1 Maccabees 10

¹ For fro rysyng of the sunne til to goyng doun, my name is greet in hethene men; and in ech place a cleene offring is sacrifisid, and offrid to my name; for my name is greet in hethene men, seith the Lord of oostis. ² And ye han defoulid it in that that ye seien, The boord of the Lord is defoulid, and that that is put aboue is worthi to be dispisid, with fier that deuourith it. 3 And ye seiden, Lo! of trauel; and ye han blowe it a wei, seith the Lord of oostis. And ye brouyten in of raueyns a crokid thlng and sijk, and brouyten in a yifte; whether Y schal resseyue it of youre hond? seith the Lord. 4 Cursid is the gileful, that hath in his floc a male beeste, and he makynge a vow offrith a feble to the Lord; for Y am a greet kyng, seith the Lord of oostis, and my name is dredeful in folkis. 6 And now, A! ye preestis, this maundement is to you. 7 If ye wolen here, and if ye wolen not putte on the herte, that ye yyue glorie to my name, seith the Lord of oostis, Y schal sende nedynesse in to you, and Y schal curse to youre blessyngis; and Y schal curse hem, for ye han not putte on the herte. ⁸ Lo! Y schal caste to you the arm, and Y schal scatere on youre cheere the drit of youre solempnytees, and it schal take you with it. ⁹ And ye schulen wite, that Y sente to you this maundement, that my couenaunt were with Leuy, seith the Lord of oostis. ¹⁰ My couenaunt was with hym of lijf and pees; and Y yaf to hym a drede, and he dredde me, and he dredde of face of my name. ¹¹ The lawe of trewthe was in his mouth, and wickidnesse was not foundun in hise lippis; in pees and in equite he walkide with me, and he turnede awei many men fro wickidnesse. ¹² For the lippis of a prest kepen science, and thei schulen ayen seke the lawe of the mouth of hym, for he is an aungel of the Lord of oostes. 13 But ye wenten awei fro the weie, and sclaundren ful many men in the lawe; ye maden voide the couenaunt of Leuy, seith the Lord of oostis. 14 For which thing and Y yaf you worthi to be dispisid, and bowen to alle puplis, as ye kepten not my weies, and token a face in the lawe. 15 Whether not o fadir is of alle you? whether o God made not of nouyt you? Whi therfor ech of you dispisith his brother, and defoulith the couenaunt of youre fadris? 16 Judas trespasside, and abhomynacioun is maad in Israel, and in Jerusalem; for Judas defoulide the halewyng of the Lord, which he louyde, and he hadde the douyter of an alien god. 17 The Lord schal distrie the man that dide this thing, the maister and disciple, fro the tabernacle of Jacob, and him that offrith a yifte to the Lord of oostis. 18 And eftsoone ye diden this thing; ye hiliden with teeris the auter of the Lord, with wepyng and mourenyng; so that Y biholde no more to sacrifice, nether resseyue ony thing plesaunt of youre hond. 19 And ye seiden, For what cause? For the Lord witnesside bitwixe thee and the wijf of thi puberte, that is, tyme of mariage, which thou dispisidist, and this is thi felowe, and wijf of thi couenaunt. ²⁰ Whether oon made not, and residue of spirit is his? and what sekith oon, no but the seed of God? Therfore kepe ye youre spirit, and nyle thou dispise the wijf of thi yongthe; ²¹ whanne thou hatist hir, leue thou hir, seith the Lord God of Israel. Forsothe wickidnesse schal kyuere the closyng of hym, seith the Lord of oostis; kepe ye youre spirit, and nyle ye dispise. ²² Ye maden the Lord for to trauele in youre wordis, and ye seiden, Wherynne maden we hym for to trauele? In that that ye seien, Ech man that doith yuel, is good in the siyt of the Lord, and siche plesen to hym; ether certis where is the God of doom? ²⁴ Lo! Y sende myn aungel, and he schal make redi weie bifor my face; and anoon the lordshipere, whom ye seken, schal come to his hooli temple, and the aungel of testament, whom ye wolen. Lo! he cometh, seith the Lord of oostis; ²⁵ and who schal mowe thenke the dai of his comyng? and who schal stonde for to se hym? For he schal be as fier wellynge togidere, and as erbe of fulleris; ²⁶ and he schal sitte wellynge