Judas Machabeus succeeds his father, and overthrows Apollonius and Seron. A great army is sent against him out of Syria. He prepares his people for battle by fasting and prayer.

 1 Then his son Judas, called Machabeus, rose up in his stead.
Et surrexit Judas, qui vocabatur Machabaeus, filius ejus, pro eo :

 2 And all his brethren helped him, and all they that had joined themselves to his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel.
et adjuvabant eum omnes fratres ejus, et universi qui se conjunxerant patri ejus, et praeliabantur praelium Israel cum laetitia.

 3 And he got his people great honour, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike armour about him in battles, and protected the camp with his sword.
Et dilatavit gloriam populo suo, et induit se loricam sicut gigas, et succinxit se arma bellica sua in praeliis, et protegebat castra gladio suo.

 4 In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey.
Similis factus est leoni in operibus suis, et sicut catulus leonis rugiens in venatione.

 5 And he pursued the wicked and sought them out, and them that troubled his people he burnt with fire:
Et persecutus est iniquos perscrutans eos : et qui conturbabant populum suum, eos succendit flammis :

 6 And his enemies were driven away for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled: and salvation prospered in his hand.
et repulsi sunt inimici ejus prae timore ejus, et omnes operarii iniquitatis conturbati sunt : et directa est salus in manu ejus.

 7 And he grieved many kings, and made Jacob glad with his works, and his memory is blessed for ever.
Et exacerbabat reges multos, et laetificabat Jacob in operibus suis, et in saeculum memoria ejus in benedictione.

 8 And he went through the cities of Juda, and destroyed the wicked out of them, and turned away wrath from Israel.
Et perambulavit civitates Juda, et perdidit impios ex eis, et avertit iram ab Israel.

 9 And he was renowned even to the utmost part of the earth, and he gathered them that were perishing.
Et nominatus est usque ad novissimum terrae, et congregavit pereuntes.

 10 And Apollonius gathered together the Gentiles, and a numerous and great army from Samaria, to make war against Israel.
Et congregavit Apollonius gentes, et a Samaria virtutem multam et magnam ad bellandum contra Israel.

 11 And Judas understood it, and went forth to meet him: and he overthrew him, and killed him: and many fell down slain, the rest fled away.
Et cognovit Judas, et exiit obviam illi : et percussit, et occidit illum : et ceciderunt vulnerati multi, et reliqui fugerunt.

 12 And he took their spoils, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, and fought with it all his lifetime.
Et accepit spolia eorum : et gladium Apollonii abstulit Judas, et erat pugnans in eo omnibus diebus.

 13 And Seron captain of the army of Syria heard that Judas had assembled a company of the faithful, and a congregation with him,
Et audivit Seron princeps exercitus Syriae, quod congregavit Judas congregationem fidelium, et ecclesiam secum,

 14 And he said: I will get me a name, and will be glorified in the kingdom, and will overthrow Judas, and those that are with him, that have despised the edict of the king.
et ait : Faciam mihi nomen, et glorificabor in regno, et debellabo Judam, et eos qui cum ipso sunt, qui spernebant verbum regis.

 15 And he made himself ready: and the host of the wicked went up with him, strong succours, to be revenged of the children of Israel.
Et praeparavit se : et ascenderunt cum eo castra impiorum fortes auxiliarii ut facerent vindictam in filios Israel.

 16 And they approached even as far as Bethoron: and Judas went forth to meet him, with a small company.
Et appropinquaverunt usque ad Bethoron : et exivit Judas obviam illi cum paucis.

 17 But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas: How shall we, being few, be able to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, and we are ready to faint with fasting today?
Ut autem viderunt exercitum venientem sibi obviam, dixerunt Judae : Quomodo poterimus pauci pugnare contra multitudinem tantam, et tam fortem, et nos fatigati sumus jejunio hodie?

 18 And Judas said: It is an easy matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few: and there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven to deliver with a great multitude, or with a small company:
Et ait Judas : Facile est concludi multos in manus paucorum : et non est differentia in conspectu Dei caeli liberare in multis, et in paucis :

 19 For the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but strength cometh from heaven.
quoniam non in multitudine exercitus victoria belli, sed de caelo fortitudo est.

 20 They come against us with an insolent multitude, and with pride, to destroy us, and our wives, and our children, and to take our spoils.
Ipsi veniunt ad nos in multitudine contumaci, et superbia, ut disperdant nos, et uxores nostras, et filios nostros, et ut spolient nos :

 21 But we will fight for our lives and our laws:
nos vero pugnabimus pro animabus nostris, et legibus nostris :

 22 And the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: but as for you, fear them not.
et ipse Dominus conteret eos ante faciem nostram : vos autem ne timueritis eos.

