1 Maccabees 3:38–4:35

And 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 horse, to go into the land of Judah, and to destroy it, according to the king’s command. And they removed with all their host, and came and pitched near Emmaus in the plain country. And the merchants of the country heard tell of them, and took silver and gold exceeding much, together with fetters, and came into the camp, to take the children of Israel as slaves. And there were added unto them troops from Syria and from the land of the Philistines.

And Judas and his brethren saw that evils were multiplied, and that the forces ⁽of the enemy⁽ were encamping in their borders; and they took knowledge of the king’s commands which he had put forth ⁽with a view⁽ to bring about the destruction and annihilation of the people. So they said, each man to his neighbour: ‘Let us raise up the ruin of our people, and let us fight for our people and the Holy Place.’ And the congregation was gathered together, so as to be ready for battle, and to pray and to ask for mercy and compassion.

And Jerusalem was uninhabited like a wilderness,

There was none of her offspring that went in or went out.

And the Sanctuary was trodden down,

And the sons of strangers ⁽dwelt⁽ in the citadel,

A lodging-place for Gentiles ⁽it became⁽;

And joy was taken away from Jacob,

And the pipe and the harp ceased.

And they gathered themselves together, and came to Mizpeh, over against Jerusalem; for in Mizpeh there had been aforetime a place of prayer for Israel. And they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and put ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes. And they spread out the roll of the Law, ⁽one of those⁽ concerning which the Gentiles were wont to make search in order to depict upon them likenesses of their idols. And they brought the priestly garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes; and they shaved the Nazirites who had accomplished their days. And they cried aloud toward heaven, saying: ‘What shall we do with these men, and whither shall we carry them away? For thy Holy Place is trodden down and defiled, and thy priests are in heaviness and brought low. And, behold, the Gentiles are gathered together against us to destroy us; thou knowest what things they imagine against us. How shall we be able to stand before them unless thou help us?’ And they sounded with the trumpets, and cried with a loud voice.

And after this Judas appointed leaders of the people, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens. And he said to them that were building houses, and were betrothing wives, and were planting vineyards, and were fearful, that they should return, each man to his own house, according to the Law. And the army removed, and encamped on the south of Emmaus. And Judas said: ‘Gird yourselves, and be valiant men; and be ready on the morrow to fight against these Gentiles that are assembled together against us to destroy us, and our Holy Place; for it is better for us to die in battle than to look upon the evils ⁽that have come⁽ upon our nation and the Holy Place. Nevertheless, as may be the will in heaven, so shall he do.’

4And Gorgias took five thousand ⁽foot-⁽ men, and a thousand chosen horse; and the army moved by night so that it might fall upon the army of the Jews and smite them suddenly; and ⁽certain⁽ men from the citadel were his guides. And Judas heard thereof, and he removed, he and the valiant men, that he might smite the king’s host, which was at Emmaus, while as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp. And Gorgias came into the camp of Judas by night, and found no man; and he sought them in the mountains, for he said: ‘These men flee from us.’ And as soon as it was day, Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand men; howbeit, they had not armour nor swords as they would have wished ⁽to have had⁽. And they saw the camp of the Gentiles strong ⁽and⁽ fortified, and horsemen compassing it round about; and these were experienced in war. And Judas said to the men that were with him: ‘Fear ye not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their onset. Remember how our fathers were saved in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with a host. And now, let us cry unto heaven, if he will have mercy upon us, and will remember the covenant of the fathers, and destroy this army before our face to-day; and ⁽then⁽ all the Gentiles will know that there is one who redeemeth and saveth Israel.’ And the strangers lifted up their eyes and saw them coming against them, and they went out of the camp to battle. And they that were with Judas sounded the trumpets, and joined battle, and the Gentiles were discomfited, and fled unto the plain. And all the hindmost fell by the sword; and they pursued them unto Gazera, and unto the plains of Idumaea and Azotus and Jamnia; and there fell of them about three thousand men.

And Judas and ⁽his⁽ host returned from pursuing after them; and he said unto the people: ‘Be not greedy of the spoils, for ⁽another⁽ battle is before us, and Gorgias and ⁽his⁽ host are nigh unto us in the mountain. But stand ye now against our enemies, and fight ⁽against⁽ them, and afterwards take the spoils with boldness.’ While Judas was yet saying these things, there appeared a part of them peering out from the mountain; and they saw that ⁽their host⁽ had been put to flight, and that ⁽the Jews⁽ were burning the camp,—for the smoke that was seen made manifest what had been done. And when they perceived these things they were sore afraid; and perceiving also the army of Judas in the plain ready for battle, they all fled into the land of the Philistines. And Judas returned to the spoil of the camp, and took much gold and silver, and blue, and sea-purple, and great riches. And as they returned they sang a song of thanksgiving, and blessed ⁽God, looking up⁽ to heaven, ⁽and saying⁽:

‘Good ⁽is the Lord⁽, for his mercy endureth for ever.’

And Israel had a great deliverance that day.

But as many of the Gentiles as had been saved came and reported to Lysias all that had happened. And when he had heard all he was confounded and discouraged, both because it had not happened unto Israel as he had wished, and because the things which the king had commanded him had not come about.

And in the next year he gathered together sixty thousand chosen ^[foot-^[men, and five thousand horse, to make war upon them. And they came into Judaea, and encamped at Bethsura, and Judas met them with ten thousand men. And he saw that the army was strong, and he prayed, and said:

‘Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst bring to nought the onslaught of the giant by the hand of thy servant David, and didst deliver the army of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul and of his armour-bearer. Shut up this army in the hands of thy people Israel, that with their host and their horsemen they may be put to shame. Give them fearfulness of heart, and cause the boldness of their strength to melt away, and let them quake at their destruction. Cast them down with the sword of them that love thee, and let all that know thy name praise thee with songs of thanksgiving.’

And they joined battle; and there fell of the army of Lysias about five thousand men, and they fell down over against them. But when Lysias saw that his array had been put to flight, and the boldness that had come upon them that were with Judas, and how ready they were either to live or die nobly, he removed to Antioch, and gathered together mercenary troops, that he might come again into Judaea with an even greater ⁽army⁽.