18 Ptolemy wrote these things and sent to the king, that he should send him forces to aid him, and should deliver him their country and the cities. 19 He sent others to Gazara to do away with John. To the captains of thousands, he sent letters to come to him, that he might give them silver, gold, and gifts. 20 He sent others to take possession of Jerusalem and the temple hill. 21 One ran before to Gazara, and told John that his father and kindred had perished, and he has sent to kill you also. 22 When he heard, he was greatly shocked. He seized the men who came to destroy him and killed them; for he perceived that they were seeking to destroy him.
23 And the rest of the acts of John and of his wars and of his valiant deeds which he did, and of the building of the walls which he built, and of his achievements, 24 behold, they are written in the chronicles‡ of his high priesthood, from the time that he was made high priest after his father.
† 1:1: That is, the Greek Empire. Compare 1 Maccabees 1:10 and 1 Maccabees 6:2.
‡ 1:10: circa B.C. 176.
§ 1:11: Or, nations: and so throughout this book.
† 1:13: Or, nations: and so throughout this book.
‡ 1:14: See 2 Maccabees 4:9, 12.
§ 1:14: Or, nations: and so throughout this book.
† 1:15: Or, nations: and so throughout this book
‡ 1:17: Gr. heavy.
§ 1:17: Or, armament
† 1:20: circa B.C. 170. See 2 Maccabees 5:11-16.
‡ 1:20: Gr. heavy.
§ 1:29: See 2 Maccabees 5:24.
† 1:29: Gr. heavy.
‡ 1:39: See 2 Maccabees 6:6.
§ 1:54: circa B.C. 168. See 2 Maccabees 5:11.
† 1:54: The two words rendered altar are different in the Greek: and so in 1 Maccabees 1:59.
‡ 1:54: The two words rendered altar are different in the Greek: and so in 1 Maccabees 1:59.
§ 1:60: See 2 Maccabees 6:10.
† 1:63: See 2 Maccabees 6:19 and 7:1, etc.
† 2:2: Gr. Joannes.
‡ 2:18: See 1 Maccabees 3:38; 10:10, etc.; Compare 1 Maccabees 10:65; 11:27; 2 Maccabees 8:9.
§ 2:42: That is, Chasidim.
† 2:66: Some ancient authorities read you shall fight.
‡ 2:70: circa B.C. 167.
† 3:8: Gr. out of it.
‡ 3:18: Some ancient authorities read the God of heaven.
§ 3:37: circa B.C. 166.
† 3:38: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
‡ 3:41: Most of the authorities read servants.
§ 3:41: Gr. foreigners.
† 4:15: Gr. Gazera.
‡ 4:22: Gr. foreigners.
§ 4:30: Gr. foreigners.
† 4:40: Compare Numbers 31:6.
‡ 4:40: Gr. trumpets of signals.
§ 4:52: circa B.C. 165.
† 5:4: Compare 2 Maccabees 10:18-23.
‡ 5:8: Gr. daughters. Compare Numbers 21:25.
§ 5:13: Compare 2 Maccabees 12:17.
† 5:15: Gr. foreigners.
‡ 5:26: Compare 2 Maccabees 12:13.
§ 5:26: compare 2 Maccabees 12:21.
† 5:36: See 1 Maccabees 5:26
‡ 5:43: See 1 Maccabees 5:26.
§ 5:65: Gr. daughters. Compare Numbers 21:25.
† 5:66: Gr. foreigners.
‡ 5:66: Or, Marisa See Josephus, Antiquities 12:8. 6, and 2 Maccabees 12:35.
§ 5:68: Gr. foreigners.
† 6:10: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
‡ 6:14: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
§ 6:16: Circa B.C. 164.
† 6:20: circa B.C. 163.
‡ 6:24: Gr. it.
§ 6:28: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
† 6:33: Or, itself eager for the fight
† 7:1: circa B.C. 162.
‡ 7:8: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
§ 7:13: That is, Chasidim.
† 7:17: Psalms 79:2, 3.
‡ 7:26: See 2 Maccabees 14:12.
§ 7:34: Gr. polluted them.
† 7:45: Gr. Gazera.
‡ 7:49: See 2 Maccabees 15:36.
† 9:3: circa B.C. 161.
‡ 9:54: circa B.C. 160.
† 10:1: circa B.C. 153.
‡ 10:11: So the versions and Josephus. Gr. four-foot stones.
§ 10:16: See 1 Maccabees 2:18. Compare 1 Maccabees 10:65.
† 10:19: See 1 Maccabees 2:18. Compare 1 Maccabees 10:65.
‡ 10:20: See 1 Maccabees 2:18. Compare 1 Maccabees 10:65.
