1 About this time, Mattathias, a priest from the family of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem to Modein.
2-5 Mattathias had five sons, whose names were John, Simon, Judas, Eleazar, and Jonathan. Each son had a nickname. John was called Gaddi, Simon was known as Thassi, and Judas was called Maccabeus. Eleazar was nicknamed Avaran, and Jonathan was known as Apphus.
6 When Mattathias found out that the people of Judea and Jerusalem were rejecting God's Law,
7 he said:Why have I lived to seeenemies crushing my peopleand the holy city?Foreigners now occupy Jerusalem;they have taken over the temple,
8 making it a place of shame.