Demetrius is made king, and sends Bacchides and Alcimus the priest into
Judea, and after them Nicanor, who is slain by Judas with all his army.
7:1. In the hundred and fifty-first year, Demetrius, the son of
Seleucus, departed from the city of Rome, and came up with few men into
a city of the sea coast, and reigned there.
7:2. And it came to pass as he entered into the house of the kingdom of
his fathers, that the army seized upon Antiochus, and Lysias, to bring
them unto him.
7:3. And when he knew it, he said: Let me not see their face.
7:4. So the army slew them. And Demetrius sat upon the throne of his
kingdom:
7:5. And there came to him the wicked and ungodly men of Israel: and
Alcimus was at the head of them, who desired to be made high priest.
7:6. And they accused the people to the king, saying: Judas and his
brethren have destroyed all thy friends, and he hath driven us out of
our land.
7:7. Now, therefore, send some men whom thou trustest, and let him go,
and see all the havoc he hath made amongst us, and in the king’s lands:
and let him punish all his friends and their helpers.
7:8. Then the king chose Bacchides, one of his friends, that ruled
beyond the great river in the kingdom, and was faithful to the king:
and he sent him,
7:9. To see the havoc that Judas had made: and the wicked Alcimus he
made high priest, and commanded him to take revenge upon the children
of Israel.
7:10. And they arose, and came with a great army into the land of Juda:
and they sent messengers, and spoke to Judas and his brethren with
peaceable words, deceitfully.
7:11. But they gave no heed to their words: for they saw that they were
come with a great army.
7:12. Then there assembled to Alcimus and Bacchides a company of the
scribes, to require things that are just:
7:13. And first the Assideans, that were among the children of Israel,
and they sought peace of them.
7:14. For they said: One that is a priest of the seed of Aaron is come,
he will not deceive us.
7:15. And he spoke to them peaceably: and he swore to them, saying: We
will do you no harm, nor your friends.
7:16. And they believed him. And he took threescore of them, and slew
them in one day, according to the word that is written:
7:17. The flesh of thy saints, and the blood of them they have shed
round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them.
7:18. Then fear and trembling fell upon all the people: for they said:
There is no truth, nor justice among them: for they have broken the
covenant, and the oath which they made.
7:19. And Bacchides removed the camp from Jerusalem, and pitched in
Bethzecha: and he sent, and took many of them that were fled away from
him, and some of the people he killed, and threw them into a great pit.
7:20. Then he committed the country to Alcimus, and left with him
troops to help him. So Bacchides went away to the king.
7:21. But Alcimus did what he could to maintain his chief priesthood.
7:22. And they that disturbed the people resorted to him, and they got
the land of Juda into their power, and did much hurt in Israel.
7:23. And Judas saw all the evils that Alcimus, and they that were with
him, did to the children of Israel, much more than the Gentiles.
7:24. And he went out into all the coasts of Judea round about, and
took vengeance upon the men that had revolted, and they ceased to go
forth any more into the country.
7:25. And Alcimus saw that Judas and they that were with him,
prevailed: and he knew that he could not stand against them, and he
went back to the king, and accused them of many crimes.
7:26. And the king sent Nicanor, one of his principal lords, who was a
great enemy to Israel: and he commanded him to destroy the people.
7:27. And Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great army, and he sent to
Judas and to his brethren deceitfully, with friendly words,
7:28. Saying: Let there be no fighting between me and you: I will come
with a few men, to see your faces with peace.
7:29. And he came to Judas, and they saluted one another peaceably: and
the enemies were prepared to take away Judas by force.
7:30. And the thing was known to Judas that he was come to him with
deceit: and he was much afraid of him, and would not see his face any
more.
7:31. And Nicanor knew that his counsel was discovered: and he went out
to fight against Judas, near Capharsalama.
7:32. And there fell of Nicanor’s army almost five thousand men, and
they fled into the city of David.
7:33. And after this Nicanor went up into mount Sion: and some of the
priests and the people came out to salute him peaceably, and to shew
him the holocausts that were offered for the king.
7:34. But he mocked and despised them, and abused them: and he spoke
proudly,
7:35. And swore in anger, saying: Unless Judas and his army be
delivered into my hands, as soon as ever I return in peace, I will burn
this house. And he went out in a great rage.
7:36. And the priests went in, and stood before the face of the altar
and the temple: and weeping, they said:
7:37. Thou, O Lord, hast chosen this house for thy name to be called
upon therein, that it might be a house of prayer and supplication for
thy people.
7:38. Be avenged of this man, and his army, and let them fall by the
sword: remember their blasphemies, and suffer them not to continue any
longer.
7:39. Then Nicanor went out from Jerusalem, and encamped near to
Bethoron: and an army of Syria joined him.
7:40. But Judas pitched in Adarsa with three thousand men: and Judas
prayed, and said:
7:41. O Lord, when they that were sent by king Sennacherib blasphemed
thee, an angel went out, and slew of them a hundred and eighty-five
thousand:
7:42. Even so destroy this army in our sight today and let the rest
know that he hath spoken ill against thy sanctuary: and judge thou him
according to his wickedness.
7:43. And the armies joined battle on the thirteenth day of the month,
Adar: and the army of Nicanor was defeated, and he himself was first
slain in the battle.
7:44. And when his army saw that Nicanor was slain they threw away
their weapons, and fled:
7:45. And they pursued after them one day’s journey from Adazer, even
till ye come to Gazara, and they sounded the trumpets after them with
signals.
7:46. And they went forth out of all the towns of Judea round about,
and they pushed them with the horns, and they turned again to them, and
they were all slain with the sword, and there was not left of them so
much as one.
7:47. And they took the spoils of them for a booty, and they cut off
Nicanor’s head, and his right hand, which he had proudly stretched out,
and they brought it, and hung it up over against Jerusalem.
7:48. And the people rejoiced exceedingly, and they spent that day with
great joy.
7:49. And he ordained that this day should be kept every year, being
the thirteenth of the month of Adar.
7:50. And the land of Juda was quiet for a short time.