1   Gorgias, taking a detachment of five thousand men and a thousand picked cavalry, 2   set out by night to attack the Jewish army and fall upon them unawares; his guides were men from the citadel. 3   But Judas had word of this, and he and his soldiers moved out to attack the king's army in Emmaus, 4   while its forces were still divided. 5   Gorgias reached the camp of Judas during the night, but found no one there. He set out to search for them in the hills, thinking, ‘These Jews are running away from us.’

6   At daybreak, there was Judas in the plain with three thousand men, though they had not all the armour and the swords they wanted. 7   They saw the Gentiles' camp strongly fortified with breast-works, while mounted guards, seasoned troops, patrolled round it.

8   Judas said to his men: ‘Do not be afraid of their great numbers or panic when they charge. 9   Remember how our fathers were saved at the Red Sea, when Pharaoh and his army were pursuing them. 10   Let us cry now to Heaven to favour our cause, to remember the covenant made with our fathers, and to crush this army before us today. 11   Then all the Gentiles will know that there is One who saves and liberates Israel.’

12   When the foreigners looked up and saw them advancing to the attack, they marched out of their camp to give battle. 13   Judas and his men sounded their trumpets and closed with them. 14   The Gentiles broke, and fled to the plain. 15   All the rearmost fell by the sword. The pursuit was pressed as far as Gazara and the lowlands of Idumaea, Azotus and Jamnia; about three thousand of the enemy were killed.

16    17   Judas and his force then broke off the pursuit and returned. He said to the people: ‘Curb your greed for spoil; there is more fighting before us; Gorgias and his force are in the hills near by. 18   Stand firm now against our enemies and fight; after that, plunder as you please.’

19   Before Judas had finished speaking, an enemy patrol appeared, reconnoitring from the hills. 20   They saw that their army was in flight, and that their camp was being set on fire; the smoke that met their gaze showed what had happened. 21   They were filled with panic as they took in the scene, and when they saw the army of Judas in the plain, ready for battle, 22   they all fled to Philistia.

The war under Judas and Jonathan

23   Then Judas turned back to plunder the camp, and there they got much gold and silver, violet and purple stuffs, and great riches. 24   On their return they sang songs of thanksgiving and praised Heaven, ‘for it is right, because his mercy endures for ever’. 25   That day saw a great deliverance for Israel.

26   Those of the Gentiles who escaped with their lives went and reported to Lysias all that had happened. 27   On hearing the news he was overwhelmed with disappointment, because Israel had not suffered the disaster he had hoped for, and the issue was not what the king had ordered.

28   In the following year he gathered sixty thousand picked infantry and five thousand cavalry to make war on the Jews. 29   They marched into Idumaea, and encamped at Bethsura, where Judas met them with ten thousand men. 30   When he saw the strength of the enemy's army, he prayed: ‘All praise to thee, the Saviour of Israel, who didst break the attack of the giant by thy servant David. Thou didst deliver the army of the Philistines into the power of Saul's son, Jonathan, and of his armour-bearer. 31   In like manner put this army into the power of thy people Israel. Humble their pride in their forces and their mounted men. 32   Strike them with panic, turn their insolent strength to water, make them reel under a crushing defeat. 33   Overthrow them by the sword of those who love thee, and let all who know thy name praise thee with songs of thanksgiving.’

34   So they joined battle, and Lysias lost about five thousand men in the close fighting. 35   When he saw his own army routed and Judas's army full of daring, ready to live or die nobly, he departed for Antioch, and there collected a force of mercenaries, in order to return to Judaea with a much larger army than before. ^note

36   But Judas and his brothers said: ‘Now that our enemies have been crushed, let us go up to Jerusalem to cleanse the temple and rededicate it.’ 37   So the whole army was assembled and went up to Mount Zion. 38   There they found the temple laid waste, the altar profaned, the gates burnt down, the courts overgrown like a thicket or wooded hill-side, and the priests' rooms in ruin. 39   They tore their garments, 40   wailed loudly, put ashes on their heads, and fell on their faces to the ground. They sounded the ceremonial trumpets, and cried aloud to Heaven.

41   Then Judas detailed troops to engage the garrison of the citadel

The war under Judas and Jonathan while he cleansed the temple. 42   He selected priests without blemish, devoted to the law, 43   and they purified the temple, removing to an unclean place the stones which defiled it. 44   They discussed what to do with the altar of burnt-offering, 45   which was profaned, and rightly decided to demolish it, for fear it might become a standing reproach to them because it had been defiled by the Gentiles. They therefore pulled down the altar, 46   and stored away the stones in a fitting place on the temple hill, until a prophet should arise who could be consulted about them. 47   They took unhewn stones, as the law commands, and built a new altar on the model of the previous one. 48   They rebuilt the temple and restored its interior, and consecrated the temple courts. 49   They renewed the sacred vessels and the lamp-stand, and brought the altar of incense and the table into the temple. 50   They burnt incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lamp-stand to shine within the temple. 51   When they had put the Bread of the Presence on the table and hung the curtains, all their work was completed.

52   Then, early on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, the month Kislev, 53   in the year 148, ^note sacrifice was offered as the law commands on the newly made altar of burnt-offering. 54   On the anniversary of the day when the Gentiles had profaned it, on that very day, it was rededicated, with hymns of thanksgiving, to the music of harps and lutes and cymbals. 55   All the people prostrated themselves, worshipping and praising Heaven that their cause had prospered.

56   They celebrated the rededication of the altar for eight days; there was great rejoicing as they brought burnt-offerings and sacrificed peace-offerings and thank-offerings. 57   They decorated the front of the temple with golden wreaths and ornamental shields. They renewed the gates and the priests' rooms, and fitted them with doors. 58   There was great merry-making among the people, and the disgrace brought on them by the Gentiles was removed.

59   Then Judas, his brothers, and the whole congregation of Israel decreed that the rededication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness at the same season each year, for eight days, beginning on the twenty-fifth of Kislev.

60   At that time they encircled Mount Zion with high walls and strong towers to prevent the Gentiles from coming and trampling it down as they had done before. 61   Judas set a garrison there; he also fortified Bethsura, so that the people should have a fortress facing Idumaea.

The war under Judas and Jonathan

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