1 Maccabees 1:41–50

And the king wrote unto his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, and that every one should give up his ^[religious^[ usages. And all the nations acquiesced in accordance with the command of the king. And many in Israel took delight in his ⁽form of⁽ worship, and they began sacrificing to idols, and profaned the sabbath. Furthermore, the king sent letters by the hand of messengers to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah ⁽to the effect that⁽ they should practise customs foreign to ⁽the traditions of⁽ the land, and that they should cease the ⁽sacrificing of⁽ whole burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and drink offerings in the sanctuary, and that they should profane the sabbaths and feasts, and pollute the sanctuary and those who had been sanctified; that they should ⁽moreover⁽ build high places, and sacred groves, and shrines for idols, and that they should sacrifice swine and ⁽other⁽ unclean animals; and that they should leave their sons uncircumcized, and make themselves abominable by means of ⁽practising⁽ everything that was unclean and profane, so that they might forget the Law, and change all the ⁽traditional⁽ ordinances. And whosoever should not act according to the word of the king, should die.