 23 And as soon as he had made an end of speaking, he rushed suddenly upon them: and Seron and his host were overthrown before him:
Ut cessavit autem loqui, insiluit in eos subito : et contritus est Seron et exercitus ejus in conspectu ipsius :

 24 And he pursued him by the descent of Bethoron even to the plain, and there fell of them eight hundred men, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines.
et persecutus est eum in descensu Bethoron usque in campum, et ceciderunt ex eis octingenti viri, reliqui autem fugerunt in terram Philisthiim.

 25 And the fear of Judas and of his brethren, and the dread of them fell upon all the nations round about them.
Et cecidit timor Judae ac fratrum ejus, et formido super omnes gentes in circuitu eorum :

 26 And his fame came to the king, and all nations told of the battles of Judas.
et pervenit ad regem nomen ejus, et de praeliis Judae narrabant omnes gentes.

 27 Now when king Antiochus heard these words, he was angry in his mind: and he sent and gathered the forces of all his kingdom, an exceeding strong army.
Ut audivit autem rex Antiochus sermones istos, iratus est animo : et misit, et congregavit exercitum universi regni sui, castra fortia valde :

 28 And he opened his treasury, and gave out pay to the army for a year: and he commanded them, that they should be ready for all things.
et aperuit aerarium suum, et dedit stipendia exercitui in annum : et mandavit illis ut essent parati ad omnia.

 29 And he perceived that the money of his treasures failed, and that the tributes of the country were small because of the dissension, and the evil that he had brought upon the land, that he might take away the laws of old times:
Et vidit quod defecit pecunia de thesauris suis, et tributa regionis modica propter dissensionem et plagam quam fecit in terra, ut tolleret legitima, quae erant a primis diebus :

 30 And he feared that he should not have as formerly enough, for charges and gifts, which he had given before with a liberal hand: for he had abounded more than the kings that had been before him.
et timuit ne non haberet ut semel et bis, in sumptus et donaria, quae dederat ante larga manu : et abundaverat super reges qui ante eum fuerant.

 31 And he was greatly perplexed in mind, and purposed to go into Persia, and to take tributes of the countries, and to gather much money.
Et consternatus erat animo valde, et cogitavit ire in Persidem, et accipere tributa regionum, et congregare argentum multum.

 32 And he left Lysias, a nobleman of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the kingdom, from the river Euphrates even to the river of Egypt:
Et reliquit Lysiam hominem nobilem de genere regali, super negotia regia, a flumine Euphrate usque ad flumen Aegypti,

 33 And to bring up his son Antiochus, till he came again.
et ut nutriret Antiochum filium suum, donec rediret.

 34 And he delivered to him half the army, and the elephants: and he gave him charge concerning all that he would have done, and concerning the inhabitants of Judea, and Jerusalem:
Et tradidit ei medium exercitum, et elephantos : et mandavit ei de omnibus quae volebat, et de inhabitantibus Judaeam, et Jerusalem :

 35 And that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away the memory of them from that place:
et ut mitteret ad eos exercitum ad conterendam et extirpandam virtutem Israel, et reliquias Jerusalem, et auferendam memoriam eorum de loco :

 36 And that he should settle strangers to dwell in all their coasts, and divide their land by lot.
et ut constitueret habitatores filios alienigenas in omnibus finibus eorum, et sorte distribueret terram eorum.

 37 So the king took the half of the army that remained, and went forth from Antioch the chief city of his kingdom, in the hundred and forty-seventh year: and he passed over the river Euphrates, and went through the higher countries.
Et rex assumpsit partem exercitus residui, et exivit ab Antiochia civitate regni sui anno centesimo et quadragesimo septimo : et transfretavit Euphraten flumen, et perambulabat superiores regiones.

 38 Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenus, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends.
Et elegit Lysias Ptolemaeum filium Dorymini, et Nicanorem, et Gorgiam, viros potentes ex amicis regis :

 39 And he sent with them forty thousand men, and seven thousand horsemen: to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it according to the king's orders.
et misit cum eis quadraginta millia virorum, et septem millia equitum, ut venirent in terram Juda, et disperderent eam secundum verbum regis.

 40 So they went forth with all their power, and came, and pitched near Emmaus in the plain country.
Et processerunt cum universa virtute sua, et venerunt, et applicuerunt Emmaum in terra campestri.

