1 Maccabees 1:41–60

⁴¹Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, ⁴²And every one should leave his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king. ⁴³Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the sabbath. ⁴⁴For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Juda that they should follow the strange laws of the land, ⁴⁵And forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the temple; and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival days: ⁴⁶And pollute the sanctuary and holy people: ⁴⁷Set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine’s flesh, and unclean beasts: ⁴⁸That they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation: ⁴⁹To the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances. ⁵⁰And whosoever would not do according to the commandment of the king, he said, he should die.

⁵¹In the selfsame manner wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed overseers over all the people, commanding the cities of Juda to sacrifice, city by city. ⁵²Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit every one that forsook the law; and so they committed evils in the land; ⁵³And drove the Israelites into secret places, even wheresoever they could flee for succour.

⁵⁴Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side; ⁵⁵And burnt incense at the doors of their houses, and in the streets. ⁵⁶And when they had rent in pieces the books of the law which they found, they burnt them with fire. ⁵⁷And whosoever was found with any the book of the testament, or if any committed to the law, the king’s commandment was, that they should put him to death. ⁵⁸Thus did they by their authority unto the Israelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities. ⁵⁹Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God. ⁶⁰At which time according to the commandment they put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised.