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

The XII. Chapter.

WHen these couenauntes were made, [ A] Lysias wente vnto the kynge, and y^e Iewes tylled their grounde. But Timotheus, Appollonius the sonne of Ge∣mei, Ierome and Demophon y^e proude, Ni¦canor y^e captayne of Cypers, and they that laye in those places: wolde not let them lyue in rest and peace. They of Ioppa also dyd euen soch a shamefull dede: They prayed y^e Iewes that dwelt amōge them, to go with their wyues and children in to the shippes which they had prepared, & dyd with them, as though they had ought them no euell wyll. For so moch then as there was gone forth a generall proclamaciō thorow y^e cite because of peace, they consented therto, and suspecte nothinge: but when they were go∣ne forth in to the depe, they drowned no lesse then ij.C. of them.

Whē Iudas knew of this cruelte shewed vnto his people, he commaunded those that were with him to make them ready, exortin∣ge them to call vpon God the righteous iudge: wēte forth agaynst those murthurers of his brethrē, set fyre in y^e hauen by night, brent vp y^e shippes, and those that escaped from the fyre, he slewe with the swearde. And when he had done this, he departed as though he wolde come agayne, and rote out all them of Ioppa. But when he had gottē worde that the Iamnites were mynded to do in like maner vnto y^e Iewes which dwelt amonge them, he came vpon the Iamnites by night, and set fyre in the hauen with the shippes: so that the light of the fyre was se∣ne at Ierusalem, vpon a ii.C. & xl. furlonges.

Now when they were gone from thence ix. furlonges, in their iourney towarde Ti∣motheus: v. thousande men of fote and v. hundreth horsmen of the Arabians fought

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with him. So when the batell was earnest, and prospered with Iudas thorow the hel∣pe of God: y^e residue of the Arabians beyn¦ge ouercome, besought Iudas to be at one with them, and promised to geue him certay¦ne pastures, & to do him good in other thin∣ges. Iudas thynkynge that they shulde in¦dede be profitable concernynge many thyn∣ges, promised them peace: whervpon they shoke hondes, and so they departed to their tentes. Iudas wente also vnto a cite, which was very fast kepte w^t brydges, fensed roun¦de aboute with walles, & dyuerse kyndes of people dwellinge therin, called Caspin.

[illustration]

[ C] They that were within it, put soch trust in the strength of the walles, & in their stoa¦re of vytales: that they were the slacker in their doynges, cursinge and reuylinge Iu∣das with blasphemies, and speakynge soch wordes as it becommeth not. But Macha∣beus callynge vpon the greate prynce of y^e worlde (which without eny battayll ram∣mes or ordinaunce of warre, dyd cast dow∣ne the walles of Iericho,* 1.1 in the tyme of Io∣sue) fell manfully vpon the walles, toke the ci¦te, and (thorow the helpe of the LORDE) ma¦de an exceadinge greate slaughter: In so moch that a lake of ij. furlōges brode which laye therby, semed to flowe with the bloude of the slayne.

Then departed they from thence vij.C. and L. furlonges, and came to Taraca vnto y^e Iewes that are called Tubianei. But as for Timotheus, they coude not get him the∣re: for (not one matter dispatched,) he was de¦parted from thence, and had lefte certayne men in a very stronge holde. But Dositheus and Sosipater which were captaynes with Machabeus, slewe those y^t Timotheus had lefte in the house of defence, euen x.M. men. And Machabeus prepared him with y^e vj.M. men y^t were aboute him, set them in or∣dre by companies, and wente forth agaynst Timotheus, which had with him an C. and xx.M. men of fote, ij.M. and v.C. horsmē.

When Timotheus had knowlege of Iu¦das [ D] commynge, he sent the women, children and the other baggage vnto a castell called Carnion. (For it coude not be wonne, & was harde to come vnto, the wayes of the same places were so narow) and when Iudas cō∣pany came first in sight, the enemies were smytten with feare, thorow the presence of God, which seyth all thinges: In so moch y^t they fleynge one here, another there, were rather discomfited of their owne people,* 1.2 & woūded w^t the strokes of their owne swear¦des. Iudas also was very earnest in folowin¦ge vpon them and punyshinge those vngod¦ly, and slewe xxx.M. men of them. Timo∣theus also himself fell in to the hondes of Dositheus & Sosipater, whom he besought with many prayers, to let him go with his li¦fe: because he had many of the Iewes fa∣thers and brethren in preson, which (yf they put him to death) might be disapoynted. So when he had promised faithfully to delyuer them agayne acordinge to the condicion ma¦de, they let him go without harme. for the health of y^e brethren. And when Iudas had slayne xxv.M, he wente from Carnion.

Now after y^t he had chased awaye and [ E] slayne his enemies, he remoued the hoost towarde Ephron a strōge cite,* 1.3 wherin dwelt many dyuerse people of the Heithen, and y^e stronge yonge men kepte the walles, defen∣dinge thē mightely. In this cite was moch ordinaunce, and prouysion of dartes.* 1.4 But when Iudas and his company had called vpon Allmighty God, (which w^t his power breaketh the strength of the enemies) they wanne the cite, and slew xxv.M. of them y^t were within. From thence wente they to the cite of the Scythians, which lieth vj.C. fur¦longes from Ierusalem. But when y^e Iewes which were in the cite testified, that the cite syns dealte louyngly with them, yee and in∣treated them kyndly in y^e tyme of their ad∣uersite, Iudas and his company gaue them

him (which made them his people, and euer defended his owne porcion with euydent to¦kens) that he wolde preserue them still. So at the commaundement of the captayne, they remoued from thence, and came to a towne called Dessasan. And Symon Iu∣das brother fell in honde with Nicanor, but thorow the sodane commynge of the ene∣mies, he was afrayed.

