Alcimus Speaks against Judas
Nicanor's Cruel Plan
1 Three years later, Judas and his men learned that Demetrius son of Seleucus had sailed into the port of Tripolis with a powerful army and a fleet. 2 It was reported that he had killed King Antiochus and his guardian Lysias and had taken over the country. 3 There was a man by the name of Alcimus, who had formerly been High Priest but who had gladly adopted the Greek way of life during the revolt. Realizing that he could never again be High Priest and fearful of what the Jews might do to him, 4 he went to see King Demetrius in the year 151. On this occasion he presented the king with a gold crown and a palm branch, together with some olive branches traditionally presented to the Temple, but he said nothing about his plans. 5 Later, however, he got the chance to put his foolish plans into effect when Demetrius summoned him to a meeting of his advisers and asked him what the Jews were intending to do. Alcimus said,Judas Prepares His Troops for Battle
6 “The followers of Judas Maccabeus think of themselves as devout and patriotic; they love war and are constantly inciting the people to rebellion and will never leave the nation in peace. 7 It is their fault that I no longer hold the glorious position of High Priest, to which I am entitled by birth. And so I have come here, 8 primarily out of a genuine concern for your interests as king, but also out of consideration for my own people, for the foolish policies of Judas and his followers have brought terrible suffering on our entire nation. 9 When Your Majesty has examined all the details of these matters, please act in your usual kind and generous manner to relieve the oppression of our nation and its people. 10 As long as Judas is alive, it will be impossible for our nation to enjoy peace.”Demetrius Sends Nicanor to Attack Judas
11 As soon as Alcimus had finished his speech, the other advisers quickly seized this opportunity to arouse Demetrius' anger against Judas, because they also hated him. 12 So King Demetrius immediately appointed Nicanor, who was the commander of his elephant forces, to be governor of Judea, and sent him there 13 with orders to kill Judas, scatter his followers, and make Alcimus High Priest of the greatest Temple in all the world. 14 All the foreigners in Judea, who had fled from Judas' attacks, now rushed to join forces with Nicanor, because they thought that any defeat or trouble that came to the Jews would be to their own advantage. 15 The Jews heard that Nicanor was attacking and that the foreigners in their country were giving him their support. So they threw dirt on themselves and prayed to their God, who had chosen their nation as his possession forever and had never failed to help them in time of need. 16 Then Judas, their leader, gave the orders, and they immediately marched out to engage the enemy in battle near the village of Adasa. 17 Judas' brother Simon was fighting Nicanor but was gradually losing the battle because of an unexpected move on the part of the enemy. 18 However, when Nicanor heard how bravely and courageously Judas and his men were fighting for their country, he decided not to settle the matter in battle. 19 Instead, he sent Posidonius, Theodotus, and Mattathias to make a treaty with the Jews.The Defeat and Death of Nicanor
20 After the terms of the treaty had been worked out in detail, Nicanor informed his troops, and they unanimously agreed. 21 Then a day was set on which the leaders would meet in private. Ceremonial chairs were brought out from each camp and set up. 22 Judas had taken the precaution of placing battle-ready troops in strategic places, in case of sudden treachery on the part of the enemy. But the two leaders had a friendly meeting. 23 Nicanor stayed on in Jerusalem for some time after that. He did not mistreat the Jews in any way, and even sent away the people who had come over to his side. 24 The two men became the best of friends, and Judas was Nicanor's constant companion. 25 Nicanor urged him to marry and start a family. So Judas did this and settled down to a peaceful life.Nicanor Turns against Judas
