1 Maccabees 1:41–60

⁴¹Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, ⁴²and ^oevery one should leave his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king. ⁴³Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his ^preligion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the sabbath. ⁴⁴For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Juda, that they should follow the strange laws of the land, ⁴⁵and ^qforbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the temple; and that they should ⁿprofane the sabbaths and festival days: ⁴⁶and ^qpollute the sanctuary and holy people: ^47rset up altars, and ^sgroves, and ^tchapels of idols, and ^usacrifice swine’s flesh, and ^xunclean beasts: ⁴⁸that they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation: ⁴⁹to the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances. ⁵⁰And ^ywhosoever would not do according to the commandment of the king, ^zhe said, he should die. ^51aIn the selfsame manner wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed ^boverseers over all the people, commanding the cities of Juda to sacrifice, city by city. ⁵²Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit, every one that forsook the law; and so they committed evils in the land; ⁵³and drove the Israelites into ^csecret places, even wheresoever they could flee for succour.

⁵⁴Now the fifteenth day of the month ^dCasleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up ^dthe abomination of desolation upon the altar, and ^ebuilded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side; ⁵⁵and burnt incense at the doors of their houses, and in the streets. ⁵⁶And when they had rent in pieces the books of the law which they found, they burnt them with fire. ⁵⁷And wheresoever was found with any the book of the testament, or if any ^fconsented to the law, the king’s commandment was, that they should put him to death. ⁵⁸Thus did they by their authority unto the Israelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities. ⁵⁹Now ^gthe five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, ^gwhich was upon the altar of God. ⁶⁰At which time, according to the commandment, ^hthey put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised.