|
THE BIBLE - DOUAY-RHEIMS - BOOK 45
THE BIBLE - DOUAY-RHEIMS - BOOK 45 TITLE THE HOLY BIBLE
Translated from the Latin Vulgate
Diligently Compared with the Hebrew Greek
and Other Editions in Divers Languages
THE OLD TESTAMENT
First Published by the English College at Douay
A.D. 1609 & 1610
and
THE NEW TESTAMENT
First Published by the English College at Rheims
A.D. 1582
With Annotations
The Whole Revised and Diligently Compared with
the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner
A.D. 1749-1752
THE FIRST BOOK OF MACHABEES
These books are so called because they contain the history of the
people of God under the command of Judas Machabeus and his brethren: and
he as some will have it was surnamed Machabeus from carrying in his
ensigns or standards those words of Exodus 15.11 Who is like to thee
among the strong O Lord: in which the initial letters in the Hebrew
are M. C. B. E. I. It is not known who is the author of these books. But
as to their authority though they are not received by the Jews saith
St. Augustine (lib. 18 De Civ. Dei c. 36) they are received by the
church: who in settling her canon of the scriptures chose rather to be
directed by the tradition she had received from the apostles of Christ
than by that of the scribes and Pharisees. And as the church has
declared these two Books canonical even in two general councils viz.
Florence and Trent there can be no doubt of their authenticity.
1 Machabees Chapter 1
The reign of Alexander and his successors: Antiochus rifles and profanes
the temple of God: and persecutes unto death all that will not forsake
the law of God and the religion of their fathers.
1:1. Now it came to pass after that Alexander the son of Philip the
Macedonian who first reigned in Greece coming out of the land of
Cethim had overthrown Darius king of the Persians and Medes:
1:2. He fought many battles and took the strong holds of all and slew
the kings of the earth:
1:3. And he went through even to the ends of the earth: and took the
spoils of many nations: and the earth was quiet before him.
1:4. And he gathered a power and a very strong army: and his heart was
exalted and lifted up:
1:5. And he subdued countries of nations and princes; and they became
tributaries to him.
1:6. And after these things he fell down upon his bed and knew that he
should die.
1:7. And he called his servants the nobles that were brought up with
him from his youth: and he divided his kingdom among them while he was
yet alive.
Divided his kingdom etc... This is otherwise related by Q. Curtius;
though he acknowledges that divers were of that opinion and that it had
been delivered by some authors lib. 10. But here we find from the
sacred text that he was in error.
1:8. And Alexander reigned twelve years and he died.
1:9. And his servants made themselves kings every one in his place:
1:10. And they all put crowns upon themselves after his death and their
sons after them many years; and evils were multiplied in the earth.
1:11. And there came out of them a wicked root Antiochus the
Illustrious the son of king Antiochus who had been a hostage at Rome:
and he reigned in the hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of
the Greeks.
Antiochus the Illustrius... Epiphanes the younger son of Antiochus the
Great who usurped the kingdom to the prejudice of his nephew
Demetrius son of his elder brother Seleucus Philopater.-Ibid. Of the
kingdom of the Greeks... Counting not from the beginning of the reign
of Alexander but from the first year of Seleucus Nicator.
1:12. In those days there went out of Israel wicked men and they
persuaded many saying: Let us go and make a covenant with the heathens
that are round about us: for since we departed from them many evils
have befallen us.
1:13. And the word seemed good in their eyes.
1:14. And some of the people determined to do this and went to the
king: and he gave them license to do after the ordinances of the
heathens.
1:15. And they built a place of excercise in Jerusalem according to the
laws of the nations:
1:16. And they made themselves prepuces and departed from the holy
covenant and joined themselves to the heathens and were sold to do
evil:
1:17. And the kingdom was established before Antiochus and he had a
mind to reign over the land of Egypt that he might reign over two
kingdoms.
1:18. And he entered into Egypt with a great multitude with chariots
and elephants and horsemen and a great number of ships:
1:19. And he made war against Ptolemee king of Egypt; but Ptolemee was
afraid at his presence and fled and many were wounded unto death.
1:20. And he took the strong cities in the land of Egypt: and he took
the spoils of the land of Egypt.
1:21. And after Antiochus had ravaged Egypt in the hundred and forty-
third year he returned and went up against Israel.
1:22. And he went up to Jerusalem with a great multitude.
