1 Maccabees 7

In the one hundred and fifty-first year, Demetrius son of Seleucus left the city of Rome and came with a few men to a coastal city, and there he began to reign.

As he entered the royal palace of his fathers, the army seized Antiochus and Lysias to bring them to him.

When the matter was made known to him, he said: 'Do not let me see their faces.'

So the army killed them, and Demetrius sat upon the throne of his kingdom.

Then wicked and ungodly men of Israel came to him, led by Alcimus, who wished to become high priest.

They accused the people before the king, saying: 'Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends and have driven us from our land.'

'Now therefore, send a man you trust; let him go and see all the destruction Judas has brought upon us and upon the king's territories, and let him punish them and all who support them.'

The king chose Bacchides, one of his Friends, who ruled beyond the great river — a man faithful to the king — and sent him.

He was to investigate the destruction Judas had caused. The king also installed the ungodly Alcimus in the high priesthood, and commanded him to take vengeance on the sons of Israel.

They set out and came into the land of Judah with a large army. They sent messengers who spoke to Judas and his brothers with deceitful words of peace.

But they paid no attention to their words, for they saw that they had come with a large army.

Then a company of scribes gathered before Alcimus and Bacchides to seek terms of justice.

The Hasideans were the first among the Israelites to seek peace with them.

For they said: 'A priest of the seed of Aaron has come — he will not deceive us.'

He spoke peaceable words to them and swore an oath: 'We will not seek to harm you or your friends.'

They trusted him. But he arrested sixty of them and killed them in one day, according to the word that was written:

'The flesh of Your saints and their blood they poured out around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.'

Fear and trembling fell upon all the people, who said: 'There is neither truth nor justice in them, for they have violated their agreement and the oath they swore.'

Bacchides moved camp from Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-zaith. He sent and arrested many of those who had deserted from him, along with some of the people, and he slaughtered them and threw them into a great pit.

He entrusted the region to Alcimus, leaving an army with him for support, and Bacchides departed to the king.

Alcimus strove to maintain his claim to the high priesthood.

All who troubled their own people gathered to him. They gained control of the land of Judah and caused great harm in Israel.

Judas saw all the evils that Alcimus and those with him were doing to the Israelites — worse even than the nations had done.

He went out into all the surrounding territory of Judea and took vengeance on the deserters, preventing them from going out into the countryside any longer.

When Alcimus saw that Judas and his supporters were growing stronger and realized he could not withstand them, he returned to the king and accused them of many crimes.

The king sent Nicanor, one of his most distinguished commanders, who bore a deep hatred for Israel, and ordered him to destroy the people.

Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a large army and sent treacherous words of peace to Judas and his brothers,

saying: 'Let there be no conflict between me and you. I will come with a few men to see your faces in peace.'

He came to Judas, and they greeted each other peaceably. But enemies were ready to seize Judas by force.

But the plot became known to Judas — that Nicanor had come to him with treachery — and he was alarmed and refused to see his face again.

When Nicanor realized his plan was exposed, he marched out to engage Judas in battle near Capharsalama.

About five thousand of Nicanor's men fell, and the rest fled to the City of David.

After these events, Nicanor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests and elders of the people came out to greet him peaceably and to show him the burnt offerings that were being offered on behalf of the king.

But he scorned them with contempt, treated them as unclean, and spoke arrogantly.

He swore an oath in anger: 'Unless Judas and his army are delivered into my hands, as soon as I return in peace I will burn down this house!' And he went out in a fury.

The priests entered and stood before the altar and the Temple. Weeping, they said:

'You, O Lord, chose this house to bear Your name, that it might be a house of prayer and supplication for Your people.'

'Take vengeance on this man and his army! Let them fall by the sword! Remember their blasphemies, and do not let them endure.'

Nicanor left Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-horon, and a Syrian force joined him there.

Judas encamped at Adasa with three thousand men. And Judas prayed:

'When the men sent by King Sennacherib blasphemed You, Lord, Your angel went out and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand of them.'

'So crush this army before us today, and let the rest know that he has spoken wickedly against Your sanctuary. Judge him according to his evil.'

The armies engaged on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and Nicanor's army was crushed. He himself was the first to fall in battle.

When his army saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw down their weapons and fled.

They pursued them a day's march from Adasa to the approach of Gezer, sounding the trumpets behind them as signals.

People came out from all the surrounding villages of Judea and flanked them with their horns. They drove them back again and again, and all of them fell by the sword. Not a single one survived.

They seized the spoils as plunder, and they cut off Nicanor's head and his right hand — the one he had stretched out so arrogantly — and brought them and displayed them outside Jerusalem.

The people rejoiced greatly and celebrated that day with great gladness.

They decreed that this day should be observed every year on the thirteenth of Adar.

And the land of Judah was at rest for a few days.