The army was dispersed. . .That is, in different divisions, not
altogether encamped.
4:5. 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.
4:6. And when it was day, Judas shewed himself in the plain with three
thousand men only, who neither had armour nor swords:
Who neither had armour nor swords. . .Such as they wished for.
4:7. 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.
4:8. And Judas said to the men that were with him: Fear ye not their
multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault.
4:9. Remember in what manner our fathers were saved in the Red Sea,
when Pharaoh pursued them with a great army.
4:10. 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:
4:11. And all nations shall know that there is one that redeemeth and
delivereth Israel.
4:12. And the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming
against them.
4:13. And they went out of the camp to battle, and they that were with
Judas sounded the trumpet.
4:14. And they joined battle: and the Gentiles were routed, and fled
into the plain.
4:15. 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.
4:16. And Judas returned again with his army that followed him.
4:17. And he said to the people: Be not greedy of the spoils; for there
is war before us:
4:18. 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.
4:19. And as Judas was speaking these words, behold part of them
appeared, looking forth from the mountain.
4:20. 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.
4:21. 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.
4:22. So they all fled away into the land of the strangers.
4:23. 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.
4:24. And returning home, they sung a hymn, and blessed God in heaven,
because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.
4:25. So Israel had a great deliverance that day.
4:26. And such of the strangers as escaped, went and told Lysias all
that had happened.
4:27. 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.
4:28. So the year following, Lysias gathered together threescore
thousand chosen men, and five thousand horsemen, that he might subdue
them.
4:29. And they came into Judea, and pitched their tents in Bethoron,
and Judas met them with ten thousand men.
4:30. 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.
4:31. 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.
4:33. Cast them down with the sword of them that love thee: and let all
that know thy name praise thee with hymns.
4:34. And they joined battle: and there fell of the army of Lysias five
thousand men.
4:35. 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.
4:36. 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.
4:37. And all the army assembled together, and they went up into Mount
Sion.
4:38. 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.
4:39. And they rent their garments, and made great lamentation, and put
ashes on their heads:
4:40. And they fell down to the ground on their faces, and they sounded
with the trumpets of alarm, and they cried towards heaven.
4:41. Then Judas appointed men to fight against them that were in the
castle, till they had cleansed the holy places,
4:42. And he chose priests without blemish, whose will was set upon the
law of God.
4:43. And they cleansed the holy places, and took away the stones that
had been defiled into an unclean place.
4:44. And he considered about the altar of holocausts that had been
profaned, what he should do with it.
4:45. 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.
4:46. 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.
4:47. Then they took whole stones, according to the law and built a new
altar, according to the former:
4:48. And they built up the holy places, and the things that were
within the temple: and they sanctified the temple and the courts.
4:49. And they made new holy vessels, and brought in the candlestick,
and the altar of incense, and the table, into the temple.
4:50. And they put incense upon the altar, and lighted up the lamps
that were upon the candlestick, and they gave light in the temple.
4:51. And they set the loaves upon the table, and hung up the veils,
and finished all the works that they had begun to make.
4:52. 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.
4:53. And they offered sacrifice, according to the law, upon the new
altar of holocausts which they had made.
4:54. 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.
4:55. And all the people fell upon their faces, and adored, and blessed
up to heaven, him that had prospered them.
4:56. And they kept the dedication of the altar eight days, and they
offered holocausts with joy, and sacrifices of salvation, and of
praise.
4:57. 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.
4:58. And there was exceeding great joy among the people, and the
reproach of the Gentiles was turned away.
4:59. 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.
4:60. 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.
4:61. 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.