1 Macc 4

1 And Gorgias took fyue thousynde of men, and a thousynde chosun horse men; and thei mouyden tentis bi niyt, 2 for to applie to the tentis of Jewis, and for to smyte hem sudenli; and sones that weren of the hiy tour, weren lederis to hem. 3 And Judas herde, and he roos, and miyti men, for to smyte the pouer of oostis of the kyng, that was in Ammaum; 4 for yit the oost was scaterid fro tentis. 5 And Gorgias cam in to the tentis of Judas bi niyt, and foond no man; and thei souyten hem in hillis, for he seide, These fleen fro vs. 6 And whanne dai was maad, Judas apperide in the feeld with thre thousyndis of men oneli, whiche hadden not hilyngis and swerdis. 7 And thei siyen the tentis of hethene men stronge, and men haburiowned, and the multitude of horse men in cumpas of hem, and these weren tauyt to batel. 8 And Judas seide to hise men, that weren with hym, Drede ye not the multitude of hem, and drede ye not inwardli the fersnesse of hem. 9 Bithenke ye hou oure fadris weren maad saaf in the Reed See, whanne Farao pursuede hem with mychel oost. 10 And now crie we to heuene, and the Lord schal haue mercy on vs, and schal be myndeful of the testament of oure fadris, and schal al to-breke this oost bifore oure face to dai. 11 And alle folkis schulen wite, that it is God, that schal ayenbie, and delyuere Israel. 12 And aliens reisiden her iyen, and sien hem comynge of the contrarie part, 13 and wenten out of tentis in to batel. And thei that weren with Judas, songen in trumpe. 14 And thei wenten togidere, and hethene men weren al to-brokun, and fledden in to feeld; 15 forsothe the laste fellen doun bi swerd. And thei pursueden hem til to Gaseron, and til `in to feeldis of Idumee, and Ayotus, and Jannye; and there fellen doun of hem til to thre thousyndis of men. 16 And Judas turnede ayen, and his oost suynge hym. 17 And he seide to the puple, Coueite ye not preies, for batel is ayens vs, 18 and Gorgias and his oost ben in the hil niy vs; but stonde ye now ayens oure enemyes, and ouercome hem, and after these thingis ye schulen take preyes sikirli. 19 And yit while Judas spak these thingis, lo! sum part apperide, biholdynge forth fro the hil. 20 And Gorgias siy, that hise helperis weren togidere turned in to fliyt, and tentis weren brent; for smoke that was seyn, declaride that that was don. 21 And whanne thei bihelden these thingis, thei dredden greetli, biholdynge togidere bothe Judas and the oost, redi to batel in the feeld. 22 And thei fledden alle in the feeld of aliens, 23 and Judas turnede ayen to preies of the tentis; and thei token myche gold, and siluer, and iacynct, and purpur of the see, and grete richessis. 24 And thei conuertiden, and songen an ympne, `ether heriyng, and blessiden God in to heuene; for he is good, for the merci of hym is in to the world. 25 And greet helthe was maad in Israel in that dai. 26 Forsothe who euere of aliens ascapiden, camen, and telden to Lisias alle thingis that bifellen. 27 And whanne he herde these thingis, he was astonyed in soule, and failide; for not what maner thingis he wolde, siche bifellen in Israel, and what maner thingis the kyng comaundide. 28 And in the yeer suynge, Lisias `gaderide of chosun men sixti thousyndis, and of horse men fyue thousynde, for to ouercome hem. 29 And thei camen in to Judee, and settiden tentis in Betheron; and Judas ran to hem with ten thousynde of men. 30 And thei sien strong oost, and he preiede, and seide, Blessid art thou, sauyour of Israel, that hast al to-brokun the feersnesse of the myyti Golias in the hond of thi seruaunt Dauid, and bitokist the castels of aliens in to the hondis of Jonathas, sone of Saul, and of his squyer. 31 Close thou togidere also this oost in the hond of thi puple Israel, and be thei confoundid in her oost, and horse men. 32 Yyue thou to hem inward drede, and make the hardynesse of her vertu to faile, and be thei mouyd togidere in her brekyng togidere. 