29 Then many who strived for justice and judgement went down into the wilderness to live there—30 they, their children, their wives, and their livestock—because evils were multiplied on them. 31 It was told the king’s officers and the forces that were in Yerushalem (Jerusalem), the city of David, that certain men who’d broken the king’s commandment had gone down into the secret places in the wilderness; 32 and many pursued after them, and having overtaken them, they encamped against them and set the battle in array against them on the Sabbath day. 33 They said to them, “Enough of this! Come out and do according to the king’s word, and you’ll all live!”

34 They said, “We won’t come out. We won’t do the king’s word, to profane the Sabbath day.”

35 Then the enemy hurried to attack them.

36 They didn’t answer them. They didn’t throw a stone at them, or block their secret places, 37 saying, “Let’s all die in our innocence. Heaven and earth testify for us, that you put us to death unjustly.”

38 So they attacked them on the Sabbath, and they died—they, their wives, their children, and their livestock—in number a thousand souls of men.

39 When Matityah (Mattathias) and his friends found out about it, and they mourned over them greatly. 40 One said to another, “If we all do as our kindred have done, and don’t fight against the Gentiles for our lives and our ordinances, they’ll quickly destroy us from off the earth.” 41 So they decided that day, saying, “Anyone who comes against us to battle on the Sabbath day, let’s fight against him, and we’ll in no way all die, as our kindred died in the secret places.”

42 Then a company of the Hasidim,[fn] mighty men of Yisrael (Israel), everyone who offered himself willingly for the law, were gathered together to them. 43 All those who fled from the evils were added to them, and supported them. 44 They mustered an army, and struck sinners in their anger, and lawless men in their anger. The rest fled to the Gentiles for safety. 45 And Matityah and his friends went around and pulled down the altars. 46 They forcibly circumcised the boys who were uncircumcised, as many as they found in the coasts of Yisrael. 47 They pursued the arrogant, and the work prospered in their hand. 48 They rescued the law out of the hand of the Gentiles and out of the hand of the kings. They never allowed the sinner to triumph.