2 Maccabees 4

This Simon now, ^aof whom we spake afore, having been a ^bbewrayer of the money, and of his country, slandered Onias, ^cas if he had terrified Heliodorus, and been the worker of these evils. ²Thus was he bold to call him a ^dtraitor, ^ethat had deserved well of the city, and tendred his own nation, and was so ^fzealous of the laws. ³But when their hatred went so far, that by one of Simon’s faction murders were committed, ⁴Onias seeing the danger of this contention, and that ^gApollonius, as being the governor of ^hCoelosyria and Phenice, did rage, and increase Simon’s malice, ⁵he went to the king, ⁱnot to be an accuser of his countrymen, but seeking the good of all, both publick and private: ⁶for he saw that it was impossible that the state should continue quiet, and Simon leave his folly, unless the king ^jdid look thereunto.

⁷But after the death of ^kSeleucus, when ^lAntiochus, called Epiphanes, took the kingdom, ^mJason the brother of Onias ^mmlaboured underhand to be high priest, ⁸promising unto the king by ⁿintercession three hundred and threescore talents of silver, and of another revenue eighty talents: ⁹beside this, he promised to assign an hundred and fifty more, if he might have licence to set him up ^oa place for exercise, and for the training up of youth in the fashions of the heathen, and to write them of Jerusalem by the name of ^pAntiochians. ¹⁰Which when the king had granted, and he had gotten into his hand the rule, he forthwith ^qbrought his own nation to the ^tGreekish fashion. ¹¹And the royal privileges granted of special favour to the Jews by the means of John the father of ^qqEupolemus, who went ambassador to ^rRome for amity and aid, he took away; and putting down the governments which were according to the law, he brought up new customs against the law: ¹²for he built gladly ^oa place of exercise under ^sthe tower itself, and brought the chief young men under his subjection, and made them wear a hat.

¹³Now such was the height of ^tGreek fashions, and increase of ^uheathenish manners, through the exceeding profaneness of Jason, that ungodly wretch, and ^vnot high priest; ¹⁴that the priests had no courage to serve any more at the altar, but despising the temple, and neglecting the sacrifices, hastened to be partakers of the unlawful allowance in the place of exercise, after the game of Discus called them forth; ¹⁵not setting by the honours of their fathers, but liking the glory of the Grecians best of all. ¹⁶By reason whereof sore calamity came upon them: for they had them to be their enemies and avengers, whose ^wcustom they followed so earnestly, and unto whom they desired to be like in all things. ¹⁷For it is not a light thing to do wickedly against the laws of God: but the time following shall declare these things.

¹⁸Now when the game that was used every fifth year was kept at ^xTyrus, the king being present, ¹⁹this ^yungracious Jason sent special messengers from Jerusalem, ^pwho were Antiochians, to carry three hundred ^zdrachms of silver to the sacrifice of Hercules, which even the bearers thereof thought fit not to bestow upon the sacrifice, because it was not ^aconvenient, but to be reserved for other charges. ²⁰This money then, in regard of the sender, was appointed to Hercules’ sacrifice; but because of the bearers thereof, it was employed to the making of gallies.

²¹Now when ^bApollonius the son of Menestheus was sent into Egypt for the coronation of king ^cPtolemeus Philometor, Antiochus, understanding him not to be well affected to his affairs, provided for his own safety: whereupon he came to ^dJoppe, and from thence to Jerusalem: ²²where he was honourably received of Jason, and of the city, and was brought in with torchlight, and with great shoutings: and so afterward went with his host unto ^ePhenice.

