1487 verses about Safety

And they of the city shut them out, and stopped up the gates with stones.

And Judas gathered together those that lagged behind, and encouraged the people all the way through, until he came into the land of Judah.

And they went up to mount Sion with gladness and joy, and offered whole burnt offerings, because not so much as one of them was slain until they returned in peace.

And he removed to go into the land of the Philistines, and he went through Samaria.

And the king took Bethsura, and appointed a garrison there to keep it.

But there were no food in the sanctuary, because it was the seventh year, and those who fled for safety into Judea from among the Gentiles had eaten up the residue of the store;

And the king and the princes sware to them: thereupon they came forth from the stronghold.

And he spoke with them words of peace, and sware to them, saying, We will seek the hurt neither of you nor your friends.

And he made sure the country to Alcimus, and left with him a force to aid him; and Bacchides went away to the king.

Let there be no battle between me and you; I will come with a few men, that I may see your faces in peace.

And he came to Judas, and they saluted one another peaceably. And the enemies were ready to take away Judas by violence.

And the land of Judah had rest a little while.

Good success be to the Romans, and to the nation of the Jews, by sea and by land forever: the sword also and the enemy be far from them.

and to those who make war upon them they shall not give, neither supply, food, arms, money, or ships, as it has seemed good to Rome, and they shall keep their ordinances without taking anything therefore.

In the same manner, moreover, if war come first upon the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help them as confederates with all their soul, as the occasion shall prescribe to them:

And Jonathan, and Simon his brother, and all that were with him, knew it; and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoah, and encamped by the water of the pool Asphar.

And Jonathan sent his brother, a leader of the multitude, and implored his friends the Nabathaeans, that they might leave with them their baggage, which was much.

And they remembered John their brother, and went up, and hid themselves under the covert of the mountain:

Now therefore cry to heaven, that you⌃ may be delivered out of the hand of your enemies.

And Jonathan and those who were with him leapt into the Jordan, and swam over to the other side: and they did not pass over Jordan against them.

and he returned to Jerusalem. And they built strong cities in Judea, the stronghold that was in Jericho, and Emmaus, and Bethhoron, and Bethel, and Timnath, Pharathon, and Tephon, with high walls and gates and bars.

And he fortified the city Bethsura, and Gazara, and the citadel, and put forces in them, and store of food.

And he took the sons of the chief men of the country for hostages, and put them in ward in the citadel at Jerusalem.

And all the lawless men took counsel, saying, Behold, Jonathan and they of his part are dwelling at ease, and in security: now therefore we will bring Bacchides, and he shall lay hands on them all in one night.

And Jonathan, and Simon, and those who were with him, got them away to Bethbasi, which is in the wilderness, and he built up that which had been pulled down thereof, and they made it strong.

And he restored to him the captives which he had taken aforetime out of the land of Judah, and he returned and departed into his own land, and came not any more into their borders.

And the sword ceased from Israel. And Jonathan lived at Michmash; and Jonathan began to judge the people; and he destroyed the ungodly out of Israel.

And he commanded those who did the work to build the walls and the mount Sion round about with square stones for defence; and they did so.

And the strangers, that were in the strongholds which Bacchides had built, fled away;

And no man shall have authority to exact from any of them, or to trouble them concerning any matter.

And whoever shall flee to the temple that is at Jerusalem, and be found within all the borders thereof, whether one owe moneys to the king, or any other matter, let them go free, and all that they have in my kingdom.

And for the building of the walls of Jerusalem, and the fortifying thereof round about, shall the expense be given also out of the king’s revenue, and for the building of the walls in Judea.

And the king made him sit with him, and said to his princes, Go forth with him into the midst of the city, and make proclamation, that no man complain against him of any matter, and let no man trouble him for any manner of cause.

And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem with peace and gladness.

And Simon drew forth his army, and joined battle with the phalanx (for the horsemen were spent), and they were discomfited by him, and fled.

And the horsemen were scattered in the plain, and they fled to Azotus, and entered into Beth-dagon, their idol’s temple, to save themselves.

