The fruitless repentance and death of Antiochus. His son comes against
Judas with a formidable army. He besieges Sion: but at last makes peace
with the Jews.
6:1. Now king Antiochus was going through the higher countries, and he
heard that the city of Elymais in Persia, was greatly renowned, and
abounding in silver and gold,
6:2. And that there was in it a temple exceeding rich; and coverings of
gold, and breastplates, and shields, which king Alexander, son of
Philip, the Macedonian, that reigned first in Greece, had left there.
6:3. So he came, and sought to take the city and to pillage it; but he
was not able, because the design was known to them that were in the
city.
6:4. And they rose up against him in battle, and he fled away from
thence, and departed with great sadness, and returned towards Babylonia.
6:5. And whilst he was in Persia there came one that told him how the
armies that were in the land of Juda were put to flight:
6:6. And that Lysias went with a very great power, and was put to flight
before the face of the Jews, and that they were grown strong by the
armour, and power, and store of spoils which they had gotten out of the
camps which they had destroyed:
6:7. And that they had thrown down the abomination which he had set up
upon the altar in Jerusalem, and that they had compassed about the
sanctuary with high walls as before, and Bethsura also, his city.
6:8. And it came to pass, when the king heard these words, that he was
struck with fear, and exceedingly moved: and he laid himself down upon
his bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not fallen out to him
as he imagined.
6:9. And he remained there many days: for great grief came more and more
upon him, and he made account that he should die.
6:10. And he called for all his friends, and said to them: Sleep is gone
from my eyes, and I am fallen away, and my heart is cast down for
anxiety:
6:11. And I said in my heart: Into how much tribulation am I come, and
into what floods of sorrow wherein now I am: I that was pleasant and
beloved in my power!
6:12. But now I remember the evils that I did in Jerusalem, from whence
also I took away all the spoils of gold, and of silver, that were in it,
and I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Juda without cause.
6:13. I know, therefore, that for this cause these evils have found me:
and behold I perish with great grief in a strange land.
6:14. Then he called Philip, one of his friends, and he made him regent
over all his kingdom.
6:15. And he gave him the crown, and his robe, and his ring, that he
should go to Antiochus, his son, and should bring him up for the
kingdom.
6:16. So king Antiochus died there in the year one hundred and forty-
nine.
6:17. And Lysias understood that the king was dead, and he set up
Antiochus, his son, to reign, whom he had brought up young: and he
called his name Eupator.
6:18. Now they that were in the castle, had shut up the Israelites round
about the holy places: and they were continually seeking their hurt, and
to strengthen the Gentiles.
6:19. And Judas purposed to destroy them: and he called together all the
people, to besiege them.
6:20. And they came together, and besieged them in the year one hundred
and fifty, and they made battering slings and engines.
6:21. And some of the besieged got out: and some wicked men of Israel
joined themselves unto them.
6:22. And they went to the king, and said: How long dost thou delay to
execute judgment, and to revenge our brethren?
6:23. We determined to serve thy father, and to do according to his
orders, and obey his edicts:
6:24. And for this they of our nation are alienated from us, and have
slain as many of us as they could find, and have spoiled our
inheritances.
6:25. Neither have they put forth their hand against us only, but also
against all our borders.
6:26. And behold they have approached this day to the castle of
Jerusalem to take it, and they have fortified the strong hold of
Bethsura:
6:27. And unless thou speedily prevent them, they will do greater things
than these, and thou shalt not be able to subdue them.
6:28. Now when the king heard this, he was angry: and he called together
all his friends, and the captains of his army, and them that were over
the horsemen.
6:29. There came also to him from other realms, and from the islands of
the sea, hired troops.
6:30. And the number of his army was an hundred thousand footmen, and
twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants trained to battle.
6:31. And they went through Idumea, and approached to Bethsura, and
fought many days, and they made engines: but they sallied forth, and
burnt them with fire, and fought manfully.
But they sallied forth... That is, the citizens of Bethsura sallied
forth and burnt them, that is, burnt the engines of the besiegers.
6:32. And Judas departed from the castle, and removed the camp to
Bethzacharam, over against the king's camp.
