1 Maccabees 10
Good News Translation
Alexander Epiphanes Makes Jonathan High Priest
10 In the year 160,[a] Alexander Epiphanes,[b] son of Antiochus the Fourth, landed at Ptolemais and captured it. The people welcomed him as their king. 2 When King Demetrius heard of it, he gathered a large army and went out to meet him in battle. 3 At that time Demetrius sent Jonathan a friendly letter full of flattery, 4 in the hope of winning Jonathan over to his side and making peace with the Jews before Alexander made a treaty with them against him. 5 Demetrius thought that Jonathan would certainly remember all the wrongs he had done to him, his brothers, and the entire Jewish nation. 6 And so Demetrius made Jonathan his ally and gave him authority to raise an army and equip it. He also ordered that the hostages held in the fort at Jerusalem should be handed over to Jonathan. 7 So Jonathan went to Jerusalem and read the letter to all the people and to the men in the fort. 8 These men were terrified when they learned that the king had given Jonathan authority to raise an army. 9 They handed the hostages over to him, and he returned them to their parents.
10 Jonathan set up headquarters in Jerusalem and began to rebuild and restore the city. 11 He ordered the builders to use squared stones for the city walls and for the protecting wall around Mount Zion. This was done. 12 The foreigners deserted the fortresses that Bacchides had built; 13 each man left his post and returned to his own country. 14 But some of the Jews who had abandoned the Law of Moses and its commands were still left in Bethzur, which served as their last place of refuge.
15 King Alexander learned of the promises Demetrius had made to Jonathan and he also learned about Jonathan himself, about the battles he had fought, his courageous deeds, and the troubles he and his brothers had endured. 16 He was certain that he would never find another man like Jonathan and so decided to make him his friend and ally. 17 He wrote Jonathan a letter:
18 King Alexander to his friend Jonathan, greetings. 19 I have heard that you are a brave man who has earned the right to be a friend of the king. 20 I have this day appointed you as High Priest of your nation and conferred upon you the title of
Friend of the King. You are to be our ally and give us your support.
He also sent him a royal robe and a gold crown.21 Jonathan put on the robes of the High Priest in the seventh month of the year 160[c] at the Festival of Shelters. He raised an army and stored up a large supply of weapons.
Jonathan Supports Alexander Epiphanes
22 When Demetrius heard this, he was distressed and said,
23 How did we manage to let Alexander get ahead of us? He has strengthened his position by making an alliance with the Jews. 24 I also will write them a friendly letter offering high positions and gifts, so that they will support me.
25 He wrote:
King Demetrius to the nation of the Jews, greetings. 26 We are delighted to learn that you have kept your obligations under our treaty, remained loyal to us, and have not gone over to the side of our enemies. 27 Now if you continue to remain loyal to us, we will reward you well. 28 We will grant you exemptions from many taxes and allow you other privileges. 29 I hereby grant all the Jewish people release and exemption from payment of regular taxes, salt taxes, and other special taxes. 30 (A)Furthermore, from this day I release you from your obligation to pay me one third of the grain harvest and one half of the fruit harvest. From now on I will not demand these payments from Judea or from the three districts that have been added to Judea from Samaria and Galilee. 31 Jerusalem and its surrounding territory is to be recognized as a holy city and to be exempt from the payment of all taxes. 32 I also give up my authority over the fort in Jerusalem and place it under the High Priest, who may station there anyone he wishes to guard it. 33 I freely grant release to all Jews who are prisoners of war anywhere in my kingdom. All of them will be exempt from taxes, even on their cattle.[d] 34 No taxes shall be collected from any Jew anywhere in my kingdom on Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other holy days. Furthermore, no taxes shall be collected three days before or after the major holy days. 35 No one has the right on any of these days to demand payment or to trouble you in any way.
36 Jews may be enlisted in the royal army up to a total of 30,000 men, and they will receive the same pay as other royal troops. 37 Some of them may be stationed in the great royal fortresses, and others assigned to responsible positions in the government. They shall have Jews as their leaders and officers, and they shall be allowed to follow their own laws and customs, just as the king has permitted for the people of Judea.
