Menelaus Is Put to Death
1 In the year 149 Judas Maccabeus and his followers found out that Antiochus Eupator was marching against Judea with a large army 2 and that Lysias, the young king's guardian and the head of his government, was with him. They had a force of Greek troops consisting of 110,000 infantry, 5,300 cavalry, 22 elephants, and 300 chariots with sharp blades attached to their wheels.
3 Menelaus, trying to take advantage of the situation, went over to their side and urged them on, not because he was concerned for the country, but because he hoped to be confirmed as High Priest. 4 But God, the King of kings, made Antiochus furious with Menelaus. Lysias proved to Antiochus that this criminal had been the source of all his troubles, so Antiochus ordered him to be taken to the city of Berea and put to death in the way that it was done there. 5 In that city there is a tower about 75 feet high. It is filled with ashes, and all around the inside of the tower is a platform sloping down into the ashes. 6 People accused of crimes against the gods or of any other serious crime are taken there and thrown down to their death. 7 Menelaus was put to death in that way, without even having the privilege of a burial, 8 and that was just what he deserved. He had often profaned the sacred ashes of the altar fire in the Temple, and now he met his death in ashes.
A Battle Near the City of Modein
9 King Antiochus arrogantly continued his barbaric invasion of Judah, intending to deal with the Jews more harshly than his father had ever done. 10 When Judas learned of this, he told the people to pray to the Lord day and night, because they were in danger of losing their Law, their country, and their holy Temple. As never before, they needed his help and protection 11 to keep their newly restored country from falling into the hands of godless Gentiles. 12 For three days the people did nothing but lie face down on the ground, fasting and crying, begging the merciful Lord for his help. Then Judas spoke words of encouragement to the people, urging them to get ready for action.
13 Afterward, Judas met privately with the Jewish leaders and decided to march out with God's help to battle against the king, rather than to wait for Antiochus to invade Judea and besiege Jerusalem. 14 Then, leaving the outcome of the battle to the Creator of the world, Judas encouraged his men to fight bravely and to be willing to die for their laws, the Temple, Jerusalem, their country, and their whole way of life. They set up camp near the city of Modein. 15 Judas gave his men the battle cry, “Victory comes from God,” and that night, with a picked force of his bravest young men, he attacked the area near the king's tent and killed as many as 2,000 men. They also stabbed to death the lead elephant and its keeper. 16 Everyone in camp was terrified and in panic when Judas and his men finally left victoriously 17 just before dawn. The help and protection of the Lord had made all this possible.
Antiochus the Fifth Makes a Treaty with the Jews
(1 Maccabees 6.48-63)18 This taste of Jewish daring was enough to convince King Antiochus that he had to find some better way of capturing the Jewish positions. 19 He attacked the strong Jewish fort of Bethzur, but was repeatedly beaten back and finally defeated. 20 Judas sent supplies to the men who were defending the fort, 21 but a Jewish soldier by the name of Rhodocus gave some secret information to the enemy. He was found out, however, caught, and put to death. 22 The king made a second attempt to come to terms with the people of Bethzur, and when he had reached an agreement with them, he withdrew his forces. Then he went to attack Judas, but again he was defeated. 23 Meanwhile, Philip had been left at Antioch in charge of the government, but King Antiochus learned that he had revolted. The king did not know what to do, so he initiated peace talks with the Jews, agreed to their terms, and promised to be just in his treatment of them. To put the treaty into effect, he offered a sacrifice, gave a generous gift to show his respect for the Temple, 24 and graciously received Judas Maccabeus. After that, the king appointed Hegemonides to be governor of the territory between the cities of Ptolemais and Gerar, 25 and then he himself went on to Ptolemais. The people there were angry because of the treaty he had made with the Jews—so angry, in fact, that they wanted the treaty canceled. 26 But Lysias made a public speech, defending the treaty as well as he could. After he had calmed the people down and convinced them that he was right, he returned to Antioch.
In this way King Antiochus' invasion was turned into a retreat.
