31. Now in the same way let your people Israel defeat our enemy. Put them to shame, in spite of all their confidence in their infantry and cavalry.
32. Make them afraid; let their bold strength melt away; let them tremble at the prospect of defeat.
33. We love and worship you; so let us kill our enemies, that we may then sing your praises.”
34. The battle began, and in the hand-to-hand fighting about 5,000 of Lysias' men were killed.
35. When Lysias saw that his army was being defeated and when he saw the reckless courage of Judas and his men, who showed that they were ready to live or die with honour, he returned to Antioch. There he recruited some mercenaries and planned to return to Judea later with a much larger army.
36. Judas and his brothers said, “Now that our enemies have been defeated, let's go to Jerusalem to purify the Temple and rededicate it.”
37. So the whole army was assembled and went up to Mount Zion.
38. There they found the Temple abandoned, the altar profaned, the gates torn down, the courtyards overgrown with a forest of weeds, and the priests' rooms burnt down.
39. In their sorrow, they tore their clothes, cried loudly, threw ashes on their heads,
40. and fell face downwards on the ground. When the signal was given on the trumpets, everyone cried out to the Lord.
41. Then Judas ordered some of his soldiers to attack the men in the fort, while he purified the Temple.
42. He chose some priests who were qualified and who were devoted to the Law.
43. They purified the Temple and took the stones that had been defiled and put them in an unclean place.
44. They discussed what should be done with the altar of burnt offerings, which had been desecrated
45. by the Gentiles, and decided to tear it down, so that it would not stand there as a monument to their shame. So they tore down the altar
46. and put the stones in a suitable place on the Temple hill, where they were to be kept until a prophet should appear and decide what to do with them.
47. Then they took uncut stones, as the Law of Moses required, and built a new altar like the old one.
48. They repaired the Temple, inside and out, and dedicated its courtyards.