Now as he entered into the cities of Ptolemais, he set his forces for a garrison in each city.

And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river that is called Eleutherus, and returned to Jerusalem.

But king Alexander was in Cilicia at that season, because they of those parts were in revolt.

And king Demetrius saw that the land was quiet before him, and that no resistance was made to him, and he sent away all his forces, each man to his own place, except the foreign forces, which he had raised from the isles of the Gentiles: and all the forces of his fathers hated him.

and pressed sore upon him that he should deliver him to him, that he might reign in his father’s stead: and he told him all that Demetrius had done, and the hatred wherewith his forces hated him; and he abode there many days.

And the king fled into the court of the palace, and they of the city seized the passages of the city, and began to fight.

Give us your right hand, and let the Jews cease from fighting against us and the city.

And they cast away their arms, and made peace; and the Jews were glorified in the sight of the king, and before all that were in his kingdom; and they returned to Jerusalem, having many spoils.

And king Demetrius sat on the throne of his kingdom, and the land was quiet before him.

And Jonathan went forth, and took his journey beyond the river and through the cities; and all the forces of Syria gathered themselves to him for to be his confederates. And he came to Ascalon, and they of the city met him honorably.

And they of Gaza made request to Jonathan, and he gave them his right hand, and took the sons of their princes for hostages, and sent them away to Jerusalem; and he passed through the country as far as Damascus.

and he went to meet them, but Simon his brother he left in the country.

And they gave them letters to the men in every place, that they should bring them on their way to the land of Judah in peace.

And he came out from thence, and came to Damascus, and took his journey through all the country.

And they were gathered together to build the city, and there fell down part of the wall of the brook that is on the east side, and he repaired that which is called Chaphenatha.

And Simon also built Adida in the plain country, and made it strong, and set up gates and bars.

But Simon encamped at Adida, near the plain.

And Tryphon made ready all his horse to come: and on that night there fell a very great snow, and he came not by reason of the snow. And he removed, and came into the country of Gilead.

And Tryphon returned, and went away into his own land.

And Simon built the strongholds of Judea, and fenced them about with high towers, and great walls, and gates, and bars; and he laid up food in the strongholds.

And Simon chose men, and sent to king Demetrius, to the end he should give the country an immunity, because all that Tryphon did was to plunder.

And whatever things we confirmed to you, they are confirmed; and the strongholds, which you⌃ have built, let them be your own.

And those who were in the engine leaped forth into the city; and there was a great uproar in the city:

and they of the city tore their clothes, and went up on the walls with their wives and children, and cried with a loud voice, making request to Simon to give them his right hand.

And he ordained that they should keep that day every year with gladness. And the hill of the temple that was by the citadel he made stronger than before, and there he lived, himself and his men.

And the land had rest all the days of Simon: and he sought the good of his nation; and and his authority and his glory was well-pleasing to them all his days.

And amid all his glory he took Joppa for a haven, and made it an entrance for the isles of the sea;

He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy:

and they sat each man under his vine and his fig tree, and there was none to make them afraid:

and he fortified the cities of Judea, and Bethsura that lies upon the borders of Judea, where the arms of the enemies were aforetime, and set there a garrison of Jews:

and he fortified Joppa which is upon the sea, and Gazara which is upon the borders of Azotus, wherein the enemies lived aforetime, and placed Jews there, and set therein all things convenient for the reparation thereof:

and he placed Jews therein, and fortified it for the safety of the country and the city, and made high the walls of Jerusalem:

but that Jerusalem and the sanctuary should be free: and all the arms that you have prepared, and the strongholds that you have built, which you have in your possession, let them remain to you:

And king Antiochus pursued him, and he came, as he fled, to Dor, which is by the sea:

It pleased us therefore to write to the kings and to the countries, that they should not seek their hurt, nor fight against them, and their cities, and their country, nor be confederates with such as fight against them.

Moreover it seemed good to us to receive the shield of them.

But Tryphon embarked on board a ship, and fled to Orthosia.

and they fled to the towers that are in the fields of Azotus; and he burned it with fire; and there fell of them about two thousand men. And he returned into Judea in peace.

