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

The V. Chapter.

IT happened also that when y^e Hei∣then [ A] rounde aboute herde, how that the aulter and the Sanctuary were set vp in their olde estate: it displeased them very sore, wherfore they thought to destroye the generacion of Iacob that was amon∣ge them: In so moch that they beganne to slaye and to persecute certayne of y^e people. Then Iudas fought against the children of Esau in Idumea, and agaynst those which were at Arabathane (for they dwelt rounde aboute y^e Israelites) where he slewe & spoy¦led a greate multitude of thē. He thought also vpon the malice and vnfaithfulnes of the children of Bean, how they were a sna∣re and stoppe vnto y^e people, and how they layed waite for them in the hie waye: wher∣fore he shut them vp in to towers, and came vnto them, condemned them, and brent vp their towres, with all that were in them.

Afterwarde wente he agaynst the chil∣dren of Ammon, wherof he founde a migh¦tie power and a greate multitude of people, with Tymothy their captayne. So he stro∣ke many battayls with them, which were distroyed before him. And when he had slay¦ne them, he wanne Gazer the cite, with the townes belonginge therto, and so turned a∣gayne in to Iewry. The Heithen also in Ga¦laad gathered them together, agaynst the Israelites that were in their quarters, to slaye them: but they fled to the castel of Da¦theman, and sent letters vnto Iudas and his brethren, sayenge: The Heithen are ga∣thered [ B] agaynst vs on euery syde, to destroye vs, and now they make thē for to come and laye sege to y^e castel, whervnto we are fled, & Timothy is the captayne of their hoost: co¦me therfore, and delyuer vs out of their hon¦des: for there is a greate multitude of vs slayne all ready. Yee and oure brethren that were at Tubin, are slayne and destroyed (wel nye a thousande men) and their wyues, their children and their goodes haue the enemies led awaye captyue.

Whyle these letters were yet a readinge, beholde, there came other messaūgers from Galilee, with rente clothes: which tolde euen the same tydinges, and sayde, that they of Ptolomais, of Tirus and of Sidon were gathered agaynst them, and that all Gali∣lee was fylled with enemies to destroye Is∣rael. When Iudas and y^e people herde this, they came together (a greate congregacion) to deuyse, what they might do for their bre∣thren,

that were in trouble and beseged of their enemies. And Iudas sayde vnto Sy∣mon his brother: chose y^e out certayne men, and go delyuer thy brethren in Galilee: As for me and my brother Ionathas, we wyl go in to Galaadithim. So he left Iosephus y^e sonne of Zachary, and Asarias, to be captay¦nes of the people and to kepe the remnaunt of the hoost in Iewry, & commaunded them, sayenge: Take the ouersight of this people, and se that ye make no warre agaynst the Heithen, vntill the tyme that we come agay¦ne. And vnto Simon he gaue thre thousan∣de men for to go into Galilee, but Iudas himself had eight thousande in to Galaadi¦thim.

[ C] Then wente Symon in to Galilee, and stroke dyuerse batels w^t the Heithen: whom he discomfited, and folowed vpon them vn¦to the porte of Ptolomais. And there were slayne of the Heithen allmost iij. thousande men. So he toke the spoyles of them, and ca¦ried awaye the Israelites (that were in Ga∣lilee and Arbatis) with their wyues, their children and all that they had, and brought them in to Iewry with greate gladnesse. Iu¦das Machabeus also and his brother Iona¦thas, wente ouer Iordane, and trauayled iij. dayes iourney in the wyldernesse: Where the Nebuthees met them, and receaued them lo¦uyngly, and tolde thē euery thinge that had happened vnto their brethren in Galaadi∣thim, and how that many of them were be¦seged in Barasa, Bosor, Alimis, Casphor, Mageth and Carnaim (all these are stron∣ge walled and mightie greate cities) and y^t they were kepte in other cities of Galaad al¦so: and tomorow they are apoynted to bryn∣ge their hoost vnto these cities, to take them and to wynne them in one daye.

So Iudas and his hoost turned in all the haist in the wildernesse towarde Bosor, and wanne the cite, slewe all the males with the swearde, toke all their goodes, and set fyre vpon the cite. And in the night they toke their iourneye from thence, and came to the castell. And by tymes in the mornynge when they loked vp, beholde, there was an innu∣merable people bearynge laders and other instrumētes of warre, to take the castell and to ouercome them.

When Iudas sawe that the battayll be∣ganne, and that the noyse therof wente vp and range in to the Heauen, and that there was so greate a crie in the cite: He sayde vn∣to his hoost: fight this daye for youre bre∣thren. And so came behynde their enemies in thre companies, and blewe vp the trom∣pettes, and cried in their prayer to God.

But as soone as Tymothis hoost per∣ceaued that Machabeus was there, they fled from him, and y^e other slewe them dow¦ne right sore: so that there were kylled of them that same daye, allmost eight thousan¦de men. Then departed Iudas vnto Mas∣pha, layed sege vnto it and wanne it, slewe all the males in it, spoyled it, and set fyre v∣pon it. From thence wente he and toke Cas∣bon, Mageth, Bosor and the other cities in Galaad.

