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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
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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.
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Then they took uncut stones, as the Law of Moses required, and built a new altar like the old one.
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They repaired the Temple, inside and out, and dedicated its courtyards.
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They made new utensils for worship and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table for the bread into the Temple.
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They burned incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and there was light in the Temple!
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They placed the loaves of bread on the table, hung the curtains, and completed all the work.
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The twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev, in the year 148 was the anniversary of the day the Gentiles had desecrated the altar. On that day a sacrifice was offered on the new altar in accordance with the Law of Moses. The new altar was dedicated and hymns were sung to the accompaniment of harps, lutes, and cymbals.
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All the people bowed down with their faces to the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord for giving them victory.