---
title: "1 Maccabees 3 – Catholic Bible (CPDV) & Latin Vulgate"
url: https://blessbible.app/bible/1-maccabees/3/
description: "Judas Machabeus succeeds his father, and overthrows Apollonius and Seron. A… 1 Maccabees 3 in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin Vulgate."
---

# 1 Maccabees 3

1 Maccabees 3 is chapter 3 of 16 in the First Book of Maccabees. Here are all 60 verses in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin of the Clementine Vulgate beside them.

> Judas Machabeus succeeds his father, and overthrows Apollonius and Seron. A great army is sent against him out of Syria. He prepares his people for battle by fasting and prayer.
>
> — Bp. Richard Challoner, chapter summary

## 1 Maccabees 3 (Catholic Public Domain Version)

1. And his son Judas, who was called Maccabeus, rose up in his place.
2. And all his brothers assisted him, along with all those who had joined themselves to his father. And they fought the battle of Israel with rejoicing.
3. And he expanded the glory of his people, and he clothed himself with a breastplate like a giant, and he surrounded himself his weapons of war in battles, and he protected the camp with his sword.
4. In his actions, he became like a lion, and like a young lion roaring in the hunt.
5. And he pursued the wicked and tracked them down. And those who disturbed his people, he burned with fire.
6. And his enemies were repelled by the fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled. And salvation was well-directed in his hand.
7. And he provoked many kings, and he gave joy to Jacob by his works, and his memory will be a blessing for all generations.
8. And he traveled through the cities of Judah, and he destroyed the impious out of them, and he turned wrath away from Israel.
9. And he was renowned, even to the utmost part of the earth, and he gathered together those who were perishing.
10. And so Apollonius gathered together the Gentiles, with a numerous and great army from Samaria, to make war against Israel.
11. And Judas knew about it, and he went forth to meet him. And he struck him and killed him. And many fell down wounded, and the rest fled away.
12. And he took away their spoils. And Judas took possession of the sword of Apollonius, and he fought with it during all his days.
13. And Seron, the leader of the army of Syria, heard that Judas had gathered together a company of the faithful and an assembly with him.
14. And he said, “I will make a name for myself, and I will be glorified in the kingdom, and I will defeat Judas in warfare, and those who are with him, who have spurned the word of the king.”
15. And he prepared himself. And the camp of the impious went up with him, with strong auxiliaries, so as to act with vengeance upon the sons of Israel.
16. And they approached even as far as Bethhoron. And Judas went forth to meet him, with a few men.
17. But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, “How will we few be able to fight against so great and so strong a multitude, even though we are weakened by fasting today?”
18. And Judas said: “It is easy for many to be enclosed in the hands of a few, for there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven to liberate by means of many, or by means of few.
19. For victory in warfare is not in the multitude of the army, but in the strength from heaven.
20. They come to us with a contemptuous multitude and with arrogance, in order to destroy us, with our wives and our sons, and to despoil us.
21. In truth, we will fight on behalf of our souls and our laws.
22. And the Lord himself will crush them before our face. But as for you, do not fear them.”
23. And as soon as he had ceased speaking, he attacked them suddenly. And Seron and his army were crushed in his sight.
24. And he pursued him from the descent of Bethhoron, even to the plains. And eight hundred of their men were cut down, but the rest fled into the land of the Philistines.
25. And the fear and dread of Judas, as well as his brothers, fell upon all the nations around them.
26. And his name reached even to the king, and all the nations told stories of the battles of Judas.
27. But when king Antiochus heard these accounts, he was angry to his very soul. And he sent and gathered together forces from his entire kingdom, a very strong army.
28. And he opened his treasury, and he gave out stipends to the army for a year. And he commanded them to make ready for all things.
29. And he saw that the money from his treasures had failed, and that the tributes of the country were small, because of the dissension and the scourging that he had caused on earth in order to take away the legitimate laws, which had been since the first days.
