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Megillas Antiochos
was found in an old edition of a siddur printed in Solonika, Greece. Otzar
HaTfilos refers to it as a “precious letter”. The Hebrew version is below.
Click each page to enlarge:
MEGILLAS ANTIOCHOS
(Arbitrary
paragraph breaks have been added every 10 verses for ease of reading.
These breaks do not exist in the original.)
1. And it was in the days of Antiochos, king of Greece, a great, mighty
king was he, and he was strong in his reign and all kings listened to him. 2. And
he conquered many cities and mighty kings, and he destroyed their palaces
and their temples he burned with fire, and
their men he imprisoned in jails. 3. From the days of Alexander the king, there
arose no king like him on all sides of the river. 4. And
he built a great city on the sea shore to be his house of kingdom, and
Antiochos called the city by his name. 5. And also his second in command Bagris built
another city next to it and Bagris called it by his name, and so is its
name until this day. 6. In the twenty third year of his reign, it was
the two hundred and thirteenth year of the building of the Temple, he gave
face to ascend to Jerusalem. 7. And he answered and he said to his officers, “Do
you not know that there is the Jewish people in Jerusalem amongst us? 8. To
our god they do not sacrifice, and our religion they do not practice and
the king’s decrees they forsake, to do their religion. 9. And
they also hope for the day of the dethroning of the kings and rulers and
they say, “When will our King rule the seas and dry land, and the entire
world will be given to our hand?” 10. It is not honorable to the kingdom to leave
them be on the face of the earth.
11. And
now let us come and we will ascend on them and nullify their treaty that
was cut with them concerning Sabbath, the new Month and circumcision. And
the matter was good in the eyes of his officers and in the eyes of his
entire army. 12. At that time, Antiochos the king arose and he
sent Nikanor his second with a great army and many people and they came to
the city of Judah, to Jerusalem. 13. And they slaughtered a great slaughter and
built an altar in the Temple in the place where the G-d of Israel said to
His servants, His prophets “Where I will cause to dwell My manifested
presence eternally”, in that place, they slaughtered the pig and they
brought its blood to the sanctified courtyard. 14. And as this occurred, when Yochanan son of
Mattisyahu the High Priest heard these doings occurred, he was filled with
anger and rage, and the countenance of his face changed, and he counseled
in his heart what should be done on this. 15. And then Yochanan son of Mattisyahu made
himself a sword two spans long, one span wide, covered under his clothing. 16. And
he came to Jerusalem and stood in the gate of the king, and he called to
the gatekeepers and he told them “I am Yochanan son of Mattisyahu, I have
come to come before Nikanor.” 17. And then the gatekeepers and watchers came
and told him the High priest of the Jews stands in the opening, and Nikanor
answered and said to them, “Let him surely enter.” 18. And
then Yochanan was brought in before Nikanor and Nikanor answered and said
to Yochanan, “Are you one of the rebels that rebels against the king and
desires not the peace of his kingdom?” 19. And Yochanan answered before Nikanor and
said, “I am he, now I come before you, that which you wish I will do.” 20. And
Nikanor answered and said to Yochanan, “If as my will you will do, take a
pig and slaughter it on the altar and robe in the king’s clothing and ride
of the king’s horses, and as one of the kings beloved you will be.”
21. And
as Yochanan listened, he responded a thing, “My master, I fear from the
children of Israel, perhaps they will hear I have done so and they will
stone me with rocks. 22. Now let all men leave from before you,
perhaps they will make the matter known.” Then, Nikanor caused all men to
leave from before him. 23. At that moment, Yochanan son of Mattisyahu
lifted his eyes to the heavens and assembled his prayer before his G-d and
he said, “My G-d and the G-d of my fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, please
do not give me into the hand of this uncircumcised, because if he will kill
me, he will go and praise in the house of Dagon his god, and say “My god
has given him to my hand.” 24. At that moment, he stepped towards him three
steps and plunged the sword into his heart, and he threw that corpse into
the sanctified courtyard. 25. Before the G-d of heaven, Yochanan answered
and he said, “My G-d, do not place on me sin that I have killed in the
sanctified (area), now, so also give all the people that come with him to
pain Judah and Jerusalem.” 26. Then went out Yochanan son of Mattisyahu on
that day and warred with the people and slaughtered in them a great
slaughter. 27. The number of the slain that he slayed on
that day was seventy two thousand seven hundred that were killed these to
these. 28. On his return they built a pillar on his name and called
it “Maccabee Killed the Mighty”. 29. And it was that king Antiochos heard that his
second in command Nikanor was killed, it grieved him much, and he sent to
bring Bagris the wicked that mislead his people. 30. And Antiochos
answered and said to Bagris, “Do you not know, have you not heard what the
children of Israel have done? They killed my army and looted my camp and my
officers?
