the [Om. H.] fyue and twentithe day of the moneth, thei sacri|fisiden on the auter, that was aȝeinus the auter. [verse 63] And wymmen, that circumcid|iden her sonys, weren strangled, vp co|maundement [verse 64] of kyng Antiochus; and thei hangiden children of the haterels, or hyndre part of the nek, by alle housis of hem, and strangliden that circumcid|iden [circumciden G pr. m.] hem. [verse 65] And many of the peple of Yrael determyden, or fully demyden, anentis hem, that thei shulden not ete vnclene thingis, and chesiden more for to dye, than for to be defoulid with vn|clene metis. [verse 66] And thei wolden not breke

the holy lawe of God, and thei weren [verse 67] slayn; and grete [the greet H.] wrath is maad on the peple ful myche.