¹Gorgias took 5,000 infantry and 1,000 of his most experienced cavalry and left camp by night,

²with men from the fort in Jerusalem as his guides. He had planned to make a surprise attack on the Jewish army,

³but Judas learned of the plan and moved out with his men to attack the king's army at Emmaus

⁴while Gorgias and his troops were still away from the camp.

⁵When Gorgias and his army reached Judas' camp that night, they found no one there. They thought Judas and his men were trying to escape, so they started looking for them in the mountains.

⁶At dawn Judas appeared in the plain with 3,000 men, not all of them as well armed as they would have liked.

⁷They saw the huge Gentile army of experienced troops wearing armor and protected by cavalry.

⁸But Judas said to his men, Don't worry about the size of their army, and don't be frightened when they attack.

⁹Remember how our ancestors were saved at the Red Sea when the king of Egypt was pursuing them with his army!

¹⁰Now let us ask the Lord to have mercy on us. Let us pray that he will honor his covenant with our ancestors and crush this army when we attack today.

¹¹Then all the Gentiles will know that Israel has a God who rescues and saves them.

¹²When the Gentiles saw Judas and his men preparing for battle,

¹³they moved out of their camp to fight. Then Judas and his men sounded their trumpets

¹⁴and attacked. The Gentiles broke ranks and fled to the plain,

¹⁵but all the stragglers were killed. The Israelites pursued the enemy as far as Gezer, the plains of Idumea, and the towns of Azotus and Jamnia. Altogether they killed about 3,000 of the enemy.

¹⁶When Judas and his army came back from the pursuit,

^17-18he said to his men, Don't be greedy for loot. Gorgias and his army are nearby in the mountains, so there is still heavy fighting ahead of us. We must stand firm and fight. After that, you can safely take all the loot you want.

¹⁹Judas was just finishing his speech when an enemy patrol on a scouting mission looked down from the mountains

²⁰and saw that their army had been put to flight; they could tell from the smoke that their camp was burning.

²¹When they saw all this, they were terrified, and when they also saw that Judas' army was in the plain ready for battle,

²²they all fled to Philistia.

²³Then Judas returned to loot the enemy camp; he took large amounts of gold and silver, blue and purple cloth, and other rich plunder.

²⁴When the Jews came back to their own camp, they sang a hymn: The Lord is worthy of praise; his mercy endures forever.

²⁵That day brought a great victory to the people of Israel.

Victory over Lysias

²⁶The Gentile troops that escaped went to Lysias and reported all that had happened.

²⁷When Lysias heard that his troops had lost the battle, he was shocked and disappointed that Israel had not been defeated as the king had commanded.

²⁸In the following year Lysias gathered an army of 60,000 well-trained infantry and 5,000 cavalry, intending to conquer the Jews.

²⁹They marched into Idumea and camped at Bethzur. Judas came to meet them with 10,000 men.

³⁰When Judas saw how strong the enemy's army was, he prayed, We will praise you, Savior of Israel. You broke the attack of the giant by the hand of your servant David and you let Saul's son Jonathan and the young man who carried his weapons defeat the entire Philistine army.

³¹Now in the same way let your people Israel defeat our enemy. Put them to shame, in spite of all their confidence in their infantry and cavalry.

³²Make them afraid; let their bold strength melt away; let them tremble at the prospect of defeat.

³³We love and worship you; so let us kill our enemies, that we may then sing your praises.

³⁴The battle began, and in the hand-to-hand fighting about 5,000 of Lysias' men were killed.

³⁵When Lysias saw that his army was being defeated and when he saw the reckless courage of Judas and his men, who showed that they were ready to live or die with honor, he returned to Antioch. There he recruited some mercenaries and planned to return to Judea later with a much larger army.

The Purification of the Temple

³⁶Judas and his brothers said, Now that our enemies have been defeated, let's go to Jerusalem to purify the Temple and rededicate it.

³⁷So the whole army was assembled and went up to Mount Zion.

³⁸There they found the Temple abandoned, the altar profaned, the gates burned down, the courtyards grown up in a forest of weeds, and the priests' rooms torn down.

³⁹In their sorrow, they tore their clothes, cried loudly, threw ashes on their heads,

⁴⁰and fell face down on the ground. When the signal was given on the trumpets, everyone cried out to the Lord.

⁴¹Then Judas ordered some of his soldiers to attack the men in the fort, while he purified the Temple.

⁴²He chose some priests who were qualified and who were devoted to the Law.

⁴³They purified the Temple and took the stones that had been defiled and put them in an unclean place.

⁴⁴They discussed what should be done with the altar of burnt offerings, which had been desecrated

⁴⁵by the Gentiles, and decided to tear it down, so that it would not stand there as a monument to their shame. So they tore down the altar

⁴⁶and put the stones in a suitable place on the Temple hill, where they were to be kept until a prophet should appear and decide what to do with them.

