1Maccabees:2
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In those days arose Mattathias the son of John ,
the son of Simeon ,
a priest of the sons of Joarib ,
from Jerusalem ,
and dwelt in Modin .
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And he had five sons ,
Joannan ,
called Caddis :
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Simon ;
called Thassi :
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Judas ,
who was called Maccabeus :
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Eleazar ,
called Avaran :
and Jonathan ,
whose surname was Apphus .
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And when he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Juda and Jerusalem ,
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He said ,
Woe is me !
wherefore was I born to see this misery of my people ,
and of the holy city ,
and to dwell there ,
when it was delivered into the hand of the enemy ,
and the sanctuary into the hand of strangers ?
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Her temple is become as a man without glory .
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Her glorious vessels are carried away into captivity ,
her infants are slain in the streets ,
her young men with the sword of the enemy .
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What nation hath not had a part in her kingdom and gotten of her spoils ?
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All her ornaments are taken away ;
of a free woman she is become a bondslave .
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And ,
behold ,
our sanctuary ,
even our beauty and our glory ,
is laid waste ,
and the Gentiles have profaned it .
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To what end therefore shall we live any longer ?
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Then Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes ,
and put on sackcloth ,
and mourned very sore .
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In the mean while the king '
s officers ,
such as compelled the people to revolt ,
came into the city Modin ,
to make them sacrifice .
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And when many of Israel came unto them ,
Mattathias also and his sons came together .
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Then answered the king '
s officers ,
and said to Mattathias on this wise ,
Thou art a ruler ,
and an honourable and great man in this city ,
and strengthened with sons and brethren :
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Now therefore come thou first ,
and fulfil the king '
s commandment ,
like as all the heathen have done ,
yea ,
and the men of Juda also ,
and such as remain at Jerusalem :
so shalt thou and thy house be in the number of the king '
s friends ,
and thou and thy children shall be honoured with silver and gold ,
and many rewards .
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Then Mattathias answered and spake with a loud voice ,
Though all the nations that are under the king '
s dominion obey him ,
and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers ,
and give consent to his commandments :
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Yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers .
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God forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances .
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We will not hearken to the king '
s words ,
to go from our religion ,
either on the right hand ,
or the left .
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Now when he had left speaking these words ,
there came one of the Jews in the sight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin ,
according to the king '
s commandment .
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Which thing when Mattathias saw ,
he was inflamed with zeal ,
and his reins trembled ,
neither could he forbear to shew his anger according to judgment :
wherefore he ran ,
and slew him upon the altar .
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Also the king '
s commissioner ,
who compelled men to sacrifice ,
he killed at that time ,
and the altar he pulled down .
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Thus dealt he zealously for the law of God like as Phinees did unto Zambri the son of Salom .
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And Mattathias cried throughout the city with a loud voice ,
saying ,
Whosoever is zealous of the law ,
and maintaineth the covenant ,
let him follow me .
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So he and his sons fled into the mountains ,
and left all that ever they had in the city .
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Then many that sought after justice and judgment went down into the wilderness ,
to dwell there :
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Both they ,
and their children ,
and their wives ;
and their cattle ;
because afflictions increased sore upon them .
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Now when it was told the king '
s servants ,
and the host that was at Jerusalem ,
in the city of David ,
that certain men ,
who had broken the king '
s commandment ,
were gone down into the secret places in the wilderness ,
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They pursued after them a great number ,
and having overtaken them ,
they camped against them ,
and made war against them on the sabbath day .
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And they said unto them ,
Let that which ye have done hitherto suffice ;
come forth ,
and do according to the commandment of the king ,
and ye shall live .
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But they said ,
We will not come forth ,
neither will we do the king '
s commandment ,
to profane the sabbath day .
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So then they gave them the battle with all speed .
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Howbeit they answered them not ,
neither cast they a stone at them ,
nor stopped the places where they lay hid ;
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But said ,
Let us die all in our innocency :
heaven and earth will testify for us ,
that ye put us to death wrongfully .
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So they rose up against them in battle on the sabbath ,
and they slew them ,
with their wives and children and their cattle ,
to the number of a thousand people .
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Now when Mattathias and his friends understood hereof ,
they mourned for them right sore .
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And one of them said to another ,
If we all do as our brethren have done ,
and fight not for our lives and laws against the heathen ,
they will now quickly root us out of the earth .
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At that time therefore they decreed ,
saying ,
Whosoever shall come to make battle with us on the sabbath day ,
we will fight against him ;
neither will we die all ,
as our brethren that were murdered im the secret places .
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Then came there unto him a company of Assideans who were mighty men of Israel ,
even all such as were voluntarily devoted unto the law .
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Also all they that fled for persecution joined themselves unto them ,
and were a stay unto them .
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So they joined their forces ,
and smote sinful men in their anger ,
and wicked men in their wrath :
but the rest fled to the heathen for succour .
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Then Mattathias and his friends went round about ,
and pulled down the altars :
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And what children soever they found within the coast of Israel uncircumcised ,
those they circumcised valiantly .
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They pursued also after the proud men ,
and the work prospered in their hand .
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So they recovered the law out of the hand of the Gentiles ,
and out of the hand of kings ,
neither suffered they the sinner to triumph .
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Now when the time drew near that Mattathias should die ,
he said unto his sons ,
Now hath pride and rebuke gotten strength ,
and the time of destruction ,
and the wrath of indignation :
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Now therefore ,
my sons ,
be ye zealous for the law ,
and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers .
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Call to remembrance what acts our fathers did in their time ;
so shall ye receive great honour and an everlasting name .
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Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation ,
and it was imputed unto him for righteousness ?
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Joseph in the time of his distress kept the commandment and was made lord of Egypt .
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Phinees our father in being zealous and fervent obtained the covenant of an everlasting priesthood .
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Jesus for fulfilling the word was made a judge in Israel .
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Caleb for bearing witness before the congregation received the heritage of the land .
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David for being merciful possessed the throne of an everlasting kingdom .
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Elias for being zealous and fervent for the law was taken up into heaven .
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Ananias ,
Azarias ,
and Misael ,
by believing were saved out of the flame .
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Daniel for his innocency was delivered from the mouth of lions .
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And thus consider ye throughout all ages ,
that none that put their trust in him shall be overcome .
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Fear not then the words of a sinful man :
for his glory shall be dung and worms .
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To day he shall be lifted up and to morrow he shall not be found ,
because he is returned into his dust ,
and his thought is come to nothing .
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Wherefore ,
ye my sons ,
be valiant and shew yourselves men in the behalf of the law ;
for by it shall ye obtain glory .
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And behold ,
I know that your brother Simon is a man of counsel ,
give ear unto him alway :
he shall be a father unto you .
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As for Judas Maccabeus ,
he hath been mighty and strong ,
even from his youth up :
let him be your captain ,
and fight the battle of the people .
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Take also unto you all those that observe the law ,
and avenge ye the wrong of your people .
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Recompense fully the heathen ,
and take heed to the commandments of the law .
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So he blessed them ,
and was gathered to his fathers .
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And he died in the hundred forty and sixth year ,
and his sons buried him in the sepulchres of his fathers at Modin ,
and all Israel made great lamentation for him .
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