Visions of a Battle
1 About this time Antiochus the Fourth made a second attack against Egypt. 2 For nearly forty days people all over Jerusalem saw visions of cavalry troops in gold armor charging across the sky. The riders were armed with spears and their swords were drawn. 3 They were lined up in battle against one another, attacking and counterattacking. Shields were clashing, there was a rain of spears, and arrows flew through the air. All the different kinds of armor and the gold bridles on the horses flashed in the sunlight. 4 Everyone in the city prayed that these visions might be a good sign.
Jason Attacks Jerusalem
5 When a false report began to spread that Antiochus had died, Jason took more than a thousand men and suddenly attacked Jerusalem. They drove back those stationed on the city walls and finally captured the city. Menelaus fled for safety to the fort, near the Temple hill, 6 while Jason and his men went on slaughtering their fellow Jews without mercy. Jason did not realize that success against one's own people is the worst kind of failure. He even considered his success a victory over enemies, rather than a defeat of his own people. 7 But Jason did not take over the government. Instead he was forced to flee once again to the territory of the Ammonites, and in the end his evil plot brought him nothing but shame and disgrace, 8 and he died in misery. Aretas, the ruler of the Arabs, imprisoned him; he was looked upon as a criminal and despised because he had betrayed his own people; everyone was hunting for him, and he had to run from town to town. He fled to Egypt for safety, 9 then to Greece, hoping to find refuge among the Spartans, who were related to the Jews. Finally, this man, who had forced so many others to flee from their own country, died as a fugitive in a foreign land. 10 Jason had killed many people and left their bodies unburied, but now his own death was unmourned. He was not given a funeral or even buried with his ancestors.
Antiochus Attacks Jerusalem
(1 Maccabees 1.20-63)11 When the news of what had happened in Jerusalem reached Antiochus, he thought the whole country of Judea was in revolt, and he became as furious as a wild animal. So he left Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm, 12 giving his men orders to cut down without mercy everyone they met and to slaughter anyone they found hiding in the houses. 13 They murdered everyone—men and women, boys and girls; even babies were butchered. 14 Three days later Jerusalem had lost 80,000 people: 40,000 killed in the attack and at least that many taken away to be sold as slaves.
15 But Antiochus was still not satisfied. He even dared to enter the holiest Temple in all the world, guided by Menelaus, who had become a traitor both to his religion and to his people. 16 With his filthy and unholy hands, Antiochus swept away the sacred objects of worship and the gifts which other kings had given to increase the glory and honor of the Temple. 17 He was so thrilled with his conquest that he did not realize that the Lord had let his holy Temple be defiled because the sin of the people of Jerusalem had made him angry for a while. 18 If the people of Jerusalem had not been involved in so many sins, Antiochus would have been punished immediately and prevented from taking such a foolish action. He would have suffered the same fate as Heliodorus, who was sent by King Seleucus to inspect the treasury. 19 But the Lord did not choose his people for the sake of his Temple; he established his Temple for the sake of his people. 20 So the Temple shared in the people's suffering but also later shared in their prosperity. The Lord abandoned it when he became angry, but restored it when his anger had cooled down.
Another Attack against Jerusalem
21 Antiochus took 135,000 pounds of silver from the Temple and hurried off to Antioch. Such was his arrogance that he felt he could make ships sail across dry land or troops march across the sea. 22 He appointed governors to cause trouble for the people. In Jerusalem he placed Philip, a man from Phrygia who was more evil than Antiochus himself. 23 At Mount Gerizim he placed Andronicus. In addition to these, there was Menelaus, who mistreated his fellow Jews far worse than the governors did. Antiochus hated the Jews so much 24 that he sent an army of 22,000 mercenary troops from Mysia to Jerusalem under the command of a man named Apollonius, with orders to kill every man in the city and to sell the women and boys as slaves. 25 Apollonius arrived in Jerusalem, pretending to be on a peace mission. Then on a Sabbath, when all the Jews were observing the day of rest, he led his troops, who were fully armed, in a parade outside the city. 26 Suddenly he commanded his men to kill everyone who had come out to see them. They rushed into the city and murdered a great many people.
27 But Judas Maccabeus and about nine others escaped into the barren mountains, where they lived like wild animals. In order not to defile themselves, they ate only plants which they found growing there.
