1st Maccabees 4

CHAPTER 4

¹And Gorgias took five thousand of men, and a thousand chosen horse-men; and they moved tents by night,

²for to apply to or pitch by the tents of Jews, and for to smite them suddenly; and sons that were of the high tower, were leaders of them.

³And Judas heard, and he rose, and mighty men, for to smite the power of hosts of the king, that was in Emmaus;

⁴for yet the host was scattered from tents.

⁵And Gorgias came into the tents of Judas by night, and found no man; and they sought them in hills, for he said, These flee from us.

⁶And when day was made, Judas appeared in the field with three thousands of men only, which had not coverings and swords.

⁷And they saw the tents of heathen men strong, and men habergeoned, and the multitude of horsemen in compass of them, and these were taught to battle.

⁸And Judas said to his men, that were with him, Dread ye not the multitude of them, and dread ye not inwardly the fierceness of them.

⁹Bethink ye how our fathers were made safe in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with much host.

¹⁰And now cry we to heaven, and the Lord shall have mercy on us, and shall be mindful of the testament of our fathers, and shall all-break this host before our face today.

¹¹And all folks shall know, that it is God, that shall again-buy, and deliver Israel.

¹²And aliens raised their eyes, and saw them coming of the contrary part,

¹³and went out of tents into battle. And they that were with Judas, sang in trumps.

¹⁴And they went together, and heathen men were all-broken, and fled into the field;

¹⁵forsooth the last fell down by sword. And they pursued them till to Gazara, and till into the fields of Idumea, and Azotus, and Jamnia; and there fell down of them till to three thousands of men.

¹⁶And Judas turned again, and his host pursuing him.

¹⁷And he said to the people, Covet ye not preys, for battle is against us,

¹⁸and Gorgias and his host be in the hill nigh us; but stand ye now against our enemies, and overcome them, and after these things ye shall take preys securely [or ye securely shall take preys] .

¹⁹And yet while Judas spake these things, lo! some part appeared, beholding forth from the hill.

²⁰And Gorgias saw, that his helpers were altogether turned into flight, and tents were burnt; for smoke that was seen, declared that that was done.

²¹And when they beheld these things, they dreaded greatly, beholding together both Judas and the host, ready to battle in the field, [or in the field, ready to battle] .

²²And they fled all in the field of aliens,

²³and Judas turned again to preys of the tents; and they took much gold, and silver, and jacinth, and purple of the sea, and great riches.

²⁴And they converted, and sung an hymn, or praising , and blessed God into heaven; for he is good, for the mercy of him is into the world.

²⁵And great health was made in Israel in that day.

²⁶Forsooth whoever of aliens escaped, came, and told to Lysias all things that befell.

²⁷And when he heard these things, he was astonied in soul, and failed; for not what manner things he would, such befell in Israel, and what manner things the king commanded.

²⁸And in the year pursuing, Lysias gathered of chosen men sixty thousand, and of horsemen five thousand, for to overcome them.

²⁹And they came into Judea (or Idumea), and setted tents in Bethhoron (or Bethsura); and Judas ran to them with ten thousand of men.

³⁰And they saw [a] strong host, and he prayed, and said, Blessed art thou, Saviour of Israel, that hast all-broken the fierceness of the mighty Goliath in the hand of thy servant David, and betookest the castles [or tents] , or hosts , of aliens into the hands of Jonathan, son of Saul, and of his squire.

³¹Enclose thou altogether also this host in the hand of thy people Israel, and be they confounded in their host, and horsemen.

³²Give thou to them inward dread, and make the hardiness of their virtue to fail, and be they moved altogether in their breaking altogether.

³³Cast down them by the sword of men loving thee, and all that know thy name, altogether praise thee in hymns.

³⁴And they joined together battle, and five thousand of men fell down of the host of Lysias.

³⁵Lysias forsooth saw the flight of his men, and the hardiness of Jews; and that they were ready either for to live, either for to die strongly. And he went to Antioch, and chose knights, that they multiplied should come again into Judea.

³⁶Forsooth Judas said to his brethren, [or Judas said, and his brethren] , Lo! our enemies be all-broken; go we up now, for to cleanse holy things, and make new.

³⁷And all the host was gathered, and they went up into the hill of Zion.

³⁸And they saw the hallowing deserted, either forsaken , and the altar unhallowed, or defouled by idolatry , and the gates burnt, and in the porches tender trees grown, as in wild wood, or mountains, and [the] little cells destroyed.

³⁹And they rent their clothes, and wailed with great wailing; and putted ashes on their heads,

⁴⁰and fell on the face of the earth, and cried in trumps of signs, and cried into heaven.

⁴¹Then Judas ordained men, for to fight against them that were in the high tower, as long as they cleansed holy things.

⁴²And he chose priests without wem, having will in the law of God;

⁴³and they cleansed holy things, and took away stones of defouling into an unclean place.

⁴⁴And he thought on the altar of burnt sacrifices, that was unhallowed, what he should do thereof.

⁴⁵And a good counsel fell into him, for to destroy it, lest it were to them into shame, for heathen men defouled it.

⁴⁶And they destroyed it, and kept [or putted] stones in the hill of the house, in covenable place, till that a prophet came, and answered [or should answer] of them.

⁴⁷And they took whole stones, by [or after] the law, and builded a new altar, like that that was before.

⁴⁸And they builded holy things, and the things that were within the house withinforth; and they hallowed the house, and the porches.

⁴⁹And they made new holy vessels, and brought in a candlestick, and altar of incenses, and a board into the temple.

⁵⁰And [they] putted incense on the altar, and tended lanterns, that were on the candlestick, and gave light in the temple.

⁵¹And they putted loaves on the board, and hanged veils, and ended all works that they made.

⁵²And before morrowtide they rose, in the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, this is the month Kislev, that is, November-December , of the hundred and eight and fortieth year.

⁵³And they offered sacrifice by [or after] the law, on the new altar of burnt sacrifices, which they made by [or after] time.

⁵⁴And by the day in which heathen men defouled it, in that it was made new, in songs, and harps, and citherns, that be instruments of music, either gitterns , and cymbals.

⁵⁵And all the people fell on their faces, and worshipped God , and blessed into heaven him that made prosperity to them.

⁵⁶And they made hallowing of the altar in eight days, and offered burnt sacrifices with gladness, and helpful things of praising.

⁵⁷And they adorned the face of the temple with golden crowns, and small shields; and hallowed gates, and little houses, either small cells , and putted to them gates.

⁵⁸And full great gladness was made in the people, and the shame of heathen men was turned away.

⁵⁹And Judas ordained, and his brethren, and all the church of Israel, that the day of hallowing of the altar be done in his times, from year into year, by eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month Kislev, with gladness and joy.

⁶⁰And they builded in that time the hill of Zion, and by compass high walls, and firm towers, lest any time heathen men would come, and defoul it, as they did before.

⁶¹And he set there an host [or a company] , for to keep it; and he warded it, for to keep Bethsura, that the people should have strengthening [or warding] against the face of Idumea.