The Bible and Holy Scriptures conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. Translated according to the Ebrue and Greke, and conferred with the best translations in diuers languges. VVith moste profitable annotations vpon all the hard places, and other things of great importance as may appeare in the epistle to the reader

CHAP. I.

1 The death of Alxāder the King of Macedonia. 11 Antio∣chus taketh the kingdome. 12 Many of the children, of Is rael make couenant with the Gentiles. 21 Antiochus sub dueth Egypt and Ierusalem vnto his dominion. 50 An∣tiochus setteth vp idoles.

1 AFfter that Alexander the Macedoniā, the sōne of Philippe, wēt forthe of the land of Chettiim, & slew Da∣rius King of the Per∣siās and Medes, & rei gned for him, as he had before in Grecia

2 He toke great war∣res in hand, and wan strōg holdes, and slewe the Kings of the earth.

3 So went he thorow to the ends of the world and toke spoiles of many naciōs, in so much that the worlde stode in awe of him: therefo re his heart was puffed vp and was hawtie.

4 Now when he had gathered a mightie strōg hoste,

5 And had reigned ouer regiōs, naciōs & king domes, they became tributaries vnto him.

6 After these things he fel sicke, and knewe that he shulde dye.

7 Then he called for the chief of his seruātes, which had bene broght vp with him of chil dren, and parted his kingdome among thē, while he was yet aliue.

8 So Alexander had reigned twelue yeres whē he dyed.

9 And his seruants reigned euerie one in his roume.

10 And they all caused thē selues to be crowned after his death, and so did their childrē after thē many yeres, & muche wickednes increa∣sed in the worlde.

11 For out of these came the wicked roote, (euen) Antiochus“ 1.1 Epiphanes the sonne of King Antiochus, which had bene an hosta∣ge at Rome, and he reigned in the hundreth and seuē and thirtieth yere of the kingdome of the Grekes.

12 In those dayes went there out of Israel wic ked men, which entyced many, saying, Let vs go, & make a couenant with the heathē, that are rounde about vs: sor since we depar ted frō them, we haue had muche sorowe.

13 So this deuice pleased them wel.

14 And certeine of the people were readie, & went to the King which gaue thē licence to do after the ordinances of the heathen.* 1.2

15 Thē set they vp a place of exercise at Ierusa∣lē, according to the facions of the heathen,

16 And made thēa 1.3 selues vncircumsed, & for∣soke the holy couenant, & ioyned thē selues to the heathen, & were solde to do mischief.

17 So whē Antiochus kingdome was set in or∣der, he wēt about to reigne ouer Egypt, that he might haue the dominiō of two realmes.

18 Therefore he entred into Egypt with a migh tie companie, with charets, and elephantes, and with horsement, and with a great nauie,

19 And moued warre against Ptolemeus King of Egypt: but Ptolemeus was afraid of him, & fled, and manie were wounded to death.

20 Thus (Antiochus) wanne many strong cities in the land of Egypt, and toke away the spoi les of the land of Egypt.

21 And after that Antiochus had smittē Egypt he turned againe in the hundreth, fortie & thre yere,

22 And wentvp towarde Israel and Ierusalém with a mightie people.

23 And entred proudly into the Sanctuarie, and toke away the golden altar, and the candle∣sticke for the light, and all the instruments thereof, and the table of the shewbread, and the powring vessels, and the bowles, and the golden basins, and the vaile, and the crownes and the golden apparel, which was before the Temple, and brake all in pieces.

24 He toke also the siluer and golde, and the precious iewels, and he toke the secret trea∣sures that he founde, and whē he had taken away all, he departed into his owne land,

25 After he had murthered many men, and spo ken verie proudely.

26 Therefore there was a great lamentacion in euerie place of Israél.

27 For the princes and the Elders mourned: the yong women, and the yong men were made feble, and the beautie of the women was changed.

28 Euerie bridegrome toke him to mourning and she that sate in the mariage chāber, was in heauines.

29 The land also was moued for the inhabitāts thereof for all the house of Iacob was coue∣red with confusion.

30 After two yeres the King sent his chief taxe master into the cities of Iuda, which came to Ierusalém with a great multitude.

31 Who spake peaceable wordes vnto them in disceite, and they gaue credit vnto him.

32 Then he fell suddenly vpon the citie, and smote it with a great plague, and destroied muche people of Israél.

33 And when he had spoiled the citie, he set fy∣re on it, casting downe the houses thereof, & walles thereof on euerie side.

