1 Then Gorgias took five thousand men and a thousand choice cavalry, and the army marched out by night,
2 to descend upon the camp of the Judaeans and strike them suddenly. Young men from the citadel served as his guides.
3 But Judas got word of it, and he and his soldiers marched out to strike the king's army in Emmaus
4 while his forces were dispersed from the camp.
5 When Gorgias came into the camp of Judas at night, he found no one. So he sought them in the mountains, saying, “These are fleeing from us.”
6 At first light, Judas was seen on the plain with three thousand men, but they did not have armor and swords as they wished.
7 They saw the Gentiles’ camp with strong fortification and surrounded by cavalry trained for battle.
8 But Judas said to his men, “Do not be afraid of their numbers or of their attack.
9 Remember how our fathers were saved in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with his army?
10 So now, let us cry out to heaven to see if the Lord will be with us, and remember the covenant of our fathers, and crush these forces before us this day.
11 Then all the nations will know that He is the Redeemer and Savior of Israel.”
12 So the Gentiles lifted their eyes and saw them coming opposite them,
13 and they departed from their camp and went into battle. Then those with Judas sounded the trumpets.
14 Thus they met, and the foreigners were crushed, fleeing into the plain.
15 All those remaining fell by the sword. They pursued them as far as Gazara and as far as the plain of Idumea and Azotus and Jamnia, and about three thousand of their men fell.
16 Then Judas and his army returned from pursuing them,
17 and he said to the people, “Do not desire the spoils, for the battle is before us.
18 Gorgias and his army are in the mountain nearby, but stand firm before our enemies and battle them; and afterwards, take the spoils boldly.”
19 While Judas was finishing these words, an enemy detachment was seen peeping out from the mountains,
20 and they saw that their army had been put to flight and that the Judeans had set their camp on fire; for the smoke that was seen revealed what had happened.
21 When they became aware of this, they were very afraid, and when they observed the forces of Judas prepared for battle in the plain,
22 they fled to the region of the Philistines.
23 Judas returned to take spoils from their camp, and they took massive amounts of gold and silver, and cloth dyed blue and purple, and abundant wealth.
24 As they returned from battle they sang hymns and blessed heaven, because the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever.
25 Thus great deliverance happened to Israel on that day.
26 But all the Gentiles who escaped went and reported to Lysias everything that had happened.
27 When he heard this, he was bewildered and disheartened, because things had not happened to Israel as he wished, and had not turned out as the king commanded him.
28 The following year, Lysias recruited sixty thousand chosen men and fifty thousand cavalry so he could fight them.
29 Then he came to Idumea and camped in Beth-zur, and Judas met them there with ten thousand soldiers.
30 When he saw their mighty camp, he prayed and said, “Blessed are you, O Savior of Israel, who stopped the attack of the giant warrior by the hand of your servant David, and delivered the Philistines’ camp into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, his armor-bearer.
31 Even so, besiege this camp by the hand of your people Israel, and let these enemies be ashamed of their army and cavalry.
32 Put cowardice in them and melt the boldness of their might, and let them be shaken by their defeat.
33 Cast them down with the sword of those who love You, and let all men who know Your name give praise to You with hymns.”
34 Then they attacked one another, and five thousand men from the camp of Lysias fell, and some fell from the opposite side.
35 When Lysias saw the turn of events for his troops, and the courage shown by those of Judas, and how they were prepared either to live or to die bravely, he returned to Antioch and recruited mercenaries to again invade Judea with an even greater force.
36 So Judas and his brothers with him said, “Behold, our foes have been crushed. Let us go up to purify the sanctuary and renew it.”
37 Thus the entire camp gathered and ascended to Mount Zion.
38 They saw there the sanctuary deserted, the altar desecrated, and the doors burned down. In the courtyard they found that bushes had grown up as in a wooded area or on one of the mountains. They also saw the priests’ quarters in ruins.
39 So they tore their garments and lamented greatly, and sprinkled themselves with ashes.
40 They fell on their faces on the earth, sounded the signal on the trumpets, and cried to heaven.
41 Then Judas ordered his men to fight those in the citadel until he purified the sanctuary.
42 He chose righteous priests, devoted to the law.
43 They purified the sanctuary, and carried the defiled stones to an unclean place.
44 And they discussed what they should do with the altar of whole burnt offerings, which had been desecrated.
45 It seemed to them the best plan was to tear it down, so it would not be a reproach to them because the Gentiles had corrupted it. So they tore down the altar.
46 They also stacked the stones in an appropriate location on the temple hill until a prophet would come and tell what should be done with them.
47 Then they took uncut stones, according to the law, and constructed a new altar like the one before.
48 They also repaired the sanctuary and the inside of the temple, and consecrated the courtyards.
49 They made new holy vessels and carried the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple.
50 And they burnt incense on the altar and lit the lights on the lampstands, and these gave light inside the temple.
51 Then they set bread on the table, hung the curtains, and completed all the tasks they had begun.
52 They rose early on the morning of the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-eighth year,
53 and offered sacrifice according to the law on the new altar of whole burnt offerings which they made.
54 It was consecrated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals at the time and on the day the Gentiles had desecrated it.
55 All the people fell down and worshiped and blessed heaven, which had prospered them.
56 They celebrated the consecration of the altar for eight days; and they offered whole burnt offerings with gladness, and the sacrifice of a peace offering and a thank-offering.
57 They also adorned the face of the temple with crowns of gold and small shields, and restored the gates and the priests’ quarters, and installed doors.
58 There was great gladness among the people, and the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.
59 Then Judas and his brothers and the congregation of Israel decided that each year at that time the days of the consecration of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight full days, beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev.
60 At this same time they also built high walls and strong towers around Mount Zion, lest the Gentiles come and destroy these things, as they had done before.
61 Then he stationed an army there to guard it, and he fortified the town of Beth-zur, so the people would have a fortress that faced Idumea.