1 Maccabees 6

6And king Antiochus was journeying through the upper countries; and he heard that Elymais, in Persia, was a city renowned for riches, for silver and gold, and that the temple which was in it ⁽was⁽ rich exceedingly, and that therein ⁽were⁽ golden shields, and breastplates, and arms, which Alexander, son of Philip, the Macedonian king, who reigned first among the Greeks, had left behind there. So he came and sought to take the city, and to pillage it; but he was not able ⁽to do so⁽ because the thing had become known to them of the city. And they rose up against him to battle; and he fled, and removed thence with great heaviness, to return to Babylon.

And there came one bringing him tidings into Persia that the armies, which went against the land of Judah, had been put to flight; and that Lysias had gone forth at the head of a strong army, and had been put to shame before them; and that they had waxed strong by reason of arms and power, and with store of spoils, which they took from the armies that they had cut off; and that they had pulled down the abomination which he had built upon the altar that was in Jerusalem; and that they had compassed about the sanctuary with high walls, as ⁽had been the case⁽ formerly, and Bethsura, his city. And it came to pass, when the king heard these words, he was struck with amazement and greatly moved; and he laid him down upon ⁽his⁽ bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not befallen him as he had looked for. And he was there many days, because great grief was renewed upon him; and he reckoned that he was about to die. And he called for all his Friends, and said unto them: ‘Sleep departeth from mine eyes, and ⁽my⁽ heart faileth for care. And I said in ⁽my⁽ heart, Unto what tribulation am I come, and how great a flood is it wherein I now am! For I was gracious and beloved in my power. But now I remember the evils which I did at Jerusalem, and that I took all the vessels of silver and gold that were therein, and sent forth ⁽armies⁽ to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without a cause. I perceive that on this account these evils are come upon me, and, behold, I perish through great grief in a strange land.’ And he called for Philip, one of his Friends, and set him over all his kingdom, and gave him ⁽his⁽ diadem, and his robe, and ⁽his⁽ signet-ring, to the end that he should educateAntiochus his son, and bring him up to be king. And king Antiochus died there in the one hundred and forty-ninth year. And when Lysias knew that the king was dead, he set up Antiochus his ⁽i.e. the king’s⁽ son to reign, whom he had nourished up while yet young, and he called his name Eupator.

And they that were in the citadel kept enclosing Israel round about the sanctuary, and continually sought their hurt, and ⁽acted as⁽ a support to the Gentiles. And Judas purposed to destroy them, and called all the people together to besiege them. And they were gathered together, and besieged them in the one hundred and fiftieth year; and he constructed siege-towers against them, and engines ⁽of war⁽. And there came forth some of them that were shut up, and unto them were joined certain ungodly men of Israel. And they went unto the king and said: ‘How long wilt thou not execute judgement, and ⁽when wilt thou⁽ avenge our brethren? We were willing to serve thy father, and to walk after his words, and to follow his commandments. For this cause the children of our people besieged it ⁽i.e. the citadel⁽, and were alienated from us, andas many of us as they could light on they killed, and they spoiled our inheritances. And not against us only did they stretch out their hand, but also against all their borderlands. And, behold, they are encamped this day against the citadel in Jerusalem with the object of capturing it, and they have fortified the sanctuary and Bethsura. And if thou art not beforehand with them quickly they will do greater things than these, and thou wilt not be able to control them.’

