2 Maccabees 9

About that time ^acame Antiochus with dishonour ^bout of the country of Persia. ^2cFor he had entered the city called Persepolis, and went about to rob the temple, and to hold the city; whereupon the multitude running to defend themselves with their weapons put them to flight; and so it happened, that Antiochus being put to flight of the inhabitants ^ccreturned with shame. ³Now ^dwhen he came to ^eEcbatana, news was brought him what had happened unto ^fNicanor and ^gTimotheus. ⁴Then swelling with anger, he thought to avenge upon the Jews the disgrace done unto him by those that made him flee. Therefore commanded he his ^hchariot man to drive ⁱwithout ceasing, and to dispatch the journey, the judgment of ^jGod now following him. For he had spoken proudly in this sort, That he would come to Jerusalem, and make it ^ka common burying place of the Jews. ⁵But the Lord ^lAlmighty, the God of Israel, smote him with an incurable and invisible plague: for as soon as he had spoken these words, ^ma pain of the bowels that was remediless came upon him, and sore torments of the inner parts; ^6mmand that most justly: for he had tormented other men’s bowels with many and strange torments. ⁷Howbeit he nothing at all ceased from his bragging, but still was filled with pride, ⁿbreathing out fire in his rage against the Jews, and commanding to haste the journey: but it came to pass that he fell down from his chariot, carried violently; so that having a sore fall, all the members of his body were much pained. ⁸And thus he that a little afore thought ^ohe might command the waves of the sea, (so proud was he beyond the condition of man) and ^pweigh the high mountains in a balance, was now cast on the ground, and carried in ^qa horse litter, shewing forth unto all the manifest power of God. ⁹So that ^rthe worms rose up out of the body of this wicked man, and whiles he lived in sorrow and pain, his flesh fell away, and the filthiness of his smell was noisome to all his army. ¹⁰And the man, that thought a little afore ^she could reach to the stars of heaven, no man could endure to carry for his intolerable stink.

^11tHere therefore, being plagued, he began to leave off his great pride, and to come to the knowledge of himself by the ^uscourge of God, his pain increasing every ^wmoment. ¹²And when he himself could not abide his own smell, he said these words, ^xIt is meet to be subject unto God, and that a man that is mortal should not proudly think of himself, as if he were God. ¹³This wicked person vowed also unto the ^yLord, ^zwho now no more would have mercy upon him, saying thus, ¹⁴That ^athe holy city (^bto the which he was going in haste, to lay it even with the ground, and to make it a common burying place,) he would set at liberty: ¹⁵and as touching the Jews, whom he had judged not worthy so much as to be buried, but to be cast out with their children to be devoured of the fowls and wild beasts, he would make them all equals to the citizens of Athens: ¹⁶and the holy temple, ^cwhich before he had spoiled, he would garnish with goodly ^dgifts, and restore all the holy vessels with many more, and ^eout of his own revenue defray the charges belonging to the sacrifices: ¹⁷yea, and that also he would become a Jew himself, and go through all the world that was inhabited, and declare the power of God. ¹⁸But for all this his pains would not cease: ^zfor the just judgment of God was come upon him: therefore ^fdespairing of his health, he wrote unto the Jews the letter underwritten, containing the form of a supplication, ^gafter this manner:

¹⁹Antiochus, king and governor, to the good Jews his citizens wisheth ^hmuch joy, health, and prosperity: ²⁰If ye and your children fare well, and your affairs be to your contentment, I give very great thanks to God, having my hope in heaven. ²¹As for me, I was weak, or else I would have remembered kindly your honour and good will. ⁱReturning out of Persia, and being taken with a grievous disease, I thought it necessary to care for the common safety of all: ^22fnot distrusting mine health, but having great hope to escape this sickness. ²³But considering that even my father, at what time he led an army into ^jthe high countries, ^kappointed a successor, ²⁴to the end that, if any thing fell out contrary to expectation, or if any tidings were brought that were grievous, they of the land, knowing to whom the state was left, might not be troubled: ²⁵again, considering how that the princes that are borderers and neighbours unto my kingdom wait for opportunities, and expect what shall be the event, I have ^kappointed my son Antiochus king, ^lwhom I often committed and commended unto many of you, when I went up into ^jthe high provinces; to whom I have written as followeth: ²⁶therefore I pray and request you to remember ^mthe benefits that I have done unto you generally, and in special, and that every man will be still faithful to me and my son. ²⁷For I am persuaded that he understanding my mind will favourably and ⁿgraciously yield to your desires.

²⁸Thus the murderer and blasphemer having suffered most grievously, as he entreated other men, ^oso died he a miserable death in a strange country in the mountains. ²⁹And ^pPhilip, ^qthat was brought up with him, carried away his body, who also fearing the son of Antiochus went into Egypt to ^rPtolemeus Philometor.

X.