1 Maccabees 1:43–63

⁴³And king Antiochus wrote to all his kingdom, that all the people should be one: and every one should leave his own law.

⁴⁴And all nations consented, according to the word of king Antiochus.

⁴⁵And many of Israel consented to his service, and they sacrificed to idols, and profaned the sabbath.

⁴⁶And the king sent letters by the hands of messengers to Jerusalem, and to all the cities of Juda; that they should follow the law of the nations of the earth.

⁴⁷And should forbid holocausts and sacrifices, and atonements to be made in the temple of God.

⁴⁸And should prohibit the sabbath, and the festival days to be celebrated.

⁴⁹And he commanded the holy places to be profaned, and the holy people of Israel.

⁵⁰And he commanded altars to be built, and temples, and idols, and swine’s flesh to be immolated, and unclean beasts,

⁵¹And that they should leave their children uncircumcised, and let their souls be defiled with all uncleannesses, and abominations, to the end that they should forget the law, and should change all the justifications of God.

⁵²And that whosoever would not do according to the word of king Antiochus, should be put to death.

⁵³According to all these words he wrote to his whole kingdom: and he appointed rulers over the people that should force them to do these things.

⁵⁴And they commanded the cities of Juda to sacrifice.

⁵⁵Then many of the people were gathered to them that had forsaken the law of the Lord: and they committed evils in the land:

⁵⁶And they drove away the people of Israel into lurking holes, and into the secret places of fugitives.

⁵⁷On the fifteenth day of the month, Casleu, in the hundred and forty-fifth year, king Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation upon the altar of God, and they built altars throughout all the cities of Juda round about:

⁵⁸And they burnt incense, and sacrificed at the doors of the houses and in the streets.

⁵⁹And they cut in pieces, and burnt with fire the books of the law of God:

⁶⁰And every one with whom the books of the testament of the Lord were found, and whosoever observed the law of the Lord, they put to death, according to the edict of the king.

⁶¹Thus by their power did they deal with the people of Israel, that were found in the cities month after month.

⁶²And on the five and twentieth day of the month they sacrificed upon the altar of the idol that was over against the altar of God.

⁶³Now the women that circumcised their children were slain according to the commandment of king Antiochus,