1:23. And he proudly entered into the sanctuary and took away the
golden altar and the candlestick of light and all the vessels thereof
and the table of proposition and the pouring vessels and the vials
and the little mortars of gold and the veil and the crowns and the
golden ornament that was before the temple: and he broke them all in
pieces.
1:24. And he took the silver and gold and the precious vessels: and he
took the hidden treasures which he found: and when he had taken all
away he departed into his own country.
1:25. And he made a great slaughter of men and spoke very proudly.
1:26. And there was great mourning in Israel and in every place where
they were:
1:27. And the princes and the ancients mourned and the virgins and the
young men were made feeble and the beauty of the women was changed.
1:28. Every bridegroom took up lamentation: and the bride that sat in
the marriage bed mourned:
1:29. And the land was moved for the inhabitants thereof and all the
house of Jacob was covered with confusion.
1:30. And after two full years the king sent the chief collector of his
tributes to the cities of Juda and he came to Jerusalem with a great
multitude.
The chief collector etc... Apollonius.
1:31. And he spoke to them peaceable words in deceit; and they believed
him.
1:32. And he fell upon the city suddenly and struck it with a great
slaughter and destroyed much people in Israel.
1:33. And he took the spoils of the city and burnt it with fire and
threw down the houses thereof and the walls thereof round about:
1:34. And they took the women captive and the children and the
cattle they possessed.
1:35. And they built the city of David with a great and strong wall and
with strong towers and made it a fortress for them:
The city of David... That is the castle of Sion.
1:36. And they placed there a sinful nation wicked men and they
fortified themselves therein: and they stored up armour and victuals
and gathered together the spoils of Jerusalem;
1:37. And laid them up there: and they became a great snare.
1:38. And this was a place to lie in wait against the sanctuary and an
evil devil in Israel.
An evil devil... That is an adversary watching constantly to do harm
as the evil spirit is always watching and seeking whom he may devour.
1:39. And they shed innocent blood round about the sanctuary and
defiled the holy place.
1:40. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled away by reason of them and
the city was made the habitation of strangers and she became a stranger
to her own seed and her children forsook her.
1:41. Her sanctuary was desolate like a wilderness her festival days
were turned into mourning her sabbaths into reproach her honours were
brought to nothing.
1:42. Her dishonour was increased according to her glory and her
excellency was turned into mourning.
1:43. And king Antiochus wrote to all his kingdom that all the people
should be one: and every one should leave his own law.
1:44. And all nations consented according to the word of king
Antiochus.
1:45 And many of Israel consented to his service and they sacrificed to
idols and profaned the sabbath.
1:46. And 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.
1:47. And should forbid holocausts and sacrifices and atonements to be
made in the temple of God.
1:48. And should prohibit the sabbath and the festival days to be
celebrated.
1:49. And he commanded the holy places to be profaned and the holy
people of Israel.
1:50. And he commanded altars to be built and temples and idols and
swine's flesh to be immolated and unclean beasts
1:51. And 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.
1:52. And that whosoever would not do according to the word of king
Antiochus should be put to death.
1:53. According 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.
1:54. And they commanded the cities of Juda to sacrifice.
1:55. Then many of the people were gathered to them that had forsaken
the law of the Lord: and they committed evils in the land:
1:56. And they drove away the people of Israel into lurking holes and
into the secret places of fugitives.
1:57. On 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:
The abominable idol etc... Viz. the statue of Jupiter Olympius.
1:58. And they burnt incense and sacrificed at the doors of the houses
and in the streets. 1:59. And they cut in pieces and burnt with fire
the books of the law of God:
1:60. And 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.
1:61. Thus by their power did they deal with the people of Israel that
were found in the cities month after month.
1:62. And 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.
1:63. Now the women that circumcised their children were slain according
to the commandment of king Antiochus
1:64. And they hanged the children about their neck in all their houses:
and those that had circumcised them they put to death.
1:65. And many of the people of Israel determined with themselves that
they would not eat unclean things: and they chose rather to die than to
be defiled with unclean meats:
1:66. And they would not break the holy law of God and they were put to
death:
1:67. And there was very great wrath upon the people.
1 Machabees Chapter 2.
The zeal and success of Mathathias. His exhortation to his sons at his
death.
2:1. In those days arose Mathathias the son of John the son of Simeon
a priest of the sons of Joarib from Jerusalem and he abode in the
mountain of Modin:
2:2. And he had five sons: John who was surnamed Gaddis:
2:3. And Simon who was surnamed Thasi;
2:4. And Judas who was called Machabeus;
2:5. And Eleazar who was surnamed Abaron; and Jonathan who was
surnamed Apphus.
