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CHAPTER 6
1 And king Antiochus walked through the high countries, and heard that a city, Elymais, was in Persia, the noblest and plenteous in silver and gold;
2 and a temple in it was full rich, and there were golden veils, and habergeons, and shields, which Alexander son of Philip, king of Macedonia, left, that reigned the first [or that reigned first] in Greece.
3 And he came, and sought for to take the city, and rob it; and he might not, for the word was known to them that were in the city.
4 And they rised up into battle, and he flew from thence, and went away with great heaviness, and turned again to Babylon.
5 And there came one, that told to him in Persia, that the hosts that were in the land of Judea were driven out,
6 and that Lysias went with strong virtue, either power, in the first, or best, men, and was driven out from the face of Jews, and they waxed strong in arms, and strengths, and many preys, which they took of tents, either hosts, that they slew;
7 and that they destroyed the abomination, which he builded on the altar that was in Jerusalem, and they encompassed with high walls the hallowing, as before, but and Bethsura, his city.
8 And it was done, as the king heard these words, he dreaded, and was moved greatly, and fell down into a bed, and fell into a great sickness for heaviness, for it was not done as he thought.
9 And he was there many days, for great heaviness was renewed in him, and he deemed himself for to die.
10 And he called all his friends, and said to them, Sleep passed away from mine eyes, and I failed in heart, and fell down for busyness [or fell down in heart for busyness];
11 and I said in mine heart, Into how great tribulation became I [or came I], and into what waves of heaviness in which I am now, that was merry, and beloved in my power?
12 Now forsooth I bethink on the evils that I did to Jerusalem, from whence and I took all golden spoils, and silvern, that were therein; and I sent without cause, that men dwelling in Judea to be done away.
13 Therefore I knew that these evils found me therefore, and lo! I perish by great heaviness in an alien land.
14 And he called Philip, one of his friends, and made him sovereign on all his realm;
15 and gave to him a diadem, and his stole, and ring, for to lead Antiochus, his son, and nourish him, and that he should reign.
16 And king Antiochus died there, in the hundred and nine and fortieth year.
17 And Lysias knew, that the king was dead, and [he] ordained Antiochus, the son of him, for to reign, whom he nourished or nursed when young; and [he] called his name Eupator.
18 And they that were in the high tower, enclosed altogether Israel in compass of holy things, and sought to them evils evermore, to strengthening of heathen men.
19 And Judas thought for to destroy them, and called together all the people, for to besiege them.
20 And they came together, and besieged them, in the hundred and fiftieth year; and they made arblasts or arrow-blasters, that is, an instrument for to cast shafts, and stones, and engines.
21 And some of them that were besieged, went out; and some unfaithful [or unpious] men of Israel joined themselves to them,
22 and went to the king, and said, How long doest thou not doom, and avengest not our brethren?
23 And we deemed for to serve thy father, and for to walk in his behests, and obey to his commandments.
24 And the sons of our people alienated them from us for this thing; and whichever were found of us, were slain, and our heritages were ravished away.
25 And not only to us they stretched out the hand, but and into all our coasts.
26 And lo! they applied today to or pitched at the high tower in Jerusalem, for to occupy it, and they strengthened a strengthening or strong-hold in Bethsura.
27 And if thou shalt not before come them more swiftly, they shall do greater things than these, and thou shalt not be able to wield them.
28 And the king was wroth, as he heard this thing, and called together all his friends, and princes of his host, and them that were over horsemen;
29 but also an hired host from other realms, and isles, and coasts came to him.
30 And the number of his host was an hundred thousand of footmen, and twenty thousand of horsemen, and two and thirty elephants taught to battle.
31 And they came by Idumea, and they applied to or pitched at Bethsura, and fought many days; and they made engines, and they went out, and burnt them in fire, and fought manly.
32 And Judas went from the high tower, and moved tents to Beth-zechariah, against tents of the king.
33 And the king rose before the light, and stirred the host into fierce-ness, against the way of Beth-zechariah; and the hosts made ready them altogether into battle [or the hosts made them altogether ready into battle], and sang in trumps.