§ 10:21: circa B.C. 153.
† 10:57: circa B.C. 151.
‡ 10:60: See 1 Maccabees 2:18. Compare 1 Maccabees 10:65.
§ 10:65: See 1 Maccabees 11:27; 2 Maccabees 8:9. Compare 1 Maccabees 2:18; 10:16, etc.
† 10:67: circa B.C. 148.
‡ 10:78: Most of the authorities here repeat after him.
† 11:19: circa B.C. 146.
‡ 11:26: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
§ 11:27: See 1 Maccabees 10:65.
† 11:28: Gr. toparchies
‡ 11:57: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
† 12:7: So the old Latin versions and Josephus: compare also ver. 20. All the other authorities read Darius in this place.
‡ 12:22: Gr. peace
§ 12:38: Gr. Sephela.
† 12:43: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
† 13:36: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
‡ 13:41: circa B.C. 143.
§ 13:43: See 1 Maccabees 13:53 (compare 1 Maccabees 13:48); 1 Maccabees 14:7, 34; 15:28; 16:1: also Josephus. All the authorities read Gaza in this verse.
† 13:45: Gr. right hands.
‡ 13:51: circa B.C. 142.
† 14:1: circa B.C. 141.
‡ 14:22: Gr. counsels of the people.
§ 14:23: Gr. books that are appointed for the people.
† 14:24: 1,000 minas is about 499 kg or 1,098 pounds.
‡ 14:26: Gr. him.
§ 14:27: circa B.C. 141.
† 14:28: Gr. he made known.
‡ 14:35: Some authorities read acts.
§ 14:39: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
† 14:47: Gr. ethnarch.
† 15:1: Gr. ethnarch.
‡ 15:2: Gr. ethnarch.
§ 15:10: circa B.C. 139
† 15:18: 1,000 minas is about 499 kg. or about 1,098 pounds.
‡ 15:23: Some authorities read Sampsaces: the Latin versions have Lampsacus.
§ 15:28: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
† 15:32: See 1 Maccabees 2:18.
† 16:14: circa B.C. 136.
‡ 16:24: Gr. book of days.
2 Maccabees
The Second Book of the Maccabees
The Second Book of the Maccabees is recognised as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Russian Orthodox Churches.
1
1 The kindred, the Jews who are in Jerusalem and those who are in the country of Judea, send greetings and good peace to the kindred, the Jews who are throughout Egypt. 2 May God do good to you, and remember his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants, 3 and give you all a heart to worship him and do his will with a strong heart and a willing soul. 4 May God open your heart to his law and his statutes, and make peace, 5 and listen to your requests, and be reconciled with you, and not forsake you in an evil time. 6 Now we are praying for you here.
7 In the reign of Demetrius, in the one hundred and sixty-ninth year, we the Jews have already written to you in the suffering and in the distress that has come upon us in these years, from the time that Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and the kingdom, 8 and set the gate on fire, and shed innocent blood. We prayed to the Lord, and were heard. We offered sacrifices and meal offerings. We lit the lamps. We set out the show bread.† 9 Now see that you keep the days of the feast of tabernacles in the month Chislev in the one hundred and eighty-eighth year.
10 The people of Jerusalem and those who are in Judea, with the senate and Judas, to Aristobulus, King Ptolemy’s teacher, who is also of the stock of the anointed priests, and to the Jews who are in Egypt, we send greetings and health.
11 Having been saved by God out of great perils, as men arrayed against a king, we thank him greatly. 12 For he threw out into Persia those who fought against us in the holy city. 13 For when the prince had come there, with an army that seemed irresistible, they were cut to pieces in the temple of Nanaea by the treachery of Nanaea’s priests. 14 For Antiochus, on the pretence that he would marry her, came into the place, he and his friends who were with him, that they might take a large part of the treasures as a dowry. 15 And when the priests of Nanaea’s temple had set the treasures out, and he had come there with a small company within the wall of the sacred precinct, they locked the temple when Antiochus had come in. 16 Opening the secret door of the panelled ceiling, they threw stones and struck down the prince. They cut him and his company in pieces, and cut off their heads, and threw them to the people who were outside. 17 Blessed be our God in all things, who handed over those who had committed impiety.
18 Since we are now about to celebrate the purification of the temple in the month Chislev, on the twenty-fifth day, we thought it necessary to notify you, so that you may also keep a feast of tabernacles, and remember the fire which was given when Nehemiah offered sacrifices, after he had built both the temple and the altar.
19 For indeed when our fathers were about to be led into the land of Persia, the godly priests of that time took some of the fire of the altar, and hid it secretly in the hollow of a well that was without water, where they