6:33. And the king rose before it was light, and made his troops march
on fiercely towards the way of Bethzacharam: and the armies made
themselves ready for the battle, and they sounded the trumpets:
6:34. And they shewed the elephants the blood of grapes, and mulberries,
to provoke them to fight.
6:35. And they distributed the beasts by the legions: and there stood by
every elephant a thousand men in coats of mail, and with helmets of
brass on their heads: and five hundred horsemen set in order were chosen
for every beast.
6:36. These before the time wheresoever the beast was they were there:
and whithersoever it went, they went, and they departed not from it.
These before the time... That is, these were ready for every occasion.
6:37. And upon the beast, there were strong wooden towers which covered
every one of them: and engines upon them, and upon every one thirty-two
valiant men, who fought from above: and an Indian to rule the beast.
6:38. And the rest of the horsemen he placed on this side and on that
side, at the two wings, with trumpets to stir up the army, and to hasten
them forward that stood thick together in the legions thereof.
6:39. Now when the sun shone upon the shields of gold, and of brass, the
mountains glittered therewith, and they shone like lamps of fire.
6:40. And part of the king's army was distinguished by the high
mountains, and the other part by the low places: and they marched on
warily and orderly.
6:41. And all the inhabitants of the land were moved at the noise of
their multitude, and the marching of the company, and the rattling of
the armour, for the army was exceeding great and strong.
6:42. And Judas and his army drew near for battle: and there fell of the
king's army six hundred men.
6:43. And Eleazar, the son of Saura, saw one of the beasts harnessed
with the king's harness: and it was higher than the other beasts; and it
seemed to him that the king was on it:
6:44. And he exposed himself to deliver his people, and to get himself
an everlasting name.
6:45. And he ran up to it boldly in the midst of the legion, killing on
the right hand, and on the left, and they fell by him on this side and
that side.
6:46. And he went between the feet of the elephant, and put himself
under it: and slew it, and it fell to the ground upon him, and he died
there.
6:47. Then they seeing the strength of the king and the fierceness of
his army, turned away from them.
6:48. But the king's army went up against them to Jerusalem: and the
king's army pitched their tents against Judea and Mount Sion.
6:49. And he made peace with them that were in Bethsura: and they came
forth out of the city, because they had no victuals, being shut up
there, for it was the year of rest to the land.
6:50. And the king took Bethsura: and he placed there a garrison to keep
it.
6:51. And he turned his army against the sanctuary for many days: and he
set up there battering slings, and engines, and instruments to cast
fire, and engines to cast stones and javelins, and pieces to shoot
arrows, and slings.
6:52. And they also made engines against their engines, and they fought
for many days.
6:53. But there were no victuals in the city, because it was the seventh
year: and such as had stayed in Judea of them that came from among the
nations, had eaten the residue of all that which had been stored up.
6:54. And there remained in the holy places but a few, for the famine
had prevailed over them: and they were dispersed every man to his own
place.
6:55. Now Lysias heard that Philip; whom king Antiochus while he lived
had appointed to bring up his son, Antiochus, and to reign,
6:56. Was returned from Persia, and Media, with the army that went with
him and that he sought to take upon him the affairs of the kingdom:
6:57. Wherefore he made haste to go, and say to the king and to the
captains of the army: We decay daily, and our provision of victuals is
small, and the place that we lay siege to is strong, and it lieth upon
us to take order for the affairs of the kingdom.
6:58. Now, therefore, let us come to an agreement with these men, and
make peace with them and with all their nation.
6:59. And let us covenant with them, that they may live according to
their own laws, as before. For because of our despising their laws, they
have been provoked, and have done all these things.
6:60. And the proposal was acceptable in the sight of the king, and of
the princes: and he sent to them to make peace: and they accepted of it.
6:61. And the king and the princes swore to them: and they came out of
the strong hold.
6:62. Then the king entered into Mount Sion, and saw the strength of the
place: and he quickly broke the oath that he had taken, and gave
commandment to throw down the wall round about.
6:63. And he departed in haste and returned to Antioch, where he found
Philip master of the city: and he fought against him, and took the city.