Chapter 6
Defeat and Death of Antiochus IV.[a] 1 As King Antiochus was going through the upper provinces, he heard that Elymais,[b] a city in Persia, was renowned for its wealth in silver and gold, 2 and that its temple was very rich, containing gold shields, breastplates, and weapons left there by Alexander, the son of Philip, the king of Macedon and the first to reign over the Greeks. 3 Therefore, he journeyed there in an attempt to capture and plunder the city, but he was unsuccessful because the people of the city had become aware of his designs 4 and rose up in battle against him. He was put to flight and had to withdraw in great disappointment and retreat toward Babylon.
5 While he was still in Persia, a messenger brought him the news that the armies that had invaded the land of Judah had been routed, 6 that Lysias—who had advanced with a massive force—had been put to flight by the Israelites, that the Israelites had grown increasingly strong as a result of the weapons, equipment, and abundant spoils they had captured from the armies they had destroyed, 7 that they had pulled down the Abomination he had built upon the altar in Jerusalem, and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as they had done in the past and had fortified his city of Beth-zur.
8 When the king heard this report, he was distraught and deeply shaken. Sick with grief because his plans had failed, he retreated to his bed. 9 He lay there for many days, overwhelmed repeatedly with disappointment,[c] and he realized that he was at the point of death.
10 Therefore, he summoned all his Friends and said to them: “Sleep is gone from my eyes, and my heart is overwhelmed with anxiety. 11 I have asked myself: ‘Why have I been brought to these depths of despair, inasmuch as during my reign I was always kind and greatly beloved?’ 12 But now I recall the evil deeds I perpetrated in Jerusalem in seizing all its vessels of silver and gold and unjustifiably ordering the extermination of the inhabitants of Judah. 13 I am certain that this is the reason why these misfortunes have afflicted me, and why I am dying here of bitter grief in a strange land.”
14 Then he summoned Philip, one of his Friends, and appointed him ruler over his entire kingdom. 15 He gave him his crown, his robe, and his signet ring, entrusting him with the authority to educate his son Antiochus and train him to be king. 16 King Antiochus died in Persia, in the year one hundred and forty-nine.[d]
17 Judas Besieges the Citadel of Jerusalem. When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he designated the king’s son Antiochus,[e] whom he had brought up from childhood, to succeed him as king, and he gave him the name Eupator.
18 Meanwhile, the men garrisoned in the citadel were blockading the Israelites in the sanctuary, taking advantage of every opportunity to harm them and thereby further the cause of the Gentiles. 19 Judas therefore resolved to bring about their destruction, and he mobilized all the people to besiege them. 20 They assembled and stormed the citadel in the year one hundred and fifty, employing catapults and engines of war whose construction he had ordered. 21 Some of those besieged in the garrison escaped, joined by some godless Israelites. 22 They approached the king and said:
“How much longer are you going to delay in your pursuit of justice and avenging our comrades? 23 We were happy to serve your father, to follow his instructions, and to obey his commands. 24 As a result, our own kindred have besieged the citadel and turned against us. They have put to death as many of us as they have been able to capture, and they have plundered our property. 25 Furthermore we are not the only ones against whom they have taken action, for they have attacked all the lands throughout your territory. 26 At this very moment they are besieging the citadel in Jerusalem, determined to capture it, and they have fortified the sanctuary and Beth-zur. 27 Unless you quickly make some move to impede them, they will do far worse things than these, and you will not be able to stop them.”
28 The Battle of Beth-zur. The king became enraged when he heard this, and he summoned all his Friends, his generals, and the commanders of his cavalry. 29 He also recruited mercenary forces from other kingdoms and from the islands of the seas. 30 His forces numbered one hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war. 31 They advanced through Idumea and besieged Beth-zur, continuing the attack for many days. They also constructed engines of war, but the defenders made a raid and set them on fire, fighting courageously.
32 Then Judas left the citadel and encamped at Beth-zechariah,[f] opposite the camp of the king. 33 The king rose at daybreak, and after a forced march along the road to Beth-zechariah, his forces drew up in battle formation and sounded their trumpets. 34 The elephants were roused for battle by being given a mixture of grapes and mulberries to drink. 35 These beasts were distributed among the phalanxes. With each elephant there were stationed a thousand men arrayed in coats of mail, with bronze helmets. In addition, five hundred picked cavalry were assigned to each beast. 36 They anticipated every move made by the elephant; wherever it went, they immediately accompanied it, never leaving its side. 37 On each elephant, for its protection, and fastened to its back by a harness, was a strong wooden tower that held four soldiers who fought from that position, as well as an Indian driver. 38 The rest of the cavalry were stationed on either side of the army, so that they could harass the enemy while being protected by the phalanxes.
