1. Makkabeler 16

¹Ve Yuhanna Gazara'dan yukarı çıkıp babası Şimon'a Kendebeos'un gerçekleştirmekte olduğu işleri bildirdi.

²Bunun üzerine Şimon en büyük iki oğlu Yahuda ile Yuhanna'yı çağırıp onlara şöyle dedi: "Ben, kardeşlerim ve babamın evi, gençliğimizden bugüne dek İsrail'in düşmanlarına karşı savaştık; İsrail'i defalarca kurtarmak ellerimiz aracılığıyla başarıyla sonuçlandı."

³"Ama şimdi ben yaşlandım, sizler ise Tanrı'nın merhametiyle yıllar bakımından yeterli olgunluğa eriştiniz. Benim ve kardeşimin yerine geçin, gidin ve ulusumuz için savaşın; gökten gelen yardım sizinle olsun."

⁴Böylece Şimon ülkeden yirmi bin savaşçı ve atlı seçti; bunlar Kendebeos'a karşı sefere çıktılar ve geceyi Modin'de geçirdiler.

⁵Sabahleyin erkenden kalkıp ovaya doğru ilerlediler; karşılarına piyade ve atlılardan oluşan büyük bir ordu çıktı, ancak aralarında coşkun akan bir sel deresi vardı.

⁶Yuhanna ve halkı onların karşısında ordugah kurdu. Halkın sel deresini geçmekten korktuğunu görünce, önce kendisi karşıya geçti; adamları da onu görünce arkasından karşıya geçtiler.

⁷Yuhanna halkı böldü ve atlıları piyadelerin ortasına yerleştirdi; çünkü düşmanın atlı gücü pek çoktu.

⁸Kutsal borazanları çaldılar; Kendebeos ve ordusu bozguna uğratıldı, onlardan pek çok kişi yaralanıp düştü, geri kalanlar ise kaleye kaçtı.

⁹O sırada Yuhanna'nın kardeşi Yahuda yaralandı; ama Yuhanna, Kendebeos'un inşa etmiş olduğu Kedron'a varıncaya dek onları kovalamaya devam etti.

¹⁰Düşmanlar Aşdot topraklarındaki kulelere kadar kaçtılar; Yuhanna buraları ateşe verdi ve onlardan yaklaşık iki bin kişi öldü. Sonra Yuhanna esenlikle Yahuda ülkesine döndü.

¹¹Avubos oğlu Batlamyus, Eriha ovasının komutanı olarak atanmıştı ve elinde çok miktarda gümüş ve altın vardı;

¹²çünkü başkâhinin damadıydı.

¹³Yüreği kibirle doldu, ülkeyi ele geçirmek istedi; Şimon ile oğullarını ortadan kaldırmak için onlara karşı hileli planlar kurmaya başladı.

¹⁴Şimon ülkedeki kentleri denetliyor ve onların bakımıyla ilgileniyordu; yüz yetmiş yedinci yılın on birinci ayında (bu Şebat ayıdır), oğulları Mattathias ve Yahuda ile birlikte Eriha'ya indi.

¹⁵Avubos oğlu onları kendi inşa ettiği Dok adındaki küçük kaleye hileyle kabul etti; onlara büyük bir şölen verdi, ama oraya adamlar gizlemişti.

¹⁶Şimon ve oğulları iyice sarhoş olunca, Batlamyus ve adamları ayağa kalkıp silahlarını aldılar, şölen yerinde Şimon'un üzerine yürüyerek onu, iki oğlunu ve hizmetkarlarından bazılarını öldürdüler.

¹⁷Böylece büyük bir sadakatsizlik yaptı ve iyiliğe karşı kötülükle karşılık verdi.

¹⁸Batlamyus bunları yazıp krala gönderdi; kendisine yardım için askeri güç göndermesini, böylece onların ülkesini ve kentlerini kendisine teslim etmesini istedi.

¹⁹Yuhanna'yı ortadan kaldırmak için Gazara'ya başka adamlar gönderdi; binbaşılara da kendilerine gümüş, altın ve hediyeler vermek üzere yanına gelmeleri için mektuplar yolladı.

²⁰Yeruşalim'i ve tapınak dağını ele geçirmek için de başkalarını gönderdi.

²¹Ancak birisi koşarak Gazara'daki Yuhanna'ya ulaştı ve babasıyla kardeşlerinin öldürüldüğünü, Batlamyus'un onu da öldürmek için adamlar gönderdiğini haber verdi.

²²Yuhanna bunu duyunca çok şaşırdı; kendisini öldürmeye gelen adamları yakalayıp öldürdü, çünkü onların kendisini yok etmek istediklerini anlamıştı.

²³Yuhanna'nın diğer işleri, yaptığı savaşlar, gösterdiği yiğitlikler, inşa ettiği surlar ve diğer bütün yaptıkları,

²⁴babasından sonra başkâhin olduğu günden itibaren, başkâhinlik döneminin günlük kayıtlar kitabında yazılıdır.

