had commanded (men) to rear there, in the heathen wise.
And they went thereunto, and did away the filth
out of the house of God, and raised up the praise of God
after Moses' law, with much joy,
and offered to God sacrifice with belief and song.
§ V. I Macc. v. 1-68; and 2 Macc. xii. 39-45.
V. Judas then turned himself, and fought against the heathen,
because that they wished to destroy the Jews;
but Judas overcame them, and ever drove them away,
and burnt up their cities, and treated them with insult.
Verily, then, on a certain day, people sent to Judas
written messages, from the people of Israel,
and made known that the heathen had beset them,
and had put to death about a thousand men.
Eke, on the other side, messengers came to him
from the Galilsean land, despairing of their lives,
and told that the heathen came against them on all sides,
and desired to overwhelm them, and destroy their country.
Judas then asked his comrades for their counsel,
and quoth to Simon-, his discreet brother,
' Choose thee now assistance, and go to Galilee,
and help thy relations, whom the wicked ones harass.
I and Jonathan, my younger brother,
will go to Galaad to defeat the heathen.'
He appointed then captains to keep the folk,
and bade that they should not go to any fight
against the heathen, till he should come home.
Simon then took three thousand with him,
and Judas and Jonathan eight thousand;
and Simon fought often, and defeated the heathen,
and delivered his kindred against their cruelty,
and brought them to the land with much bliss.
