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1Three years later Judas and his men heard that Demetrius son of Seleucus had sailed into the port of Tripolis with a powerful army and navy.
2He had killed Antiochus Eupator and his guardian Lysias and then declared himself king.
3Now Alcimus had been the high priest, but he voluntarily participated in sinful practices during the time of the revolt. He realized he was now in danger and there was no way for him to regain his position at the holy altar.
4So he went to King Demetrius in the one hundred fifty-first year of Greek rule and presented him with a gold crown and a palm branch as well as a customary gift of olive branches from the Temple. On that day he kept quiet about his intentions.[#14:4 The 151st year of Greek rule was 161 b.c.]
5But Alcimus eventually found an opportunity to further his mad plans, for Demetrius called him to a meeting and asked about the attitudes and intentions of the Jews.
6Alcimus answered, “Those Jews called Hasideans, who are led by Judas Maccabeus, keep stirring up wars and rebellions and will not allow the country to enjoy peace.[#14:6 This Jewish group, whose name means “the Devout,” strongly supported the law of Moses and opposed foreign influence. They later split into two groups, the Pharisees and the Essenes.]
7That is why I have been deprived of my ancestors’ glory—I mean the high priesthood. So now I have come here—
8first out of loyalty to the king’s interests but also to provide for the good of my own people. Our entire nation suffers terribly from the unreasonable conduct of those men.
9Since you know all these things, O king, I beg you to show kindness to our country and our people, for your generosity and kindness are known to everyone.
10As long as Judas lives, it is not possible for the country to enjoy peace.”
11When he had said all this, the rest of the king’s favored leaders, who were also enemies of Judas, furthered stirred up Demetrius’s anger against Judas.
12Immediately the king selected Nicanor, who was commander of the elephants, and appointed him governor of Judea.
13He gave him orders to kill Judas, scatter his troops, and make Alcimus the high priest of the great Temple.
14The Gentiles who had fled from Judea to escape from Judas joined Nicanor in large numbers, for they thought that defeating and harming the Jews would serve their own good.
15When the Jews heard that Nicanor was coming and that the Gentiles were assembled to attack them, they put dust on their heads to express their grief. Then they prayed to the One who established his own people forever and who always protects them by revealing his presence with them.
16Then, at the order of their leader, the Jews moved out and went to the town of Dessau to meet the enemy.[#14:16 Or the town of Adasa.]
17Judas’s brother Simon had once fought against Nicanor but was stopped suddenly when he saw so many enemies.
18But Nicanor had heard of the bravery of Judas and his men. He had seen their courage as they fought for their country, so he was afraid and chose not to resolve the issue in battle.
19Instead, he sent Posidonius, Theodotus, and Mattathias ahead to offer and receive pledges of peace.
20After the terms of the treaty had been fully considered, both leaders informed their troops. Everyone seemed in favor of the treaty, so they consented to the agreement.
21Then a day was chosen when the leaders could meet together, and chariots brought them to seats of honor set up between the two armies.
22Judas positioned armed men in strategic places to be ready for any treachery attempted by the enemy, but the conference went smoothly.
23After this, Nicanor stayed in Jerusalem and did not cause trouble, dismissing the Gentiles who had joined him.
24Nicanor kept Judas close to him because he had become warmly attached to him.
25He urged Judas to marry and raise a family. So Judas married, settled down, and lived a normal life.
26When Alcimus saw that the two men had become friends, he went to Demetrius with a copy of the treaty. Alcimus complained that Nicanor was being disloyal because he had appointed Judas, a conspirator against them, to succeed him as one of the king’s favored leaders.
27Roused by Alcimus’s false accusations, the king became angry. He wrote to Nicanor saying that he was displeased with the terms of the treaty, and he ordered him to immediately send Maccabeus to Antioch as a prisoner.
28Nicanor was disturbed when he received the message, for he did not want to break his agreement with a man who had done him no wrong.
29But because he could not oppose the king, he waited for an opportunity to carry out the orders by some clever scheme.
30When Maccabeus saw that Nicanor was no longer friendly to him and was actually rude when they met, he sensed trouble brewing. So he gathered together many of his men and hid himself from Nicanor.
31When Nicanor realized that Judas had outwitted him, he went to the great and holy Temple and commanded the priests who were offering the customary sacrifices to hand Judas over to him.
32When they swore to him that they did not know where Judas was,
33he stretched out his right hand toward the sanctuary and swore this oath: “If you do not hand over Judas to me as a prisoner, I will level this Temple of God to the ground and tear down the altar. Then I will erect a new temple to Dionysus.”
34After saying this, he left.
The priests raised their hands toward heaven and called upon the One who has always defended our nation. They prayed,
35“O Lord of all things, you need nothing, yet you were pleased to give us a Temple so that you could live among us.
36So now, O Lord of all holiness, keep this house forever undefiled, for it has only recently been purified.”
37Razis, a member of the high council in Jerusalem, was a man who loved his people and was highly esteemed. Because of his kindness toward them, he was called the father of the Jews. But Razis was denounced to Nicanor.[#14:37 Greek one of the elders.]
38In the early days of the revolt, Razis had been accused of practicing the traditions of the Jewish faith, for which he was ready to give body and soul.
39Nicanor was determined to show his hatred for the Jews, so he sent five hundred soldiers to arrest Razis.
40Nicanor thought that by taking him into custody he would be dealing the Jews a severe blow.
41The soldiers trapped Razis in a tower and tried to set fire to the door in order to gain entrance. But just as he was about to be captured, Razis threw himself on his own sword.
42He chose to die a noble death rather than to fall into the hands of wicked men who would abuse and humiliate him in ways that a man of his stature should never have to endure.
43But in all the excitement, he failed to make his wound fatal. With the mob rushing in through the door, Razis courageously ran to the top of the wall and threw himself down on the crowd.
44But the people quickly jumped out of his way, and he landed on the ground.
45Then, still breathing and inflamed with rage, he got up and ran through the crowd with blood gushing from his terrible wound.
46He climbed a steep rock and, nearly drained of blood, tore out his intestines with both hands and threw them into the crowd. He then called on the Lord of life and spirit to allow him to live again. This was how he died.[#14:46 Greek to give these back to him again.]