Read The Book of Maccabees II in source order, passage by passage, with the close English translation where available and the original source text for checking.
They took willows of the brook and branches of palm trees, and they sang a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, who gave them courage and salvation to purify the Temple of His holiness.
And they sent a voice in all the cities of Judah to celebrate this festival every year.
...The Jews in Jerusalem and in the land of Judah to their Jewish brethren in Egypt, peace and salvation!
God bless you, and remember you his covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
And give you a whole heart to fear him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.
God will open your hearts to reflect on His Torah and keep His commandments, and will give you a blessing and peace.
If only The Lord will listen to your prayers and be merciful to you, and from hardship He will save your lives.
In the year 169, the time of the reign of King Demetrius, we wrote to you concerning all the hardship that came upon us, with the betrayal of Yeshua and his cohorts in the the holy land, they sinned in the kingdom of Judah.
They set ablaze the gate to the courtyard. They spilled innocent blood in the land.
We prayed to The Lord our God and he headed our voice. We offered sacrifices and fine flour for the Mincha offering. We lit the lamps, and placed the show-bread on the table of The Lord.
We requested of you to celebrate the dedication of the altar with us during the month of Kislev.
It was in the year 188, They returned and they wrote for them these words.
[From the] People of Judah and Jerusalem and the elders, to Aristobulos,?Secretary?(Meaning of word uncertain) of Ptolemy the king, from the tribe of the anointed priests, and to the Jews of Egypt, Peace and Salvation.
We are blessing The Lord our God who saved our lives from great distress [so that we would be able] to stand before the mighty and awesome king.
For The Lord has removed our enemies from our holy city, He scattered them into the borders of Persia.
And the king with his great and mighty army were killed at the house of Naniah following her priests.
For when Antiochus brought?an army to gather his vassals?(Meaning of words uncertain) to the house of Naniah, he joked to take her as a wife in order to take her treasure houses as a dowry.
It was as the priests of Naniah brought him to the treasure house, the king and his men went into the inner chamber to see it, the priests closed the doors of the chamber behind them.
They opened a hidden door, and they stoned him and everyone with him with stones and they died.
They cut off their heads, they cut them up into pieces, and they threw them outside.
Thanks and praise to The Lord, for he has cut off the wicked from the land. They are no more.
And now we desire to celebrate the day of the dedication of the altar on the 25th of the month of Kislev. We did not refrain from notifying you to celebrate it with us.
You will celebrate it like the days of the festival of Sukkot, and like the day on which Nehemiah found the holy fire upon his return to build the Temple and the altar. He offered on it burnt offerings and sacrifices to God.
For when our forefathers were exiled to Persia, the holy priests secretly took the fire from upon the altar, and they hid it in a deep and dry pit to preserve it. No man knew its location.
It was at the end of many days, when the Lord pitched his kindness upon us, and the king sent Nehemiah to Jerusalem.
He took descendants of the priests who hid the fire, and he sent them to search for it.
But when it was told to us that they didn't find the fire, rather frozen water beneath it, Nehemiah commanded [them] to draw the water and to bring it.
It was when they were offering the sacrifice of the Lord, he commanded them to throw the water on the wood and on the sacrifice that was on the altar. They did so.
After they finished [pouring the water], the sun came out over the land, and the clouds scattered. Behold a fire of God engulfed the sacrifice! The entire crowd around was awe struck.
The priests and the people fell and they prostrated, until the sacrifice was consumed.
Jonathan prayed to the Lord, and Nehemiah and the people responded after him; they said:
The Lord our God, molder and creator of all, Powerful and Awesome, Righteous and Merciful, You alone are our King and our Savior.
The Righteous Lord who opens his wide hand for all life, The God over all Gods and Master of the world, The One who redeems Israel from all his troubles, You chose our forefathers and You sanctified them for Your service.
Desire now this sacrifice on behalf of Your people Israel, and guard Your portion and bless it.
Gather the scattered of Your nation and redeem them from the hand of the nations. Open Your eyes and see their shame, for they are the disgust of all mankind. [Do this] In order that the nations will know that You, The Lord, are our God.
Pour Your wrath upon the oppressors of Your nation, that with stubbornness of their hearts crushed us to the ground.
Bring us and plant us in the mountain of Your portion, like Moses Your servant said.
When they finished supplicating, the priests sang praise and thanks to The Lord.
It was when the sacrifice was consumed, Nehemiah commanded [them] to spill the remaining water on the floor, a flame burned and the fire from on the altar swallowed it.
It was told to the king of Persia that water was found in the place that the exiled priests hid the fire, and that fire burned a sacrifice that Nehemiah offered. He searched and investigated to see if it was true.
He found that it was true and correct. He sanctified the place and fenced it off, and he gave expensive gifts to all who found favor in his eyes.
Nehemiah called that place Hefter, saying that it is holy. Others called it Nifter.
It was also written in the books, that Jeremiah the prophet commanded the exiles to take the fire and hide it like we said.
[Jeremiah] also gave them the book of the Torah of The Lord so they should not forget it, and they should not be seduced in their hearts to turn from the path, when they see graven images of gold and silver with the pride of their glory.
