The Early Victories of Judas

¹Judas Maccabeus took the place of his father Mattathias.

²All his brothers and all the loyal followers of his father gave him their support, and they were happy to carry on Israel's war.

³Judas brought greater glory to his people. In his armor, he was like a giant. He took up his weapons and went to war; with his own sword he defended his camp.

⁴He was like a ferocious lion roaring as it attacks.

⁵Judas hunted down those who broke the Law and set fire to all who oppressed his people.

⁶In fear of him, lawless men huddled together in terror, not knowing which way to turn. He advanced the cause of freedom by what he did.

⁷He made life miserable for many kings, but brought joy to the people of Israel. We will praise him forever for what he did.

⁸He went through the towns of Judea and destroyed all the godless men. He relieved Israel of its terrible suffering.

⁹His fame spread to the ends of the earth, as he gathered together those who were threatened with death.

¹⁰Then Apollonius assembled a Gentile army, including a large force from Samaria, to attack the people of Israel.

¹¹When Judas learned of this, he marched out to battle, defeated the army, and killed Apollonius. Many Gentiles lost their lives, and the rest fled.

¹²When the spoils of war were collected, Judas took the sword of Apollonius and used it in battle until the day he died.

¹³Seron, the general of the Syrian forces, learned that Judas had gathered together an army, consisting of a band of loyal men who were ready to fight under his command.

¹⁴Seron said to himself, I will make a reputation for myself throughout the empire by defeating Judas and his men, who have no respect for the king's command.

¹⁵Then he began a new campaign against Judas and was joined by a strong force of godless men who were eager to help him take vengeance on Israel.

¹⁶When he approached the pass at Beth Horon, Judas went out to meet him with a small group of men.

¹⁷When Judas' men saw the army coming against them, they asked, How can our little group of men fight an army as big as that? Besides, we have not eaten all day, and we are tired!

¹⁸It is not difficult, Judas answered, for a small group to overpower a large one. It makes no difference to the Lord whether we are rescued by many people or by just a few.

¹⁹Victory in battle does not depend on who has the largest army; it is the Lord's power that determines the outcome.

²⁰Our enemies are coming against us with great violence, intending to plunder our possessions and kill our wives and children.

²¹But we are fighting for our lives and for our religion.

²²When we attack, the Lord will crush our enemies, so don't be afraid of them.

²³As soon as Judas had finished speaking, he and his men made a sudden attack against Seron and his army and crushed them.

²⁴They pursued them down the pass at Beth Horon to the plain and killed about 800 men. Those who escaped fled to Philistia.

²⁵After that, Gentiles everywhere began to be afraid of Judas and his brothers.

²⁶His fame reached the ears of King Antiochus, and people in every nation talked about Judas and his victories.

The King Appoints Lysias as Governor

²⁷When Antiochus heard what had happened, he was furious. He ordered all the armies of his empire to assemble in one huge force.

²⁸From his treasury he paid a full year's wages to his soldiers and ordered them to be prepared for any emergency.

²⁹But then he found that the funds in his treasury were exhausted. Income from taxes had decreased because of the disorder and the troubles he had brought on the world by doing away with the laws which had been in force from the earliest times.

³⁰Antiochus had always given presents more lavishly than earlier kings, but now he was worried that he might not be able to continue this, or even to meet expenses—this had happened once or twice before.

³¹He was very disturbed; but finally he decided to go to Persia, collect the taxes from the provinces there, and bring together a large sum of ready cash.

³²He appointed Lysias, an important man who had been granted the title Relative of the King, as governor to take care of the king's affairs in the whole territory between the Euphrates River and the Egyptian border.

³³The king also made Lysias the guardian of his son Antiochus the Fifth until his own return.

³⁴He put Lysias in charge of all the elephants and of half his army, and then gave him detailed instructions about what he wanted done, and in particular, what he wanted done with the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem.

³⁵Lysias was ordered to send an army against the Jews, especially the Jews in Jerusalem, to break their power and destroy them, so that no trace of them would remain.

³⁶He was ordered to take their land and give it to foreigners, who would settle the whole area.

³⁷Taking the other half of his army, the king set out from Antioch, his capital city, in the year 147. He crossed the Euphrates River and marched through Mesopotamia.

The Victories of Judas

³⁸Lysias chose Nicanor, Gorgias, and Ptolemy son of Dorymenes as army commanders; all three were able men who bore the title Friend of the King.

³⁹He put them in charge of 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry and ordered them to invade the land of Judea and destroy it as the king had commanded.

⁴⁰These commanders set out with their entire force, and when they came to the plains near Emmaus, they made camp.

