The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And he opened his treasury, and gave out pay to the army for a year: and he commanded them, that they should be ready for all things.

And he perceived that the money of his treasures failed, and that the tributes of the country were small, because of the dissension, and the evil that he had brought upon the land, that he might take away the laws of old times:

And he feared that he should not have as formerly enough for charges and gifts, which he had given before with a liberal hand: for he had abounded more than the kings that had been before him.

And he was greatly perplexed in mind, and purposed to go into Persia, and to take tributes of the countries, and to gather much money.

And he left Lysias, a nobleman of the blood royal to oversee the affairs of the kingdom from the river Euphrates even to the river of Egypt:

And to bring up his son, Antiochus, till he came again.

And he delivered to him half the army, and the elephants: and he gave him charge concerning all that he would have done, and concerning the inhabitants of Judea, and Jerusalem.

And that he should send an army against them to destroy and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away the memory of them from that place.

And that he should settle strangers, to dwell in all their coasts, and divide their land by lot.

So the king took the half of the army that remained, and went forth from Antioch, the chief city of his kingdom, in the hundred and forty-seventh year: and he passed over the river Euphrates, and went through the higher countries.

Then Lysias chose Ptolemee, the son of Dorymenus, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends.

And he sent with them forty thousand men, and seven thousand horsemen: to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, according to the king's orders.

So they went forth with all their power, and came, and pitched near Emmaus, in the plain country.

And the merchants of the countries heard the fame of them: and they took silver and gold in abundance, and servants: and they came into the camp, to buy the children of Israel for slaves: and there were joined to them the forces of Syria, and of the land of the strangers.

And Judas, and his brethren, saw that evils were multiplied, and that the armies approached to their borders: and they knew the orders the king had given to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them.

And they said, every man to his neighbour: Let us raise up the low condition of our people, and let us fight for our people, and our sanctuary.

And the assembly was gathered, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion.

Now Jerusalem was not inhabited, but was like a desert: there was none of her children that went in or out: and the sanctuary was trodden down: and the children of strangers were in the castle, there was the habitation of the Gentiles: and joy was taken away from Jacob, and the pipe and harp ceased there.

And they assembled together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem: for in Maspha was a place of prayer heretofore in Israel.

And they fasted that day, and put on haircloth, and put ashes upon their heads: and they rent their garments:

And they laid open the books of the law, in which the Gentiles searched for the likeness of their idols:

And they brought the priestly ornaments, and the first fruits and tithes, and stirred up the Nazarites that had fulfilled their days:

And they cried with a loud voice toward heaven, saying: What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them?

For thy holies are trodden down, and are profaned, and thy priests are in mourning, and are brought low.

And behold the nations are come together against us, to destroy us: thou knowest what they intend against us.

How shall we be able to stand before their face, unless thou, O God, help us?

Then they sounded with trumpets, and cried out with a loud voice.

And after this, Judas appointed captains over the people, over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.

And he said to them that were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, that they should return every man to his house, according to the law.

So they removed the camp, and pitched on the south side of Emmaus.

And Judas said: Gird yourselves, and be valiant men, and be ready against the morning, that you may fight with these nations that are assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary.

For it is better for us to die in battle, than to see the evils of our nation, and of the holies:

Nevertheless, as it shall be the will of God in heaven, so be it done.

Then Gorgias took five thousand men, and a thousand of the best horsemen; and they removed out of the camp by night.

That they might come upon the camp of the Jews and strike them suddenly: and the men that were of the castle were their guides.

And Judas heard of it, and rose up, he and the valiant men, to attack the king's forces that were in Emmaus.

For as yet the army was dispersed from the camp

And Gorgias came by night into the camp of Judas, and found no man; and he sought them in the mountains: for he said: These men flee from us.

And when it was day, Judas shewed himself in the plain with three thousand men only, who neither had armour nor swords:

And they saw the camp of the Gentiles that it was strong, and the men in breastplates, and the horsemen round about them, and these were trained up to war.

And Judas said to the men that were with him: Fear ye not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault.

Remember in what manner our fathers were saved in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with a great army.

And now let us cry to heaven, and the Lord will have mercy on us, and will remember the covenant of our fathers, and will destroy this army before our face this day:

And all nations shall know that there is one that redeemeth and delivereth Israel.

And the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming against them.

And they went out of the camp to battle, and they that were with Judas sounded the trumpet.

And they joined battle: and the Gentiles were routed, and fled into the plain.

But all the hindmost of them fell by the sword and they pursued them as far as Gezeron, and even to the plains of Idumea, and of Azotus, and of Jamnia: and there fell of them to the number of three thousand men.

And Judas returned again with his army that followed him.

And he said to the people: Be not greedy of the spoils; for there is war before us:

And Gorgias and his army are near us in the mountain: but stand ye now against our enemies, and overthrow them, and you shall take the spoils afterwards with safety.

