29
Since it was not possible to oppose the king, he watched for an opportunity to accomplish this by a stratagem.
30
But Maccabeus, noticing that Nicanor was more austere in his dealings with him and was meeting him more rudely than had been his custom, concluded that this austerity did not spring from the best motives. So he gathered not a few of his men, and went into hiding from Nicanor.
31
When the latter became aware that he had been cleverly outwitted by the man, he went to the great and holy temple while the priests were offering the customary sacrifices, and commanded them to hand the man over.
32
When they declared on oath that they did not know where the man was whom he wanted,
33
he stretched out his right hand toward the sanctuary, and swore this oath: "If you do not hand Judas over to me as a prisoner, I will level this shrine of God to the ground and tear down the altar, and build here a splendid temple to Dionysus."
34
Having said this, he went away. Then the priests stretched out their hands toward heaven and called upon the constant Defender of our nation, in these words:
35
"O Lord of all, though you have need of nothing, you were pleased that there should be a temple for your habitation among us;
36
so now, O holy One, Lord of all holiness, keep undefiled forever this house that has been so recently purified."
37
A certain Razis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, was denounced to Nicanor as a man who loved his compatriots and was very well thought of and for his goodwill was called father of the Jews.
38
In former times, when there was no mingling with the Gentiles, he had been accused of Judaism, and he had most zealously risked body and life for Judaism.
39
Nicanor, wishing to exhibit the enmity that he had for the Jews, sent more than five hundred soldiers to arrest him;