and gave him charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Juda and Jerusalem:

To wit, that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root. out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from that place;

And that he should place strangers in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot.

So the king took the half of the forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred forty and seventh year; and having passed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries.

COMMENT.-Apollonius, the governor, with an army chiefly composed of Samaritans, attacked Judas Maccabeus and his little band, but was defeated and slain; and Judas used his sword, no doubt a highly-tempered Greek weapon, for the rest of his life.

Then Seron, the deputy-governor of Syria, went forth at the head of a still larger force. Judas, around whom fresh troops were gathering, met them in the pass of Beth-horon, the place of Joshua's great victory-the very key of the land.

No Divine miracle accompanied Judas the Maccabee. The sun did not stand still in Gilead, nor the moon hang motionless over the valley of Ajalon; but God was still with His people, and again His foes were driven headlong down the rocky slope, defeated and ruined.

Antiochus was furious on hearing of these defeats, but he had lavished all his treasure on feasts and idol shows at Daphne, and had no means of paying his army. Besides, as Daniel had foretold, "tidings from the north and east" troubled him, for the king of Armenia had revolted, and his taxes in Persia were not paid.

So he divided his forces, going himself to Persia to collect treasure and tribute, and leaving his relation, Lysias, in charge of Syria on this side the Euphrates, committing his son, who was but seven years old, to his care, and charging him to put down the insurrection of the Jewish mountaineers with a high hand.

LESSON XXXVIII.

THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS.

B.C. 165.-1 MACC. iii. 38-iv. 24.

Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends:

And with them he sent forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, as the king commanded.

So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plain country.

And the merchants of the country, hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, with servants, and came into the camp to buy the children of Israel for slaves: a power also of Syria and of the land of the Philistines joined themselves unto them.

Now when Judas and his brethren saw that miseries were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themselves in their borders; for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them;

They said one to another, Let us restore the decayed estate of our people, and let us fight for our people and the sanctuary.

Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion.

Now Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in or out: the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold; the heathen had their habitation in that place; and joy was taken from Jacob, and the pipe with the harp ceased.

Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel.

Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes,

And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images.

They brought also the priests' garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes and the Nazarites they stirred up, who had accomplished their days.

Then cried they with a loud voice toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away?

For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness and brought low.

And lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us : what things they imagine against us, thou knowest.

How shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help?

Then sounded they with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice. And after this, Judas ordered captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.

But as for such as were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law.

So the camp removed, and pitched upon the south side of Emmaus. And Judas said, Arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations, that are assembled together against us to destroy us and our sanctuary:

For it is better for us to die -in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary.

Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, so let him do.

Then took Gorgias five thousand footmen, and a thousand of the best horsemen, and removed out of the camp by night;

To the end he might rush in upon the camp of the Jews, and smite them suddenly. And the men of the fortress were his guides.

Now when Judas heard thereof, he himself removed, and the valiant men with him, that he might smite the king's army which was at Emmaus, While as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp.

In the mean season came Gorgias by night into the camp of Judas: and when he found no man there, he sought them in the mountains: for said he, These fellows flee from us.

But as soon as it was day, Judas shewed himself in the plain with three thousand men, who nevertheless had neither armour nor swords to their minds.

And they saw the camp of the heathen, that it was strong and well harnessed, and compassed round about with horsemen ; and these were expert of war.

Then said Judas to the men that were with him, Fear ye not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault.

Remember how our fathers were delivered in the Red sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army.

Now therefore let us cry unto heaven, if peradventure the LORD will have mercy upon us, and remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this host before our face this day:

That so all the heathen may know that there is one who delivereth and saveth Israel.

Then the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming over against them.

Wherefore they went out of the camp to battle; but they that were with Judas sounded their trumpets.

So they joined battle, and the heathen being discomfited fled into the plain.

Howbeit all the hindmost of them were slain with the sword: for they pursued them unto Gazara, and unto the plains of Idumea, and Azotus, and Jamnia, so that there were slain of them upon a three thousand men. This done, Judas returned again with his host from pursuing them, And said to the people, Be not greedy of the spoils, inasmuch as there is a battle before us,

And Gorgias and his host are here by us in the mountain : but stand ye

now against our enemies, and overcome them, and after this ye may boldly take the spoils.

As Judas was yet speaking these words, there appeared a part of them looking out of the mountain :

Who when they perceived that the Jews had put their host to flight, and were burning the tents; for the smoke that was seen declared what was done :

When therefore they perceived these things, they were sore afraid, and seeing also the host of Judas in the plain ready to fight,

They fled every one into the land of strangers.

Then Judas returned to spoil the tents, where they got much gold, and silver, and blue silk, and purple of the sea, and great riches.

After this they went home, and sung a song of thanksgiving, and praised the LORD in heaven: because it is good, because his mercy endureth for

ever.

COMMENT.-There is hardly any comment needed on this chapter, except to point out that Maspha was really Mizpeh, "The Watchtower," whence Samuel had offered the lamb and rallied Israel against the Philistines.

There, then, Judas collected his army, almost as ill armed as Saul's had been when Jonathan had remembered that there was no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. Nay, such was his faith that he adhered to the command of Moses to send home all the fearful, all the newly-wedded, and all with newly-cleared lands, and it was with the few remaining men that he gained a double victory. Gorgias, the lieutenant of the general, Nicanor, had been sent out to make a circuit and fall on the Jewish camp, but Judas, discovering this, turned the tables by falling on the Syrian camp in his absence, and setting it on fire. It was like Gideon attacking the Midianites: the rout was complete, and the troop of Gorgias, seeing the flames, fled in dismay, and for that year Judea was secure from fresh attacks.

LESSON XXXIX.

THE RE-DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.

B.C. 165.-1 MACC. v. 28-61.

The next year therefore following Lysias gathered together threescore thousand choice men of foot, and five thousand horsemen, that he might subdue them.

So they came into Idumea, and pitched their tents at Bethsura, and Judas met them with ten thousand men.

And when he saw that mighty army, he prayed and said, Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst quell the violence of the mighty man by the hand of thy servant David, and gavest the host of strangers into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and his armourbearer;

Shut up this army in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their power and horsemen :

Make them to be of no courage, and cause the boldness of their strength to fall away, and let them quake at their destruction.

Cast them down with the sword of them that love thee, and let all those that know thy name praise thee with thanksgiving.

So they joined battle; and there were slain of the host of Lysias about five thousand men, even before them were they slain.

Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary.

Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into Mount Sion.

And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests' chambers pulled down; They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes upon their heads,

And fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm with the trumpets, and cried toward heaven.

Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary.

So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the law:

Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean place.

And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offerings, which was profaned;

They thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the heathen had defiled it: wherefore they pulled it down,

And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, until there should come a prophet to show what should be done with them.

Then they took whole stones according to the law, and built a new altar according to the former;

And made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within the temple, and hallowed the courts.

They made also new holy vessels, and into the temple they brought the candlestick, and the altar of burnt offerings, and of incense, and the table. And upon the altar they burned incense, and the lamps that were upon the candlestick they lighted, that they might give light in the temple.

Furthermore they set the loaves upon the table, and spread out the veils, and finished all the works which they had begun to make.

Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up be times in the morning,