26 When Alcimus noticed how well Nicanor and Judas were getting along, he obtained a copy of the treaty and went to see King Demetrius. He told the king that Nicanor was disloyal to the government, because he had appointed the traitor Judas to be his successor. 27 These false accusations infuriated the king, and in his anger he wrote to Nicanor, informing him that he was dissatisfied with the treaty and ordering him to arrest Judas Maccabeus and send him to Antioch at once. 28 When this message reached Nicanor, he was hurt and didn't know what to do, because he did not like having to break an agreement with a man who had kept his part of the bargain. 29 Yet it was impossible for him to ignore the king's command, so he began looking for a way to trap Judas. 30 Judas, however, noticed that Nicanor was becoming hostile and rude toward him, and he knew that this was a bad sign. So he gathered a large number of his followers and went into hiding. 31 When Nicanor realized that Judas had outsmarted him, he went to the great and holy Temple at the time when the priests were offering sacrifice and ordered them to surrender Judas to him. 32 But the priests declared under oath that they had no idea where Judas was hiding. 33 Then Nicanor raised his right arm in the direction of the Temple and made a solemn threat: “If you do not hand Judas over to me as a prisoner, I will level God's Temple to the ground, demolish this altar, and on this spot build a glorious temple to Dionysus.” 34 Then he left, and immediately the priests lifted their arms toward heaven and prayed to God, the faithful Defender of our nation: 35 “Lord, you are in need of nothing, yet it has pleased you to place your Temple here and to live among us. 36 You alone are holy, and your Temple has only recently been purified, so now protect its holiness forever.” *Razis Dies for His Country
Concluding Words
37 One of the leaders in Jerusalem, a man by the name of Razis, was denounced to Nicanor. It was said that he had helped his people in many ways and was so highly respected by them that he was known as “the Father of the Jews.” 38 During the early days of the revolution he had risked his life for Judaism and had been brought to trial because of his loyalty. 39 Wanting to show clearly how much he disliked the Jews, Nicanor sent more than 500 soldiers to arrest Razis, 40 because he thought his arrest would be a crippling blow to the Jews. 41 The soldiers were about to capture the tower where Razis had gone. They were forcing open the gates to the courtyard, and the order had been given to set the door on fire. Razis realized there was no escape, so he tried to commit suicide with his sword, 42 preferring to die with honor rather than suffer humiliation at the hands of evil men. 43 Under the pressure of the moment, Razis misjudged the thrust of the sword, and it did not kill him. So, while the soldiers were swarming into the room, he rushed to the wall and jumped off like a brave hero into the crowd below. 44 The crowd quickly moved back, and he fell in the space they left. 45 Still alive, and burning with courage, he got up, and with blood gushing from his wounds, he ran through the crowd and finally climbed a steep rock. 46 Now completely drained of blood, he tore out his intestines with both hands and threw them at the crowd, and as he did so, he prayed for the Lord of life and breath to give them back to him. That was how he died.Alcimus Speaks against Judas
Nicanor's Cruel Plan
1 Nicanor learned that Judas and his men were in the region of Samaria, and so he decided to attack them on a Sabbath, when he could do so without any danger to himself. 2 The Jews who were forced to accompany his army begged him not to do such a cruel and savage thing, but to respect the day that the all-seeing God had honored and made the most holy of all days. 3 Then Nicanor, the lowest creature on earth, asked if there was some sovereign ruler in heaven who had commanded them to honor the Sabbath. 4 And the Jews replied, “Yes; the living Lord, who rules in heaven, commanded us to honor the Sabbath.” 5 But Nicanor answered, “I am the ruler on earth, and I order you to take up your weapons and to do what the king commands.” However, he did not succeed in carrying out his cruel plan.Judas Prepares His Troops for Battle
6 In his arrogance Nicanor had boasted that he would set up a monument in honor of his victory over Judas. 7 But Judas was fully confident that the Lord would help him, 8 so he urged his men not to be afraid of the enemy. He encouraged them to remember how the Almighty had helped them in times past and to rest assured that he would give them victory this time also. 9 He renewed their hope by reading to them from the Law and the Prophets and by reminding them of the battles they had already won. 10 When his men were ready for battle, he gave them their orders and at the same time pointed out how the Gentiles could not be trusted, because they never kept their treaties.Demetrius Sends Nicanor to Attack Judas
