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

The II. Chapter.

IN those dayes there dyd stōde vp o∣ne Matathias the sonne of Symeon [ A]

the prest (out of the kynred of Ioaris) frō Ie Ierusalem, and dwelt vpon the mount of Modin, and had v. sonnes: Ihō called Gad¦dis: Symon, called Thasi: Iudas, other wy¦se called Machabeus: Eleazer, other wyse called Abaron: and Ionathas, whose sur∣name was Apphus. These sawe the euell, y^t was done amonge the people of Iuda and Ierusalem. And Matathias sayde: Wo is me, alas that euer I was borne, to se this mi¦sery of my people, and y^e piteous destrucciō of the holy cite: & thus to syt so styll, it beyn∣ge delyuered in to the hondes the enemies, Hir Sanctuary is come in to the power of straungers,* 1.1 hir temple is, as it were a man y^t hath lost his good name. Hir precious orna¦mentes are caried awaye captyue, hir olde men are slayne in the stretes, and hir yonge men are fallen thorow the swearde of the e∣nemies.

What people is it, that hath not some possession in hir kyngdome? Or who hath not gotten some of hir spoyles? All hir glo∣ry is taken awaye. She was a Quene, and now she is become an handmayde. Beholde oure Sanctuary, oure bewtye and honoure is waisted awaye, and defyled by the Genti∣les. What helpeth it vs then to lyue? And Matathias rente his clothes, he and his son¦nes, and put sack cloth vpon them, & mour∣ned [ B] very sore.

Then came the men thither which were sent of kynge Antiochus, to compell soch as were fled in to the cite of Modin, for to do sa¦crifice and to burne incense vnto Idols, and to forsake the lawe of God. So, many of the people of Israel consented and enclyned vn∣to them, but Matathias and his sonnes re∣mayned stedfast. Then spake the commissio∣ners of kynge Antiochus, & sayde vnto Ma¦tathias: Thou art a noble man, of hye repu∣tacion and greate in this cite, hauinge fayre children and brethren. Come thou therfore first, and fulfill the kynges commaundemēt, like as all the Heithen haue done, yee and y^e men of Iuda, and soch as remayne at Ieru¦salem: so shalt thou and thy children be in y^e kynges fauoure, and enriched with golde, syluer and greate rewardes.

Matathias answered, and spake with a loude voyce: Though all nacions obeye the kynge Antiochus, and fall awaie euery man frō kepynge y^e lawe of their fathers: though they consente to his commaundementes, yet wil I & my sonnes and my brethren, not fall from the lawe oure fathers. God forbyd we shulde: that were not good for vs, that we shulde forsake the lawe and ordinaunces of God, and to agre vnto the commaundement of kynge Antiochus. Therfore we will do no soch sacrifice, nether breake the statutes of o^r lawe, to go another waye.* 1.2 And whē he had spoken these wordes, there came one of the Iewes, which openly in the sight of all, dyd sacrifice vnto the Idols vpon the aulter in the cite of Modin, acordinge to the kyn∣ges commaundement.

When Matathias sawe this, it greued [ C] him at the herte, so that his raynes sho••e withall, and his wrath kindled for very ze∣le of the lawe. With that he gaue a szkippe forth, and kylled the Iew besyde the aulter: Yee and slewe y^e kynges commissioner, that cōpelled him to do sacrifice, & destroyed the aulter at the same time: soch a zele had he vn¦to the lawe of God,* 1.3 like as Phinees dyd vn∣to Zambri the sonne of Salomi. And Mata∣thias cried with a loude voyce thorow y^e ci∣te, sayenge: Who so is feruent in the lawe, & wil kepe y^e couenaunt, let him folowe me. So he and his sonnes fled in to the mountaynes and left all that euer they had in y^e cite.* 1.4 Ma∣ny other godly men also departed in to the wyldernesse with their children, their wyues and their catell, and remayned there: for the tyranny increaced so sore vpon them.

Now when the kynges seruauntes and [ D] the hoost, which was at Ierusalem in the ci∣te of Dauid herde, that certayne mē had bro∣ken the kynges commaundement and were gone their waye to the wyldernesse in to se∣crete places, and that there were many de∣parted after them: they folowed vpon them to fight agaynst them in the Sabbath daye, and sayde: Wyll ye yet rebell? Get you hence & do the commaundement of kynge Antio∣chus, and ye shall lyue. They answered: We wil not go forth, nether wil we do the kinges cōmaundement, to defyle y^e Sabbath daye.* 1.5 Then beganne they to fight agaynst them neuerthelesse they gaue them none other an∣swere, nether cast they one stone at them, ner made fast their preuy places, but sayde: We wil dye all in oure innocency, heauen & earth shal testifie with vs, that ye put vs to death wrongeously. Thus they fought agaynst them vpon the Sabbath, & slewe both men and catell, their wyues and their children, to the nombre of a thousande people.