After this gathered Timothy another [ D] hoost, which pitched their tentes before Ra¦phon beyonde the water. Iudas sent to spye the hoost, and they brought him worde agai¦ne, sayenge: All the Heithen that be rounde aboute vs, are gathered vnto him, and the hoost is very greate: Yee they haue hyred the Arabians to helpe them, & haue pitched their tentes beyonde the water, and are rea∣dy to come and fight agaynst the. So Iudas wente on to mete them.

And Timothy sayde vnto the captaynes of his hoost: when Iudas and his hoost co∣me nye the ryuer: yf he go ouer first, we shall not be able to withstonde him: for why, he wil be to stronge for vs. But yf he darre not come ouer, so that he pitch his tente beyon∣de the water: then will we go ouer, for we shalbe stronge ynough agaynst him. Now as soone as Iudas came to the ryuer, he ap∣poynted certayne scrybes of the people, and commaunded them, sayenge: se that ye lea∣ue none behynde vpon this syde of y^e ryuer, but let euery man come to the battayll. So he wente first ouer vnto them, and his peo∣ple after him.

And all the Heithen were discomfited be¦fore him, and let their weapens fall, and ran¦ne in to the temple that was at Carnaim. Which cite Iudas wanne, and brent the temple with all y^t were in it: So was Car∣naim subdued, and might not withstōde Iu¦das. Then Iudas gathered all the Israeli∣tes that were in Galaadithim, from y^e leest vnto the most, with their wyues and their children (a very greate hoost) for to come in to the londe of Iuda.

So they came vnto Ephron, which was [ E] a mightie, greate and stronge cite, and laye in their waye. For they coude not go by it, ne¦ther of the right honde ner of the left, but must go thorow it. Neuerthelesse they that were in the cite, wolde not let them go tho∣row, but walled vp the portes with stones.

And Iudas sent vnto thē with peaceable wordes, sayenge: Let vs passe thorow youre londe, that we maye go in to oure owne coū¦tre: there shal no body do you harme, we wil but only go thorow. But they wolde not let them in.

Wherfore Iudas commauded a procla∣macion to be made thorow out the hoost, that euery man shulde kepe his ordre: and so they dyd their best like valeaunt men.

[illustration]

And Iudas beseged the cite all that daie and all that night, and so wanne it: where they slewe as many as were males, and d••••∣troyed the cite, and spoyled it, and wēte tho¦row all the cite ouer them that were slayne. Then wente they ouer Iordane in to the playne felde before Bethsan. And Iudas helped those forwarde that came behynde, and gaue the people good exortacion all y^e waye thorow, till they were come in to the londe of Iuda. Thus they wente vp vn∣to the mount Sion, where they offred with myrth and thankesgeuynge: because there were none of them slayne, but came home a∣gayne peaceably.

Now what tyme as Iudas and Iona∣thas were in the londe of Galaad, and Sy∣mon their brother in Galilee before Ptolo∣mais: Then Iosephus the sonne of Zacha∣ry and Asarias the captaynes, hearinge of the actes that were done and of the battels that were stroken, sayde: Let vs get vs a na∣me also, and go fight agaynst the Heithen that are rounde aboute vs.

[ F] So they gaue their hoost a commaunde∣ment, and wente towarde Iamnia. Then ca¦me Gorgias and his men out of the cite, to fight agaynst them: Iosephus also and Asa¦rias were chased vnto y^e borders of Iewry, & there were slayne y^t daye of y^e people of Is¦rael ij.M. men: so y^t there was a greate mi∣sery amōge y^e people, & all because they were not obediēt vnto Iudas & his brethren, but thought they shulde quyte them selues man fully. Neuertheles they came not of the se∣de of these men, by whom Israel was hel∣ped. But the men that were with Iudas, we¦re greatly commended in the sight of all Is∣rael and all Heithen, where so euer their na∣me was herde vpō, and the people came vn¦to them byddinge them welcome.

After this wente Iudas forth with his brethren, and fought agaynst the children of Esau, in the londe y^t lieth towarde the south where he wanne the cite of Hebron and the townes that lye besyde it: and as for the wal¦les and towres rounde aboute it, he brent them vp. Then remoued he to go in to the lō¦de of the Philistines, and wente thorow Sa¦maria. At the same tyme were there many prestes slaine in y^e battayll, which wilfully & without advysement wente out for to fight to get them honoure. And when Iudas ca∣me to Azot in the Philistynes londe, he bra∣ke downe their altares, brent the ymages of their Idols, spoyled the cities, and came a∣gayne in to the londe of Iuda.

Notes

• Iosephu•• cap. 12. •• bro 12.
• Eze. 25. c and 35. a
• 2. Ma. 10.
• 2. Mac▪ 8.
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 10. c
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 5. b
• Deut. 7.