1 Maccabees 7

1In the one hundred fifty-first year, Demetrius son of Seleucus went out from Rome, and went up with a few men to a city by the sea, and reigned there.

2And it happened, as he was entering the royal house of his fathers, that the forces seized Antiochus and Lysias to bring them to him.

3And the matter became known to him, and he said, “Do not show me their faces.”

4And the forces killed them, and Demetrius sat on the throne of his kingdom.

5And all the lawless and ungodly men from Israel came to him, and Alcimus led them, wanting to be priest,

6And they accused the people before the king, saying, “Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends, and have scattered us from our land.”

7Now then, send a man whom you trust, and let him go and see all the destruction that he has done to us and to the king’s land, and let him punish them and all who are helping them.

8And the king chose Bacchides, one of the king’s Friends, governor of the region beyond the River, and great in the kingdom, and faithful to the king,

9And he sent him and Alcimus the ungodly, and established the priesthood for him, and commanded him to carry out vengeance on the sons of Israel.

10And he departed and came into the land of Judah with a large force, and he sent messengers to Judas and to his brothers with peaceful words, but with deceit.

11But they did not pay attention to their words, for behold, they had come with great force.

12And an assembly of scribes gathered to Alcimus and Bacchides to seek justice.

13And the Hasideans were the first among the sons of Israel, and they sought peace from them.

14For they said, “A man, a priest from the seed of Aaron, has come with the forces, and he will not wrong us.”

15And he spoke peaceful words with them, and swore to them, saying, “We will not seek harm against you or against your friends.”

16And they trusted him, and he seized sixty men from among them and killed them in one day, according to the words that he wrote:

17They poured out the flesh of your holy ones and their blood around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.

18And fear and dread fell upon all the people, for they said, “There is no truth or justice in them, for they have broken the agreement and the oath that they swore.”

19And Bacchides departed from Jerusalem and encamped at Bethzaith, and he sent and seized many of the men who had deserted to him, and some of the people, and slaughtered them in the great pit.

20And he appointed Alcimus over the country, and left with him a force to help him; and Bacchides went away to the king.

21And Alcimus contended for the high priesthood.

22And all those who were troubling their people gathered to him, and they gained control of the land of Judah, and they inflicted a great blow in Israel.

23And Judas saw all the evil that Alcimus and those with him had done among the sons of Israel, beyond even the nations.

24And he went out into all the borders of Judea and the surrounding region, and he took vengeance on the men and on those who had deserted, and they were prevented from going into the country.

25But when Alcimus saw that Judas and those with him had grown strong, and realized that he was not able to withstand them, he returned to the king and brought wicked charges against them.

26And the king sent Nikanor, one of his honored rulers, who hated and was hostile to Israel, and commanded him to destroy the people.

27And Nikanor came to Jerusalem with a large force, and he sent to Judas and his brothers deceitfully with peaceful words, saying,

28Let there be no battle between me and you. I will come with a few men, so that I may see your faces in peace.

29And he came to Judas, and they greeted one another peaceably; but the enemies were ready to seize Judas.

30And the matter became known to Judas, that he had come against him with deceit; and he was alarmed because of him, and no longer wished to see his face.

31And Nikanor learned that his plan had been uncovered, and he went out to meet Judas,

32at Chaphar-salama. And about five thousand men of those with Nicanor fell, and they fled into the city of David.

33And after these words Nikanor went up to Mount Zion, and some of the priests came out from the sanctuary, and some of the elders of the people, to greet him peaceably and to show him the burnt offering that was being offered for the king.

34And he sneered at them, and laughed at them and defiled them, and spoke arrogantly.

35And he swore in anger, saying, “If Judas and his camp are not delivered into my hands now, then when I return in peace,”

36“I will burn this house.” And he went out in anger. Then the priests entered and stood before the altar and the sanctuary, and they wept and said,

37You chose this house for your name to be called upon it, to be a house of prayer and petition for your people.

38Take vengeance on this man and on his camp, and let them fall by the sword. Remember their blasphemies, and grant them no survival.

39And Nicanor went out from Jerusalem and camped at Beth-horon, and a force of Syria met him.

40And Judas encamped at Adasa with three thousand men, and Judas prayed and said,

41When those from the king were speaking abusively, your angel went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand among them.

42So crush this camp before us today, and let the rest know that he has spoken wickedly against your holy things; judge him according to his wickedness.

43And the camps joined battle on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, and Nicanor’s camp was crushed,

44And he himself fell first in the battle. But when his camp saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw down their weapons and fled.

45And they pursued them for a day's journey from Adasa until they came to Gazera, and they sounded the signal trumpets behind them.

46And they came out from all the villages of Judea all around and outflanked them; and these turned back against them, and they all fell by the sword, and not even one of them was left.

47And they took the spoils and the plunder, and they cut off Nikanor’s head and his right hand, which he had stretched out in arrogance, and brought them and displayed them beside Jerusalem.

48And the people rejoiced greatly, and they made that day a day of great gladness.

49And they established that this day should be observed year by year, on the thirteenth day of Adar.

50And the land of Judah was quiet for a few days.