Makkabi Cabu
Pathum nah
Olrhoeknah
Makkabi III cabu he khokhuen cil la om tih kohlop koi khaw muep om. He cabu he Egypt kah aka om Jews hlang loh B.C yacut pakhat tluk vaengah a tael. A hmuethma he sawt vaengahMaccabees 1, 2; dongkah bangla om pawh. Te tah Makkabi rhal thoh hlan kum sawmnga tluk ah ni Judea a om coeng. Tahae kah dongah tah a kum ngai he Egypt ram ah aka thoeng te ni a tael. Te vaengah manghai Ptolemy IV Philopator (221 to 203 b.c.) loh a uk. 3 Makkabi dongah tah kholong manghai kut lamkah Pathen hlang rhoek Pathen loh a tlannah kawng he a tael. He kah cabu he Makkabi 1, 2 phoeikah a kawng ni a tael. Lamhma kah Greek cayol dongah tah Makkabi cabu ana ti moenih.
Syrian caem te caemtloek ah a tlaknah hnuk ah tah manghai Ptolemy te Jerusalem la cet. Anih te bawkim a cim kah a cim koek hmuen ah kun la cai. Te dae pilnam loh anih te kun sak pawt ham khoep amah. Ngangah cai dae a hnuk atah yah a poh tih mael.
Hmuh mueh Pathen kah thaomnah dongah thangthuinah he olpuei la a om kawng ni n'cang puei.
Outline
Trouble for Jews in Jerusalem (1.1—2.24)
Trouble for Jews in Egypt (2.25—6.21)
The Trouble Ends and the Jews Return Home (6.22—7.23)
1
Dositheus
Saves Philopator's Life
Saves Philopator's Life
1 When King Philopator ruled Egypt,*King Philopator … Egypt: Also known as Ptolemy IV (ruled 221-203 b.c.). King Antiochus of Syria†King Antiochus of Syria: Antiochus III, later known as Antiochus the Great (ruled 223-187 b.c.). invaded and took over much of his territory. Some of the Egyptians escaped and told Philopator what had happened. So he immediately called together his entire army, including foot soldiers and cavalry troops. He took along his sister Arsinoe and led the Egyptian troops to the region near Raphia,‡Raphia: A town in southern Israel, about five kilometers from Gaza near the Mediterranean coast. where Antiochus and his army were camped.
2 That same night a man named Theodotus decided to murder Philopator to end the war between Egypt and Syria. He took with him many of the best Egyptian weapons that had been assigned to him years before,§He took with him … Egyptian weapons … before: Or “Theodotus took with him many of the best Egyptian soldiers that had been under his command some time ago.” According to other ancient writings, Theodotus had been the commander of the Egyptian troops stationed in Syria, but had deserted to join the army of Antiochus III. and he sneaked into Philopator's tent.
3 But there was a Jewish man by the name of Dositheus,*Dositheus: Greek “Dositheus, the son of Drimylus.” who had given up the religion of his ancestors and was now loyal to the Egyptians. Dositheus somehow learned what Theodotus planned to do. And he arranged for Philopator to be away from his tent that night and for some unimportant man to sleep there in his place. So Theodotus killed an innocent man.
The Egyptians Defeat
the Syrians
the Syrians
4 Not long after the fighting broke out between the Egyptians and the Syrians, Philopator realized his troops would be defeated. So his sister Arsinoe went to the Egyptian troops in tears and with tangled hair, and she begged them to fight bravely for their wives and children. She even promised to pay every soldier two kilograms of gold if the Syrians were defeated. 5 Arsinoe's plan worked. The Egyptians defeated the Syrians and took many of them prisoners.
6 After that victory, Philopator visited the nearby cities to meet the people 7 and donate gifts to their places of worship. The people felt much safer after his visits, and they respected him as their ruler.
Philopator Visits Jerusalem
and Asks
To Enter the Temple
and Asks
To Enter the Temple
8 The Jews sent some of their religious leaders to meet King Philopator and to congratulate him on what he had done. Their visit, together with the gifts, made Philopator even more anxious to visit their cities.