 41 And the merchants of the countries heard the fame of them: and they took silver and gold in abundance, and servants: and they came into the camp, to buy the children of Israel for slaves: and there were joined to them the forces of Syria, and of the land of the strangers.
Et audierunt mercatores regionum nomen eorum : et acceperunt argentum, et aurum multum valde, et pueros, et venerunt in castra ut acciperent filios Israel in servos, et additi sunt ad eos exercitus Syriae, et terrae alienigenarum.

 42 And Judas and his brethren saw that evils were multiplied, and that the armies approached to their borders: and they knew the orders the king had given to destroy the people and utterly abolish them.
Et vidit Judas et fratres ejus, quia multiplicata sunt mala, et exercitus applicabant ad fines eorum : et cognoverunt verba regis, quae mandavit populo facere in interitum et consummationem :

 43 And they said every man to his neighbour: Let us raise up the low condition of our people, and let us fight for our people, and our sanctuary.
et dixerunt unusquisque ad proximum suum : Erigamus dejectionem populi nostri, et pugnemus pro populo nostro, et sanctis nostris.

 44 And the assembly was gathered that they might be ready for battle: and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion.
Et congregatus est conventus ut essent parati in praelium, et ut orarent et peterent misericordiam et miserationes.

 45 Now Jerusalem was not inhabited, but was like a desert: there was none of her children that went in or out: and the sanctuary was trodden down: and the children of strangers were in the castle, there was the habitation of the Gentiles: and joy was taken away from Jacob, and the pipe and harp ceased there.
Et Jerusalem non habitabatur, sed erat sicut desertum : non erat qui ingrederetur et egrederetur de natis ejus. Et sanctum conculcabatur : et filii alienigenarum erant in arce; ibi erat habitatio gentium : et ablata est voluptas a Jacob, et defecit ibi tibia et cithara.

 46 And they assembled together, and came to Maspha over against Jerusalem: for in Maspha was a place of prayer heretofore in Israel.
Et congregati sunt, et venerunt in Maspha contra Jerusalem, quia locus orationis erat in Maspha ante in Israel.

 47 And they fasted that day, and put on haircloth, and put ashes upon their heads: and they rent their garments:
Et jejunaverunt illa die, et induerunt se ciliciis, et cinerem imposuerunt capiti suo, et disciderunt vestimenta sua :

 48 And they laid open the books of the law, in which the Gentiles searched for the likeness of their idols:
et expanderunt libros legis, de quibus scrutabantur gentes similitudinem simulacrorum suorum :

 49 And they brought the priestly ornaments, and the firstfruits and tithes, and stirred up the Nazarites that had fulfilled their days:
et attulerunt ornamenta sacerdotalia, et primitias, et decimas : et suscitaverunt Nazaraeos, qui impleverant dies,

 50 And they cried with a loud voice toward heaven, saying: What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them?
et clamaverunt voce magna in caelum, dicentes : Quid faciemus istis, et quo eos ducemus?

 51 For thy holies are trodden down, and are profaned, and thy priests are in mourning, and are brought low.
et sancta tua conculcata sunt, et contaminata sunt, et sacerdotes tui facti sunt in luctum, et in humilitatem :

 52 And behold the nations are come together against us to destroy us: thou knowest what they intend against us.
et ecce nationes convenerunt adversum nos ut nos disperdant : tu scis quae cogitant in nos.

 53 How shall we be able to stand before their face, unless thou, O God, help us?
Quomodo poterimus subsistere ante faciem eorum, nisi tu, Deus, adjuves nos?

 54 Then they sounded with trumpets, and cried out with a loud voice.
Et tubis exclamaverunt voce magna.

 55 And after this Judas appointed captains over the people, over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.
Et post haec constituit Judas duces populi, tribunos, et centuriones, et pentacontarchos, et decuriones.

 56 And he said to them that were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, that they should return every man to his house, according to the law.
Et dixit his, qui aedificabant domos, et sponsabant uxores, et plantabant vineas, et formidolosis, ut redirent unusquisque in domum suam secundum legem.

 57 So they removed the camp, and pitched on the south side of Emmaus.
Et moverunt castra, et collocaverunt ad austrum Emmaum.

 58 And Judas said: Gird yourselves, and be valiant men, and be ready against the morning, that you may fight with these nations that are assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary.
Et ait Judas : Accingimini, et estote filii potentes, et estote parati in mane, ut pugnetis adversus nationes has quae convenerunt adversus nos disperdere nos, et sancta nostra :

 59 For it is better for us to die in battle, than to see the evils of our nation, and of the holies:
quoniam melius est nos mori in bello, quam videre mala gentis nostrae, et sanctorum.

 60 Nevertheless as it shall be the will of God in heaven so be it done.
Sicut autem fuerit voluntas in caelo, sic fiat.