⁴⁷Then they took uncut stones, as the Law of Moses required, and built a new altar like the old one.

⁴⁸They repaired the Temple, inside and out, and dedicated its courtyards.

⁴⁹They made new utensils for worship and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table for the bread into the Temple.

⁵⁰They burned incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and there was light in the Temple!

⁵¹They placed the loaves of bread on the table, hung the curtains, and completed all the work.

^52-54The twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev, in the year 148 was the anniversary of the day the Gentiles had desecrated the altar. On that day a sacrifice was offered on the new altar in accordance with the Law of Moses. The new altar was dedicated and hymns were sung to the accompaniment of harps, lutes, and cymbals.

⁵⁵All the people bowed down with their faces to the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord for giving them victory.

⁵⁶For eight days they celebrated the rededication of the altar. With great joy they brought burnt offerings and offered fellowship offerings and thank offerings.

⁵⁷They decorated the front of the Temple with gold crowns and shields, rebuilt the gates and the priests' rooms and put doors on them.

⁵⁸Now that the Jews had removed the shame which the Gentiles had brought, they held a great celebration.

⁵⁹Then Judas, his brothers, and the entire community of Israel decreed that the rededication of the altar should be celebrated with a festival of joy and gladness at the same time each year, beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month of Kislev and lasting for eight days.

⁶⁰Then they built high walls and strong towers around Mount Zion, so that the Gentiles could not come in and trample and defile it again.

⁶¹Judas placed a detachment of soldiers there to guard the Temple. He also fortified the town of Bethzur, so that the people of Israel would have a fortress facing Idumea.

¹A wise ruler will educate his people, and his government will be orderly.

²All the officials and all the citizens will be like their ruler.

³An uneducated king will ruin his people, but a government will grow strong if its rulers are wise.

⁴The Lord sees to the government of the world and brings the right person to power at the right time.

⁵The success of that person is in the Lord's hands. The Lord is the source of the honor given to any official.

Pride

⁶Don't be angry with someone for every little thing he does wrong. Don't do anything out of injured pride.

⁷Arrogance and injustice are hated by both the Lord and people.

⁸Injustice, arrogance, and wealth cause nations to fall from power, and others then rise to take their place.

⁹We are only dust and ashes; what have we got to be proud of Our body decays even while we are alive.

¹⁰A long illness puzzles the doctor. Even a king may be alive today and dead tomorrow.

¹¹When a person dies, all he then possesses is worms, flies, and maggots.

¹²Pride has its beginning when a person abandons the Lord, his maker.

¹³Pride is like a fountain pouring out sin, and whoever persists in it will be full of wickedness. That is why the Lord brought terrible punishments on some people and completely destroyed them.

¹⁴The Lord has overthrown kings and put humbler people in their place.

¹⁵The Lord has pulled up nations by the roots and established humbler ones in their place.

¹⁶The Lord has overthrown empires and completely devastated their lands.

¹⁷He destroyed some so completely that they are not even remembered any more.

¹⁸The Creator never intended for human beings to be arrogant and violent.

People Who Should Be Honored

¹⁹Who deserves honor? The human race does, because people fear the Lord. Who does not deserve honor? The human race does not, because people break the Lord's commands.

²⁰A leader should be honored by those who follow him, and the Lord honors those who fear him.

²²Rich people, famous people, and poor people all take pride in their fear of the Lord.

²³It is not right to refuse honor to a poor person who is intelligent, and it is not right to give honor to a sinner.

²⁴People of influence, rulers, and judges will be honored, but none of them is greater than a person who fears the Lord.

²⁵A slave who is wise will have free citizens serving him; and if they are sensible, they will not resent it.

Humility and Self-respect

²⁶When you do your work, don't make a show of your skill, and don't try to put on a show when you are in trouble.

²⁷It is better to work and have more than you need than to go around boasting but hungry.

²⁸My child, keep your self-respect, but remain modest. Value yourself at your true worth.

²⁹There is no excuse for a person to run himself down. No one respects a person who has no respect for himself.

³⁰Poor people can be honored for their good sense, and rich people can be honored for their wealth.

³¹If someone is honored while he is poor, think how much he will be honored if he becomes rich! If someone is despised while he is rich, think how much more he will be despised if he becomes poor!

¹If a poor person is wise, he has good reason to be proud, and he will be thought of as someone great.

Appearances

²Do not compliment a person on his good looks. On the other hand, do not look down on someone who is unattractive.

³Compared to most flying things, a bee is very small, but the honey it makes is the sweetest of foods.

⁴Don't make fun of someone who has fallen on hard times and is dressed in rags. The Lord does wonderful things that human beings never notice.

⁵Many are the kings who have ended their careers sitting on the ground, while their crowns were worn by those no one had heard of before.

