In those days, Judas and his brethren said, “Behold, our enemies have been crushed; let us now purify the temple and restore it.” So the entire army gathered, and they went up to Mount Zion. Before dawn they rose, on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month—called the month of Casleu—in the one hundred forty-eighth year, and they offered the sacrifice, according unto the Law, on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had prepared. At the very same time and on the very same day that it had been defiled by the nations, it was rededicated unto the sound of songs, harps, psalteries, and cymbals. All the people prostrated themselves with their faces unto the ground; they worshiped and blessed in heaven the One who had granted them success. They celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and they offered burnt offerings with joy, along with a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise. They adorned the front of the temple with gold wreaths and shields; they restored the temple’s entrances and chambers, and set doors in them. There was great joy amongst the people, and the disgrace brought by the nations was removed. Then Judas, together with his brethren and the entire assembly of Israel, decreed that the day of the rededication of the altar should be celebrated at its appointed time, year after year, for eight days, beginning on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Casleu, with joy and gladness.