And in those days, Antiochus the Wicked sat on the throne of Seleucids. And the Wicked Yason had paid Antiochus a great sum and overthrew his own brother to become the high priest. And he and his family corrupted Jerusalem and made it Antiochia. And the priests would leave House of the Temple for the gymnasium and abandon their work and turn from the laws of the Torah and become Greeks.

And after Antiochus campaign in Egypt, he has sent his army into Jerusalem and placed his soldiers in the fortress. And he has robbed the city and ransacked the treasures of the Temple and defiled it and forbidden the Temple’s work. He has built an abomination on the shrine of God and burnt the scrolls and murdered those who would not worship heathen gods. And the heathens Greeks would come to worship at the Temple for their heathen gods. And the lands of the Jews were confiscated and harsh taxes were imposed. And the covenant between God and his people was outlawed. And impure animals were sacrificed and forced to eat.

And Eliezer was a wise scribe, and old and handsome was he. And the Greeks would open his mouth by force to feed him pork. And Eliezer would vomit the pork out for his soul rather he would turn his back on kings and die pure of heart than live a life of misery. For it is the law of a man which the fear of God is in his heart. And the people who forced him to eat pork knew him for long and they said to him in secrecy, we shall feed you clean meat that you will eat, and those who see will say you ate from the meat of sacrifice as the king ordered. And they said those things unto him to save him from death for they were overwhelmed with mercy and love to him. And Eliezer said, descend my old age into Sheol for it is improper of an old man like me to deceive and what will those younger than me shall say, Eliezer the ninety years of age has become an idol worshipper. And why would I lead my people astray, to lengthen my few days and put them to shame. And even if I save myself from death, could I save myself from the hand of God if I live or day. And therefore I will die with good heart, as befits a man of my age. And as he spake, the people who came to him started to torture him and their love changed to hate and said he is an obstinate man. And as they beat him to death he sighed, God the Lord to you all mysterious unravel.

And Antiochus would order the Jews to bow before a statue, and there came a woman and her seven sons who would not bow before the statue. And Antiochus would say to the eldest son to bow before the statue. And the son said, I bow only before God for in the Torah it is written he is the God. And Antiochus ordered to have him killed. And Antiochus called for the second son to bow. And the second son said, I will not bow for it is written in the Torah, thou shalt have no Gods before me. And Antiochus had him killed. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth sons did not bow either and were killed by the Greeks. Only the youngest remained. And Antiochus said, all of your brothers are dead, bow before the statue and stay alive. And the youngest one said, I will not. And Antiochus replied, I shall throw a ring and you only need to pick it up before the statue. The people of Israel will think you are bowing. The youngest one said, I will not. And the Greeks killed the youngest son and their mother saw this and climbed to the roof and fell to her death.

And the believers would be tortured with whips and crucified alive. And the women who circumcised their sons would have the sons torn out from their breasts, and the sons were publicly displayed and thrown off the walls, and the women were put to death.   And they would also choke and hang the children on their crucified parents’ necks. And every holy book that was found was burnt and their holders were killed.

And in those, came a man, Matityahu of Modi’in. A priest from Jerusalem. And Matityahu had a daughter Hannah, and for three days after her marriage she was defiled by the Greek hegemon for women who married were first taken by the Greeks before her wedding. And at the day of her wedding, at the midst of the feast, when the guests dined, Hannah stood atop the litter and tore her clothes and stook naked before the people of Israel. And her brothers angered and wished to kill her for the shame she inflicted upon them. And Hannah said, how do you worry and anger for my nakedness but you do not anger that I was naked before the Hegemon who abused me. She said to them, listen my brothers and uncles, you are jealous for I stood before righteous people naked and bare and innocent and you aren’t jealous to give me for the gentiles to abuse me.

And Matityahu and his sons rebelled against the Greeks and raised the banner. And many followers joined Matityahu and fortified in the hills. And on the Sabbath the Greeks would come to the followers and slaughter them for the Jews refused to fight on the Sabbath day. Matityahu would say, if our enemy fights on the Sabbath we will face them and stand. And we will not die as our brothers in the caves.

