X. * Now Maccabeus and his company, the Lord guiding them, arecovered the temple and the city: 2 but the altars which the heathen had built in the open street, and also bthe chapels, they pulled down. 3 And having cleansed the temple cthey made another altar, and dstriking stones they took fire out of them, and offered a sacrifice after etwo years, and fset forth incense, and lights, and shewbread. 4 When that was done, ffthey fell flat down, and besought the Lord that they might come no more into such troubles; but if they sinned any more against him, that ghe himself would chasten them with mercy, and that they might not be delivered unto the blasphemous and barbarous nations. 5 Now hupon the same day that the strangers profaned the temple, on the very same day it was cleansed again, even the five and twentieth day of the same month, which is iCasleu. 6 And they kept jeight days with gladness, as in kthe feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts. 7 Therefore they bare lbranches, and mfair boughs, and mpalms also, and sang npsalms unto him that had given them good success in cleansing his place. 8 * oThey ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days should be kept of the whole nation of the Jews. 9 And this was the end of Antiochus, called pEpiphanes.

10 Now will we declare the acts of qAntiochus Eupator, who was the son of this wicked man, rgathering briefly the calamities of the wars. 11 So when he was come to the crown, he sset one tLysias over the affairs of his realm, and appointed him uchief governor of vCoelosyria and Phenice. 12 For wPtolemeus, that was called Macron, choosing rather to do justice unto the Jews for the wrong that had been done unto them, endeavoured to continue peace with them. 13 Whereupon being accused of the king’s friends before qEupator, and called traitor xat every word, because he had left yCyprus, that zPhilometor had committed unto him, and departed to pAntiochus Epiphanes, * and seeing that he was in no honourable place, he was so discouraged, that he poisoned himself and died.

14 But when bGorgias was governor of the * holds, he hired soldiers, and cnourished war xcontinually with the Jews: 15 and therewithal ccthe Idumeans, having gotten into their hands dthe most commodious holds, kept the Jews occupied, and receiving ddthose that were banished from Jerusalem, they went about to cnourish war. 16 Then ethey that were with Maccabeus made supplication, and besought God that he would be their helper; and so they ran with violence upon the strong holds of ccthe Idumeans, 17 and assaulting them strongly, they won the holds, and kept off all that fought upon the wall, and slew all that fell into their hands, and killed no fewer than twenty thousand. 18 And because certain, who were no less than nine thousand, were fled together into two very strong castles, having all manner of things convenient to sustain the siege, 19 Maccabeus left fSimon and fJoseph, and Zaccheus also, and them that were with him, who were enough to besiege them, and departed himself unto those places which more needed his help. 20 Now * they that were with Simon, being led with covetousness, were gpersuaded for money, (through certain of those that were in the castle,) and took seventy thousand hdrachms, and let some of them escape. 21 But when it was told Maccabeus what was done, he called the governors of the people together, and accused those men, that they had sold their brethren for money, and set their enemies free to fight against them. 22 So he slew those that were found traitors, and immediately took ithe two castles. 23 And having good success with his weapons in all things he took in hand, khe slew in the two holds more than twenty thousand.

24 Now lTimotheus, lwhom the Jews had overcome before, mwhen he had gathered a great multitude of foreign forces, and horses out of nAsia not a few, came as though he would take Jewry by force of arms. 25 But when he drew near, * they that were with Maccabeus turned themselves to pray unto God, and osprinkled earth upon their heads, and pgirded their loins with sackcloth, 26 and fell down at the foot of the altar, and besought him to be merciful to them, and qto be an enemy to their enemies, and an adversary to their adversaries, qas the law rdeclareth. 27 So after the prayer they took their weapons, and went on mfurther from the city: and when they drew near to their enemies, they kept by themselves. 28 Now the sun being newly risen, they joined both together; the one part having together with their virtue their refuge also unto the Lord for a * pledge of their success and victory: the other side making their rage leader of their battle. 29 But when the battle waxed strong, sthere appeared unto the enemies from heaven five comely men upon horses with bridles of gold, and two of them ssled the Jews, 30 and took Maccabeus betwixt them, and covered him on every side with their weapons, and kept him safe, but shot arrows and lightnings against the enemies: so that tbeing confounded with blindness, and full of trouble, they were killed. 31 And there were slain of footmen twenty thousand and five hundred, and six hundred horsemen.

32 As for lTimotheus himself, he fled into a very strong hold, called uGazara, where vChereas was governor. 33 But wthey that were with Maccabeus laid siege against the fortress courageously four days. 34 And they that were within, trusting to the strength of the place, blasphemed exceedingly, and uttered xwicked words. 35 Nevertheless upon the fifth day early twenty young men wof Maccabeus’ company, inflamed with anger because of the blasphemies, assaulted the wall manly, and with a fierce courage killed all that they met withal. 36 Others likewise ascending after them, whiles they were busied with them that were within, yburnt the towers, and kindling fires burnt the blasphemers alive; and others broke open the gates, and, having received in the rest of the army, took the city, 37 and killed lzTimotheus, that was ahid in a certain pit, and vChereas his brother, with Apollophanes. 38 When this was done, they praised the Lord with bpsalms and thanksgiving, who had done so great things for Israel, and cgiven them the victory.