IV. Then took aGorgias bfive thousand footmen, and a thousand of the best horsemen, and removed out of cthe camp by night; 2 to the end he might rush in upon cthe camp of the Jews, and smite them suddenly. And the men of dthe fortress were his guides. 3 Now when Judas heard thereof, he himself removed, and the valiant men with him, that he might smite ethe king’s army which was at Emmaus, 4 while as yet the forces were dispersed from cthe camp. 5 In the mean season came aGorgias by night into cthe camp of Judas: and when he found no man there, he sought them in the mountains: for said he, These fellows flee from us.
6 But 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. 7 And they saw cthe camp of the heathen, that it was strong and well fharnessed, and compassed round about with horsemen; and these were expert of war. 8 Then ffsaid Judas to the men that were with him, Fear ye not btheir multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault. 9 Remember how gour fathers were delivered in the Red sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army. 10 Now therefore let us hcry unto heaven, if peradventure the Lord will have mercy upon us, and remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this chost before our face this day: 11 ithat so all the heathen may know that there is one who delivereth and saveth Israel. 12 Then the strangers lift up their eyes, and saw them coming over against them. 13 jWherefore they went out of cthe camp to battle; but they that were with Judas ksounded their trumpets. 14 So they joined battle, and the heathen being discomfited fled into the plain. 15 Howbeit all the hindmost of them were slain with the sword: for they pursued them unto * lGazera, and unto the plains of mIdumea, and nAzotus, and oJamnia, so that there were slain of them upon a three thousand men.
16 This done, Judas returned again with his host from pursuing them, 17 and said to the people, Be not greedy of the spoils, inasmuch as there is a battle before us, 18 and aGorgias and his host are here by us pin the mountain: but stand ye now against our enemies, and overcome them, and after this you may boldly take the spoils. 19 As Judas was yet speaking these words, there appeared a part of them looking out of the mountain: 20 who when they perceived that the Jews had put their host to flight, and were burning cthe tents; for the smoke that was seen declared what was done: 21 when therefore they perceived these things, they were sore afraid, and seeing also cthe host of Judas in the plain ready to fight, 22 they fled every one into the land of qstrangers. 23 rThen Judas returned to spoil cthe tents, where they got much gold, and silver, and sblue silk, and purple of the sea, and great riches. 24 After this they went home, and rsung a song of thanksgiving, and praised the Lord in heaven: tbecause * it is good, because his mercy endureth for ever. 25 Thus Israel had a great deliverance that day.
26 Now all the strangers that had escaped came and told uLysias what had happened: 27 who, when he heard thereof, vwas confounded and discouraged wbecause neither such things as he would were done unto Israel, nor such things as the king commanded him were come to pass. 28 * The next year therefore following Lysias gathered together bthreescore thousand choice men of foot, and five thousand horsemen, that he might subdue them. 29 So they came into mIdumea, and pitched their tents at xBethsura, and Judas met them with yten thousand men. 30 And when he saw that mighty carmy, he prayed and said, Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, zwho didst quail the violence of the mighty man by the hand of thy servant David, and gavest the host of * strangers ainto the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and his armourbearer; 31 bshut up this army in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their power and horsemen: 32 make them to be of no courage, and cause the boldness of their strength to * fall away, and let them quake at their destruction: 33 cast them down with the sword of them that love thee, and let all those that know thy name praise thee with thanksgiving.
34 So they joined battle; and there were slain of the host of Lysias about five thousand men, even before them were they slain. 35 Now 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 cAntiochia, and gathered together a company of strangers, and having made his army greater than it was, he purposed to come again into Judea.
36 Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and * dedicate the sanctuary. 37 dUpon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into mount Sion. 38 dAnd 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; 39 ithey rent their clothes, and kmade great lamentation, and icast ashes upon their heads, 40 and fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm lwith the trumpets, and mcried towards heaven. 41 Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against nthose that were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary.
42 So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the law: 43 who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean place. 44 And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offerings, fwhich was profaned; 45 they 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, 46 and 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. 47 Then they took pwhole stones according to the law, and qbuilt a new altar according to the former; 48 and made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within the temple, and hallowed gthe courts. 49 They 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. 50 And wupon the altar xthey burnt incense, and wthe lamps that were upon the candlestick they lighted, that they might give light in the temple. 51 Furthermore ythey set the loaves upon the table, and * spread out zthe vails, and finished all the works which they had begun to make.
52 Now 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, 53 and offered sacrifice caccording to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, dwhich they had made. 54 Look, 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. 55 Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshipping and praising gthe God of heaven, who had given them good success. 56 and so they kept the dedication of the altar height days, and offered burnt offerings with gladness, and sacrificed the sacrifice of * deliverance and ipraise. 57 They 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. 58 Thus was there very great gladness among the people, for that the reproach of the heathen was put away. 59 Moreover 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.
60 At that time also they builded up the mount Sion mwith high walls and strong towers round about, lest the Gentiles should come and tread it down, nas they had done before. 61 And they set there a garrison to keep it, and fortified oBethsura to preserve it; that the people might have a defence against pIdumea.
About The Cambridge Paragraph Bible of the Authorized English VersionThe Cambridge Paragraph Bible, edited by F.H.A. Scrivener, is a comprehensive and carefully edited revision of the King James Version text. Originally published in 1873, this version presents the text in paragraph form, poetry formatted in poetic line-division, and also includes the Apocrypha. Scrivener’s revisions are thoroughly documented, including multiple appendices which include translation notes and instances of departure from the original KJV text. |
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