And many followed Matityahu who saved themselves from the persecutor, and the heathen daises were shattered, and the uncircumcised children were circumcised, and the Torah of God was saved from the gentiles and their king. And Matityahu was old in days, and he was close to death. And he called his sons and told them, now a time of evil and calamity and rebuke for Israel. So rise my sons and be devoted and die for the covenant between us and God. And remember the things our ancestors did in days of yore and they were your glory for generations to come. Abraham was greatly tried and he believed in God and God was charitable. Joseph kept the word of God in Egypt and became a lord. Joshua fulfilled God’s law and was head and leader of Israel. Caleb witnessed truthfully before the people and was given a place of virtue. David was innocent and the kingdom was granted to him and to his seed. Elijah was zealous and ascended to heavens. Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah trusted God and were saved from the furnaces of fire. And Daniel too in his innocence was saved from the lions’ den. So if you understood in each generation and know that he who trusts god will be spun with mercy. And now do not fear the anger of evil, for his honor is as moth and manure on the field. Today he will rise and err and tomorrow he is not, and returned to the dirt, his wits lost. So be encouraged, my sons, and strengthen your hearts in the word of God, and God will raise your fortune. Listen to Simon your brother, for he is smart and wise and he were as a father to you. Judah a brave man and a soldier from his youth, and he were your head in war. And now gather all devotees to avenge our people against the oppressor. Return their due and keep the duties of God in your hearts.

And Matityahu blest them and died, and was buried and Israel wept and cried and the mourning was very heavy. And Judah roes under his father Matityahu, and all of his brothers and his father’s followers came to him. And they rode with a hard hand to fight their enemies. And he girded his loins and waged wars. And he defended the camp with sword, and he was as a lion in his actions and his roar for prey. And he chased the sinners and searched them and those who persecuted his people in the forest. And the sinners surrendered out of fear and all the evildoers fled and he succeeded.

And Judah embittered many kings and made Jacob happy in his actions. And he moved into the cities of Judea and rid it of evildoers. And his name was called at the corners of the land and he gathered the lost. And Apollonius gathered gentiles and from Samaria a great garrison to fight against Israel. And Judah knew and went against him and hit him and killed him, and many were felled and the others fled. And he has taken their loot and the sword of Apollonius he took and fought with it in all days. And Siron, minister of army of Aram heard that Judah gathered a people and a congregation and he said, I shall make my name and glory and fight Judah and his people who humiliated the word of the king. And he rose and with him a camp of sinners to help him inflict vengeance upon Israel. And he reached until the hill of Bet Horon and Judah went to face him with few people. And when the people saw the camp coming against them, they asked Judah, how can we the few fight this strong multitude and we tire and didn’t eat today. And Judah said, easily. The many will be routed by the few, for the heavens have no limitation to save if we are few or many. Not in many soldiers is victory and from heavens is the courage. They come with pride and sin to destroy us, and our women and children and to loot us. And we fight for our lives and the Torah. And He will route them before us and you shall not fear. And when Judah was done speaking, Siron and his camp were afflicted with fear and they routed. And Judah chased them downhill to the valley and felled eight hundred men of them and those who remained fled to the land of philistines.

And fear of Judah and his brothers begun and horror fell on the gentiles around them. And his name reached the king and his wars were commonly spoken of. And when Antiochus heard those things his fury rose and he sent and gathered his royal army, a very heavy camp. And opened his treasury and paid his soldiers for a year and ordered them to be ready for any need. And he saw his coffers run dry and taxes were low for the feud and heavy blow he laid to the land. And he saw he couldn’t give gifts as freely. And his spirit fell and he was advised to go to Persia and collect many taxes there. And he left Lysias, a respected man of the royal dynasty, to care for matters from the Euphrates river to Egypt and raise his son Antiochus until his return. And he gave Lysias half of the army and Elephants and ordered what he willed, and on the people of Judea and Jerusalem to send upon them an army to uproot and destroy the bravery of Israel and the remains of Jerusalem, and erase their memory from the place and settle foreign people in all the land and divide it.