30. And he feared, lest he not have enough the second time as the first, for expenses and gifts, which he had given before with a liberal hand. For his excesses were more than the kings who had been before him.
31. And he was alarmed to his very soul, and he intended to go into Persia, and to take tributes from the regions, and to gather together much money.
32. And he left behind Lysias, a nobleman of royal family, to preside over the kingdom from the river Euphrates, even to the river of Egypt,
33. and to raise his son, Antiochus, until he would return.
34. And he handed over to him half of the army, and the elephants. And he commanded him concerning all that he wanted, and concerning the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem:
35. so that he would send an army against them to crush and to root out the virtue of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away the memory of them from that place,
36. and so that he would establish dwelling places for the sons of foreigners in all their parts, and would distribute their land by lot.
37. And so, the king took the remaining part of the army, and he went forth from Antioch, the city of his kingdom, in the one hundred and forty-seventh year. And he crossed over the river Euphrates, and he traveled through the upper regions.
38. Then Lysias chose Ptolemy, the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor and Gorgias, powerful men from among the king’s friends.
39. And he sent them with forty thousand men, and seven thousand horsemen, to enter into the land of Judah, and to destroy it, according to the word of the king.
40. And so, they proceeded with all their power, and they arrived and took a position near Emmaus, in the land of the plains.
41. And the merchants of the regions heard of their name. And they took very much silver, and gold, and servants, and they came into the camp to take the sons of Israel into servitude. And armies from Syria and from the lands of foreigners were added to them.
42. And Judas and his brothers saw that evils were being multiplied, and that armies had been positioned near their borders. And they knew the words of the king, which ordered the people to be put to death and to be utterly consumed.
43. And they said, each one to his neighbor, “Let us relieve the dejection of our people, and let us fight on behalf of our people and our sacred places.”
44. And an assembly was gathered together, so that they would be prepared for battle, and so that they could pray and ask for mercy and compassion.
45. Now Jerusalem was not inhabited, but was like a desert. There was no one who entered or exited from among her children. And the sanctuary was trampled upon, and the sons of foreigners were in the stronghold. This place was the habitation of the Gentiles. And delight was taken away from Jacob, and the music of flute and harp ceased in that place.
46. And they gathered together and came to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem. For a place of prayer was in Mizpah, in the former Israel.
47. And they fasted on that day, and they clothed themselves with haircloth, and they placed ashes on their heads, and they tore their garments.
48. And they laid open the books of the law, in which the Gentiles searched for the likeness of their idols.
49. And they brought the priestly ornaments, and the first fruits and tithes, and they roused the Nazirites, who had fulfilled their days.
50. And they cried out with a loud voice toward heaven, saying: “What shall we do with these, and where shall we take them?
51. For your holy things have been trampled and defiled, and your priests have been in mourning and in humiliation.
52. And behold, the Nations gather together against us, to destroy us. You know what they intend against us.
53. How shall we be able to stand before their face, unless you, O God, assist us?”
54. Then they sounded the trumpets with a loud call.
55. And after this, Judas appointed commanders over the people: over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.
56. And he said to those who were building houses, or who had betrothed wives, who were planting vineyards, or who were terribly afraid, that they should return, each one to his own house, according to the law.
57. So they moved the camp, and relocated to the south of Emmaus.
58. And Judas said: “Gird yourselves, and be sons of power, and be ready in the morning, so that you may fight against these nations that have assembled against us, so as to destroy us and our sacred things.
59. For it is better for us to die in battle, than to see evils come to our nation and to the sacred places.
60. Nevertheless, as it shall be willed in heaven, so let it be.”