And the king was angry when he heard ⁽this⁽; and he gathered together all his Friends, ⁽who were⁽ the leaders of his host, and them that were over the horse. And there came unto him from other kingdoms, and from the isles of the sea, bands of mercenaries. And the number of his forces was a hundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants trained for war. And they went through Idumaea, and encamped against Bethsura, and fought against ⁽it⁽ many days, and made engines ⁽of war⁽; but they ⁽that were besieged⁽ came out and burned them with fire, and fought manfully. And Judas removed from the citadel, and encamped at Bethzacharias, over against the king’s camp. And the king rose early in the morning, and removed the army in its eagerness along the road to Beth-zacharias; and his forces prepared themselves for the battle, and sounded with trumpets. And they showed the elephants the blood of grapes and mulberries, that they might prepare them for the battle. And they divided the beasts among the phalanxes, and they set by each elephant a thousand men armed with coats of mail, and helmets of brass on their heads; and for each beast were appointed five hundred chosen horsemen. These had previously been ⁽with the beasts⁽ wherever a beast was; and whithersoever it went, they went together with ⁽it⁽; they did not leave it. And towers of wood ⁽were⁽ upon them, strong ⁽and⁽ covered, ⁽one⁽ upon each beast, girt fast upon them with ⁽special⁽ contrivances; and upon each were ^†thirty-two^† men, fighting from them, and ⁽each beast had⁽ its Indian. And the residue of the horsemen he placed on this side and that side, on either wing of the army, ⁽thus⁽ striking terror ⁽into the enemy, while⁽ covering the phalanxes. Now when the sun shone upon the shields of gold and brass, the mountains shone therewith, and blazed like torches of fire. And a part of the king’s army was spread upon the high mountains, and some on the low ground, and they went on safely and in order. And all that heard the noise of their multitude, and of the marching of the multitude, and the rattling of the arms, did quake; for the army was exceedinggreat and strong. And Judas and his army drew near for battle, and there fell of the king’s army six hundred men.

And Eleazar Avaran saw one of the beasts armed with royal breastplates, and he was higher than all the ⁽other⁽ beasts, so that it appeared as though the king were upon it; and he gave himself to deliver his people and to acquire an everlasting name; and he ran upon it courageously into the midst of the phalanx, and slew on the right hand and on the left, and they parted asunder from him on this side and on that; and he crept under the elephant, and thrust him from beneath, and slew it; and it fell to the earth upon him, and he died there. And when they saw the strength of the royal ⁽army⁽, and the fierce onslaught of the hosts, they turned away from them.

But they of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem to meet them, and the king encamped toward Judaea, and toward mount Sion. And he made peace with them of Bethsura; for they came out of the city, because they had no food there to be shut up therein ⁽any longer⁽, because it was a sabbath to the land. And the king took Bethsura, and appointed a garrison there to keep it. And he encamped against the sanctuary many days, and set there siege-towers, and engines ⁽of war⁽, and instruments for casting fire and stones, and pieces to cast darts and slings. And they ⁽who were besieged⁽ also made engines against their engines, and fought for many days. But there were no victuals in the store-chambersbecause it was the seventh year, and they that had fled for safety to Judaea from the Gentiles had eaten up the residue of the store; and there were ⁽but⁽ a few men left in the sanctuary, because the famine prevailed against them, and they were scattered, each man to his own place.

And Lysias heard that Philip, whom Antiochus the king—while he was yet alive—appointed to nourish up his son Antiochus that he might be king, had returned from Persia and Media, and with him the forces that went with the king, and that he was seeking to take unto him the government. And he made haste, and gave consent to depart; and he said to the king and to the leaders of the host and to the men: ‘We languish daily, and our food is scant, and the place which we are besieging is strong, and the affairs of the kingdom lie upon us; now therefore let us give the right hand to these men, and make peace with them, and with all their nation; and let us settle with them that they ⁽be permitted⁽ to walk after their own laws, as aforetime; for because of their laws which we abolished were they angered, and did all these things.’ And the saying pleased the king and the leaders, and he sent unto them to make peace; and they accepted thereof. And the king and the leaders sware unto them in accordance with these ⁽conditions⁽; ⁽thereupon⁽ they came forth from the stronghold, and the king entered into mount Sion. But ⁽when⁽ he saw the strength of the place, he set at nought the oath which he had sworn, and gave commandment to pull down the wall round about. And he removed in haste, and returned unto Antioch, and found Philip master of the city; and he fought against him, and took the city by force.