1 Maccabees

Brenton Septuagint Translation

1 Maccabees has 16 chapters. Read 1 Maccabees in the Brenton Septuagint Translation, chapter by chapter, free and without an account.

1 Maccabees recounts resistance to the suppression of Jewish religious life under Seleucid rule. Beginning with Mattathias and his sons, it follows Judas Maccabaeus, Jonathan, and Simon through warfare, temple restoration, and diplomacy. The narrative celebrates their defense of the law and sanctuary while tracing the rise of their family’s religious and political authority.

Read the 1 Maccabees summary and outline →

In Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, 1 Maccabees is among the Historical Books of the Old Testament, one of the deuterocanonical books. Protestant Bibles place it in the Apocrypha or leave it out, and it is not part of the Jewish Tanakh. See it on the shelf.

Faithful Judean families protect a blank law scroll as soldiers remove temple vessels beneath a distant Hellenistic ruler
1 Maccabees 1

1 Maccabees 1 recounts Antiochus's oppression and temple desecration, contrasting forced assimilation with costly covenant faithfulness.

Mattathias rejects a royal altar in Modin and later blesses his five sons among families gathered in mountain refuge
1 Maccabees 2

1 Maccabees 2 follows Mattathias from resistance at Modin to wilderness leadership and his final commission to Simon and Judas.

Judas encourages a small Judean company in the hills as a much larger army gathers across the distant plain
1 Maccabees 3

1 Maccabees 3 depicts Judas rallying an outnumbered people through disciplined preparation, prayer, and trust beyond military numbers.

Judas and the community repair and cleanse the sanctuary, light its lampstand, and celebrate the restored altar
1 Maccabees 4

1 Maccabees 4 moves from victory at Emmaus to the cleansing, rebuilding, and joyful eight-day dedication of Jerusalem's sanctuary.

Judas, Jonathan, and Simon guide vulnerable families with children and belongings safely across rivers and rugged country
1 Maccabees 5

1 Maccabees 5 follows coordinated journeys by Judas, Jonathan, and Simon to rescue threatened Jewish communities across the region.

An elephant-led Hellenistic army approaches a fortified Judean city as defenders prepare and later negotiators seek peace
1 Maccabees 6

1 Maccabees 6 recounts Antiochus's death, an elephant-led invasion, Eleazar's sacrifice, siege scarcity, and a broken peace oath.

Wary Judean elders face a deceptive delegation as Judas and his smaller force pray before confronting a distant army
1 Maccabees 7

1 Maccabees 7 exposes Alcimus and Nicanor's deception and follows Judas's prayerful defense and victory at Adasa.

Judean envoys present a blank bronze treaty tablet to Roman senators after a long Mediterranean voyage
1 Maccabees 8

1 Maccabees 8 recounts Judas's envoys to Rome and the mutual-defense alliance formed against Seleucid oppression.

Companions mourn Judas while Jonathan and Simon lead survivors across the Jordan and later receive released captives
1 Maccabees 9

1 Maccabees 9 recounts Judas's death and Jonathan's rise through wilderness survival, defense, negotiation, and restored peace.

Jonathan reunites hostages with families and oversees Jerusalem's walls before receiving high-priestly robes from royal envoys
1 Maccabees 10

1 Maccabees 10 follows Jonathan's diplomacy, Jerusalem's rebuilding, his high-priestly appointment, and victory over Apollonius.

Jonathan stands between rival royal delegations and later rallies a small company in prayer outside Jerusalem
1 Maccabees 11

1 Maccabees 11 follows Jonathan through rival kings, broken promises, urban revolt, desertion, prayer, and renewed courage.

Judean envoys cross the sea as Jonathan strengthens Jerusalem and cautiously approaches the gates of Ptolemais
1 Maccabees 12

1 Maccabees 12 combines renewed diplomacy and fortification with Tryphon's deceptive capture of Jonathan at Ptolemais.

Simon rallies Jerusalem, strengthens its defenses, honors Jonathan's tomb, and enters a cleansed citadel with palms
1 Maccabees 13

1 Maccabees 13 follows Simon's leadership, Jonathan's burial, political freedom, fortified Judea, and the cleansing of Jerusalem's citadel.

Families harvest in peace outside secure Jerusalem as elders publicly affirm Simon's leadership beside a blank bronze tablet
1 Maccabees 14

1 Maccabees 14 celebrates peace and abundance under Simon and records the people's formal recognition of his leadership.

Simon listens to rival royal envoys in fortified Jerusalem while an army gathers near the coast
1 Maccabees 15

1 Maccabees 15 shows royal promises turning into demands as Simon defends ancestral territory against renewed Seleucid pressure.

John leads defenders across a brook and later receives news of betrayal while Simon's distant banquet hall falls silent
1 Maccabees 16

1 Maccabees 16 recounts John's victory over Cendebeus and the banquet betrayal that kills Simon and transfers leadership to John.