38 The three districts added to Judea from the territory of Samaria will be completely incorporated into Judea and placed under the authority of the High Priest alone. 39 I give to the Temple in Jerusalem for its operating expenses the revenues from the city of Ptolemais and the lands belonging to it. 40 I also promise to make an annual gift of 15,000 silver coins from appropriate accounts within the royal treasury. 41 The total accumulated state subsidy, which we have failed to pay in recent years, shall be paid, and the payments continued from now on for the work of the Temple. 42 In addition to this, we will no longer require the 5,000 silver coins annually from the Temple income. This money belongs to the priests serving in the Temple. 43 Whoever owes a debt to the king or any other debt and takes refuge in the Temple in Jerusalem or in any area that belongs to it may not be arrested nor may his property anywhere in my kingdom be confiscated. 44 The expenses for rebuilding and renovating the Temple shall be provided from the royal treasury. 45 Likewise, the expenses for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and its surrounding fortifications, as well as the walls of designated towns in Judea, shall be provided from the royal treasury.
46 When Jonathan and the people heard the proposals made by King Demetrius, they refused to believe them or accept them, because they remembered how harshly he had treated them and what terrible troubles he had caused them. 47 They preferred to give their allegiance to Alexander because he had been the first to open peace negotiations, and they remained his allies as long as he lived.
48 King Alexander raised a large army and took up battle positions facing Demetrius. 49 But when the armies of the two kings met in battle, the army of Alexander[e] turned and ran. Demetrius[f] pursued them and won the battle. 50 Alexander[g] fought bitterly until sundown, but Demetrius was killed that day.
51 Then Alexander sent ambassadors to King Ptolemy the Sixth of Egypt with this message:
52 I have returned to my kingdom and taken my seat on the throne of my ancestors. I have taken over the government, and I am now in control of the country. 53 I made war on Demetrius, defeated him and his army, and I have taken over his kingdom. 54 Now I am ready to make an alliance. Give me your daughter in marriage, and I will give both of you such gifts as you deserve.
55 King Ptolemy replied,
It was a great day when you returned to your country and took the throne of your ancestors. 56 I agree to your proposals, but first meet me at Ptolemais. We can get acquainted there, and I will give you my daughter in marriage.
57 So in the year 162[h] Ptolemy and his daughter Cleopatra[i] left Egypt and arrived at Ptolemais. 58 King Alexander met them, and Ptolemy gave him his daughter in marriage. The wedding was celebrated there in Ptolemais with royal splendor.
59 King Alexander wrote asking Jonathan to come to meet him. 60 So Jonathan, in a show of splendor, went to Ptolemais and met the two kings. He presented them with gifts of silver and gold, and he also gave many gifts to the high officials who had accompanied them. Everyone was favorably impressed with him. 61 At the same time some traitorous Jews who wanted to make trouble for Jonathan made accusations against him, but King Alexander paid no attention to them. 62 He gave orders that Jonathan should be given royal robes to wear, 63 and he honored him by letting him sit at his side. Alexander told his officers to take Jonathan into the center of the city and to announce that no one was to bring charges against him for any reason and no one was to cause him any kind of trouble. 64 When his accusers saw the honors given to him, heard the announcement, and saw him clothed in royal robes, they all fled. 65 The king further honored Jonathan by enrolling him in the First Order of the
Friends of the King and by making him general and governor of his province. 66 Jonathan returned to Jerusalem pleased and successful.
Jonathan's Victory over Apollonius
67 In the year 165[j] Demetrius the Second, the son of Demetrius the First, left Crete and arrived in Syria, the land of his ancestors. 68 When King Alexander heard about this, he was worried and returned to Antioch, the capital of Syria. 69 Demetrius reappointed Apollonius governor of Greater Syria. Apollonius raised a large army, set up camp near Jamnia, and sent the following message to Jonathan the High Priest:
70 Because of you I am being ridiculed, but why do you, there in your mountains, continue this rebellion when no one supports you? 71 If you really have any confidence in your army, come down here on the plain and fight, where we can test each other's strength. Study the situation, and you will find that I have the support of the forces from the cities. 72 You will learn who I am and who our allies are, and you will discover that you have no chance of standing against us. Your predecessors have already been beaten twice on their own ground; 73 so how do you expect to defeat my cavalry and the kind of army I have here on the plain? Down here there is not so much as a pebble to hide behind and no way to escape.