⁶Many are the rulers who have suffered disgrace. Many are the famous people who have fallen into the power of others.

Be Cautious

⁷Before you start criticizing, get your facts straight and think the matter through.

⁸Don't interrupt while someone is speaking; hear what he has to say before you answer.

⁹Don't get into an argument over something that is none of your business. Don't take part in decisions that are being made by sinners.

¹⁰My child, don't get involved in too many things. If you try to do too much, you will suffer for it. You won't be able to finish your work, and you won't be able to get away from it either.

¹¹For instance, here is someone who never stops working like a slave, but gets further behind all the time.

¹²On the other hand, someone else may be very poor and not up to his task. He may be slow, and he may need help, but the Lord is pleased with him and pulls him out of his bad situation.

¹³When he is back on his feet again, everyone is astounded.

¹⁴Everything comes from the Lord: success and failure, poverty and wealth, life and death.

¹⁵Wisdom, understanding, knowledge of the Law, love, and the doing of good deeds—all these come from the Lord.

¹⁶Error and darkness have been with sinners from the beginning, and those who enjoy evil will have it with them into their old age.

¹⁷The Lord's gifts to religious people are gifts that endure. If he approves of you, you will always be successful.

¹⁸Someone may grow rich by working hard and denying himself pleasure, but what does he get for it?

¹⁹He says to himself, Now I can finally sit back and enjoy what I have worked for. But he has no idea how long it will be before he must die and leave his wealth to others.

²⁰Stand by your duty and stick to it; grow old at your work.

²¹Don't be jealous of what sinners achieve; just stick to your own work, and trust the Lord. It is very easy for the Lord to make a poor person suddenly rich.

²²Devout people will receive the Lord's blessing as their reward, and that blessing can be given in a moment.

²³Don't be concerned about what you need, or what success the future holds for you.

²⁴On the other hand, don't think that you have everything you need or that nothing can go wrong for you in the future.

²⁵When things are going well, people don't think about hard times; and when things are going badly, they forget about prosperity.

²⁶The Lord can easily wait until the day of our death to reward or punish us.

²⁷At that time our deeds are open for all to see; all our happiness can be erased in that one moment of misery.

²⁸So then, don't think of anyone's life as happy until it is over, because all the evidence is not in until the person is dead.

Be Careful in Choosing Friends

²⁹Be careful about the kind of person you invite into your home, because clever people can fool you in many ways.

³⁰A proud person is a decoy to lure you into danger; like a spy, he will look for your weaknesses.

³¹He will make good appear evil and find fault with the noblest actions.

³²A single spark can set a pile of coals ablaze, and a sinner is just waiting for a chance to do violence.

³³Watch out for such people and their evil plans; they will ruin you permanently.

³⁴If you bring a stranger home with you, it will only cause trouble, even between you and your own family.

¹When you do a good deed, make sure you know who is benefiting from it; then what you do will not be wasted.

²You will be repaid for any kindness you show to a devout person. If he doesn't repay you, the Most High will.

³No good ever comes to a person who gives comfort to the wicked; it is not a righteous act.

⁴Give to religious people, but don't help sinners.

⁵Do good to humble people, but don't give anything to those who are not devout. Don't give them food, or they will use your kindness against you. Every good thing you do for such people will bring you twice as much trouble in return.

⁶The Most High himself hates sinners, and he will punish them.

⁷Give to good people, but do not help sinners.

⁸When things are going well, it is hard to tell who your real friends are, but in hard times you can recognize your enemies;

⁹even your friends will leave you then. But when you are successful, your enemies will act like friends.

¹⁰Never trust an enemy; his wickedness is as destructive as rust.

¹¹Watch out, and be on guard against him, even if he acts ever so humble. He is like a metal mirror that rusts away if you don't keep it polished.

¹²Seat an enemy at your right hand, and the next thing you know he'll be trying to get your own place of honor. Put him next to you, and he will overthrow you. Then you will realize the truth of my words, and be stung with regret when you remember them.

¹³Nobody feels sorry for snake charmers or wild animal tamers who get bitten,

¹⁴and nobody will feel sorry for you if you run around with sinners and get involved in their wrongdoing.

¹⁵An enemy will stay with you for a while, but not when trouble comes.

¹⁶He will speak fine words while he plots how to trap you. He will pretend to share your sorrows, but he will kill you if he gets a chance.

¹⁷If trouble comes your way, you will find him waiting, ready to trip you up while he pretends to help you.

¹⁸He will be a different person then, rubbing his hands, nodding his head, and spreading rumors about you.

⁹Be generous and share your food with the poor. You will be blessed for it.

¹⁰Get rid of a conceited person, and then there will be no more arguments, quarreling, or name-calling.

¹¹If you love purity of heart and graciousness of speech, the king will be your friend.

¹²The Lord sees to it that truth is kept safe by disproving the words of liars.