2 Maccabees 15:22–37

²²He called upon him in these words: “O Lord, you sent your angel in the time of King Hezekiah of Judea, and he killed fully one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of Sennacherib.^{* 23}So now, O Sovereign of the heavens, send a good angel to spread terror and trembling before us.^{* 24}By the might of your arm may these blasphemers who come against your holy people be struck down.” With these words he ended his prayer.

²⁵Nicanor and his troops advanced with trumpets and battle songs, ²⁶but Judas and his troops met the enemy in battle with invocations to God and prayers. ²⁷So, fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they laid low at least thirty-five thousand and were greatly gladdened by God’s manifestation.^*

²⁸When the action was over and they were returning with joy, they recognized Nicanor, lying dead, in full armor.^{* 29}Then there was shouting and tumult, and they blessed the Sovereign Lord in the language of their ancestors.^{* 30}Then the man who was ever in body and soul the defender of his people, the man who maintained his youthful goodwill toward his compatriots, ordered them to cut off Nicanor’s head and arm and carry them to Jerusalem.^{* 31}When he arrived there and had called his compatriots together and stationed the priests before the altar, he sent for those who were in the citadel.^{* 32}He showed them the vile Nicanor’s head and that profane man’s arm, which had been boastfully stretched out against the holy house of the Almighty.^{* 33}He cut out the tongue of the ungodly Nicanor and said that he would feed it piecemeal to the birds and would hang up these rewards of his folly opposite the sanctuary.^{* 34}And they all, looking to heaven, blessed the Lord who had manifested himself, saying, “Blessed is he who has kept his own place undefiled!”^{* 35}Judasⁿ hung Nicanor’s head from the citadel, a clear and conspicuous sign to everyone of the help of the Lord.^{* 36}And they all decreed by public vote never to let this day go unobserved but to celebrate the thirteenth day of the twelfth month—which is called Adar in the Aramaic language—the day before Mordecai’s day.^*

³⁷This, then, is how matters turned out with Nicanor, and from that time the city has been in the possession of the Hebrews. So I will here end my story.^*