2 Maccabees 6

¹ And he took the sones of princes of the cuntrei in ostage, and puttide hem in the hiy tour in Jerusalem, in kepyng. ² And in the hundrid yeer and thre and fifti, in the secounde monethe, Alchymus comaundide the wallis of the hooli ynnere hous for to be distried, and the werkis of profetis for to be distried, and he bigan for to distrie. ³ In that tyme Alchymus was smytun, and the werkis of hym weren lettid. And his mouth was closid, and he was dissoluyd, ether maad feble, bi palesie, nether he miyte speke more a word, and comaunde of his hous. 4 And Alchymus was deed in that tyme, with greet turment. 5 And Bachides siy, that Alchymus was deed, and he turnede ayen to the kyng, and the lond was stille twei yeeris. 6 And alle wickid men thouyten, seiynge, Lo! Jonathas, and thei that ben with hym, dwellen in silence, and tristen; now therfor brynge we Bachides, and he schal take hem alle in o niyt. 7 And thei wenten forth, and yauen councel to hym. 8 And he roos, for to come with myche oost. And he sente epistlis priuyli to his felowis, that weren in Judee, that thei schulden catche Jonathas, and hem that weren with hym; but thei miyten not, for her councel was knowun to hem. 9 And Jonathas cauyte of men of the cuntre, that weren princis of knytyhod, fifti men, and slow hem. 10 And Jonathas and Symount wenten, and thei that weren with hym, in to Bethbesse, that is in desert, and bildiden the distried thingis therof, and maden it strong. ¹¹ And Bachides knew, and gaderide al his multitude, and denounside to hem that weren of Judee. ¹² And he cam, and settide tentis aboue Bethbesse, and fauyte ayens it many daies, and made engynes. ¹³ And Jonathas lefte Symount, his brother, in the citee, and wente oute in to cuntre, and cam with noumbre; ¹⁴ and smoot Odaren, and hise britheren, and sones of Faseron, in the tabernaclis of hem, and bigan for to smyte, and wexe in vertues. ¹⁵ Symount sotheli, and thei that weren with hym, wenten out of the citee, and brenten engynes. ¹⁶ And thei fouyten ayens Bachides, and he was al to-brokun of hem; and thei turmentiden hym gretli, for his councel and his assailyng was voide. ¹⁷ And he was wrooth ayens wickid men, that yauen councel to hym for to come in to her cuntre, and slow many of hem; forsothe he thouyte with othere for to go in to his cuntre. ¹⁸ And Jonathas knew, and sente legatis to hym, for to make pees with hym, and to yelde to him prisoneris. ¹⁹ And wilfuli he took, and dide bi his wordis, and swoor that he schulde not do to him ony yuel in alle daies of his lijf. ²⁰ And he yeldide to him caitifte, which he took bi prey bifore of the lond of Juda. And he turnede, and wente in to his lond, and puttide no more for to come in to his coostis. ²¹ And swerd ceesside fro Israel. And Jonatas dwellide in Machynas, and there Jonathas bigan for to deme the puple, and he distriede the vnfeithful men of Israel. ²³ And in the hundrid and sixtithe yeer Alisaundre, the sone of Antiok, stiede up, that is named noble, and ocupiede Tolomaide; and thei resseyueden hym, and he regnede there. ²⁴ And kyng Demetrie herde, and gaderide an oost ful copiouse, and wente out ayens hym in to batel. ²⁵ And Demetrie sente epistle to Jonathas with pesible wordis, for to magnefie hym. ²⁶ For he seide, Bifore take we for to make pees with hym, bifore that he make with Alisaundre ayens vs; ²⁷ for he schal haue mynde of alle yuels, that we han don ayens him, and ayens his brother, and ayens his folc. 28 And he yaf to hym power to gadere oost, and for to make armeris, and hym for to be his felowe. And he comaundide ostagis, ether pleggis, that weren in the hiy tour, for to be youun to hym. ²⁹ And Jonathas cam in to Jerusalem, and radde epistlis, in heryng of al the puple, and of hem that weren in the hiy tour. ³⁰ And thei dredden with greet drede, for thei herden, that the kyng yaf to hym power to gadere an oost. ³¹ And ostagis weren takun to Jonathas, and he yeldide hem to her fadris and modris.