39 When the sun shone on the gold and bronze shields, the mountains blazed with their reflection and gleamed like burning torches. 40 Part of the king’s army was stationed on the high hills, while others were assembled in the plain. They advanced steadily and in good order, 41 and seized all who trembled as they heard the clamor raised by this vast multitude as they marched and by the clash of their arms, for their army was a very large and powerful force.
42 Judas and his army advanced to give battle, and six hundred of the king’s army were slain. 43 Eleazar, called Avaran, noted that one of the elephants was adorned with royal armor. Since it was larger than all the other beasts, he thought that the king must be astride it, 44 and he gave his life to save his people and win for himself everlasting renown. 45 He courageously charged toward it through the midst of the phalanx, killing men right and left, so that they fell back on all sides at his approach. 46 He got in position under the elephant and stabbed it from below, slaying it. The beast fell to the ground on top of him, and he died there.
47 When the Jews saw the strength and ferocity of the royal forces, they retreated before them. 48 A part of the king’s army marched up to Jerusalem to attack them, and the king encamped at both Judea and Mount Zion. 49 He made terms of peace with the people of Beth-zur, and they evacuated the town, for they had no provisions there that would enable them to withstand a siege, since that was a sabbatical year[g] in the land. 50 The king then occupied Beth-zur and stationed a garrison there to defend it.
51 He besieged the sanctuary for many days, employing artillery, engines of war to hurl fire and stones, machines to shoot arrows, and catapults. 52 The Jews for their part set up machines of their own to counter theirs, and they continued the battle for many days. 53 However, there was no food in the storerooms because it was the sabbatical year, and those who had fled from the Gentiles and taken refuge in Judea had consumed the last of the reserves. 54 Only a few men remained in the sanctuary; the rest scattered to their own homes, for the famine proved too severe for them.
55 Offer of a Peace Treaty. Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus, prior to his death, had appointed to bring up his son Antiochus to be king, 56 had returned from Persia and Media with the forces that had accompanied the king, and that he was attempting to seize control of the government. 57 Therefore, he quickly gave orders to withdraw, saying to the king, to the commanders of the army, and to the soldiers, “Every day we are growing weaker, our provisions are running low, the place we are besieging is strong, and the affairs of the kingdom demand our attention. 58 Let us now come to terms with these people and make peace with them and with their entire nation. 59 Let us grant them permission to live in accordance with their laws as they used to do, for it was on account of our abolition of these laws that they became angry and were provoked into doing all these things.”
60 This proposal met with the approval of the king and his commanders, and he presented the Jews with peace terms, which they accepted. 61 Therefore, the king and his commanders ratified the treaty by oath, and accordingly the Jews emerged from their stronghold. 62 However, when the king entered Mount Zion and saw how strongly the place was fortified, he broke the oath that he had sworn and gave orders to demolish the encircling wall. 63 Then he departed and returned in haste to Antioch. He found Philip in control of the city, but he engaged in battle against him and took the city by force.
Footnotes
- 1 Maccabees 6:1 The author portrays the death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes as happening after the purification of the temple and as the result of God’s justice. In reality, it appears that the persecutor died in the autumn of 164 B.C., before the purification of the temple (1 Mac 4:36f). See note on v. 16.
- 1 Maccabees 6:1 Elymais: a city by this name is unknown; the name seems to refer to a mountainous chain of Persia, in ancient times more often known by the name Elam.
- 1 Maccabees 6:9 Overwhelmed repeatedly with disappointment: perhaps a type of insanity. According to 2 Mac 9:5-12, the king was afflicted with a repugnant physical illness.
- 1 Maccabees 6:16 The year one hundred and forty-nine: this date technically encompasses September 164 to October 163 B.C. According to a Seleucid list of kings, Antiochus died in November or December of 164 B.C.; the author of 2 Maccabees also implies that Antiochus died before the restoration of the temple at Jerusalem.
- 1 Maccabees 6:17 The king’s son Antiochus: Antiochus V Eupator (that is, Antiochus “of a good father”), then about nine years old and under the guardianship of Lysias, who governed and waged wars in his name. He was put to death along with Lysias two years later when Demetrius, brother of Antiochus IV, came and claimed the kingship (see 1 Mac 7:1ff).
- 1 Maccabees 6:32 Beth-zechariah was located six miles from Beth-zur and ten miles southwest of Jerusalem.
- 1 Maccabees 6:49 Sabbatical year: every seventh year the land had to lie fallow (Ex 23:11; Lev 25:3-7); this is the only time that the application of the law is recorded. The year without a harvest was followed by a shortage of food.