And the king took the remaining half of the army and drove from Antiochia his capital in the year seven and forty and a hundred and crossed the Euphrates and the upper lands. And Lysias chose Ptolemy son of Dorominus and Nicanor and Gregias, soldiers who were loyal to the king. And sent with them forty thousand men and seven thousand cavalrymen to go to Judea and destroy as the king said. And they drove with their army and camped before Emmaus in the plains.

And merchants in the land heard and took great silver and gold and chains and joined them, so they could enslave the people of Israel. And the soldiers of Aram and of Philistines joined them too. And Judah and his brothers saw that the troubles were many and the army was camping at their border and they know what the king has ordered to be done to their people, to corrupt and destroy. And they said to each other, we will raise the ruins of our people for our people and the Temple. And the flock was ready for war and prayed and asked for mercy.

And Jerusalem was as a waste, none came out and the Temple trampled by strangers and foreigners at the fortress. And happiness was taken from Jacob and flute and fiddle ceased. And they gathered and came to the watchtower of Jerusalem for it was a place of worship in the watchtower. And fasted that day and wore ash and sack and tore their clothes. And laid the book of Torah, which the gentiles wished to put their idols upon, and brought the clothes of priesthood and first fruits and tithes and placed the abstainers and called in a great voice to the heavens, what shall we do with these and where shall we lead them. And your Temple was trampled and defiled and your priests are in mourning and disgrace. And gentiles gathered to destroy us and you knew what they think of us. How can we stand against them if ye shall not save us. And they trumpeted their trumpets and called in a great voice. And after that Judah appointed officers of thousands, officers of hundreds, officers of fifties and officers of tens. And he said to the housebuilders and the engagers of women and orchard planters and the soft of heart to return to their houses as per the Torah. And the camp went and laid south of Emmaus. And Judah said, gird and be brave and be ready at morning to fight the gentiles who have gathered to destroy us and our Temple. For it is better to die in war than see our people and Temple suffer evil. And as the heavens will, will be.

And Gregias took five thousand men and and a thousand horsemen and drove at night to the camp. To fell on the camp of the Jews and hit them by surprise and the fortress dwellers guided him. And Judah heard and drove with his champions to hit the royal camp which was in Emmaus. And the soldiers were scattered outside. And when Gregias came to the camp of Judah it was empty and searched for them in the hills and said, they flee from me. And at morning Judah was seen at the lowland with three thousand men but they did not have the shields or swords they willed. And they saw the camp of gentiles, strong and fortified with experienced horsemen around it. And Judah said to his people, do not fear them and remember how our forefathers were saved the Red Sea when Pharaoh chased them. And now we shall call to the heavens, and if they will and remember our covenant, destroy this camp. And all the gentiles will know there is a saviour and redeemer for Israel. And the gentiles rose their eyes and saw them approaching, and they went out of the camp to war with Judah. And they fought and were routed and fled to the valley. And the rear all fell by the sword, and they were chased to Gezer and the fields of Edom and Ashdod and Yavne and three thousand men fell. And Judah returned and chased them and called to the people, do not covet the loot for we are at war.

And Judah burnt their camp and scared them and Lysias returned to Antiochia to gather a mercenary army for his army was greatly hit. And Judah said to his brothers, we have routed the enemy, let us rise to the Temple to purify it and inaugurate it. And the whole camp rose to the mount of Zion and they saw the Temple abandoned and the shrine defiled and the gates burnt and the court was overgrown like a forest and the offices empty. And they tore their clothes and cried and poured ash. But then Judah said to the people to purify the Temple and he picked innocent Torah-loving priests. And the defiled shrine was destroyed, and the place was purified and the shrine was rebuilt with good stones. And the courts were sanctified and the holy tools were remade and they brought the Menorah and the altar of incense and the table. And they smoked on the altar and raised the candles at the Menorah and lighted the hall. And laid bread on the table and removed the curtain. And they sacrificed according to the Torah on the new altar of offerings they made. And in that same day, in which the gentiles before defiled the Temple, in this day, it was inaugurated in songs, and harps and violins and cymbals. And all the people prostrated and prayed and thanked the heavens for their success. And the inauguration of the altar lasted eight days and they happily sacrificed offerings. And they adorned the hall with gilded diadems and squares and inaugurated the offices and gates and made doors and a great happiness was in the people and the shame of gentiles was removed.