15 But when the Jews heard of Nicanor’s inroad and the onset of the heathen, they sprinkled earth upon their heads and solemnly invoked Him who had established his own people to all eternity and who ever upholds those who are his Portion with visible aid. 16 Then, by order of their leader, they at once started out and joined battle with them at a village called Lessau. 17 Now Simon, the brother of Judas, had already encountered Nicanor and, thrown suddenly into consternation by the foe, had sustained a temporary check. 18 Nevertheless, Nicanor shrank from deciding the issue at the sword’s point, as he had heard of the manliness and the courage shown by the troops of Judas in fighting for their country. 19 He therefore sent Posidonius and Theodotus and Mattathias to give and receive pledges of friendship. 20 After full consideration, when the proposals were laid by the general before the troops, and it appeared they were all of one mind, 21 the compact was agreed to, and a day was fixed for the two leaders to meet by themselves. 22 A litter was carried forward from each army; chairs of state were placed; Judas stationed armed men ready in suitable positions, lest the enemy should spring any treacherous attack; they carried through the conference duly. 23 Nicanor stayed a while in Jerusalem and did nothing amiss; 24 he even disbanded the hordes who had flocked to join his standard; 25 he kept Judas always beside him; he had become heartily attached to the man, urged him to marry and beget children. He did marry, settled down, and enjoyed life.

26 But when Alcimus saw their mutual goodwill, he got hold of the treaty which had been concluded and went to Demetrius, alleging that Nicanor was ill affected toward the State, since he had appointed that, conspirator Judas to be his successor. 27 At this the king fell into a passion and, exasperated by the calumnies of the scoundrel, wrote to Nicanor that he was displeased at the compact, and ordered him to send Maccabaeus instantly as a prisoner to Antioch. 28 Nicanor was confounded by this news and sadly vexed at the thought of annulling the terms arranged, as the man had done no wrong. 29 However, as the king could not be gainsaid, he bided his time to carry out the business by a stratagem. 30 But Maccabaeus noticed that Nicanor was treating him with less friendliness and behaving more rudely than was his wont; so, reckoning this harshness was of a sinister character, he gathered a considerable number of his men and hid from Nicanor. 31 The latter, conscious that he had been pluckily outwitted by Judas, went to the great and holy temple, while the priests were offering the usual sacrifices, and commanded them to deliver up the man. 32 And when they swore they did not know where the man was whom he sought, 33 he stretched forth his right hand toward the sanctuary, and swore this oath: Unless you hand over Judas as my prisoner, I will raze this shrine of God to the ground, and break down the altar, and erect on this spot a temple of Dionysus for all to see. 34 With these words he went away. But the priests stretched forth their hands to heaven, invoking Him who ever fighteth for our nation, thus: 35 O Lord, who hast no need of aught, as it hath pleased thee to have among us a sanctuary where thou dwellest, 36 so now, O holy Lord, from whom is all hallowing, keep free from defilement for evermore this house so lately cleansed, and shut every impious mouth.

37 Now information was laid before Nicanor against a Jerusalemite elder called Razis, a patriot who was very highly esteemed, and addressed as Father of the Jews on account of his benevolence. For in bygone days, 38 when there was no trafficking (with the Gentiles), he had been accused of Judaism, and had most resolutely risked body and life for Judaism. 39 So Nicanor, with the intention of showing his hostility to the Jews, sent over five hundred soldiers to arrest him. 40 For he meant to strike a blow at the Jews by this arrest. 41 But when the troops were on the point of capturing the tower, forcing the outer door of the courtyard and calling for fire to set light to the doors, he fell upon his sword, 42 seeing he was surrounded on every side; he preferred to die a noble death rather than fall into the scoundrels’ hands and suffer outrages unworthy of his noble character. 43 Owing to the hurry of the struggle, however, he missed his stroke, and, as a crowd of men was now pouring through the door, he pluckily ran up to the wall and threw himself bravely down among the crowds. 44 They drew back at once, so that he fell between them on the open street. 45 Still alive, however, he got up in a fury of anger and ran, with blood pouring from him, sore wounded as he was, right through the crowds; 46 then, standing on a steep rock, his blood now drained from him, he tore out his bowels, taking both his hands to them, and flung them at the crowds. So he died, calling on Him who is lord of life and spirit to restore them to him again.