¹ΚΑΙ ἀνέβη ᾿Ιωάννης ἐκ Γαζάρων καὶ ἀπήγγειλε Σίμωνι τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ ἃ συνετέλει Κενδεβαῖος.

²καὶ ἐκάλεσε Σίμων τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ᾿Ιούδαν καὶ ᾿Ιωάννην καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός μου ἐπολεμήσαμεν τοὺς πολεμίους ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀπὸ νεότητος ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας, καὶ εὐωδώθη ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ἡμῶν ῥύσασθαι τὸν ᾿Ισραὴλ πλεονάκις.

³νῦν δὲ γεγήρακα, καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐν τῶ ἐλέει ἱκανοί ἐστε ἐν τοῖς ἔτεσι· γίνεσθε ἀντ᾿ ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου καὶ ἐξελθόντες ὑπερμαχεῖτε ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἔθνους ἡμῶν, ἡ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βοήθεια ἔστω μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν.

⁴καὶ ἐπέλεξεν ἐκ τῆς χώρας εἴκοσι χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν πολεμιστῶν καὶ ἱππεῖς, καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν ἐπὶ τὸν Κενδεβαῖον καὶ ἐκοιμήθησαν ἐν Μωδεΐν.

⁵καὶ ἀναστάντες τὸ πρωΐ ἐπορεύοντο εἰς τὸ πεδίον, καὶ ἰδοὺ δύναμις πολλὴ εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῖς, πεζικὴ καὶ ἱππεῖς, καὶ ἦν χειμάρρους ἀναμέσον αὐτῶν.

⁶καὶ παρενέβαλε κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ. καὶ εἶδε τὸν λαὸν δειλούμενον διαπερᾶσαι τὸν χειμάρρουν καὶ διεπέρασε πρῶτος· καὶ εἶδον αὐτὸν οἱ ἄνδρες καὶ διεπέρασαν κατόπισθεν αὐτοῦ.

⁷καὶ διεῖλε τὸν λαὸν καὶ τοὺς ἱππεῖς ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πεζῶν· ἡ δὲ ἵππος τῶν ὑπεναντίων πολλὴ σφόδρα.

⁸καὶ ἐσάλπισαν ταῖς ἱεραῖς σάλπιγξι, καὶ ἐτροπώθη Κενδεβαῖος καὶ ἡ παρεμβολὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔπεσον ἐξ αὐτῶν τραυματίαι πολλοί· οἱ δὲ καταλειφθέντες ἔφυγον εἰς τὸ ὀχύρωμα.

⁹τότε ἐτραυματίσθη ᾿Ιούδας ὁ ἀδελφὸς ᾿Ιωάννου· ᾿Ιωάννης δὲ κατεδίωξεν αὐτοὺς ἕως ἦλθεν εἰς Κεδρών, ἣν ᾠκοδόμησε.

¹⁰καὶ ἔφυγον ἕως εἰς τοὺς πύργους τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς ᾿Αζώτου, καὶ ἐνεπύρισεν αὐτὴν ἐν πυρί, καὶ ἔπεσον ἐξ αὐτῶν εἰς ἄνδρας δισχιλίους καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν εἰς γῆν ᾿Ιούδα μετ᾿ εἰρήνης.

¹¹Καὶ Πτολεμαῖος ὁ τοῦ ᾿Αβούβου ἦν καθεσταμένος στρατηγὸς εἰς τὸ πεδίον ῾Ιεριχὼ καὶ ἔσχεν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον πολύ·

¹²ἦν γὰρ γαμβρὸς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως.

¹³καὶ ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἠβουλήθη κατακρατῆσαι τῆς χώρας καὶ ἐβουλεύετο δόλῳ κατὰ Σίμωνος καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ ἆραι αὐτούς.

¹⁴Σίμων δὲ ἦν ἐφοδεύων τὰς πόλεις τὰς ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ καὶ φροντίζων τῆς ἐπιμελείας αὐτῶν· καὶ κατέβη εἰς ῾Ιεριχὼ αὐτὸς καὶ Ματταθίας καὶ ᾿Ιούδας οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἔτους ἑβδόμου καὶ ἑβδομηκοστοῦ καὶ ἑκατοστοῦ ἐν μηνὶ ἑνδεκάτῳ (οὗτος ὁ μὴν Σαβάτ).

¹⁵καὶ ὑπεδέξατο αὐτοὺς ὁ τοῦ ᾿Αβούβου εἰς τὸ ὀχυρωμάτιον τὸ καλούμενον Δὼκ μετὰ δόλου, ὃ ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτοῖς πότον μέγαν καὶ ἐνέκρυψεν ἐκεῖ ἄνδρας.

¹⁶καὶ ὅτε ἐμεθύσθη Σίμων καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐξανέστη Πτολεμαῖος καὶ οἱ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλάβοσαν τὰ ὅπλα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπεισήλθοσαν τῷ Σίμωνι εἰς τὸ συμπόσιον καὶ ἀπέκτειναν αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καί τινας τῶν παιδαρίων αὐτοῦ.

¹⁷καὶ ἐποίησεν ἀθεσίαν μεγάλην, καὶ ἀπέδωκε κακὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν.

¹⁸καὶ ἔγραψε ταῦτα Πτολεμαῖος καὶ ἀπέστειλε τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὅπως ἀποστείλῃ αὐτῷ δυνάμεις εἰς βοήθειαν καὶ παραδῷ αὐτῷ τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς πόλεις.

¹⁹καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἑτέρους εἰς Γάζαρα ἆραι τὸν ᾿Ιωάννην, καὶ τοῖς χιλιάρχοις ἀπέστειλεν ἐπιστολὰς παραγενέσθαι πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅπως δῷ αὐτοῖς ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ δόματα,

²⁰καὶ ἑτέρους ἀπέστειλε καταλαβέσθαι τὴν ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦ ἱεροῦ.

²¹καὶ προδραμών τις ἀπήγγειλεν ᾿Ιωάννῃ εἰς Γάζαρα ὅτι ἀπώλετο ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅτι ἀπέσταλκε καὶ σὲ ἀποκτεῖναι.

²²καὶ ἀκούσας ἐξέστη σφόδρα καὶ συνέλαβε τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς ἐλθόντας ἀπολέσαι αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτούς, ἐπέγνω γὰρ ὅτι ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν ἀπολέσαι.

²³Καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν λόγων ᾿Ιωάννου καὶ τῶν πολέμων αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀνδραγαθιῶν αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἠνδραγάθησε, καὶ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῶν τειχέων, ὧν ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ τῶν πράξεων αὐτοῦ,

²⁴ἰδοὺ ταῦτα γέγραπται ἐπὶ βιβλίῳ ἡμερῶν ἀρχιερωσύνης αὐτοῦ, ἀφ᾿ οὗ ἐγενήθη ἀρχιερεὺς μετὰ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ.

¹Then came up John from Gazera, and told Simon his father what Cendebeus had done.

²Wherefore Simon called his two eldest sons, Judas and John, and said unto them, I, and my brethren, and my father’s house, have ever from my youth unto this day fought against the enemies of Israel; and things have prospered so well in our hands, that we have delivered Israel oftentimes.

³But now I am old, and ye, by God’s mercy, are of a sufficient age: be ye instead of me and my brother, and go and fight for our nation, and the help from heaven be with you.

⁴So he chose out of the country twenty thousand men of war with horsemen, who went out against Cendebeus, and rested that night at Modin.

⁵And when as they rose in the morning, and went into the plain, behold, a mighty great host both of footmen and horsemen came against them: howbeit there was a water brook betwixt them.

⁶So he and his people pitched over against them: and when he saw that the people were afraid to go over the water brook, he went first over himself, and then the men seeing him passed through after him.

⁷That done, he divided his men, and set the horsemen in the midst of the footmen: for the enemies’ horsemen were very many.

⁸Then sounded they with the holy trumpets: whereupon Cendebeus and his host were put to flight, so that many of them were slain, and the remnant gat them to the strong hold.

⁹At that time was Judas John’s brother wounded; but John still followed after them, until he came to Cedron, which Cendebeus had built.

¹⁰So they fled even unto the towers in the fields of Azotus; wherefore he burned it with fire: so that there were slain of them about two thousand men. Afterward he returned into the land of Judea in peace.

¹¹Moreover in the plain of Jericho was Ptolemeus the son of Abubus made captain, and he had abundance of silver and gold:

¹²For he was the high priest’s son in law.

¹³Wherefore his heart being lifted up, he thought to get the country to himself, and thereupon consulted deceitfully against Simon and his sons to destroy them.

¹⁴Now Simon was visiting the cities that were in the country, and taking care for the good ordering of them; at which time he came down himself to Jericho with his sons, Mattathias and Judas, in the hundred threescore and seventeenth year, in the eleventh month, called Sabat:

¹⁵Where the son of Abubus receiving them deceitfully into a little hold, called Docus, which he had built, made them a great banquet: howbeit he had hid men there.

¹⁶So when Simon and his sons had drunk largely, Ptolemee and his men rose up, and took their weapons, and came upon Simon into the banqueting place, and slew him, and his two sons, and certain of his servants.

¹⁷In which doing he committed a great treachery, and recompensed evil for good.

¹⁸Then Ptolemee wrote these things, and sent to the king, that he should send him an host to aid him, and he would deliver him the country and cities.

¹⁹He sent others also to Gazera to kill John: and unto the tribunes he sent letters to come unto him, that he might give them silver, and gold, and rewards.

²⁰And others he sent to take Jerusalem, and the mountain of the temple.

²¹Now one had run afore to Gazera and told John that his father and brethren were slain, and, quoth he, Ptolemee hath sent to slay thee also.

²²Hereof when he heard, he was sore astonished: so he laid hands on them that were come to destroy him, and slew them; for he knew that they sought to make him away.

²³As concerning the rest of the acts of John, and his wars, and worthy deeds which he did, and the building of the walls which he made, and his doings,

²⁴Behold, these are written in the chronicles of his priesthood, from the time he was made high priest after his father.