¶Then Maccabaeus and those who were with him, the Lord leading them on, recovered the temple and the city.

They pulled down the altars that had been built in the marketplace by the foreigners, and also the sacred enclosures.

Having cleansed the sanctuary, they made another altar of sacrifice. ^*Striking flint and starting a fire, they offered sacrifices after they had ceased for two years, burned incense, lit lamps, and set out the show bread.

When they had done these things, they fell prostrate and implored the Lord that they might fall no more into such evils; but that, if they ever did sin, they might be chastened by him with forbearance, and not be delivered to blaspheming and barbarous heathen.

Now on the same day that the sanctuary was profaned by foreigners, upon that very day it came to pass that the sanctuary was cleansed, even on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which is Chislev.

They observed eight days with gladness in the manner of the feast of tabernacles, remembering how ^*not long before, during the feast of tabernacles, they were wandering in the mountains and in the caves like wild animals.

Therefore carrying wands wreathed with leaves, and beautiful branches, and palm fronds also, they offered up hymns of thanksgiving to him who had successfully brought to pass the cleansing of his own place.

They ordained also with a public statute and decree, for all the nation of the Jews, that they should observe these days every year.

¶Such were the events of the end of Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes.

¶Now we will declare what came to pass under Antiochus ^*Eupator, who proved himself a son of that ungodly man, and will summarize the main evils of the wars.

For this man, when he succeeded to the kingdom, appointed one Lysias to be chancellor and supreme governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia.

For Ptolemy who was called Macron, setting an example of observing justice toward the Jews because of the wrong that had been done to them, endeavored to deal with them on peaceful terms.

Whereupon being accused by the king’s ^*friends before Eupator, and hearing himself called traitor at every turn because he had abandoned Cyprus which Philometor had entrusted to him, and had withdrawn himself to Antiochus Epiphanes, and ^* failing to uphold the honor of his office, he took poison and did away with himself.

¶But when Gorgias was made governor of the district, he maintained a force of mercenaries, and at every turn kept up war with the Jews.

Together with him the Idumaeans also, being masters of important strongholds, harassed the Jews; and received those who had taken refuge from Jerusalem, they endeavored to keep up the war.

But Maccabaeus and his men, having made solemn supplication and having implored God to fight on their side, rushed upon the strongholds of the Idumaeans.

Assaulting them vigorously, they took control of the positions, and kept off all who fought upon the wall, and killed those whom they encountered, killing no fewer than twenty thousand.

¶Because no fewer than nine thousand had fled into two very strong towers having everything needed for a seige,

Maccabaeus, having left Simon and Joseph, and also Zacchaeus and those who were with him, a force sufficient to besiege them, departed himself to places where he was most needed.

But Simon and those who were with him, yielding to covetousness, were bribed by some of those who were in the towers, and receiving seventy thousand drachmas, let some of them slip away.

But when word was brought to Maccabaeus of what was done, he gathered the leaders of the people together, and accused those men of having sold their kindred for money by setting their enemies free to fight against them.

So he killed these men for having turned traitors, and immediately took possession of the two towers.