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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 (most) plenteous in silver and gold;
2 and a temple in it was full rich (or and in it was a very rich temple), and there were golden veils, and haber-geons, and shields, which Alexander (the son) of Philip, king of Macedonia, left, that reigned the first in Greece.
3 And he came, and sought for to take the city, and (to) 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 (re)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 (away),
6 and that Lysias went with strong virtue in (or with the great power of) the first, or (the) best, men, and was driven (away) from the face of (the) Jews, and (that) they waxed strong in arms, and strengths (or strongholds), and many preys, which they took of tents, either (the) hosts, that they slew;
7 and that they destroyed the abomination, which he builded on the altar that was in Jerusalem, and they (en)compassed with high walls the hallowing (or the Temple), 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 I 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 (the) 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 (for) 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 (up), (or to nurse 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 he was) young; and [he] called his name Eupator.
18 And they that were in the high tower, closed (up)(al)together Israel in compass of holy things (or the Temple), and sought to them evils evermore, to (the) 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 aliened (or alienated) them(selves) from us for this thing; and whichever (or whom-ever) 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 encamped at) the high tower in Jerusalem, for to occupy it, and they strengthened a strengthening (or stronghold) 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 (the) horsemen;
29 but also an hired host from other realms, and (the) isles, and (the) 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 (or through Edom), and they applied to (or encamped at) Bethsura, and fought (for) many days; and they made en-gines, and they went out, and burnt them in (or with) fire, and fought manly.
32 And Judas went from the high tower, and moved tents to Bethzech-ariah, against (the) tents of the king.
33 And the king rose before the light, and stirred the host into fierceness, against (or towards) the way of Beth-zechariah; and the hosts made ready them(selves)(al)together into (or for) battle, and sang in (or with) trumps.
34 And to (the) elephants they showed (the) blood of grape(s), and (of) morus, or (of) mulberry trees, for to whet them into battle.
35 And they parted the beasts by (or among the) legions; and to each elephant a thousand men stood nigh in habergeons chained, or mailed, together, and brazen helmets in (or on) their heads, and five hundred horse-men chosen [or chosen horsemen] were ordained to (or for) 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 (or of wood)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 (the) horsemen on this half and (on) that half, into two parts, for to move (al)together the host with (the) trumps, and for to constrain the men made thick in their legions.
39 And as the sun shined into (or onto) the golden shields, and brazen, the hills shined again of (or from) them, and shined again, as lamps of fire.
40 And a part of the king’s host was parted by (or to the) high hills, and other(s) by (or to the) low places; and they went warily, and ordinately.
41 And all men dwelling in the land were moved (al)together of (or by) the voice of (the) multitude of them, and (the) in-going of (the) company, and (the) hurtling together of (the) armours; 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 (the) other beasts; and it was seen to him (or it seemed to him), that the king was on it.
44 And he gave himself for to deliver his people, (and) for to get to him(self) a name everlasting.
45 And he ran thereto hardily, into the middle of (the) legion, and killed on the right half and on the 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 (or onto the) earth on him, and he was dead there.
47 And they saw the virtue (or the strength) of the king, and the fierceness of his host, and turned away them-selves from them.
48 Forsooth (the) tents (or the host) of the king went up against them, into Jerusalem; and (the) tents of the king applied to Judea, and to the hill of Zion (or the king pitched his tents before or towards Judea, and mount 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 closed (up)(al)together there, for the sabbaths of (the) earth were.
50 And the king took Bethsura, and ordained there (a) keeping, for to keep it.
51 And he turned the tents to the place of hallowing (for) many days (or And he turned the host, to besiege the Temple for 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 (for) many days.
53 Forsooth meats were not in the city, for that it was the seventh year; and they that (were) left of (the) heathen men in Judea, had wasted the reliefs (or had eaten the remnants) of those things that were kept.
54 And few men left in holy things (or And there were only a few men left in the Temple), for hunger had taken them; and they were scattered, each man into his (own) place.
55 And Lysias heard, that Philip, whom king Antiochus ordained, when he lived yet, that he should nourish (up) Antiochus, his son, (so) that he should reign,
56 (re)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 hast(en)ed for to go, and said to the king, and (the) dukes of the host, We fail each day, and little meat (or food) is (left) to (or for) 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, (so) 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 (the) princes; and he sent to them for to make peace, and they received it.
61 And the king swore to them, and (the) princes; and they went out of the strengthening (or the stronghold).
62 And the king entered into the mount Zion, and he saw the strength-ening 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 (re)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