Now Maccabeus and his company, the Lord aiding them, recovered the temple and the city. And Ptolemee, surnamed Macro, resolved to deal justly with the Jews for the wrong that had been done unto them, and made effort to treat them peaceably. Maccabeus therefore left Simon and Joseph and Zacchæus, and a sufficient number of his company to besiege them; and he departed unto other places where his presence was more urgently needed.

And they pulled down the altars which the strangers had built in the market-place, and they destroyed the temples. Nevertheless, those that were with Simon were enticed by love of money, and bribed by some of those in the towers, and let them go after taking from them seventy thousand drachmas. And when they had finished their prayers, they took arms and advanced until they were far from the city, and when they drew near the enemy, they halted.

And they purified the temple, and made another altar, and struck fire from stones, and offered a sacrifice after two years, and prepared incense, and lights, and the showbread. And Timotheus fled to the stronghold called Gazara, which was a strong fortress, and it was under the command of Chaireas.

And when they had done these things, they supplicated the Lord, falling prostrate, that they might no more fall into such evils; but if they sinned, that He would chasten them with clemency, and not deliver them unto barbarous and wicked Gentiles.

Now it happened that on the very same day whereon the strangers had profaned the temple, on that very day was it cleansed again, which was the five and twentieth day of the month Chislev.

And they kept eight days with gladness, as in the feast of tabernacles, remembering that not long afore they had held the feast of tabernacles in the mountains and dens like wild beasts.

Therefore they bare branches, and green boughs, and palms unto Him who had given them good success in cleansing His place. And they ordained by a general statute concerning all the nation of the Jews, that they should keep these days every year. Thus was the death of Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes.

Now we will begin our narration concerning the son of that wicked man, and we will briefly mention what happened through the miseries of the wars. When he took the kingdom, he committed the management of affairs to Lysias, the commander-in-chief in the regions of Syria and Phoenicia.

Therefore his friends brought him before Eupator, and the people spoke much against him, saying that he was a traitor, because he had abandoned Cyprus, whereon Philometor had employed him, and sided with Antiochus Epiphanes. And when the honor of his authority departed from him, he became so grieved that he made away with himself by poison.

So Gorgias took command of the country, and he began to enlist foreign soldiers and continually waged war against the Jews.

Likewise the Idumæans, who had convenient strongholds, constrained the Jews and received fugitives from Jerusalem, and prepared for war.

Then those with Maccabeus supplicated and entreated God to be their helper, and then they assaulted the strongholds of the Idumæans.

And they fell upon them with great force and took possession of some of their places, and struck down all who fought upon the wall, and whoever rushed at them they slew. So they destroyed twenty thousand of them.

And nine thousand of them fled into two very strong towers, well furnished with all means of defense.

When Maccabeus was informed of what had happened, he gathered the elders of the people and complained of what they had done, selling their brethren for money, in that they had released their enemies upon them.

Then he slew those traitors, and immediately seized the towers.

And his arms accompanied him in every victory he won, so he slew in the towers more than twenty thousand.

Then Timotheus, whom the Jews had before defeated, gathered a great army of foreigners, and assembled no small number of horsemen from Asia, and came down into Judea as a conqueror.

And when he drew near, the company of Maccabeus turned to supplicate God, having cast earth on their heads and girded themselves with sackcloth.

And they fell down before the altar, and besought Him to be merciful unto them, and an adversary to their enemies, and to oppress those who oppressed them, as it is written in the Law.

And at the rising of the sun, the two armies joined battle, these trusting in the Lord as the guarantor of victory and success, and those taking their valor as their leader in war.

When the battle waxed sore, there appeared to the enemies from heaven five comely men on horses with bridles of gold, and two of them led the Jews.

And they encompassed Maccabeus, urging him on with their weapons and guarding him from wounds, while they cast darts and thunderbolts, until their eyesight was darkened, and they began to stumble and fall.

So there were slain twenty thousand and five hundred, and of the horsemen six hundred.

Then the company of Maccabeus rejoiced and besieged the fortress for four days.

And those within, trusting in the strength of the place, continued in blasphemy and spoke most wickedly.

And when the morning of the fifth day came, twenty young men of Maccabeus’ company assaulted the wall, burning with anger at the blasphemies, and began to slay with bravery and fierceness all who came before them.

And others came about and climbed inside and set fire to those who had set fire to the towers, and burned those blasphemers alive in the flaming fires.

And others broke down the doors and let in the rest of the army, so they gained possession of the city. And Timotheus was hidden in a pit, so they slew him, and Chaireas his brother, and Apollophanes.

And after that, they blessed the Lord with hymns and thanksgiving for His great goodness unto Israel and His giving them victory.