15:1–36. Attack, defeat, and death of Nicanor.

151 Now, learning that Judas and his men were in the region of Samaria, Nicanor determined to attack them without any risk upon the day of rest. 2 And when the Jews who were forced to accompany him said, Destroy them not so savagely and barbarously, but show honour to the day which He who beholdeth all things hath hallowed in his holiness, 3 the thrice-accursed wretch asked them if there was a Sovereign in heaven who had ordered the observance of the sabbath day. 4 And when they declared, There is the living Lord, himself a Sovereign in heaven, who bade us observe the seventh day, 5 he replied, I too am a sovereign on earth, and my orders are to take arms and execute the king’s business. Nevertheless he did not succeed in executing his shocking purpose.

6 Now Nicanor, in the height of his overweening pride, had determined to erect a public trophy of victory over Judas and his men; 7 but Maccabaeus still ceased not to trust with absolute confidence that he would obtain help from the Lord, 8 and exhorted his company not to dread the onset of the heathen, but to keep in mind all the help they had formerly received from heaven and to expect at the present hour the victory which would be theirs from the Almighty; 9 and comforting them out of the law and the prophets, as well as recalling the struggles they had endured, he made them more eager (for the fray). 10 Then, after rousing their spirits, he issued his orders, and at the same time pointed out the heathen’s perfidy and breach of their oaths. 11 He armed each man, not so much with confidence in shields and spears as with the heartening which comes from apt words, and also cheered them all by recounting a reliable dream, a sort of vision. 12 This was what he had seen: Onias, the former high priest, a good and great man, of stately bearing yet gracious in manner, well-spoken and trained from childhood in all points of virtue—Onias with outstretched hands invoking blessings on the whole body of the Jews; 13 then another man in the same attitude, conspicuous by his grey hairs and splendour, and invested with marvellous, majestic dignity. 14 This, Onias explained to him, is the lover of the brethren, who prayeth fervently for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah the prophet of God. 15 And Jeremiah held out his right hand to present Judas with a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him thus: 16 Take this holy sword as a gift from God, and with it thou shalt crush the foe.

17 So, encouraged by these truly heroic words of Judas, which had the power of rousing young souls to valour and stirring them to manliness, they determined not to pitch camp but manfully to set upon the foe and, by engaging them right valiantly hand to hand, to decide the issue, since the city and the sanctuary and the temple were in danger. 18 For their anxiety about wives and children, as well as about brethren and kinsfolk, weighed less with them than their supreme and chief anxiety about the consecrated sanctuary. 19 Whereas those left behind in the city were uneasy about the encounter in the open country, and suffered no slight anguish. 20 All were now waiting for the critical moment, the enemy had now united their forces and drawn up their line of battle, the elephants were arranged for easy action, 21 and the cavalry stationed on the wings, when Maccabaeus, surveying the hordes in front of him, with their varied weapons and fierce elephants, held up his hands to heaven and called upon the Lord, the worker of wonders, for he knew that victory is not decided by weapons but won by the Lord for such as He judgeth to deserve it. 22 And his prayer was in these terms: Thou, Sovereign Lord, didst send thine angel in the days of Hezekiah king of Judaea, and he slew as many as a hundred and eighty-five thousand of Sennacherib’s host; 23 so now, O heavenly Sovereign, 24 send a good angel before us to scare and terrify the foe; by the great strength of thine arm may those who have blasphemously assailed thy holy sanctuary be utterly dismayed. 25 And as he ended with these words, Nicanor and his men advanced with trumpets and paeans. 26 But Judas and his men joined battle with the enemy, 27 calling upon God and praying; and so fighting with their hands, while they prayed to God with their hearts, they slew no fewer than thirty-five thousand men, mightily cheered by the manifest help of God. 28 The battle over, they were returning with joy, when they recognized Nicanor lying dead in full armour; 29 a shout of excitement arose, they blessed the Sovereign Lord in the language of their fathers, 30 and he who was ever in body and soul the protagonist of his fellow-citizens, he who retained through life his youthful patriotism, ordered Nicanor’s head and arm to be cut off and carried to Jerusalem. 31 When he arrived there, and had called his country-men together and set the priests before the altar, 32 he sent for the garrison of the citadel,…