[Jeremiah] taught them many proven things, so that the Torah of The Lord would not leave their hearts.
This was also written, that [Jeremiah] told them according to the mouth of The Lord, to take with them The Tent of Meeting and The Ark.
It was when they came to the mountain that Moses ascended to see the land, Jeremiah found a cave there and he hid The Tent of Meeting, The Ark, and The Alter of Incense in it, and he closed [the cave's] opening.
Some of the people that went with [Jeremiah] tried to make a sign [at the cave] for themselves, yet they became tired from looking for the cave.
Jeremiah heard [about it] and he rebuked them and said. "No man will know the location [of the cave], until The Lord will gather his nation and grant them mercy.
Then The Lord will reveal the location [of the cave], and the glory of The Lord will shine in a cloud, as it was in the days of Moses and Solomon when they begged The Lord to sanctify?himself? (unclear pronoun)."
Jeremiah told them about the wisdom of Solomon and about the sacrifices that [Solomon] offered [at] the time of the dedication of the alter, when he finished erecting the temple of The Lord.
When Moses prayed, A fire left from the presence The Lord and consumed the burnt offering that was on the alter. In this manner Solomon's prayer was also answered.
For a fire descended from the heavens and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices.
And when Moses searched [?in the ashes for?] the ram of the sin offering, Behold! it was charred and no man ate of it. So did Solomon when he offered his sacrifices to The Lord [all] eight days.
All these events can be found in The Chronicles that were written in the days of Nehemiah.
When Nehemiah searched for the books of David, the kings, the prophets, and [anything] that had information about the sacrifices, he collected them into a collection.
So did Judah, when he collected the books that were scattered and dispersed in the storm of the war throughout the land.
They are being guarded in our hands, and if you are desiring of them, send to us and they will be sent to you.
Now, we wrote for you all of these things, so that you will celebrate this festival with us according to what is fit for you.
We are hoping of The Lord our God that he will redeem his nation, and return to us our portion, the kingdom, and the service of the priests that was promised in His holy Torah.
So he should be merciful upon us and gather our dispersed from under the heavens, to bring them to our holy land, just like he has begun to remove us from our distant places, and he purified his temple.
And the deeds of Judah Maccabeus, his brothers, the purification of the temple from its impurity, the dedication ceremony of the temple, and the wars against Antiochus the great and his son Aopater.
What exactly did these Maccabees see that gave them such unwavering faith? The text speaks of "heavenly signs" seen by those "strong and zealous" for Israel. Were they visions? Omens in the stars? Perhaps a deep, unshakeable conviction that they were on the right side of history, fueled by their faith.
Think about the audacity of it all! How did this "tiny battalion" – as the text humbly puts it – chase away the "massive legions of the nations?" It's a rhetorical question, of course, dripping with wonder. It's meant to highlight the sheer improbability, the almost miraculous nature of their victories. They didn't just win; they "disgraced their land," a powerful statement of complete and utter defeat for the opposing forces.
The story doesn't stop there. It's about the "redemption of our holy city," Jerusalem, a city so central to Jewish identity. It's about the "construction of the house whose splendor covers the entire world," referring to the Second Temple. This wasn't just a military victory; it was a spiritual restoration, a rebuilding of faith and community.
The text continues, emphasizing the restoration of Jewish law: "And when The Lord established upon us with kindness his rules and laws that had almost been dissolved throughout the land." Imagine a world where the very fabric of your religious life is threatened, where the laws that define your community are on the verge of disappearing. The Maccabees' victory wasn't just about land; it was about preserving a way of life, a connection to the divine.
Now, here's a little behind-the-scenes detail. The verse reads, "All these words that Jason of Cyrene wrote on five scrolls, I tried to condense his words and deliver them on one scroll." So, we have a sense of the chain of transmission. Jason of Cyrene, presumably an eyewitness or someone close to the events, recorded these stories. Then, someone else took on the task of condensing those five scrolls into a more manageable format – the one we're reading (or, in this case, listening to!) now. It's a reminder that history is often a process of interpretation and retelling.
What does it all mean for us today? Perhaps it's a reminder that even when facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, faith and determination can move mountains. That even a "tiny battalion" can, with courage and conviction, change the course of history. And that the preservation of our values, our traditions, and our faith is a battle worth fighting.
That feeling is exactly what the author of 2 Maccabees understood. He recognized that the existing accounts of the Maccabean revolt – that pivotal moment in Jewish history – were, well, a bit of a mess.
He says, straight out, "when I saw that the accounts of events were mixed up, and that its many words were burdensome to the reader..." He wasn't afraid to admit it! And he decided to do something about it.
His goal? To retell the story "in their proper order, in order that the reader would run through them, and that it would be easy [for the reader] to understand them and remember them." He wanted to make the story accessible, engaging, and memorable.
He wasn't naive about the task ahead. He knew it would be challenging. As he puts it, "I certainly knew that in my endeavor to abridge [the book of Jason of Cyrene] a great and heavy task befell me; the sweat of my brow and nights of hard work were prepared for me." He was essentially taking on the role of editor, curator, and storyteller all rolled into one. He was taking the work of Jason of Cyrene and making it more accessible.