togidere and clensynge siluer, and he schal purge the sones of Leuy; and he schal purge hem as gold and as siluer, and thei schulen be offrynge to the Lord sacrifices in riytfulnesse. ²⁷ And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem schal plese to the Lord, as the daies of the world, and as olde yeeris. ²⁸ And Y schal come to you in doom, and Y schal be a swift witnesse to mysdoeris, ether enchaunteris of deuelis craft, and to auouteris, and forsworn men, and that falsli calengen the hire of the hirid man, and widewis, and fadirles, ether modirles, children, and oppressen a pilgrym, nether dredden me, seith the Lord of oostis. 29 Forsothe Y am the Lord, and am not chaungid; and ye sones of Jacob ben not wastid. 30 Forsothe fro daies of youre fadris ye wenten awei fro my lawful thingis, and kepten not; turne ye ayen to me, and Y schal ayen turne to you, seith the Lord of oostis. And ye seiden, In what thing schulen we turne ayen? 31 If a man schal turmente God, for ye togidere fitchen me. And ye seiden, In what thing togidere fitchen we thee? In tithis and in firste fruitis; ³² and ye ben cursid in nedynesse, and alle ye folc disseyuen me, and togidere fitchen. 33 Brynge ye yn ech tithe in to my berne, that mete be in myn hous, and preue ye me on this thing, seith the Lord, if Y schal not opene to you the goteris of heuene, and schal schede out to you blessyng, til to aboundaunce. 34 And Y schal blame for you that that deuourith, and he schal not distrie the fruit of youre lond; nether bareyn vyneyerd schal be in the feeld, 35 seith the Lord of oostis, and alle folkis schulen seie you blessid; for ye schulen be a desirable lond, seith the Lord of oostis. 36 Youre wordis wexiden strong on me, seith the Lord; and ye seiden, What han we spokun ayens thee? 37 And ye seiden, He is veyn, that serueth God; and what wynnyng for we kepten hise heestis, and for we wenten sorewful bifore the Lord of oostis? 38 Therfor now we seien proude men blessid; for thei ben bildid doynge vnpitee, and thei temptiden God, and ben maad saaf. 39 Thanne men dredynge God spaken, ech with his neiybore; and the Lord perseyuede, and herde, and a book of mynde is writun bifor hym to men dredynge God, and thenkynge his name. ⁴⁰ And thei schulen be to me, seith the Lord of oostis, in the dai in which Y schal make, in to a special tresour; and Y schal spare hem, as a man sparith his sone seruynge to hym. ⁴¹ And ye schulen be conuertid, and ye schulen se, what is bitwixe the iust man and vnpitouse, bitwixe the seruynge to the Lord and not seruynge to hym. ⁴³ For lo! a dai schal come, brennynge as a chymenei; and alle proude men, and alle doynge vnpitee schulen be stobul; and the dai comynge schal enflaume hem, seith the Lord of oostis, which schal not leeue to hem rote and buriownyng. ⁴⁴ And to you dredynge my name the sunne of riytwisnesse schal rise, and heelthe in pennys of hym; and ye schulen go out, and schulen skippe, as a calf of the droue. ⁴⁵ And ye schulen to-trede vnpitouse men, whanne thei schulen be aische vndur the soole of youre feet, in the dai in which Y do, seith the Lord of oostis. ⁴⁶ Bithenke ye on the lawe of my seruaunt Moises, which Y comaundide to hym in Oreb, to al Israel comaundementis and domes. ⁴⁷ Lo! Y schal sende to you Elie, the profete, bifore that the greet dai and orible of the Lord come. ⁴⁸ And he schal conuerte the herte of fadris to sones, and the herte of sones to fadris of hem, lest perauenture Y come, and smyte the erthe with curs. ⁴⁹ 1 Machabeis ⁵¹ And it was don, aftir that Alisaundre of Filip, king of Macedoyne, which regnede first in Grece, and yede out of the lond of Sethym, smoot Darius, king of Perseis and of Medeis, ⁵² he ordeynede many batels, and gat strengthis of alle; and he slow the kingis of erthe, ⁵³ and passide forth til to endis of erthe, and took spuylis of multitude of folkis; and the erthe was stille in siyt of hym. ⁵⁴ And he gaderide vertu, and oost ful strong, and the herte of hym was enhaunsid and lift vp. ⁵⁵ And he gat the cuntreis of