Torob xa hâ ǁhapodi
1 Nē ǁaeb ǃnâb ge Antioxub Hakaǁîba Egipteba ǀgamǁî ǃnāsa ge ǁnāǂam. 2 ǁAubexa hakadisi tsēdi ǀgaiban ge hoaraga Jerusalems di khoena ǃhuniǀuri torosarana ana hâ hātoroǃkhamaoga, ai-i ǃnâ ǀhomaib ai gere mû. Nē hātoroǃkhamaogu ge ǁhâigôagu tsî hoaǀkhāǀāgôagu ǀkha ge ǁâtanisen hâ i. 3 ǁÎn ge hoaǀkhāǀāgôaga ǂgaeǂuihe tsî i hoa ǀkhākha xu ǁnāǂamdi tsî ǁnāǂamǃoadi tsîna ra dīhe ǃkhaisa ge mû. ǁKhaukhōde ǂgâugu, ǁhâigôaga ǀapi tsî gu ge ǂāga khāde xu ǂoab ǃnâ gere doe. Hoa ǃkharagaǃnâgu torosaragu tsî ǃhuniǀuri hātomdi ge sores di ǃnâb ǃnâ gere ǂkhai. 4 ǃĀs ǃnâ hâ-i hoa-i ge gere ǀgore, î di nē ǁhapode ǃgâi ǁgauǁgaus ase ī.
Jasonni ge Jerusalemsa ra ǁnāǂam
5 ǂHumi ǃnurib Antioxub ge ǁō ti ra mîb ge khoraǂuihetsoatsoa, ob ge Jasonna ǀoadisis xa ǃnāsa khoega ū tsî ǁnātimîsi Jerusalemsa ge ǁnāǂam. ǃĀs di ǂnubiǂgoagu ai ge mâ i khoega ǁgari-oahe tsîs ge ǃāsa ǁkhâuǁnâhe, ob ge Menelauba ǃnorasasib ǃaroma Tempelǃhommi ǀgūse ge mâ i ǁkhui-ommi ǃoa ge ǃkhoeni. 6 Jasonni tsî ǁîb khoegu tsîn ge ǁnā ǁaeb ai ǀkhomoǃnâse ǁîgu di ǃgâsa Jodeǁîna ǃgams ǀkha ge ǀhabe i. Jasonni ge ǁîb di ǂhunuma khoena ǃgams di ǃgâiǃgâb a kai ǂoaǃnâ ǃkhaisa ge mûǂan tama hâ i. ǁÎb ge ǁîb di ǂhunuma khoen ǃoagub ge hō dansa ǁîb di khākhoenab ge dan khami gere tsâ. 7 Xaweb ge ǂhanuba ūǃkhuni tama ge i. ǀUnis aib ge taosib ǀguiba ǁîb di ǀapesa xu ge hō, tsîb ge ǁkhawa Amonǁîn ǀkharib ǃoa ge ǃkhoeni, 8 tsîb ge ǁîb di ǂkhaba ûiba ǁnāti ge ǀuni. Arabiaǁîn di ǂgaeǂgui-aob Aretab ge ǁîba ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ge ū. ǁÎb ge ǂkhabadī-ao mûhe tsî ǁîb di ǂhunuma khoenab ge ǀapexū xui-ao ge ǃharaxūhe. Mâ khoe-i hoa-i xab ge ǁîba gere ôahe, tsîb ge ǃāsa xu ǃās ǃoa gere ǃkhoeni. ǁÎb ge Egipteb ǃoa 9 tsî ǁnās khaoǃgâ Grikeǃhūb ǃoa, Spartaǁîn hîa ge Jodeǁîn ǀkha ge khoexagu in ǁaegub nî ǁhaiǁhâǃkhai-e hō ǃkhais di ǃâubasens ǀkha ge ǃkhoeni. 10 Jasonni ge ǂgui khoena ǃgam tsî ǁîn di sorode ǁkhōhe tamase gere ǁnāxūǁgui tsî nēsi i ge ǀgui khoe-i tsîna ǁîb ǁōb xa ǃoa tama hâ. ǁÎb ge ǁkhō-e dībahe tama i tsî ǁîb di aboxagu ǀkhas tsîna ǁkhōhe tama ge i.
Antioxub ge Jerusalemsa ra ǁnāǂam
(1 Makabergu 1:20-63)11 Tsî gao-aob Antioxub ge Jerusalems ǃnâ ge īn di ǂhôasab ge hō, o hoaraga Judeab ge ǁnāǁgôa ti ge ǂâi. ǁNā-amagab ge ǁaixa ǀguru-i khami ǁaixa hâse Egipteba xu ge ǃnoe tsî Jerusalemsa ǀgaisa ǁâtanin ǀkha ge ūǂgā. 12 ǁÎb ge ǁîb khoega hō gu ra khoe-i hoa-e gu nî ǀkhomoǃnâse ǂnauǃan tsî ǁîn di omdi ǃnâ sâusen hâna ǃgam ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. 13 ǁÎgu ge ais ai gu ra hō khoe-i hoa-e gere ǃgam, aogu tsî taradi, axagu tsî ǀgôadi tsî ǂkham ǀgôaron tsîn ge gere ǂāhe. 14 ǃNona tsēdi ǁaeb ǃnâs ge Jerusalemsa ǁkhaisadisiǀoadisi khoena ge ǂoaǃnâ: Hakadisiǀoadisin ge ǁnāǂams ǃnâ ge ǁō tsîn ge ǂguina ūhe tsî khobon ase ge ǁamaxūhe.
