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  • don@saintesecritures.org


Chapter 4 34 So they joined battle; and there were slain of the host of Lysias about five thousand men, even before them were they slain.35 Now when Lysias saw his army put to flight, and the manliness of Judas' soldiers, and how they were ready either to live or die valiantly, he went into Antiochia, and gathered together a company of strangers, and having made his army greater than it was, he purposed to come again into Judea.36 Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary.37 Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into mount Sion.38 And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests' chambers pulled down;39 They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes upon their heads,40 And fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm with the trumpets, and cried toward heaven.41 Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary.42 So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the law:43 Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean place.44 And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offerings, which was profaned;45 They thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the heathen had defiled it: wherefore they pulled it down,46 And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, until there should come a prophet to shew what should be done with them.47 Then they took whole stones according to the law, and built a new altar according to the former;48 And made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within the temple, and hallowed the courts.49 They made also new holy vessels, and into the temple they brought the candlestick, and the altar of burnt offerings, and of incense, and the table.50 And upon the altar they burned incense, and the lamps that were upon the candlestick they lighted, that they might give light in the temple.51 Furthermore they set the loaves upon the table, and spread out the veils, and finished all the works which they had begun to make.52 Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up betimes in the morning,