51 After Antiochus had sent this law to everyone in his kingdom, his officials went to every town of Judea and tried to make sure the Jews offered sacrifices to foreign gods.
52 Many of the people obeyed the king and gave up God's Law. They did evil things everywhere
53 and forced the faithful Jews to go into hiding.
54 On the fifteenth day of the month of Chislev in the year 145 of the Syrian Kingdom, Antiochus set up a “Horrible Thing” on the temple altar. His followers built altars in towns all around Judea,
55 and they burned incense in front of their houses and in the streets.
56 Antiochus' soldiers tore up and burned any copies of the Jewish Scriptures that they found.
57 They obeyed Antiochus and murdered everyone they caught obeying God's Law. These troops also killed any Jew who owned a copy of the Scriptures.