12,750 verses contain “For” (in the KJV: 10,422, in the BSB: 7,841) — showing 12,301–12,400
King James Bible KJV Bible
Berean Standard Bible BSB Bible
And they said unto them, Let that which ye have done hitherto suffice; come forth, and do according to the commandment of the king, and ye shall live.
But they said, We will not come
forth, neither will we do the king’s commandment, to
profane the sabbath day.
Now when Mattathias and his friends understood
hereof, they
mourned for them right
sore.
And one of them said to another, If we all do as our brethren have done, and fight not for our lives and laws against the heathen, they will now quickly root us out of the earth.
Also all they that fled for persecution joined themselves unto them, and were a stay unto them.
So they joined their
forces, and
smote sinful men in their anger, and wicked men in their wrath: but the rest fled to the heathen
for succour.
Now therefore, my sons, be ye
zealous for the law, and give your lives
for the covenant of your fathers.
Was not Abraham found faithful in
temptation, and it was imputed unto him
for righteousness?
Jesus
for fulfilling the word was made a judge in Israel.
Caleb for bearing witness before the congregation received the
heritage of the land.
Elias
for being
zealous and
fervent for the law was taken up into heaven.
Daniel
for his
innocency was delivered from the mouth of lions.
Fear not then the words of a sinful man: for his glory shall be dung and worms.
Wherefore, ye my sons, be
valiant and
shew yourselves men in the behalf of the law;
for by it shall ye obtain glory.
As
for Judas Maccabeus, he hath been mighty and strong, even from his youth up: let him be your captain, and fight the battle of the people.
And he died in the hundred
forty and sixth year, and his sons buried him in the
sepulchres of his fathers at Modin, and all Israel made great
lamentation for him.
In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion’s
whelp roaring for his prey.
For He pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that
vexed his people.
Wherefore the wicked
shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation
prospered in his hand.
He
grieved also many kings, and made Jacob
glad with his acts, and his
memorial is blessed
for ever.
Which thing when
Judas perceived, he went
forth to meet him, and so he
smote him, and
slew him: many also fell down slain, but the rest fled.
He said, I will get me a name and honour in the kingdom;
for I will go fight with
Judas and them that are with him, who
despise the king’s commandment.
And when he came near to the going up of Bethhoron,
Judas went
forth to meet him with a small company:
Unto whom
Judas answered, It is no hard matter
for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and with the God of heaven it is all one, to deliver with a great multitude, or a small company:
For the victory of battle standeth not in the multitude of an host; but strength cometh from heaven.
But we fight for our lives and our laws.
Wherefore the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: and as for you, be ye not afraid of them.
Now when king
Antiochus heard these things, he was full of
indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered together all the
forces of his realm, even a very strong army.
He opened also his
treasure, and gave his soldiers pay
for a year, commanding them to be ready
whensoever he should need them.
He feared that he should not be able to bear the charges any longer, nor to have such gifts to give so liberally as he did before: for he had abounded above the kings that were before him.
Moreover he delivered unto him the half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Juda and Jerusalem:
So the king took the half of the forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred forty and seventh year; and having passed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries.
And with them he sent
forty thousand
footmen, and seven thousand
horsemen, to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, as the king commanded.
So they went
forth with all their power, and came and pitched by
Emmaus in the plain country.
And the merchants of the country, hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, with servants, and came into the camp to
buy the children of Israel
for slaves: a power also of Syria and of the land of the Philistines joined themselves unto them.
Now when
Judas and his brethren saw that
miseries were multiplied, and that the
forces did
encamp themselves in their borders:
for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy the people, and utterly
abolish them;
They said one to another, Let us restore the decayed fortune of our people, and let us fight for our people and the sanctuary.
Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready
for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and
compassion.
Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem;
for in Maspha was the place where they prayed
aforetime in Israel.
But as
for such as were building houses, or had
betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law.
For it is better
for us to die in battle, than to behold the
calamities of our people and our sanctuary.
To the end he might
rush in upon the camp of the Jews, and
smite them suddenly. And the men of the
fortress were his guides.
While as yet the
forces were
dispersed from the camp.
In the mean season came
Gorgias by night into the camp of
Judas: and when he found no man there, he sought them in the mountains:
for said he, These fellows
flee from us
Howbeit all the
hindmost of them were slain with the sword:
for they pursued them unto Gazera, and unto the plains of
Idumea, and
Azotus, and Jamnia, so that there were slain of them upon a three thousand men.
Who when they perceived that the Jews had put their host to flight and were burning the tents; for the smoke that was seen declared what was done:
After this they went home, and sung a song of
thanksgiving, and praised the Lord in heaven: because it is good, because his mercy endureth
forever.
And when they saw the sanctuary
desolate, and the altar
profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a
forest, or in one of the mountains,
yea, and the priests’ chambers pulled down;
Then
Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the
fortress, until he had
cleansed the sanctuary.
Then they took whole stones according to the law, and built a new altar according to the former;
Now on the five and
twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month Casleu, in the hundred
forty and eighth year, they rose up
betimes in the morning,
They decked also the
forefront of the temple with crowns of gold, and with shields; and the gates and the chambers they renewed, and
hanged doors upon them.
Thus was there very great
gladness among the people,
for that the reproach of the heathen was put away.
And they set there a garrison to keep it, and
fortified Bethsura to preserve it; that the people might have a defence against
Idumea.
