Now as soon as he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and so Seron and his host was overthrown before him. And they pursued them from the going down of Bethhoron unto the plain, where were slain about eight hundred men of them; and the residue fled into the land of the Philistines. Then began the fear of Judas and his brethren, and an exceeding great dread, to fall upon the nations round about them: insomuch as his fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas.

Defeat of the Syrian Generals (1 Mac. iii. 27–iv. 27). Now when king Antiochus heard these things, he was full of indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered together all the forces of his realm, even a very strong army. He opened also his treasure, and gave his soldiers pay for a year, commanding them to be ready whensoever he should need them. Nevertheless, when he saw that the money of his treasures failed, and that the tributes in the country were small, because of the dissension and plague, which he had brought upon the land in taking away the laws which had been of old time, he feared that he should not be able to bear the charges any longer, nor to have such gifts to give so liberally as he did before: for he had abounded above the kings that were before him. Wherefore, being greatly perplexed in his mind, he determined to go into Persia, there to take the tributes of the countries, and to gather much money.

So he left Lysias, a nobleman, and one of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the king from the river Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt: and to bring up his son Antiochus, until he came again. Moreover he delivered unto him the half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Judah and Jerusalem: to wit, that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from that place; and that he should place strangers in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot. So the king took the half of the forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred forty and seventh year; and having passed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries.2

1 165 B. C.

1

2 high countries. Perhaps Armenia, Assyria, and Media.

Then Lysias chose Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends: and with them he sent forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Judah, and to destroy it, as the king commanded. So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plain country. And the merchants of the country, hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, with fetters, and came into the camp to buy the children of Israel for slaves: the forces also of Syria and of the land of the Philistines joined themselves unto them.

Now when Judas and his brethren saw that miseries were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themselves in their borders; for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them, they said one to another: “Let us restore the decayed estate of our people, and let us fight for our people and the sanctuary." Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion.

Now Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness,

There was none of her children that went in or out:

The sanctuary also was trodden down,

And aliens kept the strong hold;

The heathen had their habitation in that place;
And joy was taken from Jacob,

And the pipe with the harp ceased.

Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Mizpeh, over against Jerusalem; for in Mizpeh was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel. Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes, and laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images. They brought also the priests' garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes and the Nazarites they stirred up, who had accomplished their days. Then cried they with a loud voice

3

4

1 According to 2 Maccabees viii. 10, Nicanor had advertised that they would sell Jewish captives at the rate of ninety for a talent, and use the proceeds for paying the tribute to Rome.

2 Mizpeh was associated with the great assembly under Samuel. See p. 229. 3 Their enemies had evidently desecrated copies of the law by drawing pictures of pagan deities in them.

4 The Nazarites could have release from their vows only by sacrificing in the

toward heaven, saying: "What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away? For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low. And lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou knowest. How shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help?" Then sounded they with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice.

And after this Judas ordained captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens. But as for such as were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law. So the camp removed, and pitched upon the south side of Emmaus. And Judas said: "Arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations, that are assembled together against us to destroy us and our sanctuary: for it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary. Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, so let him do."

Then took Gorgias five thousand footmen, and a thousand of the best horsemen, and removed out of the camp by night; to the end he might rush in upon the camp of the Jews, and smite them suddenly. And the men of the fortress were his guides. Now when Judas heard thereof, he himself removed, and the valiant men with him, that he might smite the king's army which was at Emmaus, while as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp. And Gorgias came by night into the camp of Judas: and when he found no man there, he sought them in the mountains: for said he: "These fellows flee from us."

But as soon as it was day, Judas shewed himself in the plain with three thousand men, who nevertheless had neither armor nor swords to their minds.' And they saw the camp of the heathen, that it was strong and well harnessed, and compassed round about with horsemen; and these were expert of war. Then said Judas to the men that were with him: "Fear ye not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault. Realtar fire at the temple the hair which they had left unshorn during their sepa ration unto the Lord."

1 to their minds. Such as they would wish.

member how our fathers were delivered in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army. Now therefore let us cry unto heaven, if peradventure the Lord will have mercy upon us, and remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this host before our face this day: that so all the heathen may know that there is one who delivereth and saveth Israel."

Then the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming over against them. Wherefore they went out of the camp to battle; but they that were with Judas sounded their trumpets. So they joined battle, and the heathen being discomfited fled into the plain. Howbeit all the hindmost of them were slain with the sword: for they pursued them unto Gazara,1 and unto the plains of Idumæa, and Azotus, and Jamnia, so that there were slain of them upon a three thousand men.

This done, Judas returned again with his host from pursuing them, and said to the people: "Be not greedy of the spoils, inasmuch as there is a battle before us, and Gorgias and his host are here by us in the mountain: but stand ye now against our enemies, and overcome them, and after this ye may boldly take the spoils."

tents

As Judas was yet speaking these words, there appeared a part of them looking out of the mountain: who when they perceived that the Jews had put their host to flight, and were burning the for the smoke that was seen declared what was done when therefore they perceived these things, they were sore afraid, and seeing also the host of Judas in the plain ready to fight, they fled every one into the land of strangers. Then Judas returned to spoil the tents, where they got much gold, and silver, and blue silk, and purple of the sea,2 and great riches. After this they went home, and sung a song of thanksgiving, and praised the Lord in heaven: "Because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever." Thus Israel had a great deliverance that day.

But all the strangers that had escaped came and told Lysias what had happened: who, when he heard thereof, was confounded and discouraged, because neither such things as he would were done unto Israel, nor such things as the king commanded him were come to pass.

1 Gazara. Gezer. See p. 322. Azotus was the ancient Ashdod.

2 purple of the sea. The famous Tyrian purple made from the shell-fish, murez trunculus.

The Great Victory over Lysias (1 Mac. iv. 28-35). Now in the next year Lysias gathered together threescore thousand choice men of foot, and five thousand horsemen, that he might subdue them. So they came into Idumæa, and pitched their tents at Bethsura, and Judas met them with ten thousand men.

And when he saw that mighty army, he prayed and said: "Blessed art thou, O Savior of Israel, who didst quell the violence of the mighty man by the hand of thy servant David, and gavest the host of strangers into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and his armor-bearer; shut up this army in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their power and horsemen: make them to be of no courage, and cause the boldness of their strength to fall away, and let them quake at their destruction: cast them down with the sword of them that love thee, and let all those that know thy name praise thee with thanksgiving." So they joined battle; and there were slain of the host of Lysias about five thousand men, even before them were they slain.

Now when Lysias saw his army put to flight, and the manliness of Judas's soldiers, and how they were ready either to live or die valiantly, he went into Antioch, and gathered together hired soldiers, and having made his army greater than it was, he purposed to come again into Judæa.

The Restoration of the Temple Service (1 Mac. iv. 36–60). Then said Judas and his brethren: "Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary." Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into mount Sion. And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests' chambers pulled down, they rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes upon their heads, and fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm with the trumpets, and cried toward heaven.

Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the fortress,1 until he had cleansed the sanctuary. So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the law who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean place. And whenas they consulted 1 the fortress. The Acra (see note, p. 493) was still held by a Syrian garrison