## 1 Maccabees 3 in Latin (Clementine Vulgate, 1592)

1. Et surrexit Judas, qui vocabatur Machabæus, filius ejus, pro eo:
2. et adjuvabant eum omnes fratres ejus, et universi qui se conjunxerant patri ejus, et præliabantur prælium Israël cum lætitia.
3. Et dilatavit gloriam populo suo, et induit se loricam sicut gigas, et succinxit se arma bellica sua in præliis, et protegebat castra gladio suo.
4. Similis factus est leoni in operibus suis, et sicut catulus leonis rugiens in venatione.
5. Et persecutus est iniquos perscrutans eos: et qui conturbabant populum suum, eos succendit flammis:
6. et repulsi sunt inimici ejus præ timore ejus, et omnes operarii iniquitatis conturbati sunt: et directa est salus in manu ejus.
7. Et exacerbabat reges multos, et lætificabat Jacob in operibus suis, et in sæculum memoria ejus in benedictione.
8. Et perambulavit civitates Juda, et perdidit impios ex eis, et avertit iram ab Israël.
9. Et nominatus est usque ad novissimum terræ, et congregavit pereuntes.
10. Et congregavit Apollonius gentes, et a Samaria virtutem multam et magnam ad bellandum contra Israël.
11. Et cognovit Judas, et exiit obviam illi: et percussit, et occidit illum: et ceciderunt vulnerati multi, et reliqui fugerunt.
12. Et accepit spolia eorum: et gladium Apollonii abstulit Judas, et erat pugnans in eo omnibus diebus.
13. Et audivit Seron princeps exercitus Syriæ, quod congregavit Judas congregationem fidelium, et ecclesiam secum,
14. et ait: Faciam mihi nomen, et glorificabor in regno, et debellabo Judam, et eos qui cum ipso sunt, qui spernebant verbum regis.
15. Et præparavit se: et ascenderunt cum eo castra impiorum fortes auxiliarii ut facerent vindictam in filios Israël.
16. Et appropinquaverunt usque ad Bethoron: et exivit Judas obviam illi cum paucis.
17. Ut autem viderunt exercitum venientem sibi obviam, dixerunt Judæ: Quomodo poterimus pauci pugnare contra multitudinem tantam, et tam fortem, et nos fatigati sumus jejunio hodie?
18. Et ait Judas: Facile est concludi multos in manus paucorum: et non est differentia in conspectu Dei cæli liberare in multis, et in paucis:
19. quoniam non in multitudine exercitus victoria belli, sed de cælo fortitudo est.
20. Ipsi veniunt ad nos in multitudine contumaci, et superbia, ut disperdant nos, et uxores nostras, et filios nostros, et ut spolient nos:
21. nos vero pugnabimus pro animabus nostris, et legibus nostris:
22. et ipse Dominus conteret eos ante faciem nostram: vos autem ne timueritis eos.
23. Ut cessavit autem loqui, insiluit in eos subito: et contritus est Seron et exercitus ejus in conspectu ipsius:
24. et persecutus est eum in descensu Bethoron usque in campum, et ceciderunt ex eis octingenti viri, reliqui autem fugerunt in terram Philisthiim.
25. Et cecidit timor Judæ ac fratrum ejus, et formido super omnes gentes in circuitu eorum:
26. et pervenit ad regem nomen ejus, et de præliis Judæ narrabant omnes gentes.
27. Ut audivit autem rex Antiochus sermones istos, iratus est animo: et misit, et congregavit exercitum universi regni sui, castra fortia valde:
28. et aperuit ærarium suum, et dedit stipendia exercitui in annum: et mandavit illis ut essent parati ad omnia.
29. Et vidit quod defecit pecunia de thesauris suis, et tributa regionis modica propter dissensionem et plagam quam fecit in terra, ut tolleret legitima, quæ erant a primis diebus:
30. et timuit ne non haberet ut semel et bis, in sumptus et donaria, quæ dederat ante larga manu: et abundaverat super reges qui ante eum fuerant.
31. Et consternatus erat animo valde, et cogitavit ire in Persidem, et accipere tributa regionum, et congregare argentum multum.
