2Maccabees:8

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* Then Judas Maccabeus , and they that were with him , went privily into the towns , and called their kinsfolks together , and took unto them all such as continued in the Jews ' religion , and assembled about six thousand men . * And they called upon the Lord , that he would look upon the people that was trodden down of all ; and also pity the temple profaned of ungodly men ; * And that he would have compassion upon the city , sore defaced , and ready to be made even with the ground ; and hear the blood that cried unto him , * And remember the wicked slaughter of harmless infants , and the blasphemies committed against his name ; and that he would shew his hatred against the wicked . * Now when Maccabeus had his company about him , he could not be withstood by the heathen : for the wrath of the Lord was turned into mercy . * Therefore he came at unawares , and burnt up towns and cities , and got into his hands the most commodious places , and overcame and put to flight no small number of his enemies . * But specially took he advantage of the night for such privy attempts , insomuch that the fruit of his holiness was spread every where . * So when Philip saw that this man increased by little and little , and that things prospered with him still more and more , he wrote unto Ptolemeus , the governor of Celosyria and Phenice , to yield more aid to the king 's affairs . * Then forthwith choosing Nicanor the son of Patroclus , one of his special friends , he sent him with no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations under him , to root out the whole generation of the Jews ; and with him he joined also Gorgias a captain , who in matters of war had great experience . * So Nicanor undertook to make so much money of the captive Jews , as should defray the tribute of two thousand talents , which the king was to pay to the Romans . * Wherefore immediately he sent to the cities upon the sea coast , proclaiming a sale of the captive Jews , and promising that they should have fourscore and ten bodies for one talent , not expecting the vengeance that was to follow upon him from the Almighty God . * Now when word was brought unto Judas of Nicanor 's coming , and he had imparted unto those that were with him that the army was at hand , * They that were fearful , and distrusted the justice of God , fled , and conveyed themselves away . * Others sold all that they had left , and withal besought the Lord to deliver them , sold by the wicked Nicanor before they met together : * And if not for their own sakes , yet for the covenants he had made with their fathers , and for his holy and glorious name 's sake , by which they were called . * So Maccabeus called his men together unto the number of six thousand , and exhorted them not to be stricken with terror of the enemy , nor to fear the great multitude of the heathen , who came wrongly against them ; but to fight manfully , * And to set before their eyes the injury that they had unjustly done to the holy place , and the cruel handling of the city , whereof they made a mockery , and also the taking away of the government of their forefathers : * For they , said he , trust in their weapons and boldness ; but our confidence is in the Almighty who at a beck can cast down both them that come against us , and also all the world . * Moreover , he recounted unto them what helps their forefathers had found , and how they were delivered , when under Sennacherib an hundred fourscore and five thousand perished . * And he told them of the battle that they had in Babylon with the Galatians , how they came but eight thousand in all to the business , with four thousand Macedonians , and that the Macedonians being perplexed , the eight thousand destroyed an hundred and twenty thousand because of the help that they had from heaven , and so received a great booty . * Thus when he had made them bold with these words , and ready to die for the law and the country , he divided his army into four parts ; * And joined with himself his own brethren , leaders of each band , to wit Simon , and Joseph , and Jonathan , giving each one fifteen hundred men . * Also he appointed Eleazar to read the holy book : and when he had given them this watchword , The help of God ; himself leading the first band , * And by the help of the Almighty they slew above nine thousand of their enemies , and wounded and maimed the most part of Nicanor 's host , and so put all to flight ; * And took their money that came to buy them , and pursued them far : but lacking time they returned : * For it was the day before the sabbath , and therefore they would no longer pursue them . * So when they had gathered their armour together , and spoiled their enemies , they occupied themselves about the sabbath , yielding exceeding praise and thanks to the Lord , who had preserved them unto that day , which was the beginning of mercy distilling upon them . * And after the sabbath , when they had given part of the spoils to the maimed , and the widows , and orphans , the residue they divided among themselves and their servants . * When this was done , and they had made a common supplication , they besought the merciful Lord to be reconciled with his servants for ever . * Moreover of those that were with Timotheus and Bacchides , who fought against them , they slew above twenty thousand , and very easily got high and strong holds , and divided among themselves many spoils more , and made the maimed , orphans , widows , yea , and the aged also , equal in spoils with themselves . * And when they had gathered their armour together , they laid them up all carefully in convenient places , and the remnant of the spoils they brought to Jerusalem . * They slew also Philarches , that wicked person , who was with Timotheus , and had annoyed the Jews many ways . * Furthermore at such time as they kept the feast for the victory in their country they burnt Callisthenes , that had set fire upon the holy gates , who had fled into a little house ; and so he received a reward meet for his wickedness . * As for that most ungracious Nicanor , who had brought a thousand merchants to buy the Jews , * He was through the help of the Lord brought down by them , of whom he made least account ; and putting off his glorious apparel , and discharging his company , he came like a fugitive servant through the midland unto Antioch having very great dishonour , for that his host was destroyed . * Thus he , that took upon him to make good to the Romans their tribute by means of captives in Jerusalem , told abroad , that the Jews had God to fight for them , and therefore they could not be hurt , because they followed the laws that he gave them .

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