Menelaub ge ra ǃgamhe
1 ǀGuikaidisi tsî hakadisikhoeseǀaǁî kurib ǃnâ gu ge Judab Makabaeub tsî ǁîb di saoǃgonaoga, Antioxub Eupatori kai toroǂnubis ǀkha Judeab ǃoagu ǂgaekhâi 2 tsîb Lisiab, ǂkham gao-aob di ǃûi-ao tsî ǂhanub di danakhoes tsîna ge i iba ǁîb ǀkha hâ ǃkhaisa ge ǂan. ǁÎgu ge Grike toroǂnubis hîa ge ǀguikaidisi tsî disiǀoadisi hātoroǃkhamaogu, koroǀoadisi tsî ǃnonakaidisi ǀnūtoroǃkhamaogu, ǀgamdisiǀgamǀa ǂkhoagu tsî ǃnonakaidisi torokunidi, ǀā gôaga ge ǀnūdi ai ūhâ ide ge ūhâ i.
3 Menelaub tsîn ge ǁîb di ǀhôagaosib ǀkha ǁîgu tawa ge ǃamǂgāsen tsî ǁîb di ǃhūb ǃaromas ose, xawe ǀgapipristerseb nî mâihe ǃkhaisab gere ǃâubasen xui-ao Antioxuba gere ǂgaoǂgaoǃnâ. 4 Xawe Elob, gao-aogu di gao-aob ge Antioxuba, Menelaub ǃoagu ge ǁaixa kai. Lisiab ge nē khoeb ge hoa ǃgomsiga ǁîba ǃaromaba ǃkhaisa Antioxuba ge mîba. Ob ge Antioxuba, Menelaub nî Bereas ǃoa ǃgû-ūhe tsî ǁnāpa ra ǁnaetisase dīhe khami ǁōb ǃoa ǀgoraǃgâhe ti Lisiaba ge mîmā. 5 ǁNā ǃās ǃnâb ge ǀgamdisiǀgamǀa meterga ǀgapi ǂgō-omma mâ. ǁÎb ge tsaob xa ǀoa hâ tsî ǂganagab ǃnâb ge ǂkhanu-ūdab tsaob ǃnâ ra ǁgôaba hâ. 6 Khoen hîa elon ǃoagun ge dī tamas ka io ǀnî ǃaorosa tsūdīn ǃaroma ǀhapimāhen ge ǁnāpa ǁōn nîga gere aoǂgāhe. 7 Menelaub ge ǁnā ǀgaub ai ge ǃgamhe tsî ǁkhōhes xawes tsîna hîhe tama ge i, 8 tsîs ge ǁnāsa ge ǂhanu i. ǁÎb ge ǂgui ǁorena altars di ǀaes tsî ǃanu tsaob tsîra ǃoagu ge dī tsî ǁnā-amagab ge tsaob ǃnâ ge ǁō.
Modeins ǀgūse hâ torob
9 Gao-aob Antioxub ge ǁîǃgôasen hâse ǁîb di ora ǁnāǂamdi Judeab ǃoagub gere dīdi ǀkha ge aiǃgû. ǁÎb ge ǁîb di îb ge Jodeǁîn ǃoagu dīs ǃgâ-aib nî ǁîna ǁkhōse sîsenū ǃkhaisa ge ǂâibasen hâ i. 10 Xawe Judab ge nēnab ge ǁnâu, o khoena ǁîn ǃaorosasib, ǁîn di ǂhanub, ǃhūb tsî ǃanu Tempela ǂoaǃnâs dib ǃnâ hâ, xui-ao tsēs tsî tsuxub tsîra nî ǃKhūb ǃoa ǀgore ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. Hūgas ǃgâ-ain ge ǁîb di huib tsî sâub tsîna, 11 ǁîn di ǀasaǀasahe ge ǃhūb, eloxoresa Jodeǁî taman di ǃomgu ǃnâ ǁnā tidega ge ǂhâba hâ i. 12 ǃNona tsēdi ǀgaiban ge khoena xū-i tsîna dī tamase ais ǂama ǃhūb ai ǁgoe, ǂûtama* hâ tsî ā tsî ǀkhomxaǃnâ ǃKhūb di huiba gere ǀkhoma. ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâb ge Judaba khoen âba ǂgaoǂgaoǃnâ tsî ǂhomisenn nî ǃkhaisa ge mîmā.
