Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The first Chapter.

[ A] AFter that Alexander the sonne of Philippe, kynge of Macedo¦nia wente forth of the londe of Cethim, and slewe Darius kyn¦ge of the Persiās and Meedes: It happened, that he toke greate warres in honde, wanne very many stronge cities, and slew many kinges of y^e earth: goinge thorow to y^e endes of the worlde, and gettinge many spoyles of the people: In so moch, y^t the worl¦de stode in greate awe of him, & therfore was he proude in his herte. Now whē he had ga¦thered a mightie strōge hoost, & subdued y^e lōdes and people with their prynces, so that they became tributaries vnto hī: he fell sick. And whē he perceaued that he must nedes die, he called for his noble estates (which had bene brought vp with him of children) & par¦ted his kyngdome amonge them, whyle he was yet alyue. So Alexāder raygned xij. yea¦re, and then dyed.

After his death fell the kyngdome vnto his prynces, and they optayned it euery one in his rowme, and caused them selues to be crowned as kynges: and so dyd their childrē after them many yeares, & moch wickednesse increaced in the worlde. Out of these came y^t vngracious rote, noble Antiochus y^e sonne of Antiochus the kynge (which had bene a pledge at Rome) & he raigned in y^e Cxxxvij. yeare of the raigne of the Grekes.

[ B] In those dayes wēte there out of Israel wicked men, which moued moch people w^t their coūcel, sayēge: Let vs go & make a co∣uenaunt with the Heithen, y^t are rounde a∣boute vs: for sence we departed from them, we haue had moch sorow. So this deuyce pleased them well, and certayne of y^e people toke vpon thē for to go vnto y^e kynge, which gaue them licence to do after the ordinaūce of the Heithen. Then set they vp an open sco¦le (at Ierusalem) of the lawes of the Heithē, and were nomore circumcised: but forsoke y^e holy Testamente, and ioyned them selues to y^e Heithē, & were cleane solde to do myschefe.

So when Antiochus beganne to be migh¦tie in his kyngdome, he wente aboute to op∣tayne y^e londe of Egipte also, that he might haue the dominion of two realmes. Vpon this entred he in to Egipte with a stronge hoost, with charettes, elephantes, horsmen & a greate nombre of shippes, and beganne to warre agaynst Ptolomy the kynge of Egip¦te. But Ptolomy was afrayed of him, and fled: and many of his people were wounded to death. Thus Antiochus wāne many strō∣ge cities, and toke awaye great good out of the londe of Egipte.

And after that Antiochus had smytten [ C] Egipte, he turned agayne in the Cxliij. yeare & wente towarde Israel, and came vp to Ie∣rusalem with a mightie people: and entred proudly into y^e Sanctuary, and toke awaye the golden altare, the candilsticke and all y^e ornamētes therof: the table of the shewbred the pouringe vessel, the chargers, the golden spones, the vale, the crownes and golden ap∣parel of the temple, and brake downe all. He toke also the syluer and golde, the precious Iewels, and the secrete treasures that he foū¦de. And when he had taken awaye alltoge∣ther, caused a greate murthur of men, and so fulfilled his malicious pryde, he departed in to his owne londe.

Thus there arose greate heuinesse and mi¦sery in all the londe of Israel. The prynces and the elders of the people mourned, the yō¦ge men and the maydens were defyled, and the fayre beutye of women was chaunged: the brydegrome and the bryde toke them to mournynge: the londe and those that dwelt therin, was moued: for all the house of Ia∣cob was brought to confucion.

[illustration]

[ D] After two yeares the kynge sent his che∣fe treasurer vnto the cities of Iuda, which came to Ierusalem with a greate multitude of people, speakīge peaceable wordes vnto thē, but all was disceate: for when they had geuen him credence, he fell sodēly vpon the cite, and smote it sore, and destroyed moch people of Israel. And when he had spoyled the cite, he set fyre on it, castinge downe hou∣ses and walles on euery syde. The women & their children toke they captiue, and led a∣waye their catell. Then buylded they the cas¦tel of Dauid with a greate and thicke wall, and with mightie towres, & made it a stron∣ge holde for them. Besyde all this they sett wicked people and vngodly men to kepe it, stoared it with weapens and vytales: gathe¦red the goodes of Ierusalem, and layed thē vp there: thus became it a theuysh castell.

And this was done to laye waite for the people that wente in to the Sanctuary, and for the cruell destruccion of Israel. Thus they shed innocent bloude on euery syde of y^e Sanctuary, and defyled it: In so moch that the citesyns were fayne to departe, and the cite became an habitacion of straungers, beynge desolate of hir owne sede, for hir ow¦ne natyues were fayne to leaue her. Hir Sāc¦tuary was clene waisted, hir holy dayes we∣re turned in to mournynge, hir Sabbathes were had in derision, and hir hono^r brought to naught. Loke how greate hir glory was afore, so greate was hir confucion, and hir ioye turned in to sorow.

[ E] Antiochus also the kynge sent out a com∣mission vnto all his kyngdome, that all the people shulde be one. Then they left euery man his lawe, and all the Heithen agreed to the cōmaundement of kynge Antiochus: Yee many of the Israelites consented there vnto, offerynge vnto Idols, and defylinge the Sabbath. So the kynge Antiochus sent his messaungers with his commission vnto Ierusalem, and to all y^e cities of Iuda: that they shulde folowe y^e lawes of the Heithē, and for bad ether burnt offerynge, meat offe∣rynge or peace offerynge to be made in the temple of God, & that there shulde no Sab¦bath ner hye feast daye be kepte: but com∣maunded, that the Sanctuary and the ho∣ly people of Israel shulde be defyled.

He commaunded also that there shulde be set vp other altares, temples and Idols: to offre vp swynes flesh and other vnclene beastes: that men shulde leaue their children vncircumcised, to defyle their soules with all maner of vnclennesse & abhominacions: that they might so forget the lawe, and chaūge all the holy ordinaunces of God: and that who so euer wolde not do acordyn∣ge to the commaundement of kynge Antio∣chus, shulde suffre death. In like maner commaunded he thorow out all his realme, and sett rulers ouer the people, for to com∣pell them to do these thynges, commaundin¦ge the cities of Iuda to do sacrifice vnto Idols.

Then wente the people vnto the Hei∣then by heapes, forsoke the lawe of the LOR∣DE, and committed moch euell in the londe: yee and chaced out the secrete Israelites, which had hyd them selues in corners and preuy places. The xv. daye of the moneth [ F] Casleu, in the Cxlv. yeare, set kynge Antio∣chus an abhominable Idol of desolacion v∣pon the altare of God, and they buylded al∣tares thorow out all the cities of Iuda on euery syde, before the dores of the houses, and in the stretes: where they brent incen∣se, and dyd sacrifyce. And as for the bokes of the lawe of God, they brent them in the fyre, and rente them in peces. What so euer he was that had a boke of the Testament of the LORDE founde by hym, yee who so euer endeuored himself to kepe the lawe of the LORDE, the kynges commaundement was, y^t they shulde put him to death. And thorow his anctorite they executed these thinges euery moneth, vpon the people of Israel that were founde in the cities.

The fyue and twentye daye of the mo∣neth, what tyme as they dyd sacrifice v∣pon the altare (which stode in the steade of the altare of the LORDE) acordinge to the commaundement of kynge Antiochus, they put certayne women to death, which had caused their children to be circumcised: Not only that, but they hanged vp the chil¦dren by the neckes thorow out all their hou∣ses, and slewe the circumcisers of them.

Yet were there many of the people of Is∣rael, which determed in them selues, that they wolde not eate vncleane thinges: but chose rather to suffre death, then to be defy∣led with vncleane meates. So because they wolde not breake the blessed lawe of God, they were cruelly slayne. And this greate ty¦ranny increased very sore vpon the people of Israel.

Notes

• ••udit. 1. b
• ••an. 7. a ••nd 8. b
• ••. Mac. 8. a
• Deut. 7. a ••udic. 2. a
• ••ere. 44. c
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 5. c
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• Iere. 36. c
• 2. Ma. ••. b