Why go through all that trouble? He uses a beautiful metaphor: "Yet when a man will make a feast, the responsibilities of catering to the desires of his guests also fall upon him." If you're inviting people to your table, you want to make sure they have a good experience. You want to nourish them, not overwhelm them.
In a way, that's what good storytelling is all about. It's about taking complex events, rich history, profound ideas, and presenting them in a way that invites people in. It's about making sure the "guests" – the readers, the listeners – can truly savor the story.
So, next time you encounter a dense, complicated narrative, remember the author of 2 Maccabees. Remember his commitment to clarity, his willingness to work hard, and his desire to create a truly welcoming "feast" for his audience. And maybe, just maybe, you'll be inspired to do a little storytelling of your own.
Therefore I was not afraid to burden my shoulders with the work, [because it would] benefit all who would desire it.
I left some of the stories in the format of the original author, my work was only to abridge his words.
This is just like the work of a carpenter, when he builds a house he worries and thinks about the foundation and structure of the house, and he leaves the decoration and beautification[of the house] to another person. This is what I did.
For the way of all historians is to search and investigate every incident and event, to collect everything in order and to organize [the events] according to his desire.
But for one who abridges there is a given rule to lay out the main part of the events, and to display them before the reader in a brief manner.
And after I began this, I turned my attention to the chronicles,?in order that the key of the book would not grow from within his words? (translation uncertain)
Also a woman and her seven sons were imprisoned in the jail. The king tortured them to [make them] eat pig meat, he beat them with rods and sticks.
The firstborn said to him, what do you ask and what do you request from us? Behold! you will strangulating us rather than turn us from the laws of our forefathers.
The got angry at him, he commanded to place a pan and coals on the fire. They did so.
He commanded to cut his tongue, to flay his skin from upon his flesh, and to cut off his hands and feet in front of his mother and brothers.
It was when his appearance was so destroyed that he no longer looked like a man, [the king] commanded to place him in the coals to roast him alive. It was when the smoke became thick, each of the sons strengthened his brother, and also the mother, to die happily and with a good heart.
They said: Fear of God is upon us he has comforted us with his great kindness, just like Moses the servant of God sang "And on his servants he comfort them" (Deuteronomy 32:36)
The first [son] died and they took the second [son] to make fun of him. After they flayed his skin from upon his flesh, they plucked the hairs of his head, and they asked him saying:
Would you eat pig meat before the rest of you is removed from your bones? He said no. They took him and they tortured him like the first [son].
It was when his life was leaving, he said to the king: Man of blood, Behold our life is in your hand to take it. Therefore our God who is in heaven will awaken his spirit upon us, and bring us to live for ever, because we died for his holy Torah.
They brought the third [son] and they?insulted? him.
It was when they requested his tongue and they took it out of his mouth, he sent forth his hand and said:
The Lord our God these are the bones that you gave me, and with the goodness of my heart I am giving them for the sake of your holy Torah, and for your salvation I hope for you will surely return me.
The king and his servants were in wonderment over the strength of the lad, and the pains that almost did not exist in his eyes.
It was after he died, they tortured the fourth [son] and they tied him with?whips?.
When his breath was still in his nostrils he said: Better to trust in The Lord, than to trust in men (Psalms 118:8), for I will wake to an eternal life and you will never wake.
Afterwards they brought the fifth and they tortured him. He saw the face of Antiochus and said:
Behold, the power is in your hand to convict?as you desire?, but since you are a son of Death, do not think that The Lord has forsaken His nation.
Stand for just a moment and you will see the hand of The Lord, when he will strike you and your house.
They also brought the sixth, and it was before his breath left him to die, he said: Guard yourself lest you lean on words of falsehood.
Behold, all these [terrible] things happened to us because we were wicked to The Lord our God, and He increased his strikes against us.
Just pay attention and listen for it will not escape from The Lord God that you blasphemed [Him].
It is true, who will not be in awe of the mental fortitude of this woman, Is she not fit to be a banner of nations?
Behold, she saw her seven sons slaughtered before her eyes in one day,?she strengthened her despair upon me with her hope to The Lord.
The spirit of the Lord made Judah Maccabee and his men succeed, and they captured the city and the Temple.
They destroyed the altars and the houses of idolatry that the nations had built in the city squares.
After they purified the Temple, made a new altar, and removed the fire from the stones they gathered, they offered their sacrifice to the Lord at the end of two years.
They offered incense and arranged the lamps; they placed the show-bread on the table of the Lord.
And at the end of all these, they fell on their faces and they pleaded to the Lord God, saying:
Please, God, protect us forever from this trouble that's come to us.
And if we have sinned against you, punish us with kindness, and do not give us any longer into the hands of strangers who are cursing the name of your holiness.
And from the Lord it was this, to purge the House on the same day that the nations defiled it, and it was the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev.
And they celebrated a festival to the Lord for eight days, like the days of the festival of Sukkot, and they remembered the previous days when they celebrated the festival of Sukkot in mountains and in caves, and they went out in the desolation/wilderness, like wild beasts.
