Page 324 - Bible History

THE LAST DAYS OF THE KINGDOM OF JUDA 297
Calling upon God to be merciful to our nation, I am taking upon myself the punishment that my people deserve for their sins.''
When the king heard this, he became terribly angry, and ordered the youngest son and the mother to be tortured even more cruelly than the others.
Both died bravely, giving glory to God and refusing to sin against H law.
4. MATHATHIAS AND His SoNs RESIST ANTIOcHus
Among the families that ed from Jerusalem during the days of the persecution of Antiochus was that of Mathathias. He had ve sons, John, Simon, Judas Machabeus, Eleazar, and Jonathan. They ed to the mountain Modin and lived there.
Antiochus sent his army in search of the fugitives. When the troops found them, they tried to force the Jews to submit to the commands of the king. Many of them yielded and o ered sacri ce to the idols. But Mathathias and his sons refused to o er sacri ce to any but the true God.
Mathathias and his sons escaped and ed again to the mountain. A large group of ghting men, zealous of their religion, gathered about them. With the help of these men, Mathathias attacked various towns and drove out the forces of Antiochus. He punished the Jews who had surrendered to the king. After a year of this kind of warfare, Mathathias died. He gave the command of his army to his son, Judas Machabeus.
Judas Machabeus continued the warfare begun by his father. Though his army was small, he conquered
The ight M th
n victori of Ju Macha­