1 Maccabees 4:36–59

³⁶Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary. ^37dUpon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into mount Sion. ^38dAnd when they saw ^ethe sanctuary desolate, and ^fthe altar profaned, and ^gthe gates burnt up, and shrubs growing in ^gthe courts as in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests’ ^hchambers pulled down; ³⁹ⁱthey rent their clothes, and ^kmade great lamentation, and ⁱcast ashes upon their heads, ⁴⁰and fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm ^lwith the trumpets, and ^mcried towards heaven. ⁴¹Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against ⁿthose that were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary.

⁴²So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the law: ⁴³who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean place. ⁴⁴And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offerings, ^fwhich was profaned; ⁴⁵they thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because ^fthe heathen had defiled it: wherefore they pulled it down, ⁴⁶and laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, ^ountil there should come a prophet to shew what should be done with them. ⁴⁷Then they took ^pwhole stones according to the law, and ^qbuilt a new altar according to the former; ⁴⁸and made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within the temple, and hallowed ^gthe courts. ⁴⁹They made also new holy vessels, and into the temple they brought ^rthe candlestick, and the altar ^sof burnt offerings, and ^tof incense, and ^uthe table. ⁵⁰And ^wupon the altar ^xthey burnt incense, and ^wthe lamps that were upon the candlestick they lighted, that they might give light in the temple. ⁵¹Furthermore ^ythey set the loaves upon the table, and spread out ^zthe vails, and finished all the works which they had begun to make.

⁵²Now ^aon the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month ^bCasleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up betimes in the morning, ⁵³and offered sacrifice ^caccording to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, ^dwhich they had made. ⁵⁴Look, at what time and ^awhat day the heathen had profaned it, even in that was it dedicated with songs, and citherns, and ^eharps, and ^fcymbals. ⁵⁵Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshipping and praising ^gthe God of heaven, who had given them good success. ⁵⁶and so they kept the dedication of the altar ^height days, and offered burnt offerings with gladness, and sacrificed the sacrifice of deliverance and ⁱpraise. ⁵⁷They deckt also the forefront of the temple with crowns of gold, and with shields; and ^jthe gates and ^jthe chambers they renewed, and hanged doors upon them. ⁵⁸Thus was there very great gladness among the people, for that the reproach of the heathen was put away. ⁵⁹Moreover Judas and his brethren with the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of ^kthe dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year by the space of eight days, ^lfrom the five and twentieth day of the month ^bCasleu, with mirth and gladness.