1. And Gorgias took five thousand men, & a thousand chosen horsemen: & they removed the camp by night,
2. that they might approach to the camp of the Jews, and might strike them suddenly: & the children that were of the castle, were their guides.
3. And Judas heard, & arose, he and the mighties to strike the power of the king's army, that were in Emmaum.
4. For as yet the army was dispersed from the camp.
5. And Gorgias came into the camp of Judas by night, and found no man, & he sought them in the mountains: because he said: These fly from us.
6. And when the day was come, Judas appeared in the field with three thousand men only, which had not harness and swords as they would:
7. and they saw the camp of the Gentiles strong, and the men in brigantines, and horsemen round about them, and these were skilful to battle.
8. And Judas said to the men that were with him: Fear not the multitude of them, & of their assault be not afraid.
9. Remember in what sort our fathers were saved in the red sea, when Pharao with a great army followed them.
10. And now let us cry towards heaven: and our Lord will have mercy on us, and will be mindful of the testament of our fathers, and will destroy this army, before our face this day:
11. and all Nations shall know that there is one that redeemeth and delivereth Israel.
12. And the aliens lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming against them.
13. And they went out of the camp into battle, and these that were with Judas, sounded with the trumpet.
14. And they met together: and the Gentiles were discomfited, and fled into the plain.
15. But all the hindmost 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 even to three thousand men.
16. And Judas returned, and his army following him.
17. And he said to the people: Covet not the spoils: because there is battle against us,
18. and Gorgias & his army are near us in the mount: but stand ye now against our enemies, and overthrow them, and you shall take the spoils afterwards secure.
19. And as Judas was speaking these words, lo a certain part appeared looking forth from the mountain.
20. And Gorgias saw that his men were turned to flight, & that they burn the camp: for the smoke that was seen declared what was done.
21. Which things seen they feared exceedingly, beholding withal both Judas, and the army in the plain ready to battle.
22. And they did all fly into the plain of the aliens:
23. & Judas returned to the spoils of the camp, & they took much gold, and silver, and hyacinth, and purple of the sea, and great riches.
24. And turning they sung an hymn, & blessed God towards heaven, because he is good, because his mercy is for ever.
25. And great salvation was made in Israel in that day.
26. And whosoever escaped of the aliens, they came and told Lysias all things that had chanced.
27. Which when he heard being amazed he fainted in mind: that such things chanced not in Israel, as he would, & such as the king commanded.
28. And the year following Lysias gathered of chosen men three score thousand, & of horsemen five thousand, to overthrow them.
29. And they came into Jewry, and pitched the camp in Bethoron, and Judas met them with ten thousand men.
30. And they saw the army strong, and he prayed, and said: Blessed art thou o saviour of Israel, which brakest the assault of the mighty by the hand of Jonathas Saul's son, and of his esquire.
31. shut up this army in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their army and horsemen.
32. Give them fear, and consume the boldness of their strength, and let them be shaken with their contrition,
33. cast them down with the sword of them that love thee: & let all that know thy name, praise thee in hymns.
34. And they joined battle: and there fell of the army of Lysias five thousand men.
35. And Lysias seeing the flight of his men, and the boldness of the Jews, & that they are ready either to live or to die manfully, he went to Antioch, and chose soldiers, that being multiplied they might come again into Jewry.
36. But Judas, and his brethren said: Behold our enemies are discomfited: let us go up now to cleanse the holy places, & to renew them.
37. And all the army assembled together, and they went up into mount Sion.
38. And they saw the sanctification desert, and the altar profaned, and the gates burnt, and in the courts shrubs grown up as in a forest, or on the mountains, and the chambers thrown down.
39. And they rent their garments, and lamented with a great Lamentation, and laid ashes upon their head:
40. and they fell on their face upon the earth, & cried out with trumpets of significations, & cried towards heaven.
41. Then Judas ordained men to fight against them that were in the castle, till they cleansed the holy places.
42. And he chose Priests without spot, having their will in the law of God:
43. and they cleansed the holy places, and took away the stones of contamination into an unclean place.
44. And he considered of the altar of holocausts, that was profaned, what he should do with it.
45. And good counsel came to their minds, to destroy it: lest perhaps it might be a reproach to them, because the Gentiles contaminated it, and they threw it down.
46. And they laid up the stones in the mount of the house in a place convenient, till their should come a Prophet, & give answer concerning them.
47. And they took whole stones according to the law, and builded a new altar according to that which was before:
48. and they built the holy places, and the things that were within the temple inward: and the temple, and the courts they sanctified.
49. And they made the holy vessels new, and brought in the candlestick, and the altar of incenses, and the table into the temple.
50. And they put incense upon the altar, and lighted the lamps, that were upon the candlestick, and they gave light in the temple.
51. And they set loaves upon the table, and hung up the veils, and finished all the works, that they had made.
52. And before the morning they arose the five and twentieth day of the ninth month (this is the month of Casleu) of the hundredth & eight and fortieth year:
53. and they offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of holocausts, which they made.
54. According to the time and according to the day, wherein the heathen contaminated it, in the same was it renewed in canticles, & harps, and lutes, and in cymbals.
55. And all the people fell on their face, and they adored toward heaven, and blessed him that prospered them.
56. And they made the dedication of the altar eight days, and they offered holocausts with joy, and sacrifice of salvation, and of praise.
57. And they adorned the face of the temple with gold crowns, and little shields: & they dedicated the gates, and the chambers, and hanged doors upon them.
58. And there was made exceeding great joy in the people, and the reproach of the Gentiles was turned away.
59. And Judas decreed, and his brethren, and all the Church of Israel, that the day of the dedication of the altar be kept in the times thereof from year to year for eight days, from the five & twentieth day of the month Casleu, with joy and gladness.
60. And they builded at that time mount Sion, and round about high walls, and strong towers, lest sometime the Gentiles should come, and conculcate it as they did before.
61. And he placed an army there, to keep it, & he fenced it to keep Bethsura, that the people might have a munition against the face of Idumea.