1 Maccabees 3:38–4:35

³⁸Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenes, Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king’s friends: ³⁹And with them he sent forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, as the king commanded. ⁴⁰So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plain country. ⁴¹And the merchants of the country, hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, with servants, and came into the camp to buy the children of Israel for slaves: a power also of Syria and of the land of the Philistines joined themselves unto them.

⁴²Now when Judas and his brethren saw that miseries were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themselves in their borders: for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them; ⁴³They said one to another, Let us restore the decayed fortune of our people, and let us fight for our people and the sanctuary. ⁴⁴Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion. ⁴⁵Now Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in or out: the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold; the heathen had their habitation in that place; and joy was taken from Jacob, and the pipe with the harp ceased.

⁴⁶Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel. ⁴⁷Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes, ⁴⁸And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images. ⁴⁹They brought also the priests’ garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes: and the Nazarites they stirred up, who had accomplished their days. ⁵⁰Then cried they with a loud voice toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away? ⁵¹For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low. ⁵²And lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou knowest. ⁵³How shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help?

⁵⁴Then sounded they with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice. ⁵⁵And after this Judas ordained captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens. ⁵⁶But as for such as were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law. ⁵⁷So the camp removed, and pitched upon the south side of Emmaus.

⁵⁸And Judas said, arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations, that are assembled together against us to destroy us and our sanctuary: ⁵⁹For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary. ⁶⁰Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, so let him do.

Chapter 4

¹Then took Gorgias five thousand footmen, and a thousand of the best horsemen, and removed out of the camp by night; ²To the end he might rush in upon the camp of the Jews, and smite them suddenly. And the men of the fortress were his guides. ³Now when Judas heard thereof he himself removed, and the valiant men with him, that he might smite the king’s army which was at Emmaus, ⁴While as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp. ⁵In the mean season came Gorgias by night into the camp of Judas: and when he found no man there, he sought them in the mountains: for said he, These fellows flee from us

⁶But as soon as it was day, Judas shewed himself in the plain with three thousand men, who nevertheless had neither armour nor swords to their minds. ⁷And they saw the camp of the heathen, that it was strong and well harnessed, and compassed round about with horsemen; and these were expert of war. ⁸Then said Judas to the men that were with him, Fear ye not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault. ⁹Remember how our fathers were delivered in the Red sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army. ¹⁰Now therefore let us cry unto heaven, if peradventure the Lord will have mercy upon us, and remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this host before our face this day: ¹¹That so all the heathen may know that there is one who delivereth and saveth Israel.

¹²Then the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming over against them. ¹³Wherefore they went out of the camp to battle; but they that were with Judas sounded their trumpets. ¹⁴So they joined battle, and the heathen being discomfited fled into the plain. ¹⁵Howbeit all the hindmost of them were slain with the sword: for they pursued them unto Gazera, and unto the plains of Idumea, and Azotus, and Jamnia, so that there were slain of them upon a three thousand men. ¹⁶This done, Judas returned again with his host from pursuing them, ¹⁷And said to the people, Be not greedy of the spoil inasmuch as there is a battle before us, ¹⁸And Gorgias and his host are here by us in the mountain: but stand ye now against our enemies, and overcome them, and after this ye may boldly take the spoils.

¹⁹As Judas was yet speaking these words, there appeared a part of them looking out of the mountain: ²⁰Who when they perceived that the Jews had put their host to flight and were burning the tents; for the smoke that was seen declared what was done: ²¹When therefore they perceived these things, they were sore afraid, and seeing also the host of Judas in the plain ready to fight, ²²They fled every one into the land of strangers. ²³Then Judas returned to spoil the tents, where they got much gold, and silver, and blue silk, and purple of the sea, and great riches. ²⁴After this they went home, and sung a song of thanksgiving, and praised the Lord in heaven: because it is good, because his mercy endureth forever. ²⁵Thus Israel had a great deliverance that day.

²⁶Now all the strangers that had escaped came and told Lysias what had happened: ²⁷Who, when he heard thereof, was confounded and discouraged, because neither such things as he would were done unto Israel, nor such things as the king commanded him were come to pass. ²⁸The next year therefore following Lysias gathered together threescore thousand choice men of foot, and five thousand horsemen, that he might subdue them. ²⁹So they came into Idumea, and pitched their tents at Bethsura, and Judas met them with ten thousand men.

³⁰And when he saw that mighty army, he prayed and said, Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst quell the violence of the mighty man by the hand of thy servant David, and gavest the host of strangers into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and his armourbearer; ³¹Shut up this army in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their power and horsemen: ³²Make them to be of no courage, and cause the boldness of their strength to fall away, and let them quake at their destruction: ³³Cast them down with the sword of them that love thee, and let all those that know thy name praise thee with thanksgiving.

³⁴So they joined battle; and there were slain of the host of Lysias about five thousand men, even before them were they slain. ³⁵Now when Lysias saw his army put to flight, and the manliness of Judas’ soldiers, and how they were ready either to live or die valiantly, he went into Antiochia, and gathered together a company of strangers, and having made his army greater than it was, he purposed to come again into Judea.