28. When this message reached Nicanor he was dismayed and troubled at the thought of annulling his agreement with a man who had done no wrong.
29. However, there was no way of opposing the king, so he watched for an opportunity to carry out this order by a stratagem.
30. But Maccabeus, noticing that Nicanor was more harsh in his dealings with him, and acting with unaccustomed rudeness when they met, concluded that this harshness was not a good sign. So he gathered together not a few of his men, and went into hiding from Nicanor.
31. When Nicanor realized that he had been cleverly outwitted by the man, he went to the great and holy temple, at a time when the priests were offering the customary sacrifices, and ordered them to surrender Judas.
32. As they declared under oath that they did not know where the man they sought was,
33. he stretched out his right arm toward the temple and swore this oath: “If you do not hand Judas over to me as prisoner, I will level this shrine of God to the ground; I will tear down the altar, and erect here a splendid temple to Dionysus.”
34. With these words he went away. The priests stretched out their hands toward heaven, calling upon the unfailing defender of our nation in these words:
35. “Lord of all, though you are in need of nothing, you were pleased to have a temple for your dwelling place among us.
36. Therefore, Holy One, Lord of all holiness, preserve forever undefiled this house, which has been so recently purified.”