⁴¹A force from Idumea and Philistia joined them. The merchants of the region heard about the strength of the army, and they came to the camp with chains and a large amount of money, hoping to buy some Jewish slaves.

⁴²Judas and his brothers saw that their situation was getting more and more difficult, with foreign armies camped within their own borders. They also learned that the king had commanded the complete destruction of the people.

⁴³So they determined to rebuild their ruined nation and fight for their country and the Temple.

⁴⁴Then the whole community came together to prepare for war and to pray for God's mercy.

⁴⁵Jerusalem was as empty as a wilderness; no citizens left or entered the city. The holy Temple was profaned by foreigners, and Gentiles camped in the city's fort; so joy departed from the people of Israel, and the sound of music was heard no more.

⁴⁶Then Judas and his men assembled and marched to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because the people of Israel had previously had a place of worship there.

⁴⁷In deep mourning, they fasted all that day, put on sackcloth, threw ashes on their heads, and tore their clothes.

⁴⁸The Gentiles would have consulted their idols in such a situation, but the Israelites unrolled

⁴⁹the book of the Law to search for God's guidance.They brought the priests' robes, the offerings of the first grain, and the tithes, and then they brought in some Nazirites who had completed their vows.

⁵⁰The whole community prayed, Lord, what shall we do with these things? Where shall we take them,

⁵¹now that your holy Temple has been trampled and profaned by Gentiles, and your priests mourn in disgrace?

⁵²The Gentiles have come to attack and destroy us. You know what they plan to do!

⁵³If you don't help us, how can we stand up against them?

⁵⁴Then they blew trumpets and shouted loudly.

⁵⁵After that, Judas divided his men into groups of ten, fifty, a hundred, and a thousand, placing officers in charge of each group.

⁵⁶Then, in obedience to the Law, he sent home everyone who had recently been married, built a house, or planted a vineyard, as well as anyone who was afraid.

⁵⁷Finally, the army marched out and took up positions south of Emmaus,

⁵⁸where Judas said to them: Prepare yourselves for battle and be courageous! Be ready early tomorrow morning to fight these Gentiles who have joined forces to attack us and destroy us and our Temple.

⁵⁹It is better for us to die fighting than to stand idly by and watch the destruction of our nation and our Temple.

⁶⁰But the Lord will do what he pleases.

Miscellaneous Advice

^1-2If you do no wrong, no wrong will ever come to you.

³Do not plow the ground to plant seeds of injustice; you may reap a bigger harvest than you expect.

⁴Don't ask the Lord for a place of honor or ask the king for an important position.

⁵Don't try to convince the Lord that you are righteous or make a show of your wisdom before the king.

⁶Don't set your heart on being a judge, unless you have the strength of character it takes to put an end to injustice. If you let yourself be influenced by someone in a position of power, your integrity will be damaged.

⁷Don't commit any crime against the general public, and don't disgrace yourself among your townspeople.

⁸Don't commit the same sin twice. The punishment you get the first time ought to be enough.

⁹Don't think that God Most High is going to take into account how very generous you are and so accept any offering you decide to make.

¹⁰Never get tired of praying, and never miss a chance to give to the poor.

¹¹Don't laugh at someone who has been humiliated. It is the Lord who humbles a person, but the Lord also raises him up again.

¹²Don't think up lies to tell about your friends.

¹³Don't tell lies at all. It never does any good.

¹⁴In an official assembly, don't get up and talk a lot of nonsense. And don't repeat yourself when you pray.

¹⁵Don't try to avoid farm work or other hard labor; the Most High has given us these jobs to do.

¹⁶Don't join up with a crowd of sinners; remember that the Lord's punishment is sure to come.

¹⁷Be very humble, because the decay of death awaits us all.

Relations with Others

¹⁸Don't betray a friend for money. Don't betray a real friend for all the gold in the world.

¹⁹Don't miss your chance to marry a wise and good woman. A gracious wife is worth more than gold.

²⁰Don't mistreat servants who do their work well, or employees who do their best for you.

²¹Show the same love to wise servants that you would show to yourself, and let them have their freedom.

²²Take good care of any animals you own. If they make money for you, keep them.

²³If you have sons, educate them. Teach them self-discipline while they are young.

²⁴If you have daughters, keep them virtuous, and don't be too indulgent with them.

²⁵When you give your daughter in marriage, you have finished a great task, but give her to a sensible man.

²⁶If you have a good wife, do not divorce her, but do not trust yourself to someone you don't love.

²⁷Honor your father with all your heart, and never forget how your mother suffered when you were born.

²⁸Remember that you owe your life to them. How can you ever repay them for all they have done for you?

²⁹Fear the Lord with all your heart, and have respect for his priests.

