But Judas and his brethren said, "Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse the holy place, and to dedicate it afresh."
And all the army was gathered together, and they went up unto Mount Sion. And they saw the sanctuary laid desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burned, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest or as on one of the mountains, and the priests' chambers pulled down; and they rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and put ashes upon their heads, and fell on their faces to the ground, and blew with the solemn trumpets, and cried toward heaven. Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the citadel, until he should have cleansed the holy place.
And he chose blameless priests, such as had pleasure in the law: and they cleansed the holy place, and bore out the stones of defilement into an unclean place. And they took counsel concerning the altar of burnt offerings, which had been profaned, what they should do with it: and there came into their mind a good counsel, that they should pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the Gentiles had defiled it: and they pulled down the altar, and laid up the stones in a convenient place near the temple, until there should come a prophet to show what should be done with them. And they took whole stones according to the law, and built a new altar after the [{439}] fashion of the former; and they built the holy place, and the inner parts of the house; and they hallowed the courts. And they made the holy vessels new, and they brought the candlestick, and the altar of burnt offerings and of incense, and the table, into the temple. And they burned incense upon the altar, and they lighted the lamps that were upon the candlestick, and they gave light in the temple. And they set loaves upon the table, and spread out the veils, and finished all the works which they made.
XII.
How the King Himself, with an Army of 100,000 Men and a Herd of Thirty-two Fighting Elephants Came Against Judas, and How an Indecisive Battle Was Fought. How Eleazar Did a Brave Deed and Died in the Doing of It.
And when the king heard this, he was angry, and gathered together all his Friends, even the generals of his host, and the captains of the horse. And there came unto him from other kingdoms, and from isles of the sea, bands of hired soldiers. And the number of his forces was a hundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen, and two and thirty elephants trained for war. And they went through Idumaea, and encamped against Bethsura, and fought against it many days, and made engines of war; and they of Bethsura came out, and burned them with fire, and fought valiantly.
And Judas removed from the citadel, and encamped at Bethzacharias, over against the king's camp. And the [{440}] king rose early in the morning, and removed his army at full speed along the road to Bethzacharias, and his forces made them ready to battle, and sounded the trumpets. And they showed the elephants the blood of grapes and mulberries, that they might prepare them for the battle. And they divided the beasts among the phalanxes, and they set by each elephant a thousand men armed with coats of mail, and helmets of brass on their heads; and for each elephant were appointed five hundred chosen horsemen. These were ready beforehand, wheresoever the elephant was; and whithersoever the elephant went, they went with him; they departed not from him. And towers of wood were upon them, strong and covered, one upon each elephant, girt fast upon him with cunning contrivances; and upon each elephant were two and thirty valiant men that fought upon them, beside his driver (and the rest of the horsemen he set on this side and that side at the two parts of the army), striking terror into the enemy, and protected by the phalanxes. Now when the sun shone upon the shields of gold and brass, the mountains shone therewith, and blazed like torches of fire.
And a part of the king's army was spread upon the high mountains, and some on the low ground, and they went on firmly and in order. And all that heard the noise of their multitude, and the marching of the multitude, and the rattling of the arms, trembled: for the army was exceeding great and strong.
RUINS OF THE CASTLE AT SIDON.
From a photograph taken by Dr. W. J. Moulton, and used by his kind permission.