1 Maccabees 3

3And his son Judas, who was called Maccabaeus, rose up in his stead.

And all his brethren helped him,

And all they that clave unto his father,

And they fought with gladness the battle of Israel.

And he extended the glory of his people,

And put on a breastplate as a giant,

And girt on his weapons of war.

He set battles in array,

He protected the army with the sword.

And he was like a lion in his deeds:

And as a lion’s whelp roaring for prey,

He pursued the lawless, seeking them out,

And burnt up those that troubled his people.

And the lawless lost heart for fear of him,

And all the workers of lawlessness were sore troubled;

And deliverance prospered in his hand.

And he angered many kings,

And made Jacob glad with his acts.

And his memorial is blessed for ever.

And he went about among the cities of Judah,

And destroyed the ungodly thereout,

And turned away wrath from Israel.

And he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth,

And gathered together those who were perishing.

And Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host from Samaria, to fight against Israel. And Judas perceived it, and went forth to meet him, and smote him, and slew him; and many fell wounded to death, and the rest fled. And they took their spoils; and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, and therewith fought he all ⁽his⁽ days.

And Seron, the commander of the host of Syria, heard that Judas had gathered a gathering and a congregation of faithful men with him, and of such as went out to war; and he said: ‘I will make a name for myself, and get me glory in the kingdom; and I will fight against Judas and them that are with him, that set at nought the word of the king.’ And he went up again; and there went up with him a mighty army of the ungodly to help him, to take vengeance on the children of Israel. And he came near to the ascent of Bethhoron; and Judas went forth to meet him with a small company. But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said unto Judas: ‘What? shall we be able, being a small company, to fight against so great and strong a multitude? And we, for our part, are faint, having tasted no food this day.’ And Judas said: ‘It is an easy thing for many to be shut up in the hands of a few, and there is no difference in the sight of Heaven to save by many or by few; for victory in battle standeth not in the multitude of an host, but strength is from Heaven. They come unto us in fulness of insolence and lawlessness, to destroy us and our wives and our children, for to spoil us; but we fight for our lives and our laws. And He Himself will discomfit them before our face; but as for you, be ye not afraid of them.’ Now when he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and Seron and his army were discomfited before him. And they pursued them at the descent of Bethhoron unto the plain; and there fell of them about eight hundred men; and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines.

Then began the fear of Judas and of his brethren, and the dread ⁽of them⁽ fell upon the nations round about them. And his name came near even unto the king; and every nation told of the battles of Judas.

But when Antiochus the king heard these words he was full of indignation; and he sent and gathered together all the forces of his kingdom, an exceeding strong army. And he opened his treasury and gave his forces pay for a year, and commanded them to be ready for every need. And he saw that the money failed from his treasures, and that the tributes of the country were small, because of the dissension and harm which he had brought upon the land ⁽in seeking⁽ to take away the laws which had been ⁽in vogue⁽ from the earliest times; and he feared ⁽therefore⁽ that he would not have ⁽enough⁽, as ⁽he had had⁽ at other times, for the charges and the gifts which he gave aforetime with a liberal hand,— and he was more lavish than the kings that were before him. He was ⁽therefore⁽ exceedingly perplexed in his mind; so he determined to go to Persia, and to take tributes of the countries, and ⁽thus⁽ to gather much money. And he left Lysias, an honourable man, and one of the seed royal, ⁽to be⁽ over the affairs of the king from the river Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt, and to bring up his son Antiochus until he should return. And he delivered unto him the half of the forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge over all the things that he would have done and concerning themthat dwell in Judaea and Jerusalem, ⁽namely⁽ that he should send a host against them to root out and destroy the strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from the place; and that he should make strangers to dwell in all their borders, and that he should divide their land by lot. And the king took the half that remained of the forces, and removed from Antioch, from his royal city, ⁽in⁽ the one hundred and forty-seventh year; and he passed over the river Euphrates, and went through the upper countries.

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.’