ARKCODEX
1 Maccabees
Ch. 4
1Gorgias took 5,000 infantry and 1,000 of his most experienced cavalry and left camp by night,
2with men from the fort in Jerusalem as his guides. He had planned to make a surprise attack on the Jewish army,
3but Judas learned of the plan and moved out with his men to attack the king's army at Emmaus
4while Gorgias and his troops were still away from the camp.
5When Gorgias and his army reached Judas' camp that night, they found no one there. They thought Judas and his men were trying to escape, so they started looking for them in the mountains.
6At dawn Judas appeared in the plain with 3,000 men, not all of them as well armed as they would have liked.
7They saw the huge Gentile army of experienced troops wearing armor and protected by cavalry.
8But Judas said to his men, Don't worry about the size of their army, and don't be frightened when they attack.
9Remember how our ancestors were saved at the Red Sea when the king of Egypt was pursuing them with his army!
10Now let us ask the Lord to have mercy on us. Let us pray that he will honor his covenant with our ancestors and crush this army when we attack today.
11Then all the Gentiles will know that Israel has a God who rescues and saves them.
12When the Gentiles saw Judas and his men preparing for battle,
13they moved out of their camp to fight. Then Judas and his men sounded their trumpets
14and attacked. The Gentiles broke ranks and fled to the plain,
15but all the stragglers were killed. The Israelites pursued the enemy as far as Gezer, the plains of Idumea, and the towns of Azotus and Jamnia. Altogether they killed about 3,000 of the enemy.
16When Judas and his army came back from the pursuit,
17-18he said to his men, Don't be greedy for loot. Gorgias and his army are nearby in the mountains, so there is still heavy fighting ahead of us. We must stand firm and fight. After that, you can safely take all the loot you want.
19Judas was just finishing his speech when an enemy patrol on a scouting mission looked down from the mountains
20and saw that their army had been put to flight; they could tell from the smoke that their camp was burning.
21When they saw all this, they were terrified, and when they also saw that Judas' army was in the plain ready for battle,
22they all fled to Philistia.
23Then Judas returned to loot the enemy camp; he took large amounts of gold and silver, blue and purple cloth, and other rich plunder.
24When the Jews came back to their own camp, they sang a hymn: The Lord is worthy of praise; his mercy endures forever.
25That day brought a great victory to the people of Israel.
Victory over Lysias
26The Gentile troops that escaped went to Lysias and reported all that had happened.
27When Lysias heard that his troops had lost the battle, he was shocked and disappointed that Israel had not been defeated as the king had commanded.
28In the following year Lysias gathered an army of 60,000 well-trained infantry and 5,000 cavalry, intending to conquer the Jews.
29They marched into Idumea and camped at Bethzur. Judas came to meet them with 10,000 men.
30When Judas saw how strong the enemy's army was, he prayed, We will praise you, Savior of Israel. You broke the attack of the giant by the hand of your servant David and you let Saul's son Jonathan and the young man who carried his weapons defeat the entire Philistine army.
31Now in the same way let your people Israel defeat our enemy. Put them to shame, in spite of all their confidence in their infantry and cavalry.
32Make them afraid; let their bold strength melt away; let them tremble at the prospect of defeat.
33We love and worship you; so let us kill our enemies, that we may then sing your praises.
34The battle began, and in the hand-to-hand fighting about 5,000 of Lysias' men were killed.
35When Lysias saw that his army was being defeated and when he saw the reckless courage of Judas and his men, who showed that they were ready to live or die with honor, he returned to Antioch. There he recruited some mercenaries and planned to return to Judea later with a much larger army.
The Purification of the Temple
36Judas and his brothers said, Now that our enemies have been defeated, let's go to Jerusalem to purify the Temple and rededicate it.
37So the whole army was assembled and went up to Mount Zion.
38There they found the Temple abandoned, the altar profaned, the gates burned down, the courtyards grown up in a forest of weeds, and the priests' rooms torn down.
39In their sorrow, they tore their clothes, cried loudly, threw ashes on their heads,
40and fell face down on the ground. When the signal was given on the trumpets, everyone cried out to the Lord.
41Then Judas ordered some of his soldiers to attack the men in the fort, while he purified the Temple.
42He chose some priests who were qualified and who were devoted to the Law.
43They purified the Temple and took the stones that had been defiled and put them in an unclean place.
44They discussed what should be done with the altar of burnt offerings, which had been desecrated
45by the Gentiles, and decided to tear it down, so that it would not stand there as a monument to their shame. So they tore down the altar
46and put the stones in a suitable place on the Temple hill, where they were to be kept until a prophet should appear and decide what to do with them.
