1 Maccabees 12

¹ And thei gaten the lawe fro hondis of hethene men, and fro hondis of kyngis, and yauen not strengthe to the synnere. ² And daies of Matatias of diynge neiyiden, and he seide to hise sones, Now pride is coumfortid, and chastisyng, and tyme of distruccioun, and the wraththe of indignacioun. ³ Now therfor, sones, be ye sueris, ether louyeris, of the lawe, and yyue ye youre lyues for the testament of fadris. 4 And bithenke ye on werkis of fadris, whiche thei diden in her generaciouns, and ye schulen resseyue greet glorie, and euerlastynge name. 5 Whether in temptacioun Abraham was not founden trewe, and it was arettid to hym to riytwisnes? 6 Joseph in time of his angwisch kepte comaundement, and was maad lord of Egipt. 7 Fynees, oure fadir, in feruentli louynge the feruent loue of God, took testament of euerlastynge preesthod. 8 Jhesus, ether Josue, while he fillide the word, was maad duyk in Israel. ⁹ Caleph, while he witnesside in the chirche, took eritage. ¹⁰ Dauid in his merci gat the sete of kyngdom, in to worldis. ¹¹ Elie, while he feruentli louyde the feruent loue of the lawe, was resseyued in to heuene. ¹² Ananyas, Azarias, Misael, bileuyden, and weren delyuered fro flawme. ¹³ Danyel in his symplenesse was delyuered fro the mouth of liouns. ¹⁴ And thus bithenke ye bi generacioun and generacioun, for alle that hopen in to hym ben not maad vnstidefast. ¹⁵ And drede ye not of the wordis of a man synnere, for the glorie of hym is tord and worm; ¹⁶ to dai he is enhaunsid, and to morewe he schal not be foundun, for he is turned in to his erthe, and his thouyt schal perische. ¹⁷ Therfor, ye sones, be coumfortid, and do ye manli in the lawe; for whanne ye schulen do tho thingis that ben bodun to you in the lawe of youre Lord God, in it ye schulen be gloriouse. ¹⁸ And lo! Symount, youre brother; Y woot, that he is a man of councel, here ye hym eueremore, and he schal be fadir to you. ¹⁹ And Judas Machabeus, stronge in miytis fro his yongthe, be to you a prince in knyythod, and he schal do batel of the puple. ²⁰ And ye schulen brynge to you alle doeris of the lawe, and venge ye the veniaunce of youre puple. ²¹ Yelde ye yeldyng to hethene men, and take ye tent to the heeste of the lawe. ²² And he blesside hem, and was put to hise fadris. ²³ And he was deed in the hundrid and sixe and fourti yeer, and was biried of hise sones in to sepulcre of hise fadris in Modyn; and al Israel weiliden hym with greet weilyng. 25 And Judas, that was clepid Machabeus, the sone of Matatias, roos for hym. 26 And alle hise britheren helpiden hym, and alle that ioyneden hem to his fadir, and thei fouyten the batel of Israel with gladnesse. ²⁷ And he alargide glorie to his puple, and clothide hym with an haburiowne as a giaunt, and girde hym with hise armeris of batel in batels, and defendide castels with his swerd. ²⁸ He was maad lijk a lioun in hise werkis, and as a whelp of lioun rorynge in his huntyng. ²⁹ And he pursuede wickid men, and souyte hem; and he brente hem in flawmes, that disturbliden his puple. ³⁰ And hise enemyes weren put abac for drede of hym, and alle worcheris of wickidnesse weren troblid to gidere; and heelthe was dressid in his hond. ³¹ And he wraththide many kyngis, and gladide Jacob in hise werkis, and in to world his mynde is in blessyng. ³² And he wente thorouy the citees of Juda, and loste vnpitouse men of hem, and turnede awei wraththe fro Israel. ³³ And he was named til to the vtmest of erthe, and he gaderide men perischynge. ³⁴ And Appollyne gaderide folkis, and fro Samarie myche vertu, and greet, for to fiyte ayens Israel. ³⁵ And Judas knew, and wente out ayens hym, and smoot, and slow hym. And many woundid fellen doun, and the othere fledden; and he took preies of hem. ³⁶ And Judas took awei the swerd of Appollyne, and was fiytynge therwith in alle daies. ³⁷ And Seron, prince of the oost of Sirie, herde, that Judas gaderide a gaderyng, and the chirche of feithful men with hym. ³⁸ And he seide, Y schal make to me a name, and Y schal be glorified in the rewme, and Y schal ouercome Judas, and hem that ben with hym, whiche dispisiden the kyngis word. ³⁹ And he made redi hym; and the castels of vnpitouse men, stronge helperis, stieden vp with hym, for to do veniaunce on the sones of Israel. ⁴⁰ And thei neiyiden til to Betheron; and Judas wente out ayens hem, with fewe men. 41 Forsothe as thei siyen the oost comynge to hem in metinge, thei seiden to Judas, Hou moun we fewe fiyten ayens so greet multitude, so strong; and we ben maad weri bi fastyng this dai? 42 And Judas seide, It is liyt, ether esy, that many be closid togidere in hond of fewe; and difference is not in siyt of God of heuene, for to delyuere in manye ether in fewe; 43 for not in multitude of oost is the victorie of batel, but of heuene is strengthe. 44 Thei comen to vs in rebel multitude, and pride, for to distrie vs, and oure wyues, and oure sones, and for to robbe vs. 45 Forsothe we schulen fiyte for oure lyues, and oure lawis; 46 and the Lord hym silf schal al to-breke hem bifore oure face; forsothe drede ye not hem. 47 Sotheli as he ceesside for to speke, he hurlide in in to hem sudenli; and Seron was al to-brokun, and his oost, in the siyt of hym. ⁴⁸ And he pursuede hym in the goynge doun of Betheron, til in to the feeld; and eiyte hundrid men of hem fellen doun, the othere forsothe fledden in to the lond of Filistiym. ⁴⁹ And the drede of Judas, and of his britheren, and the inward ferdnesse, felle on alle hethene men in cumpas of hem; ⁵⁰ and the name of hym cam to the kyng, and alle folkis telden of the bateils of Judas. ⁵¹ Sotheli as king Antiok herde these wordis, he was wrooth in soule; and he sente, and gaderide the oost of al his rewme, ful stronge castels. ⁵² And he openyde his treserie, and yaf sowdis to the oost, in to a yeer, and comaundide hem, that thei schulden be redi to alle thingis. ⁵³ And he sai, that money failide of hise tresouris, and tributis of the cuntrei weren litil, for dissencioun and veniaunce that he dide in the lond, for to do awei the lawful thingis that weren of the firste daies.