Neuertheles Nicanor hearinge the man∣lynes of them that were with Iudas, and y^e bolde stomackes that they had to fight for their naturall countre, durst not proue the matter with bloudsheddinge. Wherfore he sent Possidonius, Theodocius & Mathias before, to geue and to take peace. So when they had taken longe advysement there v∣pon, and the captayne shewed it vnto the multitude: they were agreed in one mynde, to haue peace. And they appoynted a daye to syt vpon these matters quyetly amonge them selues, y^e stoles also were brought and set forth. Neuerthelesse Iudas cōmaunded certaine men of armes to waite in conueniēt places, lest there shulde sodenly aryse eny e∣uell thorow the enemies. And so they com∣moned reasonably together.

[ D] Nicanor, whyle he abode at Ierusalem, ordred himself not vnreasonably, but sent awaye the people that were gathered to∣gether. He loued Iudas euer with his hert, and fauoured him. He prayed him also to take a wyfe, and to brynge forth children. So he maried, lyued in rest, and they led a comon life. But Alcimus perceauynge the loue that was betwixte them, and how they were agreed together, came to Deme∣trius, and tolde him that Nicanor had ta∣ken straunge matters in honde, and orde∣ned Iudas (an enemy of the realme) to be the kynges successoure. Then the kinge was sore displeased, and thorow the wicked ac∣cusations which Alcimus made of Nica∣nor, he was so prouoked, that he wrote vn∣to Nicanor, sayenge: that he was very an∣grie for the frendshipe and agrement, which he had made with Machabeus. Neuer∣theles he commaunded him in all the haist, that he shulde take Machabeus presoner, and sende him to Antioche.

Which lettres when Nicanor had se∣ne, [ E] he was at his wittes ende, and sore gre∣ued, that he shulde breake the thinges, whe¦rin they had agreed: specially, seynge Ma∣chabeus was the man, that neuer dyd him harme. But because he might not withston¦de the kynge, he sought oportunite to ful∣fil his commaundement. Notwithstondin∣ge when Machabeus sawe that Nicanor beganne to be churlish vnto him, and that he intreated him more rughly then he was wonte, he perceaued that soch vnkyndnes ca¦me not of good, and therfore he gathered a few of his men, and withdrewe himself frō Nicanor. Which when he knewe that Ma∣chabeus had manfully preuented him, he ca¦me in to the greate and most holy temple: and commaunded the prestes (which were doynge their vsuall offeringes) to delyuer him the man. And when they sware that they coude not tell, where the mā was whō he sought, he stretched out his honde, and made an ooth, sayenge: Yf ye wyll not de∣lyuer me Iudas captyue,* 1.5 I shall remoue this temple of God in to the playne felde, I shal breake downe the aulter, and consecra∣te this tēple vnto Bachus. After these wor∣des he departed.

Then the prestes lift vp their hondes to∣warde [ F] heauen, and besought him that was euer the defender of their people, sayenge: Thou o LORDE of all, which hast nede of nothinge, woldest that the temple of thy ha¦bitacion shulde be amonge vs. Therfore now (o most holy LORDE) kepe this hou∣se euer vndefyled, which lately was clensed.* 1.6 Now was there accused vnto Nicanor, one Razis an Alderman of Ierusalem, a louer of the whole cite, and a man of good reporte: which for the kynde hert that he bare vnto the people, was called a father of y^e Iewes. This man oft tymes (when the Iewes were mynded to kepe them selues vndefyled) de∣fended and delyuered them, beynge content stedfastly to spende his body and his life for his people.

So Nicanor wyllinge to declare the ha∣te, [ G] that he bare to the Iewes, sent fyue hun∣dreth men to take him: for he thought, yf he gat him, he shulde brynge the Iewes in grea¦te decaye. Now when the people beganne to ruszshe in at his house, to breake the dores, and to set fyre on it: he beynge now taken, wolde haue defended himself with his swear¦de: chosinge rather to dye manfully, then to yelde himselfe to those wicked doers: and be∣cause of his noble stocke, he had rather haue bene put to extreme cruelte.

Notwithstondynge what tyme as he myssed of his stroke for haist, and the multi∣tude fell in violently betwixte the dores: he rāne boldly to y^e wall, & cast himself downe

manfully amonge the heape of them, which gaue soone place to his fall, so that he fell vpon his bely. Neuerthelesse whyle there was yet breath within him, he was kynd∣led in his mynde: and whyle his bloude gusz¦shed out exceadingly (for he was very sore wounded) he ranne thorow the myddest of y^e people, and gat him to the toppe of a rocke. So when his bloude was now gone, he to∣ke out his owne bowels with both his hon¦des, and threw them vpon the people: callin¦ge vpon the LORDE of life and sprete, to re¦warde him this agayne, and so he dyed.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.2

  Iudit. 7. f 1. Re. 14. •• 2. Pa. 20. ••
• * 1.3

  1. Mac. 5. ••
• * 1.4

  2. Ma. 10. ••
• * 1.5

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.6

  〈…〉〈…〉