Chapter 4 _{23 Then Judas returned to spoil the tents, where they got much gold, and silver, and blue silk, and purple of the sea, and great riches.24 After this they went home, and sung a song of thanksgiving, and praised the Lord in heaven: because it is good, because his mercy endureth forever.25 Thus Israel had a great deliverance that day.26 Now all the strangers that had escaped came and told Lysias what had happened:27 Who, when he heard thereof, was confounded and discouraged, because neither such things as he would were done unto Israel, nor such things as the king commanded him were come to pass.28 The next year therefore following Lysias gathered together threescore thousand choice men of foot, and five thousand horsemen, that he might subdue them.29 So they came into Idumea, and pitched their tents at Bethsura, and Judas met them with ten thousand men.30 And when he saw that mighty army, he prayed and said, Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst quell the violence of the mighty man by the hand of thy servant David, and gavest the host of strangers into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and his armourbearer;31 Shut up this army in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their power and horsemen:32 Make them to be of no courage, and cause the boldness of their strength to fall away, and let them quake at their destruction:33 Cast them down with the sword of them that love thee, and let all those that know thy name praise thee with thanksgiving.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.}