9 Some time later, Philopator arrived in Jerusalem and went to the temple, where he offered the usual sacrifices and gave thanks to God Most High. The size and beauty of the temple amazed Philopator 10 so much that he wanted to see what it looked like inside.
11 The Jews who walked with Philopator said, “Your Majesty, not even our priests can enter the most holy place in the temple. Only the high priest is allowed inside, and he can enter at a certain time just once a year.”
Philopator refused to believe them. 12 Then someone opened a copy of the Law of Moses and read aloud the part where God forbids anyone except the high priest to enter the most holy place in the temple.†the Law of Moses … temple: See, for example, Leviticus 16.1,2.
The king replied, “Even if others aren't allowed to enter this temple, why can't I go in? 13 No one has ever refused to let me enter a temple before.”
14 Without thinking, someone foolishly answered, “You're wrong to think you can go into this temple, just because you've gone into others.”
15 Philopator said, “After everything I've done for this country, I should be allowed inside whether you say it's all right or not.”
The People of Jerusalem Try
To Stop Philopator
To Stop Philopator
16 The priests in their priestly robes bowed down and begged God Most High to help them stop the evil thing that Philopator was about to do. They cried so loudly 17 that everyone in Jerusalem was scared and ran to the temple, because they knew something very unusual was happening. 18 Young women who had never been out in public‡Young women … public: Young women were sometimes kept inside until they were engaged to be married. sprinkled dust§dust: Greek; some ancient translations add “and ashes.” on their heads to show their sorrow, then rushed outside with their mothers. The sounds of their crying and moaning filled the streets of Jerusalem. 19 Women who were engaged to be married left their bedrooms and huddled together in the streets, many of them half-naked. 20 Mothers and the women who took care of their newborn babies were in such a hurry to get to the holy temple that they completely forgot about the babies and left them behind in houses and in the streets! 21 Everyone ran to the temple, then prayed and begged God to keep Philopator from entering the temple.
22 Meanwhile, a group of brave people had their own plan about how to stop Philopator. 23 They told the soldiers in the city to get their weapons and to be ready to die bravely for the sake of the ancient Law of Moses. These people caused a lot of confusion at the temple, until finally the older men and the respected leaders*leaders: Greek; some ancient translations “priests.” convinced them to stop and to pray with the others.
24 Everyone prayed sincerely, 25 while the religious leaders tried to talk Philopator out of his arrogant plan. 26 But they were not successful. He stubbornly ignored everything they said and started walking toward the temple. 27 As he did, the people near him, including some of his own officers, began praying and begging God All-Powerful to defend them from the coming disaster and to punish the evil King Philopator. 28 Nothing could be heard except their loud prayers. 29 In fact, it seemed as if the walls of Jerusalem and the earth itself were praying along with them. The people agreed that it would be better for them to die than to watch Philopator make their temple unfit as a place to worship God.
*1.1 King Philopator … Egypt: Also known as Ptolemy IV (ruled 221-203 b.c.).
†1.1 King Antiochus of Syria: Antiochus III, later known as Antiochus the Great (ruled 223-187 b.c.).
‡1.1 Raphia: A town in southern Israel, about five kilometers from Gaza near the Mediterranean coast.
§1.2 He took with him … Egyptian weapons … before: Or “Theodotus took with him many of the best Egyptian soldiers that had been under his command some time ago.” According to other ancient writings, Theodotus had been the commander of the Egyptian troops stationed in Syria, but had deserted to join the army of Antiochus III.
*1.3 Dositheus: Greek “Dositheus, the son of Drimylus.”
†1.12 the Law of Moses … temple: See, for example, Leviticus 16.1,2.
‡1.18 Young women … public: Young women were sometimes kept inside until they were engaged to be married.
§1.18 dust: Greek; some ancient translations add “and ashes.”
*1.23 leaders: Greek; some ancient translations “priests.”