33 Caste doun hem bi the swerd of men louynge thee, and alle that knowen thi name, togidere preyse thee in ympnys. 34 And thei ioyneden togidere batel, and fyue thousyndis of men fellen doun of the oost of Lisias. 35 Lisias forsothe siy the fliyt of hise men, and the hardynesse of Jewis; and that thei weren redi ether for to lyue, ether for to die strongli. And he wente to Antioche, and chees knyytis, that thei multiplied schulden come eftsoone in to Judee. 36 Forsothe Judas seide to hise britheren, Lo! oure enemyes ben al to-brokun; stie we now, for to clense hooli thingis, and `make newe. 37 And al the oost was gaderid, and thei stieden in to the hil of Sion. 38 And thei siyen halewyng desert, and the auter vnhalewid, and the yatis brent, and in the porche tendur trees growun, as in wielde wode or munteyns, and litle cellis distried. 39 And thei renten her clothis, and weiliden with greet weilyng; and puttiden aische on her heed, 40 and fellen on the face of the erthe, and crieden in trumpis of signes, and crieden in to heuene. 41 Thanne Judas ordeynede men, for to fiyte ayens hem that weren in the hiy tour, as long as thei clensiden hooli thingis. 42 And he chees preestis with out wem, hauynge wille in the lawe of God; 43 and thei clensiden hooli thingis, and token awei stoonys of defoulyng in to an vnclene place. 44 And he thouyte on the auter of brent sacrifices, that was vnhalewid, what he schulde do therof. 45 And a good counsel felle in to him, for to distrie it, lest it were to hem in to schenschip, for hethene men defouliden it. 46 And thei distrieden it, and kepten stonys in the hil of the hous, in couenable place, til that a profete cam, and answeride of hem. 47 And thei token hoole stoonys, by the lawe, and bildiden a newe auter, lijk that that was bifore. 48 And thei bildiden hooli thingis, and the thingis that weren with ynne the hous with ynneforth; and thei halewiden the hous, and porchis. 49 And thei maden newe hooli vessels, and brouyten in a candilstike, and auter of encensis, and a boord in to the temple. 50 And puttide encense on the auter, and tenden lanternes, that weren on the candilstike, and yauen liyt in the temple. 51 And thei puttiden looues on the boord, and hangiden veiles, and endiden alle werkis that thei maden. 52 And bifore morewtid thei risiden, in the fyue and twentithe dai of the nynthe monethe, this is the monethe Casleu, of the hundrid and eiyte and fourtithe yeer. 53 And thei offriden sacrifice bi the lawe, on the newe auter of brent sacrifices, which thei maden bi tyme. 54 And bi the dai in which hethene men defouliden it, in that it was `maad newe, in songis, and harpis, and cynaris, `that ben instrumentis of musik, ether giternes, and cymbalis. 55 And al the puple felle on her face, and worschipiden, and blessiden in to heuene him that made prosperite to hem. 56 And thei maden halewyng of the auter in eiyte daies, and offriden brent sacrifices with gladnesse, and helful thing of heriyng. 57 And thei ourneden the face of the temple with goldun corouns, and smale scheeldis; and halewiden yatis, and litle housis, and puttiden to hem yatis. 58 And ful greet gladnesse was maad in the puple, and the schenschipe of hethene men was turned awei. 59 And Judas ordeynede, and hise britheren, and al the chirche of Israel, that the dai of halewyng of the auter be don in his tymes, fro yeer in to yeer, bi eiyte daies, fro the fyue and twentithe dai of the monethe Casleu, with gladnesse and ioye. 60 And thei bildiden in that tyme the hil of Sion, and bi cumpas hiy wallis, and sadde touris, lest ony tyme hethene men wolden come, and defoule it, as thei diden before. 61 And he sette there an oost, for to kepe it; and he wardide it, `for to kepe Bethsura, that the puple schulde haue strengthing ayens the face of Ydume.