2049 verses about Courage

And they chose to die, that they might not be defiled with the meats, and that they might not profane the holy covenant: and they died.

In those days rose up Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem; and he lived at Modin.

Judas, who was called Maccabaeus;

Wherefore should we live any longer?

And many of Israel came to them, and Mattathias and his sons were gathered together.

And the king’s officers answered and spoke to Mattathias, saying, You are a ruler and an honorable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and kindred:

And Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice, If all the nations that are in the house of the king’s dominion hearken to him, to fall away each one from the worship of his fathers, and have made choice to follow his commandments,

Heaven forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances.

We will not hearken to the king’s words, to go aside from our worship, on the right hand, or on the left.

And when he had left speaking these words, there came a Jew in the sight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king’s commandment.

And Mattathias saw it, and his zeal was kindled, and his reins trembled, and he showed forth his wrath according to judgement, and ran, and killed him upon the altar.

And the king’s officer, who compelled men to sacrifice, he killed at that time, and pulled down the altar.

And Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying, Whosoever is zealous for the law, and maintains the covenant, let him come forth after me.

And he and his sons fled into the mountains, and forsook all that they had in the city.

And it was told the king’s officers, and the forces that were in Jerusalem, the city of David, that certain men, who had broken the king’s commandment, were gone down into the secret places in the wilderness;

And they said, We will not come forth, neither will we do the word of the king, to profane the Sabbath day.

And they hurried to give them battle.

And they answered them not, neither cast they a stone at them, nor stopped up the secret places,

saying, Let us die all in our innocency: heaven and earth witness over us, that you⌃ put us to death without trial.

And one said to another, If we all do as our kindred have done, and fight not against the Gentiles for our lives and our ordinances, they will now quickly destroy us from off the earth.

And they took counsel on that day, saying, whoever shall come against us to battle on the Sabbath day, let us fight against him, and we shall in no wise all die, as our kindred died in the secret places.

Then were gathered together to them a company of Hasidaeans, mighty men of Israel, every one that offered himself willingly for the law.

And all those who fled from the evils were added to them, and became a stay to them.

And Mattathias and his friends went round about, and pulled down the altars;

And they pursued after the sons of pride, and the work prospered in their hand.

And they rescued the law out of the hand of the Gentiles, and out of the hand of the kings, neither suffered they the sinner to triumph.

And the days of Mattathias drew near that he should die, and he said to his sons, Now have pride and rebuke gotten strength, and a season of overthrow, and wrath of indignation.

And call to remembrance the deeds of our fathers which they did in their generations; and receive great glory and an everlasting name.

Caleb for bearing witness in the congregation obtained a heritage in the land.

Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, believed, and were saved out of the flame.

Daniel for his innocency was delivered from the mouth of lions.

And be not afraid of the words of a sinful man; for his glory shall be dung and worms.

And you⌃, my children, be strong, and show yourselves men in behalf of the law; for therein shall you⌃ obtain glory.

And Judas Maccabaeus, he has been strong and mighty from his youth: he shall be your captain, and shall fight the battle of the people.

And take you⌃ to you all the doers of the law, and avenge the wrong of your people.

And his son Judas, who was called Maccabaeus, rose up in his stead.

And all his kindred helped him, and so did all those who clave to his father, and they fought with gladness the battle of Israel.

And he got his people great glory, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girded his warlike harness about him, and set battles in array, protecting the army with his sword.

And he was like a lion in his deeds, and as a lion’s whelp roaring for prey.

And he pursued the lawless, seeking them out, and he burned up those that troubled his people.

And the lawless shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of lawlessness were sore troubled, and salvation prospered in his hand.

And he angered many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed forever.

and he was renowned to the utmost part of the earth, and he gathered together such as were ready to perish.

And Judas perceived it, and he went forth to meet him, and struck him, and killed him: and many fell wounded to death, and the rest fled.

And they took their spoils, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, and therewith he fought all his days.

And Seron, the commander of the army of Syria, heard say that Judas had gathered a gathering and a congregation of faithful men with him, and of such as went out to war;

And he came near to the going up of Bethhoron, and Judas went forth to meet him with a small company.

But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, What? shall we be able, being a small company, to fight against so great and strong a multitude? and we for our part are faint, having tasted no food this day.

And Judas said, It is an easy thing for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and with heaven it is all one, to save by many or by few:

for victory in battle stands not in the multitude of an army; but strength is from heaven.