When Matathias and his frendes herde [ E] this, they mourned for them right sore, and sayde one to another: Yf so be that we all do as oure brethrē haue done, and fight not for oure lyues & for oure lawes agaynst the Hei¦then:

then shall they the sooner rote vs out of the earth. So they cōcluded amonge thē selues at the same tyme, sayenge: What so euer he be that cōmeth to make battayll w^t vs vpon the Sabbath daye, we wyll fight agaynst him, & not dye all, as o^r brethren y^t were murthured so haynously. Vpō this ca∣me the Synagoge of the Iewes vnto thē: stronge men of Israel, all soch as were fer∣uent in the lawe. And all they that were fled for persecucion, came to helpe them, and to stonde by them: In so moch that they gathe¦red an hoost of men, and slewe the wicked doers in their gelousy, and the vngodly men in their wrath. Some of the wicked fled vn¦to the Heithen, and escaped.

Thus Matathias and his frendes wen∣te aboute, and destroyed the aulters, and cir∣cumcided the children, that had not yet re∣ceaued circumcision: as many as they foun¦de within y^e coostes of Israel: and folowed mightely vpon the children of pryde, and this acte prospered in their hondes: In so moch, that they kepte the lawe agaynst the power of the Gentiles and the kynges, and gaue not ouer their dominion vnto wicked doers.

[ F] After this when the tyme drew on fast, that Matathias shulde dye, he sayde vnto his sonnes: Now is pryde and persecucion increased, now is the tyme of destruccion and wrathfull displeasure: Wherfore (o my sonnes) be ye feruent in the lawe, and ioper∣de youre lyues for the Testament of the fa∣thers: call to remembraunce what actes ou¦re fathers dyd in their tyme, so shall ye re∣ceaue greate honoure and an euerlastinge name.

* 1.6Remembre Abraham, was not he foun∣de faithfull in tentacion, and it was recke∣ned vnto him for righteousnesse? Ioseph in tyme of his trouble kepte the commaunde∣ment, and was made a lorde of Egipte. Phi¦nees oure father was so feruent for the ho∣noure of God, that he optayned the coue∣naūt of an euerlastinge presthode.* 1.7 Iosue for fulfillinge the worde of God, was made the captayne of Israel.* 1.8 Caleb bare recorde befo∣re the cōgregacion, and receaued an hereta∣ge.* 1.9 Dauid also in his mercifull kyndnesse, op¦tayned the trone of an euerlastinge kyngdo∣me.* 1.10 Elias beynge gelous and feruent in the lawe, was taken vp in to heauē. Hananias, Asarias and Misael remayned stedfast in faith,* 1.11 and were delyuered out of the fyre. In like maner Daniel beynge vngiltie,* 1.12 was sa∣ued from the mouth of the Lyons.

And thus ye maye considre thorow out [ G] all ages sens the worlde beganne,* 1.13 that who so euer put their trust in God, were not ouer come.* 1.14 Feare not ye then the wordes of an vngodly man, for his glory is but donge and wormes: to daye is he set vp, and to morow is he gone: for he is turned in to earth, and his memoriall is come to naught. Wherfo∣re (o my sonnes) take good hertes vnto you, and quyte youre selues like men in the lawe: for yf ye do the thinges that are commaun¦ded you in the lawe of the LORDE you∣re God, ye shal optaine greate honoure ther¦in.

And beholde, I knowe that youre brother Symon is a man of wyszdome: se that ye ge¦ue eare vnto him allwaye, he shall be a fa∣ther vnto you. As for Iudas Machabeus, he hath euer bene mightie and strōge from his youth vp: let him be youre captayne, and ordre the battayll of y^e people: Thus shall ye brynge vnto you all those that fauoure the lawe, and se that ye auenge the wronge of youre people, and recompence the Hei∣then agayne, and applie youre selues who∣le to the commaundement of the lawe. So he gaue them his blessinge, and was layed by his fathers: and dyed in the Cxlvj, yeare at Modin, where his sonnes buried him in his fathers sepulcre, & all Israel made grea∣te lamentacion for him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Mac. 1. b
• * 1.2

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.3

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.4

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.5

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.6

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••. e 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 11. d 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 4. d 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••••. a 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 44. c 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 41. f 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 21. c 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 4••. f
• * 1.7

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••7. d 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 1▪ a
• * 1.8

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 14. a
• * 1.9

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 24 c
• * 1.10

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.11

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.12

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.13

  Heb. 11. b
• * 1.14

  Mat. 10. •• Esa. 51. c and 40. •• 1. Pet. 1. d Iacob. 1. •• Eccll. 14. •• Psal. 26. and 30. d