1487 verses about Safety

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.

But Maccabaeus, when he perceived that Nicanor was behaving more harshly in his dealings with him, and that he had become ruler in his customary bearing, understanding that this harshness came not of good, gathered together not a few of his men, and concealed himself from Nicanor.

Then Darius the king stood up, and kissed him, and wrote letters for him to all the treasurers and governors and captains and satraps, that they should safely bring on their way both him, and all those that should go up with him to build Jerusalem.

Moreover he wrote for all the Jews that should go out of his realm up into Jewry, concerning their freedom, that no officer, no governor, no satrap, nor treasurer, should forcibly enter into their doors;

And Darius sent with them a thousand horsemen, till they had brought them back to Jerusalem safely, and with musical instruments, tabrets and flutes.

for I was ashamed to ask of the king footmen, and horsemen, and conduct for safeguard against our adversaries.

And from the river Theras we departed the twelfth day of the first month, until we came to Jerusalem, by the mighty hand of our Lord which was upon us: and the Lord delivered us from assault by the way, from every enemy, and so we came to Jerusalem.

And you rolled the depths of the sea over him, when he made pursuit with chariots, and with a multitude of followers, and gave a safe passage to those who put their trust in you, the Lord of the whole creation.

His friends and bodyguards, beholding the swift recompense which had suddenly overtaken him, struck with exceeding terror, and fearing that he would die, speedily removed him.

I am right well; and so, too, are my affairs.

For by the punishment of them in one body we perceive that we have found the only means of establishing our affairs for the future on a firm and satisfactory basis.

Whosoever shall shield a Jew, whether it be old man, child, or suckling, shall with his whole house be tortured to death.

Whatever place shall shelter a Jew, shall, when he is hunted forth, be put under the ban of fire, and be forever rendered useless to every living being for all time to come.

The planks of the deck above them barred out the light, and shut out the day on every side, so that they might be treated like traitors during the whole voyage.

inasmuch as there were many still left in the land, of whom some were in inhabited houses, and others were scattered about in various places; so that all the commanders in Egypt were insufficient for the work.

The underlings appointed for the purpose went out about evening and bound the hands of the miserable victims, and took other precautions for their security at night, thinking that the whole race would perish together.

Who has gathered here, unreasonably removing each from his home, those who, in fidelity to us, had held the fortresses of the country?

They requested the king to send them back to their homes.

Having arrived at Ptolemais, called from the specialty of that district Rose-bearing, where the fleet, in accordance with the general wish, waited for them seven days,

they partook of a banquet of deliverance, for the king generously granted them severally the means of securing a return home.

They were accordingly brought back in peace, while they gave utterance to becoming thanks; and they determined to keep these days during their sojourn as days of joyfulness.

These they registered as sacred upon a pillar, when they had dedicated the place of their festivity to be one of prayer. They departed unharmed, free, abundant in joy, preserved by the king’s command, by land, by sea, and by river, each to his own home.

Thus says the Lord Almighty, The quails were for a token to you; I gave you a camp for your safeguard, nevertheless you⌃ murmured there:

Keep the old and young within your walls.

Abide still, O my people, and take your rest, for your quietness shall come.