1 Maccabees 2:1–28

In those days rose up Mattathias, the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem; and he dwelt at Modin. And he had five sons: John, who was surnamed Gaddis; Simon, who was called Thassis; Judas, who was called Maccabaeus; Eleazar, who was called Auaran; and Jonathan, who was called Aphphus.

And he saw the blasphemous things that were done in Judah and in Jerusalem, and said, ‘Woe is me, why was I born to behold the ruin of my people and the ruin of the holy city, and to sit still there while it was being given into the hand of enemies, and the sanctuary into the hand of strangers?’

Her house is become like ⁽that of⁽ a man dishonoured;

Her glorious vessels are carried away captive;

Her infants have been slain in her streets,

Her young men with the sword of the enemy.

What nation hath the kingdom not taken possession of,

⁽Of what nation⁽ hath it not seized the spoils?

Her adornment hath all been taken away,

Instead of a free woman she is become a slave.

And, behold, our holy things, and our beauty, and our glory have been laid waste,

And the heathen have profaned them! To what purpose should we continue to live?

And Mattathias and his sons rent their garments, and covered themselves with sackcloth, and mourned greatly.

And the king’s officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the city of Modin to make them sacrifice. And many from Israel went unto them; but Mattathias and his sons gathered themselves together. Then the king’s officers answered and spake unto Mattathias, saying: ‘A ruler art thou, and illustrious and great in this city, and upheld by sons and brothers. Do thou, therefore, come first, and carry out the king’s command, as all the nations have done, and all the people of Judah, and they that have remained in Jerusalem; then shalt thou and thy house be ⁽numbered among⁽ the friends of the king, and thou and thy sons shall be honoured with silver and gold, and with many gifts.’ Thereupon Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice: ‘If all the nations that are within the king’s dominions obey him by forsaking, every one of them, the worship of their fathers, and have chosen for themselves to follow his commands, yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. Heaven forbid that we should forsake the Law and the ordinances; ⁽but⁽ the law of the king we will not obey by departing from our worship either to the right hand or to the left.’ And as he ceased speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to sacrifice upon the altar in Modin in accordance with the king’s command. And when Mattathias saw it, his zeal was kindled, and his heart quivered ⁽with wrath⁽; and his indignation burst forth for judgement, so that he ran and slew him on the altar; and at the same time he ^[also^[ killed the king’s officer who had come to enforce the sacrificing, pulled down the altar, and ^[thus^[ showed forth his zeal for the Law, just as Phinehas had done in the case of Zimri the son of Salom. And Mattathias cried out with a loud voice in the city, saying, ‘Let everyone that is zealous for the Law and that would maintain the covenant come forth after me!’ And he and his sons fled unto the mountains, and left all that they possessed in the city.