15 Xaweb ge Antioxuba noxopa ge ǂkhî tama hâ i. ǁNā-amagab ge hoaraga ǃhūbaib ǃnâb ǁîba a ǃanu Tempeli ǃnâ, Menelaub hîa ge ǁîb di ǂgoms tsî khoen tsîna ǀapexūb ǀkha, ǁîb xa ǂgaeǂguihe hâse ge ǂgâ. 16 ǁÎb di ǀurixa tsî ǃanuoǃnâ ǃomgu ǀkhab ge Antioxuba, ǃanu xapan tsî ǀnî gao-aogu ge Tempeli di ǂkhaisib tsî ǃgôasib tsîn nî ǀgapiǀgapihega mā ǀkhaexūna ge ūbē. 17 ǁÎb ge ǁîb di dans xa kaise gere ǃgâiaǂgao tsî ǃKhūb ge ǁîb di ǃanu Tempela, Jerusalems khoen ge ǁore tsîb ge ǁnās xa ǂkhari ǁaero-e ǁaixa xui-ao ǃanuoǃnâ kai ǃkhaisa ge mûǂan tama hâ i. 18 Jerusalems khoen ga ǁnātikō ǂgui ǁorena dī tama hâ, ob ge Antioxuba ǃnoeaǃnauxase ǁkharahe tsî ǁnāti ī gâ dība xu ga ǂkhāhe hâ. ǁÎb ge ǁkhā ǃgomsib Heliodorub, hîa ge gao-aob Seleukub xa ǁuibab nî kōǃgâga sîheb ge tsâb, ǁkhāba ga tsâ hâ. 19 ǃKhūb ge ǁîb khoena ǁîb di Tempeli ǃaroma ǁhûi tama hâ, xaweb ge ǁîb Tempela ǁîb khoen ǃaroma ge ǂnubi. 20 Tempeli ge khoen di tsâgu ǃnâ tsî ǁkhāti ega khoen di ǃgâiǃgâb ǃnâs tsîna ge ǁhao. ǃKhūb ge ǁîba ǁaixab kao nî ǁnāxū tsî ǂkhîb kao ǁkhawa ǂkhaisiba nî mā-oa.
ǀNî ǁnāǂams Jerusalems ai
21 Antioxub ge ǃnanidisiǀgamǀaǀoadisi kiloxramgu ǀhaiǀuriba Tempela xu ū tsî Antioxs ǃoa ge ǃnoe. ǁÎb di ǀgapiǂâixasib ǃnâb ge doe-omgab nî ǂnâsa ǃhūb ai tsî ǁîb toroǂnubisa ǁgammi ai ǃgû kai ti gere ǂâi. 22 ǁÎb ge khoena nî ǃgomsiga ǃaromaba ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ge ǁgaumâi. Jerusalems ǃnâb ge Filipub, Frigiaba xu hâb hîa ge Antioxub xa ǃnāsase ǂkhabaxa iba ge ǁgaumâi. 23 Gerisimǃhommi tawab ge Andronikuba ge ǁgaumâi. ǀAro raseb ge Menelaub, hîa gere ǁîb di horesa Jodeǁîna ǃgâi tamase ûi-ūb, ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ǃgâ-ai ge ǂkhaba iba ge hâ i. Antioxub ge kaise Jodeǁîna ge ǃhuisa i 24 tsî ǁnā-amaga ǀgamdisiǀgamǀaǀoadisi toroǃkhamaoga Misiasa xu Jerusalems ǃoa, Apoloniub ti ǀon hâ ǃkhōdana-aob ǂgaeǂguis ǃnaka ge sî, tsî ǁîba ǃās ǃnâ hâ aorekhoega ǃgam tsîb nî tarekhoedi tsî axagu tsîna khobose ǁamaxū ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. 25 Apoloniub ge ǂkhîb di sîsabe-i khami Jerusalems ǃnâ ge hā. Tsî Sabbattsēs, hoaraga Jodeǁîn nî sâse īs ai ǁîb di toroǂnubis hîa ge ǀgaisase ǁâtanisen hâ is ǀkha ǃāsa xu ge ǂoa. 26 ǃNapetamaseb ge ǁîb khoega, hoa khoen ǃāsa xu ge ǁîgan nî mûse ǂoaxan nî ǃgamhe ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. ǁÎgu ge ǃās ǃnâ ǃkhoeǂgâ tsî kaise ǂgui khoena ge ǃgam.
27 Xawe Judab Makabaeub tsî ǀnî khoese khoegu ge ûiǂoa tsî ǃhomgu ǃnâ ǃkhoeniǂgâ tsî ǁnāpa xamarin khami gere ûi. ǁÎgu ge ǃanuoǃnâ gu tidega ǁnāpa gu gere hō haiǂûn ǀguina gere ǂû.