47Then they took uncut stones, as the Law of Moses required, and built a new altar like the old one.
48They repaired the Temple, inside and out, and dedicated its courtyards.
49They made new utensils for worship and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table for the bread into the Temple.
50They burned incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and there was light in the Temple!
51They placed the loaves of bread on the table, hung the curtains, and completed all the work.
52-54The twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev, in the year 148 was the anniversary of the day the Gentiles had desecrated the altar. On that day a sacrifice was offered on the new altar in accordance with the Law of Moses. The new altar was dedicated and hymns were sung to the accompaniment of harps, lutes, and cymbals.
55All the people bowed down with their faces to the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord for giving them victory.
56For eight days they celebrated the rededication of the altar. With great joy they brought burnt offerings and offered fellowship offerings and thank offerings.
57They decorated the front of the Temple with gold crowns and shields, rebuilt the gates and the priests' rooms and put doors on them.
58Now that the Jews had removed the shame which the Gentiles had brought, they held a great celebration.
59Then Judas, his brothers, and the entire community of Israel decreed that the rededication of the altar should be celebrated with a festival of joy and gladness at the same time each year, beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month of Kislev and lasting for eight days.
60Then they built high walls and strong towers around Mount Zion, so that the Gentiles could not come in and trample and defile it again.
61Judas placed a detachment of soldiers there to guard the Temple. He also fortified the town of Bethzur, so that the people of Israel would have a fortress facing Idumea.
Sirach
Ch. 10–12
1A wise ruler will educate his people, and his government will be orderly.
2All the officials and all the citizens will be like their ruler.
3An uneducated king will ruin his people, but a government will grow strong if its rulers are wise.
4The Lord sees to the government of the world and brings the right person to power at the right time.
5The success of that person is in the Lord's hands. The Lord is the source of the honor given to any official.
Pride
6Don't be angry with someone for every little thing he does wrong. Don't do anything out of injured pride.
7Arrogance and injustice are hated by both the Lord and people.
8Injustice, arrogance, and wealth cause nations to fall from power, and others then rise to take their place.
9We are only dust and ashes; what have we got to be proud of Our body decays even while we are alive.
10A long illness puzzles the doctor. Even a king may be alive today and dead tomorrow.
11When a person dies, all he then possesses is worms, flies, and maggots.
12Pride has its beginning when a person abandons the Lord, his maker.
13Pride is like a fountain pouring out sin, and whoever persists in it will be full of wickedness. That is why the Lord brought terrible punishments on some people and completely destroyed them.
14The Lord has overthrown kings and put humbler people in their place.
15The Lord has pulled up nations by the roots and established humbler ones in their place.
16The Lord has overthrown empires and completely devastated their lands.
17He destroyed some so completely that they are not even remembered any more.
18The Creator never intended for human beings to be arrogant and violent.
People Who Should Be Honored
19Who deserves honor? The human race does, because people fear the Lord. Who does not deserve honor? The human race does not, because people break the Lord's commands.
20A leader should be honored by those who follow him, and the Lord honors those who fear him.
22Rich people, famous people, and poor people all take pride in their fear of the Lord.
23It is not right to refuse honor to a poor person who is intelligent, and it is not right to give honor to a sinner.
24People of influence, rulers, and judges will be honored, but none of them is greater than a person who fears the Lord.
25A slave who is wise will have free citizens serving him; and if they are sensible, they will not resent it.
Humility and Self-respect
26When you do your work, don't make a show of your skill, and don't try to put on a show when you are in trouble.
27It is better to work and have more than you need than to go around boasting but hungry.
28My child, keep your self-respect, but remain modest. Value yourself at your true worth.
29There is no excuse for a person to run himself down. No one respects a person who has no respect for himself.
30Poor people can be honored for their good sense, and rich people can be honored for their wealth.
31If someone is honored while he is poor, think how much he will be honored if he becomes rich! If someone is despised while he is rich, think how much more he will be despised if he becomes poor!
Sirach 11
1If a poor person is wise, he has good reason to be proud, and he will be thought of as someone great.
Appearances
2Do not compliment a person on his good looks. On the other hand, do not look down on someone who is unattractive.
3Compared to most flying things, a bee is very small, but the honey it makes is the sweetest of foods.
4Don't make fun of someone who has fallen on hard times and is dressed in rags. The Lord does wonderful things that human beings never notice.
5Many are the kings who have ended their careers sitting on the ground, while their crowns were worn by those no one had heard of before.