31. Now,
on their money you are trusted or their houses are yours. Come, and ascend
upon them and nullify the treaty which was cut with them (by) their G-d,
Sabbath, the New Month and circumcision. 32. Then Bagris the wicked and all his camp came
to Jerusalem and slaughtered in them a great slaughter and decreed a
complete decree on Sabbath, the New Month and circumcision. 33. When
this occurred that the matter of the king was urgent, there was found a man
who circumcised his son and they brought the man and his wife and they hung
him in front of the child. 34. And also the woman who bore the son, after
her husband died and circumcised him at eight days, she went up to the
walls of Jerusalem and her circumcised son in her hands. 35. And
she answered and said, “To you, Bagris the wicked, you intend to nullify
from us the treaty that was cut with us, the treaty of our fathers will not
be nullified from us, Sabbath, the New Moon and circumcision from our
children’s children, it will not be removed.” 36. And she dropped her son to the ground, and
she fell after him and they both died together. And many of the children of
Israel that did similarly in those days, and they did not veer from the
treaty of their fathers. 37. At that time, the children of Israel said, “These
to these, let us go and rest in the cave, lest we desecrate the Sabbath
day, and they slandered them before
Bagris. 38. Then Bagris the wicked sent men girded for
battle and they came to the opening of the cave and said to them, “Come out
to us, eat of our bread and drink of our wine and our actions you shall do.”
39. And
the children of Israel answered, “These to these, “we remember that which
G-d commanded us on Mount Sinai, ‘Six days you shall work, and do all your
labor, and on the seventh day rest’. Now it is better for us that we die in
this cave than desecrating the Sabbath day.” 40. When this happened that the Jews did not come
out to them, they brought wood and burnt it at the opening of the cave and
there died like a thousand men and women.
41. Afterwards,
there came out five sons of Mattisyahu, Yochanan and his four brothers and
they warred with the people and slaughtered a great slaughter and drove
them to the isles of the sea because they trusted in the G-d of heaven. 42. Then
Bagris entered one ship and fled to king Antiochos and with him were men,
escapees of the sword. 43. And Bagris answered and said to king
Antiochos, “You the king, placed a command to nullify from the Jews
Sabbath, the New Month and circumcision, a great deceit and rebellion in
its midst. 44. That when there went all the people and
nations and languages, they could not defeat the five sons of Mattisyahu.
From lions they are stronger, and from eagles they are more swift, and from
bears they are more quick. 45. Now king, I offer you good counsel, and do
not war with few men, for if you war, you will be embarrassed in the eyes
of all kings. 46. Therefore, write and send books in all cities
of your kingdom, that there come officers of war and not leave one of them,
and also elephants wearing armour with them.” 47. And the matter was good with king Antiochos,
and he sent books to all cities of his reign, and there came officers of
all the people and kingdoms, and also elephants wearing armour came with
them. 48.
A second time Bagris the wicked arose and came to Jerusalem, he
broke the wall, and he cut off the water supply, and he broke in the Temple
thirteen breaches and also from the stones he broke until they were like
dust and he thought in his heart and said, “This time I will not be
overtaken because of the numbers of my army and might of my hand”. But the
G-d of heaven did not think so. 49. And when the five sons of Mattisyahu heard,
there arose and came to Mitzpeh Gilead, that were there the remnant of the
house of Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet. 50. They
decreed a fast, and sat on ashes to seek out mercy from before G-d of
heaven.
