1After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated Darius king of the Persians and Medes, he reigned in his place, having first become king over Greece.
2He waged many wars, took control of strongholds, and slaughtered kings.
3And he marched to the ends of the earth and took the spoils of many nations. The earth fell silent before him, and he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up.
4And he assembled a very strong army and ruled over regions, nations, and principalities, and they paid him tribute.
5After these things, he took to his bed and knew that he was dying.
6He summoned his honored officers, who had been brought up with him from his youth, and he divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive.
7And Alexander reigned for twelve years, and he died.
8And his officers took power, each in his own territory.
9And they all put on diadems after he died, and so did their sons after them for many years; and they multiplied evils in the land.
10And from them came forth a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus, who had been a hostage in Rome. He began to reign in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.
11In those days lawless men came forth from Israel, and they persuaded many, saying, “Let us go and make a covenant with the nations around us, for since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us.”
12And the proposal seemed good in their eyes.
13And some of the people were eager and went to the king, who gave them authority to observe the customs of the nations.
14And they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem according to the customs of the nations.
15They removed the marks of their circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined themselves to the nations and sold themselves to do evil.
16When the kingdom was established for Antiochus, he resolved to become king of the land of Egypt, so that he might rule over both kingdoms.
17He entered Egypt with a formidable army, with chariots, elephants, and cavalry, and with a great fleet.
18He waged war against Ptolemy, king of Egypt. Ptolemy turned and fled before him, and many of the wounded fell.
19They captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils of the land of Egypt.
20Antiochus returned after defeating Egypt in the one hundred and forty-third year. He went up against Israel and came to Jerusalem with a formidable army.
21He entered the sanctuary in arrogance and took the golden altar, the lampstand for the light, and all its utensils;
22the table of the presentation, the libation jars, the bowls, the golden censers, the curtain, the crowns, and the golden adornment on the front of the temple—he stripped it all off.
23He took the silver and the gold and the precious vessels; he also took the hidden treasures that he found.
24After taking everything, he departed to his own land. He committed a slaughter and spoke with great arrogance.
25And there was great mourning for Israel in all their places.
26Rulers and elders groaned; virgins and young men languished, and the beauty of the women faded.
27Every bridegroom took up a lament; the bride in her chamber was in mourning.
28The land was shaken for its inhabitants, and the whole house of Jacob was clothed with shame.
29After two full years, the king sent a chief tax collector to the cities of Judah, and he came to Jerusalem with a formidable army.
30He spoke peaceful words to them deceitfully, and they trusted him. Then he fell upon the city suddenly, struck it a great blow, and destroyed many people of Israel.
31They took the plunder of the city, set it on fire, and tore down its houses and its surrounding walls.
32They took the women and children captive, and they took possession of the livestock.
33And they fortified the City of David with a great, strong wall and with strong towers, and it became their citadel.
34And they stationed there a sinful people, lawless men, and they established themselves securely within it.
35They stored up weapons and food, and gathering the plunder of Jerusalem, they deposited it there. And it became a great snare.
36It became an ambush for the sanctuary and an evil adversary for Israel continually.
37They shed innocent blood around the sanctuary and defiled the sanctuary.
38The inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them, and she became a dwelling for foreigners; she became a stranger to her own offspring, and her children abandoned her.
39Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness; her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into a reproach, and her honor into contempt.
40Her dishonor was multiplied in proportion to her glory, and her exaltation was turned into mourning.
41Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
42and that each should forsake his own laws. And all the nations accepted the king’s command.
43Many from Israel also consented to his form of worship; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.
44And the king sent letters by the hand of messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, commanding them to follow laws foreign to the land,
45to forbid burnt offerings, sacrifices, and drink offerings in the sanctuary, and to profane sabbaths and feasts,
46to defile the sanctuary and the holy people,
47to build altars, shrines, and idols, and to sacrifice swine and other unclean animals,
48to leave their sons uncircumcised, and to make themselves abominable with everything unclean and profane,
49so that they would forget the law and change all the ordinances.
50And whoever does not act according to the word of the king shall die.
51In accordance with all these words, he wrote to his whole kingdom. He appointed overseers over all the people and commanded the cities of Judah to offer sacrifices, city by city.
52And many of the people gathered to them—everyone who was forsaking the law—and they did evil in the land.
53They drove Israel into hiding, into all their places of refuge.
54On the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year, they built an abomination of desolation upon the altar of burnt offering. And in the surrounding cities of Judah they built altars,
55and they burned incense at the doorways of the houses and in the streets.
56Any books of the law that they found, they tore up and burned.
57And wherever a book of the covenant was found in someone’s possession, or if anyone consented to the law, the king’s decree would put him to death.
58By their power they did this to Israel, to those who were found month after month in the cities.
59On the twenty-fifth day of the month, they offered sacrifice on the altar that was on top of the altar of burnt offering.
60And the women who had circumcised their children they put to death, according to the command.
61And they hung the infants from their mothers’ necks, and their families, and those who had circumcised them.
62And many in Israel were hanged. And they resolved in themselves not to eat unclean food.
63They accepted death so as not to be defiled by the food and not to profane the holy covenant. And they died.
64And very great wrath came upon Israel.
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