Bible ~~- Apocrypha ~~- 1 Maccabees ~~- chapter 4 of 16 (61 verses.)

1 Maccabees 4Wrench

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Gen. Georgias Leads 6000 Men In Night Ambush
1 Then [Greek General] Gorgias takes 5000 footmen, and 1000 of [the Empire's] finest horsemen. [They creep] out of [the Gentile war] camp [under cover of] night.
2 [Gorgias] plans to rush in upon the Jewish [war] camp, to strike them suddenly, using spies from the [Israelite] fortress as guides.
3 Judah the Hammer's [spies rush him Intelligence about] the surprise attack. So Hammer himself sneaks out with his valiant [special-forces warriors] to try to strike the [remainder of the] Emperor's army as they sleep in the [war-camp at] Emmaus {Warm-Spring}.
4 [Hammer hopes to hit while] the [Greeks' surprise attack] forces are separated from their own war-camp.
5 Meanwhile, [Greek General] Gorgias [rushes] by night into the Jewish war-camp. When Gorgias finds no man there, he hunts for the Israelites in the mountains, assuming, β€œThese [scared hillbillies] are fleeing from us [Greek war-heroes].”
6 But as soon as daylight breaks [over the mountains], Judah the Hammer shows himself in the plain with 3000 [unarmed] men, who have neither armor nor swords [nor the training in how to use weapons].
And indication that Hammer may have been using praise-power.
7 The Israelites see the war-camp of the beast-nations: fierce, strong and well-armed, completely surrounded by horsemen; all experts in war.
8 Judah the Hammer says to the men with him, β€œNever fear their multitude. Don't shudder at their assault.
9 Remember how [YAH] delivered our fore-fathers via the β€˜Red’ Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army.
10 So now let's cry to heaven! Maybe Adonai [YHVH] will have mercy on us, and remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this army before our face today.
11 All the beast-nations must learn there is One [YHVH] who delivers and saves Israel.”
12 The foreign [troops] lift up their [angry] eyes. [They laugh to] see the [hopelessly out-powered] Israelites attacking opposite them.
13 So the beast-national army rushes out of their war-camp to battle, [shouting, β€œToday our gods drink the blood of Jews!”] The [soldiers] of Judah sound their shofars.
Music is our battle weapon, with which we call the power of Yah to defeat the overwhelming foe.
14 The [unarmed] Israelites join battle. They [supernaturally] crush the [heavily-armed war-expert] heathen. [The surving Greeks] flee into the plain.
15 The [unarmed Israelites chase down] all the straggling heathen [warriors]. [The Jews] kill the [Greeks] with [the Greeks' own] swords. The Israelites pursue the beast-nationals to Gazera {Portion}, and [south] to the plains of Edom, Azotus and Jamnia, slaying about 3000 heathen soldiers.
However, this conquest ends up being bad because it plants the seeds of the eventual total destruction of Israel by the Roman army, about 150 years later.
16 Judah the Hammer and his army return [victorious] from chasing the beast-nations, πŸ˜‡.
17 [Hammer] commands the people, β€œDon't lust for the plunder! Another battle looms before us!
18 [Greek general] Gorgias and his army [stalk] us [here on this] mountain! Stand now against our enemies! Overcome them. Then you may boldly seize the spoils [of battle]!”
19 As Judah the Hammer speaks these words, a party of enemy spies appear, looking out from the mountain.
20 The [Greek] spies see that the Jews have put the [invasion] army to flight, and are burning the Greek army's tents. The smoke in the air tells the story [of the Greeks' defeat].
21 So the spies shake with terror, seeing the host of Judah in the plain ready [again] to fight.
22 The spies all flee into foreign land [to escape the supernaturally-empowered Jews].
23 Then Judah the Hammer returns to plunder the enemy tents. There the Jews reap [tons] of gold, and silver, and blue silk, and purple [cloth imported from overseas], and [other] great riches.
24 Then the Israelites travel home, singing songs of thanksgiving, praising Adonai [YHVH] in heaven: β€œbecause [YAH] is good; because His mercy endures forever...”
25 [They thank YHVH for] rescuing them that day with such great power.
26 Meanwhile, all the escaped foreign [warriors] run [north to Greece. Trembling, the survivors] tell [Imperial steward] Lysias how the [unarmed Jews massacred their great Greek army].
27 When Lysias hears [of his army's defeat], he [shakes,] confounded and discouraged at the failure of all his and the Emperor's war-plans against Israel.
28 A year goes by. Then Lysias gathers together 60000 choice [mercenary] foot-infantrymen, plus 5000 war-horsemen to subdue the Hebrews.
29 This beast-national army rides [from Syria down through Judea] into Edom {SouthLand}. They pitch their tents at Bethsura {House-Of-Rock}. Judah the Hammer meets these [65000] beast-national [assassins] with 10000 men.
30 Hammer sees the mighty [Greek] army. He prays, saying, β€œ[I] kneel [beneath] you, O Savior of Israel, who quelled the violence of the mighty man [Goliath] by the hand of your servant David {Love}. You handed the host of foreign [killers] into the fist of JAHnathan (the son of Saul) and [JAHnathan's] armor bearer.
