2nd Maccabees 12

CHAPTER 12

¹when these covenants were made, Lysias went to the king; forsooth Jews gave work to earth-tilling.

²But these that dwelt, or were resident , Timothy, and Apollonius, the son of Gennaeus, but and Jerome, and Demophon proud, and Nicanor, prince of Cyprus, suffered not them for to do in silence and quiet, or rest .

³Forsooth men of Joppa have done such a felony; they prayed Jews with which they dwelt, for to go up, with wives, and sons, into small boats, which they had made ready, as if none enmities lay privily among them.

⁴Therefore by [or after] the common doom of the city, and for they accorded, and for cause of peace, had nothing suspect, when they came into the depth, they drenched or drowned two hundred, not less.

⁵And as Judas knew this cruelty done against men of his folk, he commanded to men that were with him;

⁶and he called to help [or in-called] the just doomsman God, and he came against the slayers of brethren, and by night he burnt the haven, he burnt the boats, forsooth he slew by sword them that fled from the fire.

⁷And when he had done these things, he went away, as again to turning again, and utterly to destroying [or to destroy] all men of Joppa.

⁸But when he knew, that also they that were at Jamnia would do in like manner to Jews dwelling with them,

⁹also to [the] Jamnites he above came by night, and burnt the haven, with ships; so that the light appeared to Jerusalem from two hundred furlongs and forty.

¹⁰When they had gone then from thence by nine furlongs [or When now they had gone thence by nine furlongs] , and made journey to Timothy, men of Arabia, five thousand men, and horsemen five hundred, joined battle with him.

¹¹And when strong fight was made, and by help of God it befell easily, or by prosperity , the residue of men of Arabia, that were overcome, asked of Judas the right hands for to be given to them; promising themselves to give pastures, and to profiting in other things.

¹²Forsooth Judas deemed verily them profitable in many things, and promised peace; and when they had taken right hands, they departed to their tabernacles.

¹³Forsooth he assailed also some city made firm by bridges or buttresses , and about-set with walls, which was inhabited of companies of heathen men mingled, both men and women, to which the name was Caspin.

¹⁴Forsooth these that were within, trusted in the stableness of walls, and in apparel of foods, and did slacklier, stirring Judas with curses, either swearings , and blaspheming, and speaking which things it is not leaveful.

¹⁵Soothly Maccabeus called to help [or in-called] the great Prince of the world, which without wethers, that be engines like wethers , and without engines, in the times of Jesus, either Joshua , casted down Jericho; and hurled fiercely to the walls,

¹⁶and took the city by will of the Lord, and did unnumberable slayings; so that the pool of standing water of two furlongs of breadth, seemed [or was seen] to flow with blood of slain men.

¹⁷From thence they went seven hundred and fifty furlongs, and came into Charax, to the Jews that be called Toubiani.

¹⁸And soothly they caught not Timothy in those places; and when no journey [or no need] was fully done, Timothy turned again, while most firm strength was left in a certain place.

¹⁹Forsooth Dositheus and Sosipater, that were dukes with Maccabeus, slew ten thousand men left of Timothy in the strength.

²⁰And Maccabeus ordained about him six thousand, and ordained by cohorts, or companies of knights , and went forth against Timothy, having with him an hundred and twenty thousand of footmen, and of horsemen two thousand and five hundred.

²¹Forsooth when the coming of Judas was known, Timothy before-sent women, and sons, and other apparel into a strength that is called Carnaim; for it was unable to be overcome, and hard in going-to, for straitnesses of places.

²²And when the first company of Judas appeared, dread was made [or in-smitten] to enemies by presence of God, that beholdeth all things; and they were turned into flight, one after another, so that they were cast down more of their own, and were feebled with strokes of their swords.

²³Judas soothly continued greatly, punishing unholy men, and [he] casted down of them thirty thousand of men.

²⁴Timothy soothly himself fell into the parts of Dositheus and Sosipater; and he asked by many prayers, that he were delivered quick; for he had fathers, and mothers, and brethren, of many of Jews, which it should befall for to be deceived by his death.

²⁵And when he had given faith, that he should restore them by covenant [or after thing ordained] , they dismissed him unhurt, for health of brethren.

²⁶Forsooth Judas turned again from Carnaim, after that he had slain five and twenty thousands.

²⁷After the flight and death of these, he moved the host to Ephron, strong city, in which the multitude of diverse folks dwelt; and strong young men, standing together for walls, strongly fought against; forsooth in this were many engines, and apparels of darts.

²⁸But when they had called to help the Almighty, that by his power all-breaketh mights of enemies, they took the city, and casted down of them that were within five and twenty thousand.

²⁹From thence they went to the city of Scythes or Scythopolis, which was far from Jerusalem six hundred furlongs.

³⁰Forsooth for these Jews that were with Scythopolitans witnessed, that they were had of them benignly, yea, in times of adversity, and that they did mildly with them,

³¹they did thankings to them; and also stirred from henceforth for to be benign against their kin, and came to Jerusalem, when the solemn day of weeks nighed.

³²And after Pentecost, they went against Gorgias, sovereign [or provost] of Idumea.

³³Soothly he went out with three thousand footmen, and four hundred horsemen;

³⁴and when they were assembled, it befell that a few of Jews felled down.

³⁵Forsooth Dositheus, an horsemen of Bacenor, a strong man, held Gorgias; and when he would take him quick, an horseman of Thracia fell on him, and cutted off his shoulder, and so Gorgias flew into Marisa.

³⁶And when they that were with Gorgias fought longer, and they were made weary, Judas inwardly called the Lord for to be made helper, and duke of battle;

³⁷and he began with country voice, and with hymns raised cry, and made the knights of Gorgias to flee.

³⁸Forsooth Judas with the host gathered, came into the city Adullam; and when the seventh day came above, they were cleansed by [or after] custom, and did sabbath in the same place.

³⁹And in the day pursuing, Judas came with his men , for to take away the bodies of men cast down, and for to put with fathers, and mothers, in sepulchres of fathers.

⁴⁰Forsooth they found under coats of slain men, of the gifts of idols that were at Jamnia, from which the law forbiddeth Jews; therefore it was made known to all men, that they fell down for this cause.

⁴¹And therefore all blessed the just doom of the Lord, which made privy things known.

⁴²And so they converted to prayers, and prayed, that that trespass that was done, were betaken to forgetting. And soothly the strongest Judas admonished the people, for to keep them without sin, seeing under eyes, what things were done for sins of them that were cast down.

⁴³And when collection was made, he sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem, to be offered a sacrifice for sins of dead men, and bethought well and religiously of again-rising;

⁴⁴for if he hoped not, that they that fell should rise again, it was seen superfluous and vain for to pray for dead men;

⁴⁵and for he beheld, that they that took sleeping, or death , with piety, had best grace kept. Therefore holy and healthful thinking is, for to pray for dead men, that they be released of sins.