LESSON XCII JUDAS MACCABEUS' TRIUMPH Judas Maccabous defeats the Syrian forces under Apollonius, Seron, Gorgias, and Lysias, in succession. He then enters Jerusalem, cleanses the Temple and restores the worship. 1 MACCABEES III-IV.; PSALM LXXIV. 3 1 And his son Judas, who was called Maccabæus, rose up in his stead. And all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that clave unto his father, and they fought with gladness the battle of Israel. And he gat his people great glory, and put on a 5 breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike harness about him, and set battles in array, protecting the army 1 with his sword. And he was like a lion in his deeds, and as a lion's whelp roaring for prey. And he pursued the lawless, seeking them out, and he burnt up those that troubled his people. And the lawless shrunk 10 for fear of him, and all the workers of lawlessness were sore troubled, and salvation 2 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 out of the land, and turned away 15 wrath from Israel; and he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth, and he gathered together such as were ready to perish. 10 And Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host from Samaria, to fight against Israel. And Judas perceived it, and he went forth to meet him, and smote him, and slew him : 20 and many fell wounded to death, and the rest fled. And they took their spoils, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius, and therewith he fought all his days. 13 And Seron, the commander of the host of Syria, heard say that Judas had gathered a gathering and a congregation of 25 faithful men with him, and of such as went out to war; and he 1 For the army read the camp. 2 For salvation read deliverance. said, I will make myself a name 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 there went up with him also a mighty army of the ungodly to help him, to take vengeance on the children of Israel. 30 16 And he came near unto the going up 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, 35 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 with heaven it is all one, to save by many or by few: for victory in battle standeth not in the multitude of a host; but strength is from heaven. They come unto us in fulness of insolence and 40 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. 23 Now when he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon 45 them, and Seron and his army were discomfited before him. And they pursued them in the going down of Bethhoron unto the plain, and there fell of them about eight hundred men; but the residue fled into the land of the Philistines. 25 And the fear of Judas and his brethren, and the dread of 50 them, began to fall upon the nations round about them and his name came near even unto the king, and every nation told of the battles of Judas. 27 But when king Antiochus heard these words, he was full of indignation: and he sent and gathered together all the forces 55 of his realm, 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,1 and that the tributes of the country were small, because of the dissension and plague which he had 60 brought upon the land, to the end that he might take away the laws which had been from the first days; and he feared that he should not have enough as at other times for the charges and the gifts which he gave aforetime with a liberal hand, and he abounded above the kings that were before him. And he was 65 exceedingly perplexed in his mind, and he determined to go into 1 For treasures read treasure chests. Persia, and to take the tributes of the countries, and 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 70 Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt, and to bring up his son Antiochus, until he came again. And he delivered unto him the half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all the things that he would have done, and concerning them that dwelt in Judæa and in Jerusalem, that he should send a 75 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 coasts, and should divide their land to them by lot. And the king took the half that remained of the forces, and removed 80 from Antioch, from his royal city, the hundred and forty and seventh year; and he passed over the river Euphrates, and went through the upper countries. 38 And Lysias chose Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's Friends; and 85 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 word of the king. And they removed with all their host, and came and pitched near unto Emmaus in the plain country. And the merchants of the country heard the fame of them, 90 and took silver and gold exceeding much, with fetters, and came into the camp to take the children of Israel for servants: and there were added unto them the forces of Syria and of the land of the Philistines. 42 And Judas and his brethren saw that evils were multiplied, 95 and that the forces were encamping in their borders; and they took knowledge of the king's words which he had commanded, to destroy the people and make an end of them; and 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 100 congregation was gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask for mercy and compassion. And Jerusalem was without inhabitant as 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 were in 105 the citadel, the Gentiles lodged therein; 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 was there a place of prayer aforetime for Israel. And they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and put ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes, and laid open 110 the book of the law, concerning which the Gentiles were wont to inquire, seeking the likenesses of their idols. And they brought the priests' garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes: and they stirred up the Nazirites, who had accomplished their days. And they cried aloud toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with 115 these men, and whither shall we carry them away? And thy holy place is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness and brought low. And, behold, the Gentiles are assembled together against us to destroy us: thou knowest what things they imagine against us. How shall we be able to stand 120 before them, except thou be our help? And they sounded with the trumpets, and cried with a loud voice. 55 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 125 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 upon the south side of Emmaus. And Judas said, Gird yourselves, and be valiant men, and be in readiness against 130 the morning, that ye may fight with 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 of our nation and the holy place. Nevertheless, as may be the will in heaven, so shall he do. : 135 4 1 And Gorgias took five thousand footmen, and a thousand chosen horse, and the army removed by night, that it might fall upon the army of the Jews and smite them suddenly and the men of the citadel were his guides. And Judas heard thereof, and removed, he and the valiant men, that he might smite the king's 140 host which was at Emmaus, while as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp. And Gorgias came into the camp of Judas by night, and found no man; and he sought them in the mountains; for he said, These men flee from us. And as soon as it was day, Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand 145 men howbeit they had not armour nor swords to their minds. And they saw the camp of the Gentiles strong and fortified, and horsemen compassing it round about; and these were expert in war. And Judas said to the men that were with him, Fear ye not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their onset. Remember 150 how our fathers were saved in the Red sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with a host. And now let us cry unto heaven, if he will have : : us, and will remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this army before our face to-day and all the Gentiles shall know 155 that there is one who redeemeth and saveth Israel. And the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming over against them and they went out of the camp to battle. And they that were with Judas sounded their trumpets, and joined battle, and the Gentiles were discomfited, and fled into the plain. But all 160 the hindmost fell by the sword: and they pursued them unto Gazara, and unto the plains of Idumæa and Azotus and Jamnia, and there fell of them about three thousand men. And Judas and his host returned from pursuing after them, and he said unto the people, Be not greedy of the spoils, inasmuch as there is a 165 battle before us; and Gorgias and his host are nigh unto us in the mountain. But stand ye now against our enemies, and fight against them, and afterwards take the spoils with boldness. While Judas was yet making an end of these words, there appeared a part of them looking out from the mountain: and 170 they saw that their host had been put to flight, and that the Jews were burning the camp; for the smoke that was seen declared what was done. But when they perceived these things, they were sore afraid; and perceiving also the army of Judas in the plain ready for battle, they fled all of them into the land of the 175 Philistines. And Judas returned to spoil the camp, and they got much gold, and silver, and blue and sea purple, and great riches. And they returned home, and sang a song of thanksgiving, and gave praise unto heaven; because his mercy is good, because his mercy endureth for ever. And Israel had a great 180 deliverance that day. 26 But the strangers, as many as had escaped, came and told Lysias all the things that had happened: but when he heard thereof, he was confounded and discouraged, because neither had such things as he would been done unto Israel, nor had such 185 things as the king commanded him come to pass. 28 And in the next year he gathered together threescore thousand chosen footmen, and five thousand horse, that he might subdue them. And they came into Idumæa, and encamped at Bethsura; and Judas met them with ten thousand men. 190 he saw that the army was strong, and he prayed and said, And Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst quell the onset of the mighty men by the hand of thy servant David, and didst deliver the army of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and of his armourbearer: shut up this army in the 195 hand of thy people Israel, and let them be ashamed for their |