2:6. These saw the evils that were done in the people of Juda and in
Jerusalem.
2:7. And Mathathias said: Woe is me wherefore was I born to see the
ruin of my people and the ruin of the holy city and to dwell there
when it is given into the hands of the enemies?
2:8. The holy places are come into the hands of strangers her temple is
become as a man without honour.
2:9. The vessels of her glory are carried away captive; her old men are
murdered in the streets and her young men are fallen by the sword of
the enemies.
2:10. What nation hath not inherited her kingdom and gotten of her
spoils?
2:11. All her ornaments are taken away. She that was free is made a
slave.
2:12. And behold our sanctuary and our beauty and our glory is laid
waste and the Gentiles have defiled them.
2:13. To what end then should we live any longer?
2:14. And Mathathias and his sons rent their garments and they covered
themselves with haircloth and made great lamentation.
2:15. And they that were sent from king Antiochus came thither to
compel them that were fled into the city of Modin to sacrifice and to
burn incense and to depart from the law of God.
2:16. And many of the people of Israel consented and came to them: but
Mathathias and his sons stood firm.
2:17. And they that were sent from Antiochus answering said to
Mathathias: Thou art a ruler and an honourable and great man in this
city and adorned with sons and brethren.
2:18. Therefore come thou first and obey the king's commandment as
all nations have done and the men of Juda and they that remain in
Jerusalem: and thou and thy sons shall be in the number of the king's
friends and enriched with gold and silver and many presents. 2:19.
Then Mathathias answered and said with a loud voice: Although all
nations obey king Antiochus so as to depart every man from the service
of the law of his fathers and consent to his commandments:
2:20. I and my sons and my brethren will obey the law of our fathers.
2:21. God be merciful unto us: it is not profitable for us to forsake
the law and the justices of God:
2:22. We will not hearken to the words of king Antiochus neither will
we sacrifice and transgress the commandments of our law to go another
way.
2:23. Now as he left off speaking these words there came a certain Jew
in the sight of all to sacrifice to the idols upon the altar in the city
of Modin according to the king's commandment.
2:24. And Mathathias saw and was grieved and his reins trembled and
his wrath was kindled according to the judgment of the law and running
upon him he slew him upon the altar:
2:25. Moreover the man whom king Antiochus had sent who compelled them
to sacrifice he slew at the same time and pulled down the altar
2:26. And shewed zeal for the law as Phinees did by Zamri the son of
Salomi.
2:27. And Mathathias cried out in the city with a loud voice saying:
Every one that hath zeal for the law and maintaineth the testament let
him follow me.
2:28. So he and his sons fled into the mountains and left all that they
had in the city.
2:29. Then many that sought after judgment and justice went down into
the desert
2:30. And they abode there they and their children and their wives
and their cattle: because afflictions increased upon them.
2:31. And it was told to the king's men and to the army that was in
Jerusalem in the city of David that certain men who had broken the
king's commandment were gone away into the secret places in the
wilderness and that many were gone after them.
2:32. And forthwith they went out towards them and made war against
them on the sabbath day.
2:33. And they said to them: Do you still resist? come forth and do
according to the edict of king Antiochus and you shall live.
2:34. And they said: We will not come forth neither will we obey the
king's edict to profane the sabbath day.
2:35. And they made haste to give them battle.
2:36. But they answered them not neither did they cast a stone at them
nor stopped up the secret places
2:37. Saying: Let us all die in our innocency: and heaven and earth
shall be witnesses for us that you put us to death wrongfully.
2:38. So they gave them battle on the sabbath: and they were slain with
their wives and their children and their cattle to the number of a
thousand persons.
2:39. And Mathathias and his friends heard of it and they mourned for
them exceedingly.
2:40. And every man said to his neighbour: If we shall all do as our
brethren have done and not fight against the heathens for our lives
and our justifications they will now quickly root us out of the earth.
2:41. And they determined in that day saying: Whosoever shall come up
against us to fight on the sabbath day we will fight against him: and
we will not all die as our brethren that were slain in the secret
places.
2:42. Then was assembled to them the congregation of the Assideans the
stoutest of Israel every one that had a good will for the law.
The Assideans... A set of men that led a religious life; and were
zealous for the law and worship of God.
2:43. And all they that fled from the evils joined themselves to them
and were a support to them.
2:44. And they gathered an army and slew the sinners in their wrath
...
|
Open Literature 
