The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Iudas goeth agaynst Gorgias, whiche lyeth in wayte. He putteth Gorgias and his hoost to flyght. Lisias inuadeth Iewrye, but Iudas dryueth him out. Iudas purifyeth the temple, and dedycateth the altare.

CAPI. IIII.

[ A] THen toke Gorgias fyue thousande men of fote, and a thousande of y^e best hors∣men: and remoued by nyght, to come nye where the Iewes hoost laye, and so to slaye them sodenly. Now the men that kepte the castell, were the conueyers of them. Then arose Iudas to smyte the chyef and principal of the kynges hoost at Emmaus, for the army was not yet come togyther. In y^e mene season came Gorgias by nyght in to Iudas tentes: and when he founde no man there, he sought them in the moūtaynes & thought they had bene fled away bycause of hym. But when it was daye, Iudas shewed hym selfe in the felde with thre thousande men onlye, whiche hath neither harnesse ne sweardes to theyr myndes.

But on the other syde, they sawe that the Heythen were myghtye and well harnessed, and their horsmen about them, and all these well experte in feates of warre. Then sayde Iudas to the men that were with him: Feare not ye the multitude of them, be not afrayed of theyr vyolente runnynge: remembre howe oure fathers were delyuered in the reed see, when Pharao threatened them with a great hoost. Euen so let vs also crye now towarde heauen: and the Lorde shall haue mercy vpō vs▪ and remēbre the couenaūt of our fathers, yea and destroye this hoost before oure face this daye: And all the Heythen shall knowe that it is God him self, which deliuereth and saueth Israel.

[ B] Then the Heythen lyft vp theyr eyes: and when they sawe that they were commynge agaynst them, they went out of theyr tentes in to the battyle: and they that were with Iudas, blewe vp the trompettes. So they buckled togyther, and the Heythen were dis∣comfyted, and fled ouer the playne felde: but the hynmost of theym were slayne. For they folowed vpon them vnto Assaremoth, and in to the feldes of Idumea, towarde Azot and Iamnia: so that there were slayne of them vpon a thre thousande men. So Iudas tur∣ned agayne with his hoost, and sayd vnto the people: Be not gredy of the spoyles, we haue yet a battayle to fyghte: for Gorgias and his hoost are here by vs in the mountaynes, but stande ye fast agaynste our enemyes, and ouercome them: then may ye safely take the spoyles. [ C]

As Iudas was speakynge these wordes, there appeared one parte of them vpon the mount. But when Gorgias saw that they of his partye were fled, and the tentes brente vp (for by the smoke they myght vnderstand what was done) they perceyuynge this, were very sore afrayde: an when they sawe also that Iudas and his hoste were in the felde ready to stryke battayle, they fled euerychone in to the lande of the heathen.

So Iudas turned agayne to spoyle the tē∣tes, where they gat moch golde and syluer, precious stones, purple, and greate ryches▪ thus they went home and songe a Psalme of thankesgeuynge and praysed God in heauen for he is gracyous, and his mercye endureth for euer: And so Israel had a great vyctorye in that daye.

Nowe all the heathen that escaped, came and tolde Lisias euery thyng as it happened. Wherfore Lisias was sore afrayed and gre∣ued in his mynde, bycause Israel had not got¦ten suche mysfortune as he wolde they shuld neither as the kynge commaunded. The next yere folowynge, gathered Lisias thre score thousande chosen men, of fote, & fyue thou∣sande horsmen to fyght agaynste them.

So they came in so Iewrye, and pitched [ D] theyr tentes at Bethorō, where Iudas came agaynste them with ten thousande men. And when he sawe so greate myghtye an hoost, he made his prayers and sayde: Blessed be thou (O sauyoure of Israel) whiche dyddest de∣stroye the vyolent power of the gyaunte, in the hand of thy seruaunt Dauid, and gauest the hoost of the heathen into the hand of Io¦nathas (the sonne of Saul) and of his weapō bearer.

Put this hoost now into the hande of thy people of Israel, and let theym be confoun∣ded in their multytude of horsmen. Make them afrayed, and dicomfort the boldnes of their strength, that they maye be moued tho∣rowe ••h••ir destruction. Cast them downe tho¦rowe the swearde of thy louers, then shall al they that knowe thy name, prayse the with thankesgyuynge.