51. Then
there fell good counsel in their hearts, Judah the firstborn, Simon the
second, the third Yochanan, the fourth Yonasan, the fifth Elazar. 52. And
their father blessed them and so he said, “Judah my son, I liken you to
Judah son of Jacob who was equated to a lion. 53. Simon my son, I liken you to Simon son of
Jacob who killed the inhabitants of Shechem. 54. Yochanan my son, I liken you to Avner son of
Ner, officer of the army of Israel. Yonasan my son, I liken you to Yonasan
son of Saul, who killed the Philistine people. 55. Elazar my son, I liken you to Pinchas son of
Elazar who was jealous for his G-d and saved the children of Israel. 56. On
this, there went out the five sons of Mattisyahu on that day, and warred
with the people, and slaughtered in them a great slaughter, and there was
killed from them Judah. 57. At that moment when the sons of Mattisyahu
saw that Judah was killed, they returned and they came to their father. 58. And
he said to them, “Why have you returned?” And they answered and they said, “On
account that our brother was killed who was equated to all of us.” 59. And
Mattisyahu their father answered and said to them, “I will go out with you
and I will fight with the people, lest the house of Israel perish, and you
are frightened on your brother.” 60. And Mattisyahu went out on that day with his
sons and fought with the people.
61. And
G-d of heaven gave all the mighty of the nations into their hands. And they
slaughtered a great slaughter, all who seized the sword, and all who drew
the bow, officers of war and the seconds in command, there was not left one
remnant, and there fled the rest of the people to the cities of the sea. 62. And
Elazar was involved in killing the elephants and he was submerged by the
chariots of the elephants, and when they returned, they looked for him
among the living and among the dead, and they could not find him. And
afterwards they found him that he was submerged by the chariots of the
elephants. 63. And the children of Israel were gladdened
that there was given to their hands their enemies. From them they burned
with fire and from them they pierced with the sword, and from them they
hung on trees. 64. And Bagris the wicked that misled his people,
the children of Israel burned him with fire. 65. And then, Antiochos the king heard that
Bagris the wicked was killed and all officers of war with him, he entered
into a ship and fled to the cities of the sea, and it was that each place
he came to there, they mocked him and called him “the runaway”. 66. Afterwards,
the children of the Hasmoneans came to the temple, and they built the
broken gates and they closed the breaches, and purified the courtyard from
the casualties and from the impurities. 67. And they searched for pure olive oil to light
the candelabrum, and they did not find but one canister that had the seal
of the ring of the High Priest and they knew that is was pure, and it
contained a measurement to light for one day. 68. And G-d of heaven Who causes to dwell His
name there, gave a blessing and they lit from it eight days. 69. Therefore
there established the children of the Hasmoneans a fulfillment, and they
forged a law, and the children of Israel with them as one, to make these
eight days days of drinking and happiness as the appointed days written in
the Torah, and to light on them lights to make known what was done to them
(by) the eternal G-d of heaven. 70. And on them, one may not eulogize, nor to
decree fast days, or have a fast, except if it was accepted on it prior to
this and pray before their G-d.
71. But
the Hasmoneans and their children and their brothers they did not decree on
them to nullify service of work. And from that time, there was no name to
the kingdom of Greece. 72. And there received the kingdom, the children
of the Hasmoneans and their grandchildren from that time until the
destruction of the Temple two hundred and six years. 73. Therefore,
the children of Israel from that day in all their exiles guard these days
and call them days of drinking and gladness from the twenty-fifth day of
Kislev, eight days. 74. From that time and eternally, there should
not be removed from them, that were in their Temple, priests, Levites and
their wise men who established upon them and upon their grandchildren
eternally.
Other prayer books add these verses:
“And these days, they
arose and accepted on themselves and on their children and on their
grandchildren eternally, the priests, Levites and wise men that were in the
temple, and they were not removed forever. The G-d that did with them a
miracle and a wonder, He should do with us miracles and wonders and sustain
with us the verse that was written as the days of your Exodus from the land
of Egypt, I display wonders, Amen.”
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