13 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Judaba Jodeǁî ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ǀkha ǂganǃgâsib ǃnâ ǀhao tsî ge mîǀgui, î gu Elob di huib ǀkha Antioxub nî Judeaba ǁnāǂam tsî Jerusalemsa ǀhanas aiǃâ gao-aob ǃoagu ǃkham. 14 ǁNās khaoǃgâ ǀamǂoas torob disa Kuru-aob ǃhūbaib diba māǁôa, î ǁkhoaǂgaoxase sago ǂhanub, Tempeli, Jerusalems, sago ǃhūb tsî sago di hoaraga ûib ǃaroma ǃkham, tib ge Judaba ǁîb di khoega ge ǂgan. 15 Judab ge ǁîb di ǂganǃgâsa mîs: “Dans ge Eloba xu ra hā” ti ra mîsa toroǃkhamaoga ge mā tsî ǁnā tsuxuba ǁhûiǂuisa ǁkhoaǂgaoxa ǂkham khoegu ǀkha gao-aob tentomma ǁnāǂam tsî ǀgamǀoadisis xa ǃnāsa khoega ge ǃgam. ǁKhātib ge ǂgaeǂgui gere ǂkhoab tsî ǁîb di ǃgapi-aob tsîkha ge ǃkhāǃan. 16 Hâǃkhaib ǃnâ ge hâ i khoe-i hoa-i ge ǃaob tsî ǁkhapis ǃnâ Judab ge ǁîb khoegu ǀkha dan hâse 17 sores ǂgâb aiǃâ ǂoa, o ge hâ i. ǃKhūb di huib tsî sâub ge nēn hoana ge īǁkhā kai.
Antioxub ge Jodeǁîn ǀkha ǃgaeǀhaosa ra dī
(1 Makabergu 6:48-63)18 Jodeǁîn di ǁkhoaǂgaosib ge gao-aob Antioxub nî ǁnā Jodeǁî ǃāde ǃomǁae hō ǃkhais ǃaroma ge ǂâu hâ i. 19 ǁÎb ge Jodeǁîn di ǁkhui-ommi Betsurs dibab ge ǁnāǂam, xawe ǃnākorobe ǃkhamǃoahe tsî ǀunis ai ge danhe. 20 Judab ge ǂhâǂhâsa xūna ǁkhui-omma gere ǁkhauba khoega ge sîba, 21 xaweb ge Jodeǁî toroǃkhamaob, Rodoku ti ǀon hâba ǂganǃgâsa ǂanǂansa khākhoen ǃoa ge māǃkharu. Xaweb ge ǂanǃnâhe, ǃkhōhe tsî ge ǃgamhe. 22 Gao-aob ge ǀgamǁî ǃnāsa Betsurs khoen ǀkha ge ǁgamǁare tsî ǁîn ǀkhab ge mîǀgui, o ǁîb toroǃkhamaoga ge ǂgae-oa. ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Judaba ge ǁnāǂam, xaweb ge ǁkhawa ge danhe. 23 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâb ge Filipuba ǂhanuba nî ǂgaeǂguise Antioxs ǃnâ ge ǁnāxūhe, xaweb ge gao-aob Antioxuba ǁîb ra nau ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ǃoagu khâikhâisen ǃkhaisa ge ǁnâu. Gao-aob ge ge tare-eb nî dī ǃkhaisab ge ǀū i, xui-ao ǂkhîb di ǃhoaǁarede Jodeǁîn ǀkha tsoatsoa, ǁîn di mîǀgaugu ǃnâ māsen tsî ǁîb xan ra sîsenūhe ǀgaub ǃnâ māsen ǃkhaisa ge mîmâi. Nē ǃgaeǀhaosa ǁapoǁapos ǃaromab ge ǁguiba-e dī tsî māǂgaoxase ǀkhaexū-e Tempela nî ǃgôasiba ǁgause mā 24 tsî tsauraǃnâse Judab Makabaeuba ge ǃkhōǃoa. ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge gao-aoba Hegemonideba, Ptolemais tsî Gerars tsîra ǁaegu ge ǁgoe i ǀkharib di ǂgaeǂgui-aose ǁgaumâi 25 tsî ǁîb ǂûba Ptolemais ǃoa ge ǃgû. ǁNāpa ge ǁan hâ i khoen ge kaise ǁîb ge Jodeǁîn ǀkha dī ǃgaeǀhaos xa ge ǁaixa. ǁNātikōse ǁaixa tsîn ge ǃgaeǀhoas nî mîǁnâhe ǃkhaisa ge ǂhâba. 26 Xaweb ge Lisiaba ǂhaisa ǃhoasa ūhâ tsî ǁkhāb as kōse nē ǃgaeǀhaosa gere ǁkhauba. Khoenab ge ǃgēǃgē tsî ǂhanu i asa mîdans khaoǃgâb ge Antioxs ǃoa ge oa.
ǁNātis ge gao-aob Antioxub di ǁnāǂamsa ǂgae-oasens ǃnâ ge dabasen.