11 He armed all his men, not by encouraging them to trust in shields and spears, but by inspiring them with courageous words. He also lifted their morale by telling them about his dream, a kind of vision that they could trust in. 12 He told them that he had seen a vision of Onias, the former High Priest, that great and wonderful man of humble and gentle disposition, who was an outstanding orator and who had been taught from childhood how to live a virtuous life. With outstretched arms Onias was praying for the entire Jewish nation. 13 Judas then saw an impressive white-haired man of great dignity and authority. 14 Onias said: “This is God's prophet Jeremiah, who loves the Jewish people and offers many prayers for us and for Jerusalem, the holy city.” 15 Then Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave Judas a gold sword, saying as he did so, 16 “This holy sword is a gift from God. Take it and destroy your enemies.” 17 The eloquent words that Judas spoke encouraged everyone to be brave, and inspired boys to fight like men. Their city, their religion, and their Temple were in danger. So the Jews made up their minds not to waste any time, but to make a daring attack against the enemy and bravely decide their fate in hand-to-hand combat. 18 They were not so concerned about their own families and relatives as they were about their sacred Temple. 19 And the people who had to stay in Jerusalem were deeply concerned about how a battle on open ground would turn out.The Defeat and Death of Nicanor
20 Everyone was waiting to see who would win the battle. The enemy troops were already moving forward, with their cavalry on each side of them, and their elephants placed in strategic positions. 21 Judas Maccabeus looked at the huge enemy force, the variety of their weapons, and their fierce elephants. Then he raised his hands toward heaven and prayed to the Lord, who works miracles, because he knew that the Lord gives victory to those who deserve it, not to those who have a strong army. 22 Judas said: “Lord, when Hezekiah was king of Judah, you sent your angel, who killed 185,000 of King Sennacherib's men. 23 Now once again, Lord of heaven, send your good angel to make our enemies shake and tremble with fear. 24 With your great power, destroy these people who have slandered you and have come out to attack your chosen people.” So Judas ended his prayer. 25 Nicanor and his army moved forward to the sound of trumpets and battle songs,Nicanor Turns against Judas
26 but Judas and his men went into battle calling on God for help. 27 So by fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, the Jews killed more than 35,000 of the enemy. How grateful they were for the help they had received from God! 28 When the battle was over and they were going home celebrating their victory, they noticed Nicanor in full armor lying dead on the battlefield. 29 Then with loud shouts they praised the Lord in their native language. 30 Judas Maccabeus, who had always fought with all his body and soul for his own people, never losing the patriotism of his youth, ordered his men to cut off Nicanor's head and right arm and to take them to Jerusalem. 31 When they arrived in the city, he called together all the people, stationed the priests before the altar, and sent for the men in the fort. 32 He showed them the head of the evil Nicanor and the arm which that wicked man had arrogantly stretched out against the sacred Temple of the Almighty God. 33 Then he cut out the tongue of that godless man, promising to feed it bit by bit to the birds and to hang up his head opposite the Temple, as evidence of what his foolishness did for him. 34 Everyone there looked up to heaven and praised the Lord, who had revealed his power and had kept his Temple from being defiled. 35 Judas hung Nicanor's head from the wall of the fort, as a clear proof to everyone of the Lord's help. 36 By unanimous vote it was decided that this day would never be forgotten, but would be celebrated each year on the eve of Mordecai's Day, which is the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, called Adar in Aramaic. *Razis Dies for His Country
Concluding Words
37 That is how things turned out for Nicanor. The city of Jerusalem remained in the possession of the Jewish people from that time on, so I will end my story here. 38 If it is well written and to the point, I am pleased; if it is poorly written and uninteresting, I have still done my best. 39 We know it is unhealthy to drink wine or water alone, whereas wine mixed with water makes a delightfully tasty drink. So also a good story skillfully written gives pleasure to those who read it. With this I conclude.© 1992 American Bible Society