⁵⁴ Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding towns of Judah^(A)

²⁹ They came into Idumea and encamped at Beth-zur, and Judas met them with ten thousand men.^(A)

Cleansing and Dedication of the Temple

³⁶ Then Judas and his brothers said, “See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.”^{(A) 37} So all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. ³⁸ There they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins.^{(B) 39} Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes^{(C) 40} and fell face down on the ground. And they blew the signal trumpets, and they cried out to heaven.^(D)

⁴¹ Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary.^{(E) 42} He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, ⁴³ and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. ⁴⁴ They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned.^{(F) 45} And they thought it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the nations had defiled it. So they tore down the altar ⁴⁶ and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them.^{(G) 47} Then they took unhewn^[a] stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one.^{(H) 48} They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple and consecrated the courts. ⁴⁹ They made new holy vessels and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple.^{(I) 50} Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple.^{(J) 51} They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.^(K)

⁵² Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year,^{(L) 53} they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built.^{(M) 54} At the very season and on the very day that the nations had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals.^{(N) 55} All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed heaven, who had prospered them. ⁵⁶ So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering.^{(O) 57} They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests and fitted them with doors.^{(P) 58} There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the nations was removed.

⁵⁹ Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.^(Q)

⁶⁰ At that time they fortified Mount Zion with high walls and strong towers all around, to keep the nations from coming and trampling them down as they had done before.^{(R) 61} Judas^[b] stationed a garrison there to guard it; he also fortified Beth-zur to guard it, so that the people might have a stronghold that faced Idumea.^(S)