They come to us in fulness of insolence and lawlessness, to destroy us and our wives and our children, for to plunder us:

but we fight for our lives and our laws.

And he himself will discomfit them before our face: but as for you, be you⌃ not afraid of them.

Now when he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and Seron and his army were discomfited before him.

And they pursued them in the going down of Bethhoron to the plain, and there fell of them about eight hundred men; but the residue fled into the land of the Philistines.

And the fear of Judas and his kindred, and the dread of them, began to fall upon the nations round about them:

and his name came near even to the king, and every nation told of the battles of Judas.

And he opened his treasury, and gave his forces pay for a year, and commanded them to be ready for every need.

And he delivered to him the half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all the things that he would have done, and concerning those who lived in Judea and in Jerusalem,

And Lysias chose Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king’s Friends;

and with them he sent forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horse, to go into the land of Judah, and to destroy it, according to the word of the king.

And they removed with all their army, and came and pitched near to Emmaus in the plain country.

and they said each man to his neighbor, Let us raise up the ruin of our people, and let us fight for our people and the holy place.

And the congregation was gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask for mercy and compassion.

And they sounded with the trumpets, and cried with a loud voice.

And after this Judas appointed leaders of the people, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens.

And the army removed, and encamped upon the south side of Emmaus.

And Judas said, Gird yourselves, and be valiant men, and be in readiness against the morning, that you⌃ may fight with these Gentiles, that are assembled together against us to destroy us, and our holy place:

for it is better for us to die in battle, than to look upon the evils of our nation and the holy place.

And Gorgias took five thousand footmen, and a thousand chosen horse, and the army removed by night,

And Judas heard thereof, and removed, he and the valiant men, that he might strike the king’s army which was at Emmaus,

while as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp.

And Gorgias came into the camp of Judas by night, and found no man; and he sought them in the mountains; for he said, These men flee from us.

And as soon as it was day, Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand men: howbeit they had not armor nor swords to their minds.

And they saw the camp of the Gentiles strong and fortified, and horsemen compassing it round about; and these were expert in war.

And Judas said to the men that were with him, Fear you⌃ not their multitude, neither be you⌃ afraid of their onset.

Remember how our fathers were saved in the Red sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army.

And the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming near them:

and they went out of the camp to battle. And those who were with Judas sounded their trumpets,

and joined battle, and the Gentiles were discomfited, and fled into the plain.

But all the hindmost fell by the sword: and they pursued them to Gazara, and to the plains of Idumaea and Azotus and Jamnia, and there fell of them about three thousand men.

And Judas and his army returned from pursuing after them,

and he said to the people, Be not greedy of the spoils, inasmuch as there is a battle before us;

and Gorgias and his army are near to us in the mountain. But stand you⌃ now against our enemies, and fight against them, and afterwards take the spoils with boldness.

While Judas was yet making an end of these words, there appeared a part of them looking out from the mountain:

and they saw that their army had been put to flight, and that the Jews were burning the camp; for the smoke that was seen declared what was done.

But when they perceived these things, they were sore afraid; and perceiving also the army of Judas in the plain ready for battle,

And Israel had a great deliverance that day.

But the strangers, as many as had escaped, came and told Lysias all the things that had happened:

And in the next year he gathered together threescore thousand chosen footmen, and five thousand horse, that he might subdue them.

And they came into Idumaea, and encamped at Bethsura; and Judas met them with ten thousand men.

And he saw that the army was strong, and he prayed and said, Blessed are you, O Saviour of Israel, who did quell the onset of the mighty man by the hand of your servant David, and did deliver the army of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and of his armor bearer:

shut up this army in the hand of your people Israel, and let them be ashamed for their army and their horsemen:

cast them down with the sword of those who love you, and let all that know your name praise you with thanksgiving.

And they joined battle; and there fell of the army of Lysias about five thousand men, and they fell down near them.

But when Lysias saw that his array was put to flight, and the boldness that had come upon those who were with Judas, and how they were ready either to live or to die nobly, he removed to Antioch, and gathered together hired soldiers, that he might come again into Judea with even a greater company.

But Judas and his kindred said, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse the holy place, and to dedicate it afresh.

And all the army was gathered together, and they went up to mount Sion.

Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the citadel, until he should have cleansed the holy place.

And he set there a force to keep it, and they fortified Bethsura to keep it; that the people might have a stronghold near Idumaea.