²³Three year afterward Jason sent ^fMenelaus, ^gthe foresaid Simon’s brother, to bear ^hthe money unto the king, and to put him in mind of certain necessary matters. ²⁴But he being brought to the presence of the king, when he had magnified him for the glorious appearance of his power, got the priesthood to himself, offering ^hmore than Jason by three hundred talents of silver. ²⁵So he came with the king’s mandate, bringing nothing worthy the high priesthood, but having the fury of a cruel tyrant, and the rage of a savage beast. ²⁶Then Jason, who had ⁱundermined his own brother, being ⁱundermined by another, was compelled to flee into the country of the ^kAmmonites. ²⁷So Menelaus got the principality: but as for the money that he had promised unto the king, he took no good order for it, albeit Sostratus the ruler of ^lthe castle required it: ²⁸for unto him appertained the gathering of the ^mcustoms. Wherefore they were both called before the king. ²⁹Now Menelaus left his brother Lysimachus in his stead in the priesthood; and Sostratus left Crates, who was governor of the ⁿCyprians. ³⁰While those things were in doing, they of ^oTarsus and Mallos made insurrection, because they were given to the king’s concubine, called Antiochis. ³¹Then came the king in all haste to ^pappease matters, leaving ^qAndronicus, a man in authority, for his deputy.

³²Now Menelaus, supposing that he had gotten a convenient time, ^rstole certain vessels of gold out of the temple, and gave some of them to Andronicus, and some he sold into ^sTyrus and the cities round about. ³³Which when Onias knew of a surety, he reproved him, and withdrew himself into a sanctuary at Daphne, that lieth by ^tAntiochia. ³⁴Wherefore Menelaus, taking Andronicus apart, prayed him to get Onias into his hands; who being persuaded thereunto, and coming to Onias in deceit, gave him his right hand with oaths; and though he were suspected by him, yet persuaded he him to come forth of the sanctuary: whom forthwith he shut up without regard of justice. ³⁵For the which cause not only the Jews, but many also of other nations, took great indignation, and were much grieved for the unjust murder of the man. ³⁶And when the king was come again from ^uthe places about ^vCilicia, the Jews that were in the city, and certain of the Greeks ^wthat abhorred the fact also, ^xcomplained because Onias was slain without cause. ³⁷Therefore Antiochus was ^yheartily sorry, and moved to pity, and wept, because of the sober and modest behaviour of him that was dead. ³⁸And being kindled with anger, forthwith he took away Andronicus his purple, and rent off his clothes, and leading him through the whole city unto that very place, where he had committed impiety against Onias, there slew he the cursed murderer. Thus the Lord rewarded him his punishment, as he had deserved.

³⁹Now when many sacrileges had been committed in the city by ^zLysimachus with the ^aconsent of Menelaus, and the ^bbruit thereof was spread abroad, the multitude gathered themselves together against Lysimachus, many vessels of gold being already carried away. ⁴⁰Whereupon the common people rising, and being filled with rage, Lysimachus armed about three thousand men, and began first to offer violence; one ^cAuranus being the leader, a man far gone in years, and no less in folly. ⁴¹They then seeing the ^ccattempt of Lysimachus, some of them caught stones, some clubs, others taking handfuls of dust, that was next at hand, cast them all together upon ^dLysimachus, and those that set upon them. ⁴²Thus many of them they wounded, and some they stroke to the ground, and all of them they forced to flee: but as for the ^echurch robber himself, him they killed besides the ^ftreasury. ⁴³Of these matters therefore there was an accusation laid against Menelaus.

⁴⁴Now when the king came to ^gTyrus, three men that were sent from the ^hsenate pleaded the cause before him: ⁴⁵but Menelaus, being now convicted, promised ⁱPtolemee the son of Dorymenes to give him much money, if he would ^jpacify the king towards him. ⁴⁶Whereupon Ptolemee taking the king aside into a certain gallery, as it were to take the air, brought him to be of another mind: ⁴⁷insomuch that he discharged Menelaus from the accusations, who notwithstanding was cause of all the mischief: and ^kthose poor men, who, if they had told their cause, yea, before the ^lScythians, should have been judged innocent, them he ^mcondemned to death. ⁴⁸Thus they that followed the matter for the city, and for the people, and for the holy vessels, did soon suffer unjust punishment. ⁴⁹Wherefore even they of ^gTyrus, ⁿmoved with hatred of that wicked deed, caused them to be honourably ^oburied. ⁵⁰And so ^pthrough the covetousness of them that were in power ^qMenelaus remained still in authority, increasing in malice, and being a great ^rtraitor to the citizens.

V.