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,
40
and fell face down on the ground. When the signal was given on the trumpets, everyone cried out to the Lord.
41
Then Judas ordered some of his soldiers to attack the men in the fort, while he purified the Temple.
42
He chose some priests who were qualified and who were devoted to the Law.
43
They purified the Temple and took the stones that had been defiled and put them in an unclean place.
44
They discussed what should be done with the altar of burnt offerings, which had been desecrated
45
by the Gentiles, and decided to tear it down, so that it would not stand there as a monument to their shame. So they tore down the altar
46
and put the stones in a suitable place on the Temple hill, where they were to be kept until a prophet should appear and decide what to do with them.
47
Then they took uncut stones, as the Law of Moses required, and built a new altar like the old one.
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