31 Shut up this [huge Greek] army in the hand of your people Israel. Let their power [weapons] and [their] horsemen [malfunction in a breakdown of confusion].
32 Make them lose all their courage. Cause the boldness of their strength to fall away. Let them quake at their destruction.
33 Hurl them down with the sword of the [people] who love you. [YHVH,] let everyone who knows your Name praise you with hands thrown high [in thanksgiving].”
34 So the beast-national [armies] join battle against the Israelites. [The Israelis] slay about 5000 warriors of Lysias' host.
35 Now when Lysias sees his army put to flight by the manliness of Judah's soldiers, and how the Israelites stand valiantly ready either to live or die, Lysias retreats [north] into Antiochia. There [he] amasses together a company of foreign [mercenary assassins]. He builds his army greater than before. Again he sets out [south] to advance [his forces] into Judaea.
Hammer's rebellious tactics escalate the conflict. The smarter move would be to β€˜love your enemies.’
36 Meanwhile, Judah the Hammer and his brothers say, β€œLook, πŸ˜‡! Our enemies lie crushed. Let's go up to [Jerusalem to] cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary [for a great victory feast].”
37 So all the [Israelite] host immediately assembles themselves together. They [march] up onto mount Zion.
38 The [Israelite] host sees the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, the gates burned up. Shrubs grow in the courts, like in a forest or a mountain. Even the priests’ chambers lie demolished to the ground.
39 The [army men] rip their clothes. They scream and moan in lamentation. They cast ashes on their heads.
40 [Thousands of Israelites] fall down flat to the ground upon their faces. [Priests] blow an alarm with their shofars. [They all] cry toward heaven.
41 Then Judah the Hammer hand-picks [warriors] to fight against the [foreigners who] remain in the [city's inner] fortress, until he has cleansed the sanctuary.
42 So Hammer chooses priests of blameless behavior, who take pleasure in [YAH's] Law:
43 These [Law-treasuring priests] cleanse the sanctuary. They haul out the defiled [demon-idol] stones and dump them in a designated [contaminated] trash [valley].
44 The priests convene to decide what to do with the altar of ascensions, which the [pagans] profaned [by burning unclean animals in sacrifice to their demon-idols].
45 The priests decide it's best to pull down the altar, lest it become a curse to them, because the beast-national [killers] defiled it. So the priests demolish the altar.
46 And the priests lay up the defiled stones on the temple mount in a convenient place, hoping that one day a prophet will come to show what should be done with them.
47 Then the priests, (dutifully following the [instructions in YAH's] Law), take whole stones and build a new altar just like the former altar.
48 Next [the priests rebuild] the sanctuary. [They restore] the [treasures] that had been in the temple. They hallow the courts.
49 The priests also craft new holy vessels. They carry into the temple the menorah, the altar of ascensions, the incense [altar] and the [holy bread] table.
50 The priests burn incense on the altar. They light the lamps on the menorah, to illuminate the temple.
51 The priests go on to set the loaves upon the table. They spread out the [temple's] veils. [At last] they finish all the reconstruction works they'd started.
52 Now on the 25th day of the year's 9th month(Casleu/Late November) in the 148th year [of the Greek Empire], the [Jewish] priests rise up before dawn.
53 Following [the instructions in] the [Mosaic] Law, the [priests] serve slaughtered [meat] on the new altar of ascensions they've just built.
54 [The priests] note at what time and what day the beast-national [soldiers] had profaned the altar. At that exact time [the priests] dedicate [the rebuilt altar] with songs, [accompanied by] guitars, harps and cymbals.
55 So all the [Israeli] people fall on their faces, worshiping and praising [YHVH] the Eloah of heaven for giving them good success.
56 And so, for 8 days, the [Jews] celebrate the dedication of the altar. They serve ascension [roasts] with glad [dancing]. They donate and slaughter [animals] to commemorate their deliverance. They [parade around Jerusalem,] striking [musical instruments while singing at the top of their lungs].
57 The [priests] also deck the front of the temple with crowns of gold, and with shields. They renovate the gates and the chambers. They hang [new] doors on the [chambers to replace the doors the Greek brutes smashed].
58 So extreme overflowing gladness [floods] the [Jewish] people, because [YAH] chased away the reproach of the beast-nations.
59 Plus, Judah the Hammer and his brothers join the whole congregation of Israel in ordaining that the β€œdays of the dedication of the altar” [Hanukkah] should be celebrated with laughter and gladness from year to year for 8 days, at the [same time, starting on] the month [of] Casleu's 25th day [which falls in mid December].
Hanukkah is an optional feast that provides meaningful and fun ritual alternatives to those of paganized Christmas.
60 At that time the [Jews] also build up the mountain [of] Zion with high walls and strong towers [all] around to prevent the beast-nations from invading and treading it down as they did before.
61 The [Jews] station a garrison to guard [Mount Zion]. And [they] fortify Bethsura {House-Of-Rock} to preserve it, to give the [Jewish] people a defense against [southern attacks from] Edom.
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