34 The women and their children toke they captiuitie, and led away the cattel.

35 Then fortified they the citie of Dauid with a great and thicke wall, and with mightie towres, and made it a strong holde for them.

36 Moreouer they set wicked people there, and vngodlie persones, and fortified them selues therein.

37 And they stored it with weapons & vitailes

and gathered the spoile of Ierusalém, & laied it vp there.

38 Thus became they a sore snare and were in ambushment for the Sanctuarie, and were wicked enemies euermore vnto Israél.

39 For thei shed innocent blood on euerie side of the Sanctuarie and defiled the Sāctuarie,

40 In so muche that the citizens of Ierusalém fled away because of them, and it became an habitacion of strangers, being desolate of them whome she had borne: for her owne children did leaue her.

41 Her Sāctuarie was left waste as a wildernes: her holie daies were turned into mourning, her Sabbaths into reproche, and her honour broght to naught.

42 As her glorie had bene great, so was her dis∣honour, and her excellencie was turned into sorowe.

43 Also the King wrote vnto all his kingdome* 1.4 that all the people shulde be as one, and that euerie man shulde leaue his lawes.

44 And all the heathen agreed to the comman dement of the King.

45 Yea, many of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 consented to his religion, offring vnto idoles, and defiling the Sabbath.

46 So the King sent letters by the messengers vnto Ierusalém, and to the cities of Iuda, that they shulde followe the strange lawes of the countrey,

47 And that they shulde forbid the burnt of∣frings and sacrifices, and the offrings in the* 1.5 Sanctuarie,

48 And that they shulde defile the Sabbaths and the feasts,

49 And pollute the Sanctuarie and the holie men,

50 And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 set vp altars, and groues, and chap∣pels of idoles, and offer vp swines flesh, and vncleane beasts,

51 And that they shulde leaue their children vncircumcised, and defile their soules with vnclennes, and pollute themselues, that they might forget the Law, and change all the or∣dinances,

52 And that whosoeuer wolde not do accor∣ding to the commandement of the Kings, shulde suffer death.

53 In like maner wrote he thorow out all his kingdomes, & set ouer seers ouer all the peo∣ple, (forto compell thē to do these things)

54 And he commanded the cities of Iuda to do sacrifice, citie by citie.

55 Then went many of the people vnto them by heapes, euery one that forsoke the Law, and so they committed euil in the land.

56 And they droue the Israelites into secret places, euen whereso euer they colde slee for succour.

57 The fiftenth day of Casleu, in the hundreth and fiue and fortieth yere, they set vp the abo minacion of desolacion vpon the altar, and thei buylded altars thorow out the cities of Iuda on euerie side.

58 And before the dores of the houses, and in the stretes they burnt incense.

59 And the bokes of the Law, which they founde, they burnt in the fyre, and cutte in pieces.

60 Whosoeuer had a boke of the Testament founde by him, or whosoeuer consented vn∣to the Law, the Kings commandement was, that they shulde put him to death by their autoritie,

61 And they executed these things euerie mo∣neth vpon the people of Israel that were fo∣unde in the cities.

62 And in the fiue & twentieth day of the mo∣neth, they did sacrifice vpon the altar, which was in the stead of the altar of sacrifices.

63 And according to the commādement, they put certeine womē to death, which had cau∣sed their children to be circumcised,

64 And they hanged vp the children at their neckes, & they spoiled their houses, & slewe the circumcisers of them.

65 Yet were there many in Israél, which were of courage, and determined in them selues, that they wolde not eat vncleane things,

66 But chose rather to suffer death, then to be defiled with those meats: so because thei wolde not breake the holie couenant, they were put to death.

67 And this“ 1.6 tyrannie was verie sore vpon the people of 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

Notes

• “ 1.1

  Or, noble.
• * 1.2

  Ioseph Antiq. 12, chap 6.
• a 1.3

  By drawing the shinne ouer the parte that was 〈◊〉〈◊〉, as Cels 7. chap. 25. Epiph. lib. de ponderib & mensur.
• * 1.4

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Chap. 6. & 7.
• * 1.5

  "Or, drinke of∣frings.
• “ 1.6

  Or, 〈◊〉〈◊〉.