The Mighty Maccabees

By Mary Heyn

The Maccabees were an Old Testament family who really trusted God. Thats why God used them to defeat enemies much stronger and more numerous, even renegades among their own people. God gave them victories when Jerusalem was overthrown and all seemed lost. This is their story told in readable poetry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524525491

Mary Heyn

Mary Heyn is a retired Christian elementary school teacher with a love for words, a love for God and people, and an active imagination. She desires to share her faith with others and prays that lives are transformed and new hope is born.

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© 2016 by Mary Heyn.

ISBN:      eBook         978-1-5245-2549-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/14/2016

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Contents

II Maccabees

1.

Alexander, Philip’s son, came out from Cyprus’ land.

He defeated Darius where Medes and Persians stand.

He gained many fortresses, put many kings to death.

He plundered many nations, made the whole world hold its breath.

Before King Darius died he gave out spoils he had won,

divided all the regions that he gave to his own sons.

Antiochus Epiphanes came from this sinful brood.

With renegades he reached agreement, rebels he subdued.

The Israelites then practiced pagan customs in their streets.

Antiochus took Egypt with his elephants and fleets.

King Ptolemy of Egypt fled, left many casualties,

broke into the sanctuary, all its gold to seize.

Israel started mourning then, and all the elders groaned.

Girls and young men starved to death while bride and bridegroom groaned.

King Darius sent his commanders into Judah’s towns.

He spoke to them with peaceful words, but tore their cities down.

They took women and children, and all the cattle too.

They made a citadel of David’s city, made its towers new.

An army full of sinful renegades was then installed.

They stored arms and provisions with their loot inside those walls.

They shed the blood of innocents within the sanctuary.

The people of Jerusalem all fled and found them scary.

The sanctuary was deserted as a wilderness.

Her Sabbaths were a mockery and cause of great distress.

King Darius decreed that all must be one people there.

They must renounce their customs and the gods for which they cared.

The pagans had no problem, but the Israelites would not

obey the king who chose to put them in an awful spot.

He also sent a messenger back to Jerusalem

to tell them not to sacrifice, and then directing them

to profane the Sabbath and build idols everywhere

and leave their sons uncircumcised, as if they didn’t care.

Many who defied the Law were