74 When Jonathan received this message from Apollonius, he became angry. He took 10,000 elite troops from Jerusalem; his brother Simon also brought troops, and their two forces 75 set up camp outside of Joppa. The men of the city refused to let them in because there was a detachment of Apollonius' troops there, but Jonathan attacked, 76 and the men in the city became so frightened that they opened the gates, allowing Jonathan to capture Joppa. 77 When Apollonius heard what had happened, he took 3,000 cavalry and a large army of infantry and pretended to retreat south toward Azotus. However, relying upon the strength of his cavalry, he marched into the plain with his main force, 78-79 positioning 1,000 cavalry where they could attack Jonathan's forces from the rear. Jonathan continued his pursuit as far as Azotus, where the two armies met in battle. 80 Not until then did Jonathan realize that he was caught in an ambush. His army was surrounded, and enemy arrows rained down on them from morning until evening. 81 But Jonathan's men stood firm, as he had ordered, and the attacking cavalry grew tired. 82 Then, when the cavalry was exhausted, Simon appeared on the scene with his forces and attacked and overwhelmed the enemy infantry, who broke ranks and fled. 83 The cavalry, which by now was scattered all over the battlefield, fled to Azotus, where they took refuge in the temple of Dagon, their god. 84 But Jonathan set fire to the city and to the temple of Dagon, burning to death all those who had taken refuge there. Then he set fire to the surrounding towns and looted them. 85 That day about 8,000 were either killed in the battle or burned to death. 86 Jonathan left and set up camp at Ascalon, where the people of the city came out to welcome him with great honors. 87 Jonathan and his men returned to Jerusalem with large quantities of loot.
88 When King Alexander heard what Jonathan had done, he gave him even greater honors. 89 He sent him a gold shoulder buckle, which is given only to those honored with the title
Relative of the King. He also gave him the city of Ekron and its surrounding territory.
Footnotes
- 1 Maccabees 10:1 the year 160: This corresponds to 152 B.C.
- 1 Maccabees 10:1 alexander epiphanes: Alexander Epiphanes is more widely known as Alexander Balas.
- 1 Maccabees 10:21 the year 160: This corresponds to 152 B.C.
- 1 Maccabees 10:33 This sentence in Greek is unclear.
- 1 Maccabees 10:49 Alexander; some manuscripts have Demetrius.
- 1 Maccabees 10:49 Demetrius; some manuscripts have Alexander.
- 1 Maccabees 10:50 Alexander; some manuscripts have Demetrius.
- 1 Maccabees 10:57 the year 162: This corresponds to 150 B.C.
- 1 Maccabees 10:57 cleopatra: This was Cleopatra Thea, also known as Cleopatra the Third, and not to be confused with Cleopatra the Seventh (69–30 B.C.), who was involved in the history of Caesar and Mark Antony.
- 1 Maccabees 10:67 the year 165: This corresponds to 147 B.C.
1 Maccabees 10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Revolt of Alexander Epiphanes
10 In the one hundred sixtieth year Alexander Epiphanes, son of Antiochus, landed and occupied Ptolemais. They welcomed him, and there he began to reign.(A) 2 When King Demetrius heard of it, he assembled a very large army and marched out to meet him in battle.(B) 3 Demetrius sent Jonathan a letter in peaceable words to honor him, 4 for he said to himself, “Let us act first to make peace with him[a] before he makes peace with Alexander against us,(C) 5 for he will remember all the wrongs that we did to him and to his brothers and his nation.”(D) 6 So Demetrius[b] gave him authority to recruit troops, to equip them with arms, and to become his ally, and he commanded that the hostages in the citadel should be released to him.(E)
7 Then Jonathan came to Jerusalem and read the letter in the hearing of all the people and of those in the citadel.(F) 8 They were greatly alarmed when they heard that the king had given him authority to recruit troops. 9 But those in the citadel released the hostages to Jonathan, and he returned them to their parents.