Now Simon was visiting the cities that were in the country, and taking care for the good ordering of them; and he went down to Jericho, himself and Mattathias and Judas his sons, in the hundred and seventy and seventh year, in the eleventh month, the same is the month Sebat:

And one ran before to Gazara, and told John that his father and kindred were perished, and he has sent to kill you also.

And when he heard, he was sore amazed; and he laid hands on the men that came to destroy him, and killed them; for he perceived that they were seeking to destroy him.

And when the priests of Nanaea’s temple had set the treasures forth, and he was come there with a small company within the wall of the precincts, they shut to the temple when Antiochus was come in:

For indeed when our fathers were about to be led into the land of Persia, the godly priests of that time took of the fire of the altar, and hid it privily in the hollow of a well that was without water, wherein they made it sure, so that the place was unknown to all men.

And Jeremiah came and found a chamber in the rock, and there he brought in the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense; and he made fast the door.

While therefore they called upon the Almighty Lord to keep the things intrusted to them safe and sure for those that had intrusted them,

they blessed the Lord, that made marvelous his own place; and the temple, which a little before was full of terror and alarm, was filled with joy and gladness after the Almighty Lord appeared.

Now when Apollonius the son of Menestheus was sent into Egypt for the enthronement of Ptolemy Philometor as king, Antiochus, learning that Ptolemy had shewn himself ill affected toward the state, took thought for the security of his realm; wherefore, going by sea to Joppa, he travelled on to Jerusalem.

But Judas, who is also called Maccabaeus, with nine others or thereabout, withdrew himself, and with his company kept himself alive in the mountains after the manner of wild beasts; and they continued feeding on such poor herbs as grew there, that they might not be partakers of the threatened pollution.

I remembered with affection your honor and good will toward me. Returning out of the region of Persia, and being taken with a noisome sickness, I deemed it necessary to take thought for the common safety of all,

to the end that, if anything fell out contrary to expectation, or if any unwelcome tidings were brought, they that remained in the country, knowing to whom the state had been left, might not be troubled;

But Timotheus himself fled into a stronghold called Gazara, a fortress of exceeding strength, Chaereas being in command there.

But the more part of them escaped wounded and naked; and Lysias also himself escaped by shameful flight.

and when the Jews, relying on the common decree of the city, accepted the invitation, as men desiring to live in peace and suspecting nothing, they took them out to sea and drowned them, in number not less than two hundred.

But learning that the men of Jamnia were minded to do in like manner to the Jews that sojourned among them,

And when they had drawn off seven hundred and fifty furlongs from thence, they made their way to Charax, to the Jews that are called Tubieni.

But when Timotheus heard of the inroad of Judas, he at once sent away the women and the children and also the baggage into the fortress called Carnion; for the place was hard to besiege and difficult of access by reason of the narrowness of the approaches on all sides.

But Timotheus himself, falling in with the company of Dositheus and Sosipater, implored them with much crafty guile to let him go with his life, because he had in his power the parents of many of them and the kindred of some: otherwise, said he, little regard will be shewn to these.

So when he had with many words confirmed the agreement to restore them without hurt, they let him go that they might save their kindred.

But calling upon the Sovereign who with might breaks in pieces the strength of the enemy, they got the city into their hands, and killed as many as twenty and five thousand of those who were within.

And a certain Dositheus, one of Bacenor’s company, who was on horseback and a strong man, pressed hard on Gorgias, and taking hold of his cloke drew him along by main force; and while he was minded to take the accursed man alive, one of the Thracian horsemen bore down upon him and disabled his shoulder, and so Gorgias escaped to Marisa.

Now there is in that place a tower of fifty cubits high, full of ashes, and it had all round it a gallery descending sheer on every side into the ashes.

But do you, O king, having informed yourself of these things severally, take thought both for our country and for our race, which is surrounded by foes, according to the gracious kindness with which you receive all.

For as long as Judas remains alive, it is impossible that the state should find peace.

Nicanor tarried in Jerusalem, and did nothing to cause disturbance, but dismissed the flocks of people that had gathered together.