And as Judas was speaking these words, behold part of them appeared, looking forth from the mountain.

And Gorgias saw that his men were put to flight, and that they had set fire to the camp: for the smoke that was seen declared what was done.

And when they had seen this, they were seized with great fear, seeing at the same time Judas and his army in the plain ready to fight.

So they all fled away into the land of the strangers.

And Judas returned to take the spoils of the camp, and they got much gold, and silver, and blue silk, and purple of the sea, and great riches.

And returning home, they sung a hymn, and blessed God in heaven, because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.

So Israel had a great deliverance that day.

And when he heard these things, he was amazed and discouraged: because things had not succeeded in Israel according to his mind, and as the king had commanded.

So the year following, Lysias gathered together threescore thousand chosen men, and five thousand horsemen, that he might subdue them.

And they came into Judea, and pitched their tents in Bethoron, and Judas met them with ten thousand men.

And they saw that the army was strong, and he prayed and said: Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst break the violence of the mighty by the hand of thy servant David, and didst deliver up the camp of the strangers into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and of his armour bearer.

Shut up this army in the hands of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their host and their horsemen. 4:32. Strike them with fear, and cause the boldness of their strength to languish, and let them quake at their own destruction.

Cast them down with the sword of them that love thee: and let all that know thy name praise thee with hymns.

And they joined battle: and there fell of the army of Lysias five thousand men.

And when Lysias saw that his men were put to flight, and how bold the Jews were, and that they were ready either to live, or to die manfully, he went to Antioch, and chose soldiers, that they might come again into Judea with greater numbers.

Then Judas, and his brethren said: Behold our enemies are discomfited: let us go up now to cleanse the holy places, and to repair them.

And all the army assembled together, and they went up into Mount Sion.

And they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burnt, and shrubs growing up in the courts as in a forest, or on the mountains, and the chambers joining to the temple thrown down.

And they rent their garments, and made great lamentation, and put ashes on their heads:

And they fell down to the ground on their faces, and they sounded with the trumpets of alarm, and they cried towards heaven.

Then Judas appointed men to fight against them that were in the castle, till they had cleansed the holy places,

And he chose priests without blemish, whose will was set upon the law of God.

And they cleansed the holy places, and took away the stones that had been defiled into an unclean place.

And he considered about the altar of holocausts that had been profaned, what he should do with it.

And a good counsel came into their minds, to pull it down: lest it should be a reproach to them, because the Gentiles had defiled it; so they threw it down.

And they laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple, in a convenient place, till there should come a prophet, and give answer concerning them.

Then they took whole stones, according to the law and built a new altar, according to the former:

And they built up the holy places, and the things that were within the temple: and they sanctified the temple and the courts.

And they made new holy vessels, and brought in the candlestick, and the altar of incense, and the table, into the temple.

And they put incense upon the altar, and lighted up the lamps that were upon the candlestick, and they gave light in the temple.

And they set the loaves upon the table, and hung up the veils, and finished all the works that they had begun to make.

And they arose before the morning on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, (which is the month of Casleu) in the hundred and forty-eighth year.

And they offered sacrifice, according to the law, upon the new altar of holocausts which they had made.

According to the time, and according to the day wherein the heathens had defiled it, in the same was it dedicated anew with canticles, and harps, and lutes, and cymbals.

And all the people fell upon their faces, and adored, and blessed up to heaven, him that had prospered them.

And they kept the dedication of the altar eight days, and they offered holocausts with joy, and sacrifices of salvation, and of praise.

And they adorned the front of the temple with crowns of gold, and escutcheons, and they renewed the gates, and the chambers, and hanged doors upon them.

And there was exceeding great joy among the people, and the reproach of the Gentiles was turned away.

And Judas, and his brethren, and all the church of Israel decreed, that the day of the dedication of the altar should be kept in its season from year to year for eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month of Casleu, with joy and gladness.

They built up also at that time Mount Sion, with high walls, and strong towers round about, lest the Gentiles should at any time come, and tread it down, as they did before.

And he placed a garrison there, to keep it, and he fortified it, to secure Bethsura, that the people might have a defence against Idumea.

Now it came to pass, when the nations round about heard that the altar and the sanctuary were built up, as before, that they were exceeding angry.

And they thought to destroy the generation of Jacob that were among them, and they began to kill some of the people, and to persecute them.

Then Judas fought against the children of Esau in Idumea, and them that were in Acrabathane: because they beset the Israelites round about, and he made a great slaughter of them.

And he remembered the malice of the children of Bean: who were a snare and a stumblingblock to the people, by lying in wait for them in the way.

And they were shut up by him in towers, and he set upon them, and devoted them to utter destruction, and burnt their towers with fire, and all that were in them.

Then he passed over to the children of Ammon, where he found a mighty power, and much people, and Timotheus was their captain:

And he fought many battles with them, and they were discomfited in their sight, and he smote them:

And he took the city of Gazer and her towns, and returned into Judea.