35
When Lysias saw that his army was being defeated and when he saw the reckless courage of Judas and his men, who showed that they were ready to live or die with honor, he returned to Antioch. There he recruited some mercenaries and planned to return to Judea later with a much larger army.
36
Judas and his brothers said, "Now that our enemies have been defeated, let's go to Jerusalem to purify the Temple and rededicate it."
37
So the whole army was assembled and went up to Mount Zion.
38
There they found the Temple abandoned, the altar profaned, the gates burned down, the courtyards grown up in a forest of weeds, and the priests' rooms torn down.
39
In their sorrow, they tore their clothes, cried loudly, threw ashes on their heads,
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.