32. Et reliquit Lysiam hominem nobilem de genere regali, super negotia regia, a flumine Euphrate usque ad flumen Ægypti,
33. et ut nutriret Antiochum filium suum, donec rediret.
34. Et tradidit ei medium exercitum, et elephantos: et mandavit ei de omnibus quæ volebat, et de inhabitantibus Judæam, et Jerusalem:
35. et ut mitteret ad eos exercitum ad conterendam et extirpandam virtutem Israël, et reliquias Jerusalem, et auferendam memoriam eorum de loco:
36. et ut constitueret habitatores filios alienigenas in omnibus finibus eorum, et sorte distribueret terram eorum.
37. Et rex assumpsit partem exercitus residui, et exivit ab Antiochia civitate regni sui anno centesimo et quadragesimo septimo: et transfretavit Euphraten flumen, et perambulabat superiores regiones.
38. Et elegit Lysias Ptolemæum filium Dorymini, et Nicanorem, et Gorgiam, viros potentes ex amicis regis:
39. et misit cum eis quadraginta millia virorum, et septem millia equitum, ut venirent in terram Juda, et disperderent eam secundum verbum regis.
40. Et processerunt cum universa virtute sua, et venerunt, et applicuerunt Emmaum in terra campestri.
41. Et audierunt mercatores regionum nomen eorum: et acceperunt argentum, et aurum multum valde, et pueros, et venerunt in castra ut acciperent filios Israël in servos, et additi sunt ad eos exercitus Syriæ, et terræ alienigenarum.
42. Et vidit Judas et fratres ejus, quia multiplicata sunt mala, et exercitus applicabant ad fines eorum: et cognoverunt verba regis, quæ mandavit populo facere in interitum et consummationem:
43. et dixerunt unusquisque ad proximum suum: Erigamus dejectionem populi nostri, et pugnemus pro populo nostro, et sanctis nostris.
44. Et congregatus est conventus ut essent parati in prælium, et ut orarent et peterent misericordiam et miserationes.
45. Et Jerusalem non habitabatur, sed erat sicut desertum: non erat qui ingrederetur et egrederetur de natis ejus. Et sanctum conculcabatur: et filii alienigenarum erant in arce; ibi erat habitatio gentium: et ablata est voluptas a Jacob, et defecit ibi tibia et cithara.
46. Et congregati sunt, et venerunt in Maspha contra Jerusalem, quia locus orationis erat in Maspha ante in Israël.
47. Et jejunaverunt illa die, et induerunt se ciliciis, et cinerem imposuerunt capiti suo, et disciderunt vestimenta sua:
48. et expanderunt libros legis, de quibus scrutabantur gentes similitudinem simulacrorum suorum:
49. et attulerunt ornamenta sacerdotalia, et primitias, et decimas: et suscitaverunt Nazaræos, qui impleverant dies,
50. et clamaverunt voce magna in cælum, dicentes: Quid faciemus istis, et quo eos ducemus?
51. et sancta tua conculcata sunt, et contaminata sunt, et sacerdotes tui facti sunt in luctum, et in humilitatem:
52. et ecce nationes convenerunt adversum nos ut nos disperdant: tu scis quæ cogitant in nos.
53. Quomodo poterimus subsistere ante faciem eorum, nisi tu, Deus, adjuves nos?
54. Et tubis exclamaverunt voce magna.
55. Et post hæc constituit Judas duces populi, tribunos, et centuriones, et pentacontarchos, et decuriones.
56. Et dixit his, qui ædificabant domos, et sponsabant uxores, et plantabant vineas, et formidolosis, ut redirent unusquisque in domum suam secundum legem.
57. Et moverunt castra, et collocaverunt ad austrum Emmaum.
58. Et ait Judas: Accingimini, et estote filii potentes, et estote parati in mane, ut pugnetis adversus nationes has quæ convenerunt adversus nos disperdere nos, et sancta nostra:
59. quoniam melius est nos mori in bello, quam videre mala gentis nostræ, et sanctorum.
60. Sicut autem fuerit voluntas in cælo, sic fiat.

Source: Catholic Public Domain Version (Ronald L. Conte Jr., 2009), public domain; Latin: Clementine Vulgate (1592).