6Many are the rulers who have suffered disgrace. Many are the famous people who have fallen into the power of others.
Be Cautious
7Before you start criticizing, get your facts straight and think the matter through.
8Don't interrupt while someone is speaking; hear what he has to say before you answer.
9Don't get into an argument over something that is none of your business. Don't take part in decisions that are being made by sinners.
10My child, don't get involved in too many things. If you try to do too much, you will suffer for it. You won't be able to finish your work, and you won't be able to get away from it either.
11For instance, here is someone who never stops working like a slave, but gets further behind all the time.
12On the other hand, someone else may be very poor and not up to his task. He may be slow, and he may need help, but the Lord is pleased with him and pulls him out of his bad situation.
13When he is back on his feet again, everyone is astounded.
14Everything comes from the Lord: success and failure, poverty and wealth, life and death.
15Wisdom, understanding, knowledge of the Law, love, and the doing of good deeds—all these come from the Lord.
16Error and darkness have been with sinners from the beginning, and those who enjoy evil will have it with them into their old age.
17The Lord's gifts to religious people are gifts that endure. If he approves of you, you will always be successful.
18Someone may grow rich by working hard and denying himself pleasure, but what does he get for it?
19He says to himself, Now I can finally sit back and enjoy what I have worked for. But he has no idea how long it will be before he must die and leave his wealth to others.
20Stand by your duty and stick to it; grow old at your work.
21Don't be jealous of what sinners achieve; just stick to your own work, and trust the Lord. It is very easy for the Lord to make a poor person suddenly rich.
22Devout people will receive the Lord's blessing as their reward, and that blessing can be given in a moment.
23Don't be concerned about what you need, or what success the future holds for you.
24On the other hand, don't think that you have everything you need or that nothing can go wrong for you in the future.
25When things are going well, people don't think about hard times; and when things are going badly, they forget about prosperity.
26The Lord can easily wait until the day of our death to reward or punish us.
27At that time our deeds are open for all to see; all our happiness can be erased in that one moment of misery.
28So then, don't think of anyone's life as happy until it is over, because all the evidence is not in until the person is dead.
Be Careful in Choosing Friends
29Be careful about the kind of person you invite into your home, because clever people can fool you in many ways.
30A proud person is a decoy to lure you into danger; like a spy, he will look for your weaknesses.
31He will make good appear evil and find fault with the noblest actions.
32A single spark can set a pile of coals ablaze, and a sinner is just waiting for a chance to do violence.
33Watch out for such people and their evil plans; they will ruin you permanently.
34If you bring a stranger home with you, it will only cause trouble, even between you and your own family.
Sirach 12
1When you do a good deed, make sure you know who is benefiting from it; then what you do will not be wasted.
2You will be repaid for any kindness you show to a devout person. If he doesn't repay you, the Most High will.
3No good ever comes to a person who gives comfort to the wicked; it is not a righteous act.
4Give to religious people, but don't help sinners.
5Do good to humble people, but don't give anything to those who are not devout. Don't give them food, or they will use your kindness against you. Every good thing you do for such people will bring you twice as much trouble in return.
6The Most High himself hates sinners, and he will punish them.
7Give to good people, but do not help sinners.
8When things are going well, it is hard to tell who your real friends are, but in hard times you can recognize your enemies;
9even your friends will leave you then. But when you are successful, your enemies will act like friends.
10Never trust an enemy; his wickedness is as destructive as rust.
11Watch out, and be on guard against him, even if he acts ever so humble. He is like a metal mirror that rusts away if you don't keep it polished.
12Seat an enemy at your right hand, and the next thing you know he'll be trying to get your own place of honor. Put him next to you, and he will overthrow you. Then you will realize the truth of my words, and be stung with regret when you remember them.
13Nobody feels sorry for snake charmers or wild animal tamers who get bitten,
14and nobody will feel sorry for you if you run around with sinners and get involved in their wrongdoing.
15An enemy will stay with you for a while, but not when trouble comes.
16He will speak fine words while he plots how to trap you. He will pretend to share your sorrows, but he will kill you if he gets a chance.
17If trouble comes your way, you will find him waiting, ready to trip you up while he pretends to help you.
18He will be a different person then, rubbing his hands, nodding his head, and spreading rumors about you.
Proverbs
Ch. 22
9Be generous and share your food with the poor. You will be blessed for it.
10Get rid of a conceited person, and then there will be no more arguments, quarreling, or name-calling.
11If you love purity of heart and graciousness of speech, the king will be your friend.
12The Lord sees to it that truth is kept safe by disproving the words of liars.