1 Maccabees 4
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1THen toke Gorgias fiue thousand fote men, and a thousand of the best horsemen, and departed out of the campe by night, 2To inuade the campe of the Iewes, and to slaye them suddenly: and the men of the forteresse were his guides. 3Now when Iudas heard it, he remoued, & they that were valiant men to smite the Kings armie which was at Emmaus, 4Whiles yet the armie was dispersed from the campe. 5In the meane season came Gorgias by night into Iudas campe: & when he founde no man there, he soght them in the mountaines: for said he, They flee from vs. 6But assone as it was day, Iudas shewed him self in the field with thre thousand men, which had nether harnes nor swordes to their mindes. 7And thei sawe that the armies of the heathen were strong and wel armed, and their horsemen about them, and that these were experte men of warre. 8Then said Iudas to the men that were with him, Feare ye not their multitude, nether be afraied of their assalt. 9Remember, how our fathers were deliuered * in the red Sea, when Pharao pursued them with an armie. 10Therefore now let vs crye vnto heauen, and the Lord wil haue mercie vpon vs, & remember the couenant of our fathers, & wil destroie this hoste before our face this day: 11So shal all the heathen knowe, that there is one, which deliuereth and saueth Israel. 12Then the strangers lift vp their eyes, & sawe them coming against them, 13And they went out of their tentes into the battel, and they that were with Iudas, blew the trumpets. 14So they ioyned together, and the heathen were discomfited and fled by the plaine. 15But the hinmoste of them fel by the sworde, and they pursued them vnto ″Gazeron, and into the plaines of Idumea, and of Azotus, and of Iamnia, so that there were slaine of them about thre thousand men. 16So Iudas turned againe with his hoste: from pursuing them, 17And said vnto the people, Be not griedie of the spoiles: for there is a battel before vs. 18And Gorgias and the armie is here by vs in the mountaine: but stand ye now fast against your enemies, and ouercome them: then may ye safely take the spoiles. 19As Iudas was speaking these wordes, there appeared one parte which loked from the mountaines. 20But when Gorgias sawe that his were fled, and that Iudas soldiers burnt the tentes: (for the smoke that was sene, declared what was done.) 21When they sawe these things, they were sore afraied, and when they sawe also that Iudas and his hoste were in the field readie to set them selues in array, 22They fled euerie one into the land of strangers. 23So Iudas turned againe to spoile the tentes, where he gate muche golde and siluer, and precious stones, and purple of the sea, and great riches. 24Thus they went home, and sang psalmes, and praised towarde the heauen: for he is gracious; and his mercie endureth for euer. 25And so Israel had a great victorie in that day. 26¶Now all the strangers that escaped, came,& tolde Lysias all the things that were done. 27Who when he heard these things, was sore afraied, and discouraged, because suche things came not vpon Israel as he wolde, nether suche things as the King had commanded him, came to passe. 28Therefore the next yere following, gathered Lysias thre score thousande chosen fote men, and fiue thousande horsemen to fight against Ierusalem. 29So they came into ″Idumea, and pitched their tentes at ″Beth-sura, where Iudas came against them with ten thousand men. 30And when he sawe that mightie armie, he praied and said, Blessed be thou, ô Sauiour of Israel,*which didest destroie the assalte of the mightie man by the hand of thy seruant Dauid, *& gauest the hoste of the strangers into the hand of Ionathan, the sonne of Saul, and of his armour bearer: 31Shut vp this armie in the hand of thy people of Israel,& let them be confounded with their power, and with their horsemen. 32Make them afraied, and consume their boldenes & strength, that thei may be astonished at their destruction. 33Cast them downe by the sworde of them that loue thee: then shal all thei that knowe thy Name, praise thee with songs. 34So they ioyned together, and there were slaine of Lysias hoste, fiue thousand men, and they fell before them. 35Then Lysias, seing his armie put to flight and the manlines of Iudas soldiers, and that they were readie, either to liue or dye valiantly, he went into Antiochia, and gathered strangers, and when he had furnished his armie″, he thoght againe ( being prepared)to come against Iudea. 36Then said Iudas & his brethren, Beholde, our enemies are discomfited: let vs now go vp to clense, and to repaire the Sanctuarie. 37So all the hoste gathered them together, and went vp into the mountaine of Sion. 38Now when they sawe the Sanctuarie layed waste, and the altar defiled, and the dores burnt vp, and the shrubbes growing in the courtes, as in a forest, or as on one of the mountaines, and that the Priests chambers were broken downe, 39They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes vpon their heads, 40And fel downe to the grounde on their faces, and blewe an alarme with the trumpets, and cryed towarde heauen. 41Then Iudas commanded certeine of the men to fight against those which were in the castel, til he had clensed the Sanctuarie. 42So he chose Priests that were vndefiled, suche as delited in the Law, 43And they clensed the Sanctuarie, and bare out the defiled stones into an vncleane place, 44And consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offrings, which was polluted. 45So they thoght it was best to destroie it, lest it shulde be a reproche vnto them, because the heathen had defiled it: therefore they destroyed the altar, 46And layed vp the stones vpon the mountaine of the Temple in a conuenient place, til there shulde come a Prophet, to shewe what shulde be done with them. 47So they toke whole stones according to the Law, and buylded a new altar according to the former, 48And made vp the Sanctuarie, and the things that were within the Temple, and the courts, and all things. 49They made also new holie vessels, and broght into the Temple the candelsticke, and the altar of burnt offrings, and of incense and the table . 50And they burnt incense vpon the altar,& lighted the lampes which were vpon the candelsticke, that they might burne in the Temple. 51Thei set also the shewbread vpon the table, and hanged vp the vailes, and finished all the workes that they had begon to make. 52And vpon the fiue and twentieth day of the ninth moneth, which is called the moneth of Chaslu, in the hundreth and eight and fortieth yere they rose vp betimes in the morning, 53And offred sacrifice according to the Law, vpon the new altar of burnt offrings, that they had made. 54According to the time, and according to the day, that the heathen had defiled it, in the same day was it made new with songs, and harpes, and lutes, and cymbales. 55And all the people fel vpon their faces, worshipping & praising towarde the heauen him that had giuen them good successe. 56So they kept the dedicacion of the altar eight daies, offring burnt offrings with gladnes, & offred sacrifices of deliuerance and praise, 57And decte the forefronte of the Temple with crownes of golde and shields, & dedicated the gates and chambers, & hanged dores vpon them. 58Thus there was very great gladnes among the people, and the reproche of the heathen was put away. 59So Iudas and his brethren with the whole congregacion of Israel ordeined that the daies of dedicacion of the altar shulde be kept in their season from yere to yere, by the space of eight daies, from the fiue and twentie day of the moneth Chasleu, with mirth and gladnes. 60And at the same time buylded they vp mount Sion with hie walles and strong towers rounde about, lest the Gentiles shulde come, and treade it downe, as they had done afore. 61Therefore they set a garison there to kepe it, & fortified Beth-sura to kepe it, that the people might haue a defense against Idumea.