34 And to elephants they showed blood of grapes, and morus, or mulberry trees, for to whet them into battle.
35 And they parted the beasts by legions; and to each elephant a thousand men stood nigh in habergeons chained, or mailed, together, and brazen helmets in their heads, and five hundred horsemen chosen [or five hundred chosen horsemen] were ordained to each beast.
36 These were there before the time, wherever the beast was; and whither ever it went, they went, and departed not therefrom.
37 But and firm towers of tree were on them, defending by all the beasts, and on them were engines, and on each by themselves men of virtue, or strong men, two and thirty, which fought from above, and within was the master of the beast.
38 And he ordained the residue multitude of horsemen on this half and that half, into two parts, for to move altogether the host with trumps, and for to constrain the men made thick in their legions [or to constrain the armed men in his legions].
39 And as the sun shined into the golden shields, and brazen, the hills shined again of them, and shined again, as lamps of fire.
40 And a part of the king’s host was parted by high hills, and others by low places; and they went warily, and ordinately.
41 And all men dwelling in the land were moved altogether of the voice of multitude of them, and in-going of company, and hurtling together of arms; for the host was full great and strong.
42 And Judas and his host nighed into battle; and there fell down of the king’s host six hundred men.
43 And Eleazar, the son of Avaran, saw one of the beasts habergeoned with habergeons of the king, and it was high standing over other beasts; and it was seen to him, that the king was on it.
44 And he gave himself for to deliver his people, for to get to him a name everlasting.
45 And he ran thereto hardily, into the middle of legion, and killed on the right half and on the left [or slaying on the right half and left]; and they fell down from him hither and thither.
46 And he went under the feet of the elephant, and under-putted himself thereto, and slew it; and it fell down into earth on him, and he was dead there.
47 And they saw the virtue or strength of the king, and the fierce-ness of his host, and turned away themselves from them.
48 Forsooth the tents or host of the king went up against them, into Jerusalem; and tents of the king applied to or pitched at Judea, and to the hill of Zion;
49 and he made peace with these that were in Bethsura. And they went out of the city, for foods were not to them enclosed altogether there, for the sabbaths of earth were.
50 And the king took Bethsura, and ordained there keeping, for to keep it.
51 And he turned the tents or host to the place of hallowing many days; and ordained there arblasts or arrow-blasters, and engines, and darts, or castings, of fire, and torments for to cast stones and darts, and scorpions for to shoot arrows, and slings.
52 Forsooth and they made engines against the engines of them, and [they] fought many days.
53 Forsooth meats were not in the city, for that it was the seventh year; and they that left of heathen men in Judea, had wasted the remnants [or the relics] of those things that were kept.
54 And few men left in holy things, for hunger had taken them; and they were scattered, each man into his place.
55 And Lysias heard, that Philip, whom king Antiochus ordained, when he lived yet [or when yet he lived], that he should nourish Antiochus, his son, that he should reign,
56 turned again from Persia and Media, and the host that went with him. And that he seeketh for to take the causes of the realm,
57 Lysias hasted for to go, and said to the king, and dukes of the host, We fail each day, and little meat is to us, and the place which we besiege, is strong, and it falleth to us for to ordain of the realm.
58 Therefore now give we right hands to these men, and make we peace with them, and with all the folk of them;
59 and ordain we to them, that they go in lawful things as before; for why for the lawful things of them which we despised, they be wroth, and have done all these things.
60 And the word pleased in the sight of the king, and of princes; and he sent to them for to make peace, and they received it.
61 And the king swore to them, and princes; and they went out of the strengthening.
62 And the king entered into the mount Zion, and he saw the strengthening of the place; and he brake full soon the oath that he swore, and commanded for to destroy the wall in compass.
63 And he departed away hastily, and turned again to Antioch, and found Philip reigning in the city; and he fought against him, and occupied the city by strength.

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© 2001,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015 Terry Noble