2 Maccabees 4

1 And how they took him alive, and appointed to him, that both he and they that should reign after him, should pay a great tribute, and that he should give hostages, and that which was agreed upon, 2 And the country of the Indians, and of the Medes, and of the Lydians, some of their best provinces: and those which they had taken from them, they gave to king Eumenes. 3 And that they who were in Greece, had a mind to go and to destroy them: and they had knowledge thereof, 4 And they sent a general against them, and fought with them, and many of them were slain, and they carried away their wives, and their children captives, and spoiled them, and took possession of their land, and threw down their walls, and brought them to be their servants unto this day. 5 And the other kingdoms, and islands, that at any time had resisted them, they had destroyed and brought under their power. 6 But with their friends, and such as relied upon them, they kept amity, and had conquered kingdoms that were near, and that were far off: for all that heard their name, were afraid of them. 7 That whom they had a mind to help to a kingdom, those reigned: and whom they would, they deposed from the kingdom: and they were greatly exalted. 8 And none of all these wore a crown, or was clothed in purple, to be magnified thereby. 9 And that they had made themselves a senate house, and consulted daily three hundred and twenty men, that sat in counsel always for the people, that they might do the things that were right: 10 And that they committed their government to one man every year, to rule over all their country, and they all obey one, and there is no envy nor jealousy amongst them. 11 So Judas chose Eupolemus, the son of John, the son of Jacob, and Jason, the son of Eleazar, and he sent them to Rome to make a league of amity and confederacy with them: 12 And that they might take off from them the yoke of the Grecians, for they saw that they oppressed the kingdom of Israel with servitude. 13 And they went to Rome, a very long journey, and they entered into the senate house, and said: 14 Judas Machabeus, and his brethren, and the people of the Jews, have sent us to you to make alliance and peace with you, and that we may be registered your confederates and friends. 15 And the proposal was pleasing in their sight. 16 And this is the copy of the writing that they wrote back again, graven in tables of brass, and sent to Jerusalem, that it might be with them there for a memorial of the peace, and alliance. 17 GOOD SUCCESS BE TO THE ROMANS, and to the people of the Jews by sea, and by land, for ever: and far be the sword and enemy from them. 18 But if there come first any war upon the Romans, or any of their confederates, in all their dominions: 19 The nation of the Jews shall help them according as the time shall direct, with all their heart: 20 Neither shall they give them, whilst they are fighting, or furnish them with wheat, or arms, or money, or ships, as it hath seemed good to the Romans: and they shall obey their orders, without taking any thing of them. 21 In like manner also if war shall come first upon the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help them with all their heart, according as the time shall permit them: 22 And there shall not be given to them that come to their aid, either wheat, or arms, or money, or ships, as it hath seemed good to the Romans: and they shall observe their orders without deceit. 23 According to these articles did the Romans covenant with the people of the Jews. 24 And, if after this, one party or the other shall have a mind to add to these articles, or take away any thing, they may do it at their pleasure: and whatsoever they shall add, or take away, shall be ratified. 25 Moreover, concerning the evils that Demetrius, the king, hath done against them, we have written to him, saying: Why hast thou made thy yoke heavy upon our friends and allies, the Jews. 26 If, therefore, they come again to us complaining of thee, we will do them justice, and will make war against thee by sea and land. 28 In the mean time, when Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army were fallen in battle, he sent again Bacchides and Alcimus into Judea; and the right wing of his army with them. 29 And they took the road that leadeth to Galgal, and they camped in Masaloth, which is in Arabella: and they made themselves masters of it, and slew many people. 30 In the first month of the hundred and fifty-second year they brought the army to Jerusalem: 31 And they arose and went to Berea, with twenty thousand men, and two thousand horsemen. 32 Now Judas had pitched his tents in Laisa, and three thousand chosen men with him: 33 And they saw the multitude of the army that they were many, and they were seized with great fear: and many withdrew themselves out of the camp, and there remained of them no more than eight hundred men. 34 And Judas saw that his army slipped away, and the battle pressed upon him, and his heart was cast down: because he had not time to gather them together, and he was discouraged. 35 Then he said to them that remained: Let us arise, and go against our enemies, if we may be able to fight against them. 36 But they dissuaded him, saying: We shall not be able, but let us save our lives now, and return to our brethren, and then we will fight against them: for we are but few. 37 Then Judas said: God forbid we should do this thing, and flee away from them: but if our time be come, let us die manfully for our brethren, and let us not stain our glory. 38 And the army removed out of the camp, and they stood over against them: and the horsemen were divided into two troops, and the slingers, and the archers, went before the army, and they that were in the front were all men of valour. 39 And Bacchides was in the right wing, and the legion drew near on two sides, and they sounded the trumpets: 40 And they also that were on Judas’s side, even they also cried out, and the earth shook at the noise of the armies: and the battle was fought from morning even unto the evening. 41 And Judas perceived that the stronger part of the army of Bacchides was on the right side, and all the stout of heart came together with him: 42 And the right wing was discomfited by them, and he pursued them even to the mount Azotus. 43 And they that were in the left wing saw that the right wing was discomfited, and they followed after Judas, and them that were with him, at their back: 44 And the battle was hard fought, and there fell many wounded of the one side and of the other. 45 And Judas was slain, and the rest fled away. 46 And Jonathan and Simon took Judas, their brother, and buried him in the sepulchre of their fathers, in the city of Modin. 47 And all the people of Israel bewailed him with great lamentation, and they mourned for him many days. 48 And said: How is the mighty man fallen, that saved the people of Israel! 49 But the rest of the words of the wars of Judas, and of the noble acts that he did, and of his greatness, are not written: for they were very many. 50 And it came to pass, after the death of Judas, that the wicked began to put forth their heads in all the confines of Israel, and all the workers of iniquity rose up.