folkis, and tirauntis; and thei weren maad to hym in to tribut. ⁵⁶ And after these thingis he felle in to bed, and knew that he schulde die. ⁵⁷ And he clepide his noble children, that weren nurschid with hym fro yongthe, and departide to hem his kingdom, whanne he lyuede yit. ⁵⁸ And Alisaundre regnede twelue yeer, and was deed. ⁵⁹ And his children weldiden the rewme, ⁶⁰ ech in his place, and alle puttiden to hem diademys aftir his deth, and the sones of hem after hem, many yeeris; and yuels weren multiplied in erthe. ⁶¹ And ther wente out of hem a roote of synne, Antiok the noble, the sone of Antiok kyng, that was at Rome in ostage, and regnede in the hundrid and seuene and thrittithe yeer of the rewme of Grekis. ⁶² In tho daies wickid sones of Israel wenten out, and counseiliden many, and seide, Go we, and ordeyne we testament with hethene men, that ben aboute vs; for sithen we departiden fro hem, many yuels foundun vs. 63 And the word was seyn good bifore the iyen of hem. 64 And summe of the puple senten, and wenten to the kyng; and he yaf power to hem for to do riytwisnesse of hethene men. 65 And thei bildiden a scole in Jerusalem, bi lawis of naciouns; 66 and maden to hem prepucies, and wenten awei fro the hooli testament, and weren ioyned to naciouns, and weren seeld for to do yuel. 67 And the rewme hadde prosperite in the siyt of Antiok, and he bigan for to regne in the lond of Egipt, that he schulde regne on twei rewmes. 68 And he entride in to Egipt with a greuouse multitude, in charis, and olifauntis, and horse men, ether kniytis, and plenteuouse multitude of schippis, ⁶⁹ and he ordeynede batel ayens Tholome, kyng of Egipt; and Tolome dredde of his face, and flei; and many weren woundid, and fellen doun. ⁷⁰ And he took the stronge citees in the lond of Egipt, and took the preies of the lond of Egipt. ⁷¹ And Antiok turnede, after that he smoot Egipt, in the hundrid and thre and fourtithe yeer, and stiede to Israel. ⁷² And he stiede to Jerusalem with a greuouse multitude, ⁷³ and entride in to the halewyng with pride; and he took the goldun auter, and the candilstike of liyt, and alle vessels therof, and the boord of proposicioun, and vessels of fletynge sacrifices, and cruetis, and goldun morteris, and veil, and crownes, and goldun ournement that was in the face of the temple; and he brak alle. ⁷⁴ And he took siluer and gold, and alle desirable vessels, and he took the priuy tresours, whiche he foond; and whanne he hadde takun vp alle thingis, he wente in to his lond. ⁷⁵ And he made slauyter of men, and spak in greet pride. ⁷⁶ And greet weilyng was maad in Israel, and in ech place of hem; ⁷⁷ and princes sorewiden inwardli, and eldere men, and maidens, and yonge men weren maad sike, and fairnesse of wymmen was chaungid. ⁷⁸ Ech hosebonde took weilyng, and thei that saten in hosebondis bed, morenyden. ⁷⁹ And the lond was mouyd togidere on men dwellynge therynne, and al the hous of Jacob was clothid with confusioun. ⁸⁰ And aftir twei yeeris of daies, the kyng sente a prince of tributis in to the citees of Juda, and he cam to Jerusalem with greet cumpanye. ⁸¹ And he spak to hem pesible wordis in gile, and thei bileuyden to hym. ⁸² And sudeynli he felle in on the citee, and smoot it with a greet wounde, and loste myche puple of Israel. ⁸³ And he took preies of the citee, and brente it with fier, and distriede housis therof, and wallis therof in cumpas. ⁸⁴ And thei ledden wymmen caitif, and children, and weldiden beestis. ⁸⁵ And thei bildiden the citee of Dauid with greet wal and sad, and sadde touris; and it was maad to hem in to an hiy tour. ⁸⁶ And thei puttiden there a folc of synneris, wickid men, and thei weren strong in it; and thei puttiden armeris, and metis, and gaderiden preies of Jerusalem; ⁸⁷ and puttiden vp there, and weren maad in to a greet snare. ⁸⁸ And this thing was maad to aspiyngis in yuel, `ether tresouns, to halewyng, and in to an yuel deuel in Israel euere more. ⁸⁹ And thei schedden out innocent blood, bi cumpas of the halewyng, and defouliden the halewyng.