Also he remembered the injury of the children of
Bean, who had been a
snare and an offence unto the people, in that they lay in wait
for them in the ways.
Then the heathen that were at Galaad assembled themselves together against the Israelites that were in their quarters, to destroy them; but they fled to the fortress of Dathema.
And they are preparing to come and take the
fortress whereunto we are fled,
Timotheus being captain of their host.
Come now therefore, and deliver us from their hands, for many of us are slain:
Now when
Judas and the people heard these words, there assembled a great congregation together, to
consult what they should do
for their brethren, that were in trouble, and
assaulted of them.
Then said
Judas unto Simon his brother, Choose thee out men, and go and deliver thy brethren that are in
Galilee,
for I and
Jonathan my brother will go into the country of Galaad.
Now unto Simon were given three thousand men to go into
Galilee, and unto
Judas eight thousand men
for the country of Galaad.
And that they were shut up in the rest of the cities of the country of Galaad, and that against to
morrow they had appointed to bring their host against the
forts, and to take them, and to destroy them all in one day.
From whence he removed by night, and went till he came to the fortress.
And
betimes in the morning they looked up, and, behold, there was an innumerable people bearing ladders and other engines of war, to take the
fortress:
for they
assaulted them.
He said unto his host, Fight this day for your brethren.
So he went
forth behind them in three companies, who sounded their
trumpets, and
cried with prayer.
Then
Timotheus said unto the captains of his host, When
Judas and his host come near the
brook, if he pass over first unto us, we shall not be able to
withstand him;
for he will
mightily prevail against us:
Now when they came unto Ephron, (this was a great city in the way as they should go, very well fortified) they could not turn from it, either on the right hand or the left, but must needs pass through the midst of it.
Afterward went
Judas forth with his brethren, and fought against the children of
Esau in the land toward the south, where he
smote Hebron, and the towns thereof, and pulled down the
fortress of it, and burned the towers thereof round about.
At that time certain priests,
desirous to
shew their valour, were slain in battle,
for that they went out to fight
unadvisedly.
About that time king
Antiochus travelling through the high countries heard say, that Elymais in the country of Persia was a city greatly
renowned for riches, silver, and gold;
And that
Lysias, who went
forth first with a great power was driven away of the Jews; and that they were made strong by the armour, and power, and store of spoils, which they had
gotten of the armies, whom they had destroyed:
Now when the king heard these words, he was
astonished and
sore moved:
whereupon he laid him down upon his bed, and fell sick
for grief, because it had not
befallen him as he looked
for.
And there he continued many days: for his grief was ever more and more, and he made account that he should die.
Wherefore he called for all his friends, and said unto them, The sleep is gone from mine eyes, and my heart faileth for very care.
And I thought with myself, Into what
tribulation am I come, and how great a flood of misery is it, wherein now I am!
for I was
bountiful and beloved in my power.
I perceive therefore that for this cause these troubles are come upon me, and, behold, I perish through great grief in a strange land.
Then called he for Philip, one of his friends, who he made ruler over all his realm,
And gave him the crown, and his
robe, and his
signet, to the end he should bring up his son
Antiochus, and
nourish him up
for the kingdom.
So king
Antiochus died there in the hundred
forty and ninth year.
So they came together, and besieged them in the hundred and
fiftieth year, and he made mounts
for shot against them, and other engines.
Howbeit certain of them that were besieged got
forth, unto whom some ungodly men of Israel joined themselves:
For which cause they of our nation
besiege the tower, and are
alienated from us: moreover as many of us as they could light on they
slew, and
spoiled our inheritance.
And, behold, this day are they
besieging the tower at Jerusalem, to take it: the sanctuary also and Bethsura have they
fortified.
Moreover they divided the beasts among the armies, and
for every
elephant they appointed a thousand men, armed with coats of
mail, and with helmets of brass on their heads; and beside this,
for every beast were ordained five hundred
horsemen of the best.
As
for the
remnant of the
horsemen, they set them on this side and that side at the two parts of the host giving them signs what to do, and being
harnessed all over
amidst the ranks.
Wherefore all that heard the noise of their multitude, and the marching of the company, and the
rattling of the
harness, were moved:
for the army was very great and mighty.
Howbeit the rest of the Jews seeing the strength of the king, and the violence of his
forces, turned away from them.
But with them that were in Bethsura he made peace:
for they came out of the city, because they had no
victuals there to
endure the siege, it being a year of rest to the land.
As
for the sanctuary, he besieged it many days: and set there artillery with engines and instruments to cast fire and stones, and pieces to cast darts and
slings.
Yet at the last, their vessels being without
victuals, (
for that it was the seventh year, and they in
Judea that were delivered from the Gentiles, had eaten up the residue of the store;)
And covenant with them, that they shall live after their laws, as they did before: for they are therefore displeased, and have done all these things, because we abolished their laws.
Afterward departed he in all
haste, and returned unto Antiochia, where he found Philip to be master of the city: so he fought against him, and took the city by
force.
And as he entered into the palace of his ancestors, so it was, that his
forces had taken
Antiochus and
Lysias, to bring them unto him.
There came unto him all the wicked and ungodly men of Israel, having Alcimus, who was
desirous to be high priest,
for their captain:
But they gave no
heed to their words;
for they saw that they were come with a great power.
For said they, One that is a priest of the seed of Aaron is come with this army, and he will do us no wrong.