So they stroke the battayle, & there were slayne of Lisias hoost, fyue thousande men. Then Lisias seyng the discomfetynge of his men, and the manlynes of the Iewes, howe they were ready, either to lyue or to dye lyke men: He went vnto Antioch and chose oute men of warre: that when they were gathe∣red togyther, they myght come agayne in to Iewry. Then sayde Iudas and his brethren: beholde oure enemyes are discomfeted: Let vs nowe go vp, to clense and repayre the Sā¦ctuarye.

Vpon this all the hooste gathered theym [ E] togyther▪ and went vp vnto mounte Syon. Nowe when they sawe the Sanctuary layd

waste, the altare defyled, the dores brent vp, the shrubbes growyng in the courtes, lyke as in a wod, or vpon mountaynes, yea and that the prestes Celles were broken downe: They rent theyr clothes, made great lamentacyon, cast asshes vpon theyr heedes, fell downe flat to the grounde, made a great noyse with the trompettes, and cryed towarde heauen.

Then Iudas appoynted certayne men to fyght agaynst those which were in the castel, tyll they had clensed the Sanctuary. So he chose prestes that were vndefiled, such as had pleasure in the lawe of God: and they clen∣sed the Sanctuary, and bare out the defyled stones, in to an vncleane place. And for so∣moche as the altare of burntoffrynges was vnhalowed, he toke aduysement, what he myght do with all: so he thought it was best to destroye it (leest it shoulde happen to do thē any shame) for the Heythen had defyled it, and therfore they brake it downe. As for the stones they layed them vp vpon the moun∣tayne, by the house in a conuenyent place: til there came a prophete to shewe, what should be done with them.

[ F] So they toke hole stones accordyng to the lawe, and buylded a newe altare, such one as was before, & made vp the Sanctuary with∣in and withoute, and halowed the courtes. They made newe ornamentes, and brought the candelsticke, the altare of incense, and the table in to the temple. The incēse layed they vpon the altare, and lyghted the lāpes which were vpon the candelstycke, that they myght burne in the temple. They set the shewbreed vpon the table, and hanged vp the vale, and set vp the temple as it was afore. And vpon the .xxv. daye of the nynth moneth, whiche is called the moneth of Casleu, in the .C.xlviii. yere: they rose vp bytymes in the mornynge for to do sacrifyce (accordyng to the law vpō, the newe burntoffryng altare, that they had made: after the tyme and seasō that the Hei∣then had defiled it. The same daye was it set vp agayne, with songes, pypes, harpes, and cymbales.

And all the people fell vpon theyr faces, [ G] worshippyng and thankyng the God of heuē which had gyuen them the vyctorye. So they kept the dedicacyon of the altare .viii. dayes, offrynge burntsacrifyces and thankoffrynges with gladnesse. They decte the temple also w^t crownes and shyldes of golde, and halowed y^e portes & celles, and hanged dores vpon them. Thus there was very great gladnes among y^e people, bicause y^e blasphemye of the Heithē was put away. So Iudas & his brethrē w^t the hole cōgregacyon of Israel, ordeined that the tyme of the dedycacyon of y^e altare sholde be kepte in his season, frome yeare to yeare, by the space of eyght dayes, from the twenty & fyfth day of the moneth Casleu: yea and that with myrth and gladnesse.

And at the same tyme buylded they vp the mount Syon, with hygh walles and stronge towres round about: lest the Gentyles shuld come and treade it downe, as they dyd afore. Therfore Iudas set men of war in it, to kepe it: and made it strong, for to defende Bethsura: that the people myght haue a refuge against the Edomites.

Notes

• 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• 〈…〉〈…〉
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 viii. d
• Psa .cvii. Psal .cxviii. a
• Lisias.
• i. Regū .vii. g
• iiii. Re .xiiii. b
• The Sanctu¦ary is repay∣red.
• ii. Ma .x. a
• Exod .xx. d Deut .xxvii. a Iosue .viii. g
• ii. Macha .x. a Casleu is No¦uembre.
• ii. Para .vii. d
• Dedication.
• Iohn .x .c
• •• Mac .vi. d .c