1 Manghai Philopator tah a noek kah lakah muep sai coeng. Te dongah caemtloek vaengkah vuei aka dawn Hermon te a tueih. 2 Philopator loh anih te a dangkah oltloeknah neh, “Thangvuen ah vuei len yanga te frankimcese neh yu thoek pah lamtah tul. Te phoei ah vuei te a thintoek te rhui saeh. Te vaengah toltung la han khuen lamtah Judah rhoek te a dueknah hil til saeh,” a ti nah.

3 Te phoeiah tah manghai te poeikung la mael. Teah te a uepnah a paya rhoek khaw om uh tih a rhalkap kah rhalboei rhoek khaw om. Amih loh Judah rhoek soah dueknah a pai ham te a uum uh. 4 Te vaengah, Hermon khaw a thui pa bangla saii ham cet coeng.

5 Toltung kah sal rhoek long khaw Judah kah a ram tah a khoe pawn ni tila a tangnah uh. Amih thongtla rhoek te khat khaw a yong pawt ham a ngaih uh. Te dongah amah tekah hlaem ah tah sal rhoek te toltung la cet uh sih Judah rhoek kah a kut te a pin pa uh. 6 Namtom rhoek khaw Judah rhoek daemnah ham te saii uh thai voel pawh. 7 Amih khaw a tat uh thai van moenih.

Judah rhoek a tloh la rhap uh tih cungkuem aka uk neh thaomnah aka khueh Pathen taengah ol a len la thangthui uh. 8 Boeipa taengkah rhennah neh aka muen kholong hlang te thuung hamla a bih uh. 9 Amih te dueknah khui lamloh loeihnah hamla a bih uh vanbangla Pathen loh amih kah thangthunah te a yaak.

10 Te vaengah Hermon loh vuei rhoek te frankincense neh yu te ngahngah a tul a cah dae ca uh pawt tih o uh voel pawh. Te phoeiah tah manghai kah maengtaengnah bangla boeih a saii te thui ham impuei vongup la cet. 11 Tedae Boeipa loh Philopator te muelh a ih sak. He tah Judah rhoek hlawtnah hamla Boeipa kah longpuei coeng ni. 12 Philopator tah a mikku loh a payawk coeng dongah boethae kah mangtaengnah saii ham khaw Hermon te olpae thai voel pawh. 13 Judah rhoek ngawnnah tue te voelh a poeng coeng. Te dongah a cim Pathen kah sitlohnah te uum uh tih a koeh uh. Te phoeiah kholong mangkhak rhoek taengah tloengkhoelh thaomnah tueng sak ham a bih uh.

14 Khothun lung ah tah manghai im la yin nawt a pai te poei taemkung rhoek loh a hmuh uh. Te dongah Philopator te a haeng uh. 15 A haenghang na thueng ah tah poei tong ham om coeng dae metla a om khaw a thui pa uh. 16 Philopator khaw a ngaihmang tih yin rhoek te ongol uh dae a ti nah. Te phoeiah a caak uh tih a ok uh. 17 Hlang boeih te amah ah omngaih uh lamtah mela aka khum tangtae tah hnilh uh laeh,' a ti nah.

18 Rhai a di phoeiah atah Philopator loh Hermon te a khue tih Judah rhoek vawk a hingnah kawng te a dawt. 19 Hermon neh khoboei rhoek long khaw hlaemyin ah manghai loh a uen bangla metla a saii uh khaw a thui pa uh. 20 Philopator tah hlangang lakah khaw sai coeng tih Hermon te, “Tihnin ah ka ip muelh tih Judah rhoek he daem uh. Thangvuen ah hebang pilnam rhalawt rhoek te vuei loh khoe uh kangna saeh,” a ti.

21 Poei kah yin rhoek loh a uem uh tih manghai kah mangtaengnah te a caksak uh phoeiah im la mael uh. 22 Te khoyin ah a then la ip uh voel pawh. Judah rhoek a poci te hnaelcoe tih o ham te a poek uet ah hak uh.

