2 Maccabees 8

¹ And now ordeyne we togidere frenschip, and yyue thi douyter a wijf to me, and Y schal be thi douyter hosebonde; and Y schal yyue to thee yiftis, and to hir dignytee. ² And Tolome, kyng, answeride, seiynge, Blessid is the dai in which thou turnedist ayen to the lond of thi fadris, and hast sotun in the seete of rewme of hem. 3 And now Y schal do to thee whiche thingis thou hast writun; but come thou ayens me to Tolomaida, that we se vs togidere, and Y biheete to thee, as thou seidist. 4 And Tolome wente out of Egipt, he, and Cleopatra, his douyter; and he cam to Tolomaida, in the hundrid and two and sixtithe yeer. 5 And Alisaundre, the king, came to hym; and he yaf to hym Cleopatra, his douytir, and made his weddingis at Tolomaida, as kyngis in greet glorie. 6 And kyng Alisaundre wroot to Jonathas, that he schulde come ayens hym. 7 And he wente with glorie to Tolomaida, and mette there twei kyngis, and yaue to hem myche siluer, and gold, and yiftis; and foond grace in the siyte of hem. 8 And men of Israel, ful of venym, camen togidere ayens hym, wickid men, axynge ayens hym, and the kyng took no tent to hem; 9 and comaundide Jonathas for to be maad nakid of his clothis, and hym for to be clothid in purpur; and thei diden so. And the king settide hym for to sitte with hym, 10 and seide to hise princis, Go ye out with hym in to the myddil of the citee, and preche ye, that no man axe ayens hym of ony cause, nether ony man be heuy to hym of ony resoun. 11 And it was don, as thei that axiden sien his glorie that was prechid, and hym kyuered with purpur, alle fledden. 12 And the kyng magnefiede hym, and wroot hym among the firste frendis, and puttide hym duyk, and felow of prinshod. 13 And Jonathas turnede ayen in to Jerusalem, with pees and gladnesse. 14 In the hundrid yeer and fyue and sixtithe, Demetrie, the sone of Demetrie, cam fro Crete in to the lond of his fadris. 15 And kyng Alisaundre herde, and was maad ful soreuful, and turnede ayen to Antiochie. 16 And Demetrie ordeynede Appolyne duyk, that was souereyn of Celesirie; and he gaderide his greet oost, and cam to Jamnam; and sente to Jonathas, hiyeste prest, and seide, Thou aloone ayenstondist vs; 17 Y am maad in to scorn and schenschip therfor, for thou hauntist power in hillis ayens vs. 18 Now therfor if thou tristist in thi vertues, come doun to vs in to the feeld; and there asemble we togidere, for with me is vertu of batels. 19 Axe thou, and lerne who Y am, and othere that ben in help to me, and whiche seien, that youre foot may not stonde ayens oure face, for thi fadris weren conuertid in to fliyt twies in to her lond. 20 And now hou schalt thou mow susteyne multitude of horse men, and so greet oost in the feeld, where is no stoon, ne rocke, nether place of fleynge? 21 Sotheli as Jonathas herde these wordis of Appollonye, he was mouyd in herte; and he chees ten thousynde of men, and wente out fro Jerusalem, and Symount, his brother, cam to hym in to help. 22 And thei applieden tentis in Joppe, and it schittide out hym fro the citee, for Joppe was the keping of Appolyne; and he fouyte ayens it. 23 And thei weren agast, that weren with ynne the citee, and openyden to hym; and Jonathas weldide Joppe. 24 And Appolyne herde, and mouyde thre thousynde of horse men, and myche oost; 25 and wente to Asotus, as makynge weie. And anoon he wente out in to the feeld, for that he hadde multitude of horse men, and tristnyde in hem; and Jonathas suede hym in to Asotus, and thei ioyneden batel. 26 And Appoloyne lefte in tentis a thousynde horse men bihynde hem priueli. 27 And Jonathas knewe that buschementis weren bihynde hym, and thei enuirowneden his tentis, and castiden dartis in to the puple, fro morew til to euentid. 28 Forsothe the puple stood, as Jonathas comaundide, and the horsis of hem traueliden out. 29 And Symount ledde his oost, and ioynede ayens the legioun; forsothe horse men weren maad weri, and weren al to-brokun of hym, and fledden. 30 And thei that weren scaterid in to the feeld, fledden in to Asotus; and entriden in to the hous of Dagon, her idol, that there thei schulden delyuere hem silf. 31 And Jonathas brente Asotus, and citees that weren in cumpas therof, and took spuylis of hem; and he brente in fier the temple of Dagon, and hem that fledden in to it. 32 And ther weren that fellen bi swerd with hem that weren brent, almeste eiyte thousynde of men. 33 And fro thennus Jonathas mouyde tentis, and appliede hem to Ascalon; and thei wenten out of the citee ayens hym in greet glorie. 34 And Jonathas turnede ayen in to Jerusalem with hise men, hauynge many spuylis. 35 And it was don, as king Alisaundre herde these wordis, he puttide to yit for to glorifie Jonathas. 36 And he sente to hym a goldun lace, ether nouche, as custom is for to be youun to cosyns of kingis; and he yaf to him Accoron, and alle coostis therof in to possessioun.