1About this time, King Antiochus began a second invasion of Egypt.
2
Jason was forced to hide
in town after town.
He was hunted and hated
by everyone,
because he had rebelled
against the Law of God
and had sentenced to death
many Jews in Israel.
Jason lived in Egypt for a while,
9then sailed to Sparta,
so he could beg protection
from distant relatives.
This man who had forced Jews
to live in foreign countries
died in that foreign city.
10Because he didn't even bury
the Jews he killed,
no one grieved when he died,
or gave him a funeral,
or made a place for his body
in the family grave.
Antiochus Attacks Jerusalem(1 Maccabees 1.20-63)11
19But the Lord did not choose the nation for the good of the temple. He chose the temple for the good of the nation.
20That's why the temple and our people suffered together and were later blessed together. So when God All-Powerful got angry with us, he deserted our temple. But after God had made peace with us, he gave the temple back its glory.
Antiochus Torments the People21After King Antiochus had stolen 1,800,000 silver coins from the temple, he rushed back to Antioch, arrogant and drunk with power. He believed he could walk on water and sail on dry land!
22Antiochus picked cruel rulers to govern the people. He appointed Philip from Phrygia to be governor of Jerusalem, and this man was more of a savage than the king himself.
23Then Antiochus put Andronicus in charge of Mount Gerizim. Even Menelaus was made a ruler, and although he was a Jew himself, he was more abusive than any of the other governors.
King Antiochus hated the Jews so much,
24that he sent a Mysian officer named Apollonius to Jerusalem with 22,000 soldiers. Apollonius had orders to kill every man in the city and to sell their families as slaves.
25When Apollonius arrived in Jerusalem, he lied and said he wanted peace. But on the Sabbath, which is our sacred day of rest, he ordered his soldiers to take their weapons and parade outside the city.
26Some of the people came out to watch, and Apollonius ordered his troops to slaughter them all. After this, he and his soldiers ran into the city where they killed many others.
27Judas Maccabeus and about nine of his followers escaped to the rugged hill country, where they survived like wild animals by eating only things that grew wild. The men did this, so they could keep themselves fit to worship God.
Who We AreWhat We EelieveWhat We Do
2025 by iamachristian.org,Inc All rights reserved.