23 A vuen mincang ai a khong cuek nen tah Hermon loh vuei rhoek te frankincense a cah tih yu khaw boeih a tul coeng. Te phoeiah caehlong la a mawt tih toltung la a khuen. 24 Longpuei pha ah pilnam hlangping tah khothaih vaengah Judah rhoeh ham rhihomnah aka thoeng te aka so la khawk taii uh coeng.

25 Judah rhoek tah ngaiuepnah bawt coeng. A hingnah he a tue kolkalh ni tila a ming uh.Te dongah a kut te vaan la thoh uh Khohni Pathen taengah a len la pang uh. Amih loeihnah ham te a bih uh.

26 Khomik a thoeng van nen tah Philopator loh a uepnah a paya rhoek te manghai im la a doe. Hukkhueng kah Hermon a pai due sikim la a om khawng te a thui tih amih khaw toltung la suntlak ham a coep. 27 Tedae Philopator amah te lukil vilvak tangkik coeng tih Hermon taeng a thui ham khaw poeknah om voel pawh. Manghai amah vik loh Hermon taengah baham lae nang kang khue oem te a ti nah. 28 Philopator a mangtaengnah a hnilh vilvak khaw cungkuem aka uk Pathen long ni a hmuek sak coeng.

29 Hermon and the king's friends told Philopator that the elephants and the soldiers were ready to kill the Jews, just as the king had ordered. 30 This made the king furious, because God had made him forget everything. Philopator stared at Hermon and the others 31 and said, “I swear that if your parents or children were here, I would let the elephants eat them, instead of eating the Jews. They have done nothing to me and have always been loyal to my ancestors. 32 If it weren't for your usefulness to me and my devotion to you, your lives would have ended long ago.”

33 Hermon couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he suddenly became nervous and afraid. 34 The king's friends quietly slipped out one by one and told the crowd of people to go on about their own business.

35 When the Jews heard what the king had said, they knew at once that God had rescued them again. So they praised their Lord God, the king of all rulers.

36 King Philopator called his guests back to the celebration and begged them to drink some more. 37 He called for Hermon and shouted in anger, “You worthless fool! How many times do I need to tell you 38 to get those elephants ready? I want the Jews trampled tomorrow!”

39 The officials sitting near Philopator thought he had gone crazy and asked, 40 “Your Majesty, how long do you think we will wait for that to happen? We're not fools! You've said the same thing twice already, and you'll probably change your mind again. 41 The city of Alexandria is crowded with people, and they are getting impatient and angry. We are afraid they might start a riot.”

42 In a violent rage, Philopator forgot he had just praised the Jews for their loyalty. He yelled, “I swear by my own life that the elephants will trample the Jews to death immediately! 43 I will attack the cities of Judea with torches and spears, so that their cities are nothing but ruins and the temple in Jerusalem is burned to the ground. Since I wasn't allowed to enter that place, then no one will ever offer sacrifices there again.”

44 The king's trusted friends*trusted friends: See the note at 5.3. and army commanders were very excited as they left and ordered their troops to stand guard at key places around the city.

45 Hermon made sure the elephants had drunk plenty of wine and eaten lots of frankincense so that they were very angry and confused. He also tied small swords and knives to the sides and stomachs of the elephants. 46 Then he went to the palace courtyard around dawn and told Philopator everything was ready. The city was filled with people crowding their way into the stadium to watch. 47 Philopator stormed out of his palace to see the elephants and to watch the cruel and painful death of the Jews.

48 The Jews in the stadium saw the dust that the elephants stirred up as they came closer to the gate, and they watched as soldiers and other people ran behind the elephants. And when the Jews heard the noisy crowd, 49 they were convinced their terrible wait was over and that they would soon die. They wept and groaned in sorrow as they kissed and hugged each other. But all of them—the parents and the children, the mothers with babies who were still nursing— 50 all of them remembered that God had helped them before, so they bowed down on the ground to pray. Mothers laid aside their babies, 51 while everyone cried out to God in loud voices, asking him to have mercy on them as they faced death and for him to show the world that he is the ruler over everything.