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God has saved all of his people and restored to all the inheritance, even the kingdom, the priesthood, and the holy place,
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as he promised through the Law. We have hope in God that he will quickly extend mercy and gather us from everywhere under heaven into the holy place. He has brought us out of great evils and purified the place.
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This scroll is about the stories of Judas the Maccabee and his brothers, the purification of the great temple, and the restoration of the altar.
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It will tell of the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator,
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and the appearances from heaven to those who had gloriously performed brave deeds for Judaism. Though they were few in number, they took back the whole country, chased off the barbaric hordes,