1Then tooke Gorgias fiue thousande foote men, and a thousande of the best horsemen, and departed out of the campe by night, 2To inuade the campe of the Iewes, and to slay them suddenly: and the men of the fortresse were his guides. 3Nowe when Iudas heard it, he remoued, and they that were valiant men to smite the Kings armie which was at Emmaus, 4Whiles yet the armie was dispersed from the campe. 5In the meane season came Gorgias by night into Iudas campe: and when he founde no man there, he sought them in the mountaines: for said he, They flee from vs. 6But assoone as it was day, Iudas shewed him selfe in the fielde with three thousand men, which had neither harnesse nor swordes to their mindes. 7And they saw that the armies of the heathen were strong and well armed, and their horsemen about them, & that these were expert men of warre. 8Then said Iudas to the men that were with him, Feare ye not their multitude, neither be afraid of their assault. 9Remember, howe our fathers were deliuered in the redde Sea, when Pharao pursued them with an armie. 10Therefore nowe let vs crie vnto heauen, and the Lorde wil haue mercie vpon vs, and remember the couenant of our fathers, and will destroy this hoste before our face this day: 11So shall all the heathen knowe, that there is one, which deliuereth and saueth Israel. 12Then the strangers lift vp their eyes, & sawe them comming against them, 13And they went out of their tentes into the battell, and they that were with Iudas, blewe the trumpets. 14So they ioyned together, and the heathen were discomfited and fled by the plaine. 15But the hinmost of them fel by the sword, & they pursued the vnto Gazeron, & into ye plaines of Idumea, & of Azotus, & of Iamnia, so that there were slaine of them about three thousande men. 16So Iudas turned againe with his hoste from pursuing them, 17And saide vnto the people, Be not greedy of the spoyles: for there is a battell before vs. 18And Gorgias and the armie is here by vs in the mountaine: but stand ye now fast against your enemies, and ouercome them: then may ye safely take the spoyles. 19As Iudas was speaking these words, there appeared one part which looked from ye mountaines. 20But when Gorgias sawe that his were fled, & that Iudas souldiers burnt the tents: (for the smoke that was seene, declared what was done.) 21When they saw these things, they were sore afraid, & when they saw also that Iudas & his hoste were in the field ready to set themselues in aray, 22They fled euery one into the lande of strangers. 23So Iudas turned againe to spoyle the tentes, where he gate much golde and siluer, and precious stones, and purple of the sea, and great riches. 24Thus they went home, & sung psalmes, and praysed toward the heauen: for he is gracious, and his mercy endureth for euer. 25And so Israel had great victory in that day. 26Nowe all the strangers that escaped, came, and tolde Lysias all the things that were done. 27Who when he heard these thinges, was sore afraid, & discouraged, because such things came not vpon Israel as he would, neither such things as the King had commanded him, came to passe. 28Therefore the next yere following, gathered Lysias three score thousande chosen foote men, and fiue thousand horsemen to fight against Ierusalem. 29So they came into Idumea, & pitched their tents at Beth-sura, where Iudas came against them with ten thousand men. 30And whe he saw that mightie armie, he praied, and saide, Blessed be thou, O Sauiour of Israel, which diddest destroy the assault of the mightie man by the hand of thy seruant Dauid, & gauest the hoste of the strangers into the hand of Ionathan, the sonne of Saul, and of his armour bearer: 31Shut vp this armie in the hand of thy people of Israel, & let them be confounded with their power, and with their horsemen. 32Make them afraide, and consume their boldnesse and strength, that they may be astonished at their destruction. 33Cast them downe by the sworde of them that loue thee: then shall all they that knowe thy Name, praise thee with songs. 34So they ioyned together, and there were slaine of Lysias hoste, fiue thousande men, and they fell before them. 35Then Lysias, seeing his armie put to flight, and the manlines of Iudas souldiers, and that they were ready, either to liue or die valiantly, he went into Antiochia, and gathered strangers, and when he had furnished his armie, he thought againe (being prepared) to come against Iudea. 36Then said Iudas and his brethren, Beholde, our enemies are discomfited: let vs nowe goe vp to clense, and to repaire the Sanctuarie. 37So all the hoste gathered them together, & went vp into the mountaine of Sion. 38Nowe when they sawe the Sanctuarie layde waste, and the altar defiled, and the doores burnt vp, and the shrubbes growing in the courtes, as in a forest, or as on one of the mountaines, and that the Priestes chambers were broken downe, 39They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes vpon their heades, 40And fell downe to the ground on their faces, and blewe an alarme with the trumpets, and cryed toward heauen. 41Then Iudas commanded certaine of the me to fight against those which were in the castle, till he had clensed the Sanctuarie. 42So he chose Priestes that were vndefiled, such as delited in the Lawe, 43And they clensed the Sanctuarie, and bare out the defiled stones into an vncleane place, 44And consulted what to doe with the altar of burnt offrings, which was polluted. 45So they thought it was best to destroy it, least it shoulde be a reproche vnto them, because the heathen had defiled it: therefore they destroyed the altar, 46And layde vp the stones vpon the mountaine of the Temple in a conuenient place, til there should come a Prophet, to shewe what shoulde be done with them. 47So they tooke whole stones according to the Lawe, and builded a newe altar according to the former, 48And made vp the Sanctuarie, and the things that were within the Temple, and the courtes, and all things. 49They made also new holy vessels, & brought into the Temple the candlesticke, and the altar of burnt offrings, and of incense, and the table. 50And they burnt incense vpon the altar, and lighted the lampes which were vpon the candlesticke, that they might burne in the Temple. 51They set also the shewbread vpon the table, and hanged vp the vailes, & finished all the workes that they had begunne to make. 52And vpon the fiue and twentieth day of the ninth moneth, which is called the moneth of Chaslu, in the hundreth and eight and fourtieth yeere they rose vp betimes in the morning, 53And offred sacrifice according to the Lawe, vpon the new altar of burnt offrings, that they had made. 54According to the time, and according to the day, that the heathen had defiled it, in the same day was it made new with songs, and harpes, and lutes, and cymbales. 55And all the people fell vpon their faces, worshipping and praysing toward the heauen him that had giuen them good successe. 56So they kept the dedicatio of the altar eight dayes, offring burnt offrings with gladnesse, and offred sacrifices of deliuerance and prayse, 57And deckt the forefront of the Temple with crownes of golde and shieldes, and dedicated the gates & chambers, and hanged doores vpon them. 58Thus there was very great gladnesse among the people, and the reproche of the heathen was put away. 59So Iudas and his brethren with the whole congregation of Israel, ordeyned that the dayes of dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from veere to yere, by the space of eight dayes, from the fiue and twentieth day of the moneth Chaslu, with mirth and gladnesse. 60And at the same time buylded they vp mout Sion with hie walles, & strong towres round about, lest the Gentiles should come, and tread it downe, as they had done afore. 61Therefore they set a garrison there to keepe it, and fortified Beth-sura to keepe it, that the people might haue a defence against Idumea.