³⁰Love your Creator with all your strength, and give his ministers your support.

³¹Honor the Lord and respect the priests. Supply them with what you have been commanded to give: the first produce, the offering for sin, the shoulder of the sacrificial animal—all the required sacrifices and offerings.

³²Give your help to the poor, and the Lord will give you his perfect blessing.

³³Be generous to every living soul, and be gracious to the memory of the dead.

³⁴Show sympathy to those who have lost a loved one, and mourn with them.

³⁵Do not hesitate to visit the sick. You will be loved for things like these.

³⁶Whatever you do, remember that some day you must die. As long as you keep this in mind, you will never sin.

Using Common Sense

¹Do not challenge a person who has influence; you may fall into his power.

²Do not quarrel with someone rich; he may bribe people to turn against you. Gold has destroyed many people and corrupted kings.

³Don't argue with someone who talks too much; you will just be adding fuel to his fire.

⁴Don't make fun of someone who has bad manners; he may insult your ancestors.

⁵Don't criticize someone if he is already turning away from sin. Remember that we are all guilty.

⁶Never think less of someone because he is old; some of us are growing old, too.

⁷Don't be happy over the death of anyone; remember that all of us must die.

⁸Do not disregard what the wise have said. Study their proverbs; from them you can learn to be cultured and to serve great people.

⁹Pay attention to what old people say, for they learned from those who came before them. You can learn from them, and they can teach you how to have an answer ready when you need one.

¹⁰You should not provide a sinner with more opportunity to sin. You might get hurt yourself; it's as easy as getting burned while adding logs to a fire.

¹¹You should not get up and walk out on someone who is insolent. He might twist your words and use them against you.

¹²You should not lend anything to someone more powerful than you. If you do, you might as well consider it lost.

¹³You should not guarantee anyone else's loan to an extent that you cannot afford. You must be prepared to pay any such guarantee.

¹⁴You should not bring a lawsuit against a judge. He will win because of his position.

¹⁵You should not travel with anyone who is reckless. It will cause you nothing but trouble. He will do any foolish thing he pleases, and you will die with him.

¹⁶You should not get into an argument with anyone who has a hot temper or go to some place where the two of you will be alone. Violence means nothing to such a person, and he will attack you when there is no one to help you.

¹⁷You should not ask a stupid person for advice. He will not be able to keep secret what you tell him.

¹⁸You should not do anything in front of a stranger that should be kept secret. There is no way of knowing what will happen if you do.

¹⁹You should not reveal your most private thoughts to anyone. If you do, you may as well throw away any chance of happiness.

Advice about Women

¹Don't be jealous of the wife you love. You will only be teaching her how to do you harm.

²Do not surrender your dignity to any woman.

³Keep away from other men's wives or they will trap you.

⁴Don't keep company with female musicians; they will trick you.

⁵Don't look too intently at a virgin, or you may find yourself forced to pay a bride price.

⁶Don't give yourself to prostitutes, or you may lose everything you own.

⁷So don't go looking about in the streets or wandering around in the run-down parts of town.

⁸When you see a good-looking woman, look the other way; don't let your mind dwell on the beauty of any woman who is not your wife. Many men have been led astray by a woman's beauty. It kindles passion as if it were fire.

⁹Don't sit down to eat with another man's wife or join her for a drink. You may give in to the temptation of her charms and be destroyed by your passion.

Friendships with Others

¹⁰Never abandon old friends; you will never find a new one who can take their place. Friendship is like wine; it gets better as it grows older.

¹¹Don't be jealous of a sinner's success; you don't know what kind of disaster is in store for him.

¹²Don't take pleasure in the things that make ungodly people happy; remember that they will be held guilty as long as they live.

¹³If you keep away from someone who has the power to put you to death, you will not have to fear for your life; but if you must go near him, be very careful, or he may kill you. Be conscious that you are walking among hidden traps, that you are an easy target.

¹⁴Get to know the people around you as well as you can, and take advice only from those who are qualified to give it.

¹⁵Engage in conversation with intelligent people, and let the Law of the Most High be the topic of your discussions.

¹⁶Choose righteous people for your dinner companions. Your chief pride should be your fear of the Lord.

Rulers

¹⁷A skilled worker is admired for the things he makes, and a leader's wisdom is proved by his words.

¹⁸Someone who speaks rashly and recklessly is feared and hated by everyone in town.

⁵If you love your life, stay away from the traps that catch the wicked along the way.

⁶Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.

⁷Poor people are slaves of the rich. Borrow money and you are the lender's slave.

⁸If you plant the seeds of injustice, disaster will spring up, and your oppression of others will end.