2 Maccabees 1

¹ and seide in myn herte, In to hou greet tribulacioun bicam Y, and in to what wawis of heuynesse in which Y am now, that was myrie, and bolnyde, ether delicat in my power? 2 Now forsothe Y bithenke on the yuels that Y dide to Jerusalem, fro whennus and Y took alle goldun spuylis, and siluerne, that weren ther ynne; and Y sente with out cause, that men dwellynge in Judee be don awei. 3 Therfor Y knew that these yuels founden me therfor, and lo! Y perische bi greet heuynesse in alien lond. 4 And he clepid Filip, oon of his frendis, and made him souereyn on al his rewme; 5 and yaf to hym diademe, and his stole, and ryng, for to lede Antiok, his sone, and nurische hym, and that he schulde regne. 6 And kyng Antiok diede there, in the hundrid and nyne and fourti yeer. 7 And Lisias knew, that the kyng was deed, and ordeynede Antiok, the sone of hym, for to regne, whom he nurschide yong; and clepide his name Eupator. 8 And thei that weren in the hiy tour, closiden togidere Israel in cumpas of hooli thingis, and souyten to hem yuels euer more, to strengthing of hethene men. 9 And Judas thouyte for to distrie hem, and clepide togidere al the puple, for to bisege hem. 10 And thei camen togidere, and bisegiden hem, in the hundrid and fiftithe yeer; and thei maden arblastis, ether trepeiettis, that is, an instrument for to caste schaftis, and stoonys, and engynes. ¹¹ And summe of hem that weren bisegid, wenten out; and summe of vnfeithful men of Israel ioyneden hem silf to hem, ¹² and wenten to the kyng, and seiden, Hou long doist thou not dom, and vengist not oure britheren? ¹³ And we demyden for to serue thi fadir, and for to walke in hise heestis, and obeische to hise comaundementis. ¹⁴ And the sones of oure puple alienyden hem fro vs for this thing; and whiche euere weren foundun of vs, weren slayn, and oure eritagis weren rauyschid awei. ¹⁵ And not oneli to vs thei stretchiden out the hond, but and in to alle oure coostis. ¹⁶ And lo! thei applieden to day to the hiy tour in Jerusalem, for to ocupie it, and thei strengthiden a strengthing in Bethsura. ¹⁷ And if thou schalt not bifore come hem more swiftli, thei schulen do grettere thingis than thes, and thou schalt not mowe welde hem. ¹⁸ And the kyng was wroth, as he herde this thing, and clepide togidere alle hise frendis, and princes of his oost, and hem that weren ouer horsemen; ¹⁹ but also an hirid oost fro othere rewmes, and ilis, and see coostis camen to hym. ²⁰ And the noumbre of his oost was an hundrid thousynde of foot men, and twenti thousynde of horse men, and two and thritti olifauntis tauyt to batel. ²¹ And thei camen bi Idumee, and thei applieden to Bethsura, and fouyten many daies; and thei maden engynes, and thei wenten out, and brenten hem in fier, and fouyten manli. ²² And Judas wente fro the hiy tour, and mouede tentis to Bethsacharan, ayens tentis of the kyng. ²³ And the kyng roos bifore the liyt, and stiride the oost in to feersnesse, ayens the weie of Bethsacharan; and the oostis maden redi hem togidere in to batel, and songen in trumpis. ²⁴ And to olifauntis thei schewiden blood of grape, and morus, or mulberie trees, for to whette hem in to batel. 25 And thei departiden the beestis bi legyouns; and to ech olifaunt a thousynde men stoden niy in haburiownes mailid togidere, and brasun helmes in her heedis, and fyue hundrid horse men chosun weren ordeyned to ech beeste. 26 These weren there bifore the tyme, where euere the beeste was; and whidur euere it wente, thei wente, and departiden not ther fro. 27 But and sadde touris of tre weren on hem, defendinge bi alle the beestis, and on hem weren engynes, and on ech bi hem silf men of vertu two and thritti, whiche fouyten fro aboue, and with ynne was the maister of the beeste. 28 And he ordeinede the residue multitude of horse men on this half and that half, in to twei partis, for to moue togidere the oost with trumpis, and for to constreyne the men maad thicke in her legiouns. ²⁹ And as the sunne schynede in to the goldun scheldis, and brasun, the hillis schyneden ayen of hem, and schyneden ayen, as laumpis of fier. ³⁰ And a part of the kyngis oost was departid bi hiy hillis, and other bi lowe places; and thei wenten warli, and ordynatli. ³¹ And alle men dwellynge in the lond weren mouyd togidere of the vois of multitude of hem, and ingoyng of cumpeny, and hurtlyng togidere of armeris; for the oost was ful grete and strong. ³² And Judas and his oost neiyide in to batel; and there fellen doun of the kyngis oost sixe hundrid men. ³³ And Eleasar, the sone of Saura, siy oon of the beestis haburiowned with haburiownes of the kyng, and it was hiy stondynge ouer othere beestis; and it was seyn to hym, that the kyng was on it. ³⁴ And he yaf hym silf for to delyuere his puple, and for to gete to hym a name euerlastynge. ³⁵ And he ran ther to hardili, in to the myddil of legioun, and killide on the riyt half and left; and thei fellen doun fro hym hidur and thidur. ³⁶ And he wente vndur the feet of the olifaunt, and vndur puttide hym silf ther to, and slow it; and it felle doun in to erthe on hym, and he was deed there.