make haste to go against Philip; yet did they resolve not to let this be
known to the soldiers or to the officers: but the king commanded Lysias
to speak openly to the soldiers and the officers, without saying a word
about the business of Philip; and to intimate to them that the siege
would be very long; that the place was very strong; that they were
already in want of provisions; that many affairs of the kingdom wanted
regulation; and that it was much better to make a league with the
besieged, and to become friends to their whole nation, by permitting
them to observe the laws of their fathers, while they broke out into
this war only because they were deprived of them, and so to depart home.
When Lysias had discoursed thus to them, both the army and the officers
were pleased with this resolution.

7. Accordingly the king sent to Judas, and to those that were besieged
with them, and promised to give them peace, and to permit them to make
use of, and live according to, the laws of their fathers; and they
gladly received his proposals; and when they had gained security upon
oath for their performance, they went out of the temple. But when
Antiochus came into it, and saw how strong the place was, he broke his
oaths, and ordered his army that was there to pluck down the walls to
the ground; and when he had so done, he returned to Antioch. He also
carried with him Onias the high priest, who was also called Menelaus;
for Lysias advised the king to slay Menelaus, if he would have the Jews
be quiet, and cause him no further disturbance, for that this man was
the origin of all the mischief the Jews had done them, by persuading his
father to compel the Jews to leave the religion of their fathers. So the
king sent Menelaus to Berea, a city of Syria, and there had him put to
death, when he had been high priest ten years. He had been a wicked
and an impious man; and, in order to get the government to himself, had
compelled his nation to transgress their own laws. After the death of
Menelaus, Alcimus, who was also called Jacimus, was made high priest.
But when king Antiochus found that Philip had already possessed himself
of the government, he made war against him, and subdued him, and took
him, and slew him. Now as to Onias, the son of the high priest, who, as
we before informed you, was left a child when his father died, when
he saw that the king had slain his uncle Menelaus, and given the high
priesthood to Alcimus, who was not of t