This short section is taken from the homily on the Maccabees written by Ælfric. As with the main editions you will need an Adobe Acrobat Reader to see the texts. If you do not have one of these you can simply download one for free from the Adobe site (get 3.x or higher).
The story so far...
Judas Maccabees has been leading a successful rebellion against the Hellenistic oppressors. He, and his army, have survived numerous attacks and repulsed them all, through a combination of bravery and the mercy of God. However, in the latest conflict (the Battle of Bethzacharam), the enemy has brought in a surprise weapon - war elephants. The enemy has 30 of them, each with a war-hut containing warriors, as well as an army of infantry and 500 cavalry. Yet Ælfric, conscious of the fact that most Anglo-Saxons would never have seen an elephant seeks to describe the beast (using material he has found in a book by St Isidore) before detailing the heroic end of the battle. Understandably, as it is unlikely Ælfric ever saw an elephant either, he tends to get a few details slightly wrong...
Using the contents menu on the left you will be able to load in the appropriate excerpt from the Maccabees (ll. 499-522). In the lower window appropriate notes will appear, as will a full glossary (not just relating to the extract here but to the full edition). This should help you in your translation of the piece.
Stuart Lee (the Editor)