10 And Jonathan took up residence in Jerusalem and began to rebuild and restore the city. 11 He directed those who were doing the work to build the walls and encircle Mount Zion with squared stones, for better fortification, and they did so.(G)
12 Then the foreigners who were in the strongholds that Bacchides had built fled;(H) 13 all of them left their places and went back to their own lands. 14 Only in Beth-zur did some remain who had forsaken the law and the commandments, for it served as a place of refuge.(I)
15 Now King Alexander heard of all the promises that Demetrius had sent to Jonathan, and he heard of the battles that Jonathan[c] and his brothers had fought, of the brave deeds that they had done, and of the troubles that they had endured. 16 So he said, “Shall we find another such man? Come now, we will make him our friend and ally.”(J) 17 And he wrote a letter and sent it to him, in the following words:
Jonathan Becomes High Priest
18 “King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greetings.(K) 19 We have heard about you, that you are a mighty warrior and worthy to be our friend.(L) 20 And so we have appointed you today to be the high priest of your nation; you are to be called the king’s Friend, and you are to take our side and keep friendship with us.” He also sent him a purple robe and a golden crown.(M)
21 So Jonathan put on the sacred vestments in the seventh month of the one hundred sixtieth year, at the Festival of Booths,[d] and he recruited troops and equipped them with arms in abundance.(N) 22 When Demetrius heard of these things, he was distressed and said, 23 “What is this that we have done? Alexander has gotten ahead of us in forming a friendship with the Jews to strengthen himself.(O) 24 I also will write them words of encouragement and promise them honor and gifts, so that I may have their help.” 25 So he sent a message to them in the following words:
A Letter from Demetrius to Jonathan
“King Demetrius to the nation of the Jews, greetings. 26 Since you have kept your agreement with us and have continued your friendship with us and have not sided with our enemies, we have heard of it and rejoiced. 27 Now continue still to keep faith with us, and we will repay you with good for what you do for us. 28 We will grant you many immunities and give you gifts.(P)
29 “I now free you and exempt all the Jews from payment of tribute and salt tax and crown levies,(Q) 30 and instead of collecting the third of the grain and the half of the fruit of the trees that I should receive, I release them from this day and henceforth. I will not collect them from the land of Judah or from the three districts added to it from Samaria and Galilee, from this day and for all time.(R) 31 Jerusalem and its environs, its tithes and its revenues, shall be holy and free from tax.(S) 32 I release also my control of the citadel in Jerusalem and give it to the high priest, so that he may station in it men of his own choice to guard it.(T) 33 And every one of the Jews taken as a captive from the land of Judah into any part of my kingdom, I set free without payment, and let all officials cancel also the taxes on their livestock.(U)
34 “All the festivals and Sabbaths and new moons and appointed days and the three days before a festival and the three after a festival—let them all be days of immunity and release for all the Jews who are in my kingdom.(V) 35 No one shall have authority to exact anything from them or trouble any of them about any matter.
36 “Let Jews be enrolled in the king’s forces to the number of thirty thousand men, and let the maintenance be given them that is due to all the forces of the king.(W) 37 Let some of them be stationed in the great strongholds of the king, and let some of them be put in positions of trust in the kingdom. Let their officers and leaders be of their own number, and let them live by their own laws, just as the king has commanded in the land of Judah.
38 “As for the three districts that have been added to Judea from the country of Samaria, let them be annexed to Judea so that they may be considered to be under one ruler and obey no other authority than the high priest.(X) 39 Ptolemais and the land adjoining it I have given as a gift to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, to meet the necessary expenses of the sanctuary.(Y) 40 I also grant fifteen thousand shekels of silver yearly out of the king’s revenues from appropriate places. 41 And all the additional funds that the government officials have not paid as they did in the first years,[e] they shall give from now on for the service of the temple.[f] 42 Moreover, the five thousand shekels of silver that my officials[g] have received every year from the income of the services of the temple, this, too, is canceled, because it belongs to the priests who minister there. 43 And all who take refuge at the temple in Jerusalem or in any of its precincts because they owe money to the king or are in debt, let them be released and receive back all their property in my kingdom.
44 “Let the cost of rebuilding and restoring the structures of the sanctuary be paid from the revenues of the king. 45 And let the cost of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and fortifying it all around and the cost of rebuilding the walls in Judea also be paid from the revenues of the king.”(Z)
Death of Demetrius
46 When Jonathan and the people heard these words, they did not believe or accept them, because they remembered the great wrongs that Demetrius[h] had done in Israel and how much he had oppressed them.(AA) 47 They favored Alexander because he had been the first to speak peaceable words to them, and they remained his allies all his days.
48 Now King Alexander assembled large forces and encamped opposite Demetrius. 49 The two kings met in battle, and the army of Demetrius fled, and Alexander[i] pursued him and defeated them. 50 He pressed the battle strongly until the sun set, and on that day Demetrius fell.
Treaty of Ptolemy and Alexander
51 Then Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemy king of Egypt with the following message:(AB) 52 “Since I have returned to my kingdom and have taken my seat on the throne of my ancestors and established my rule—for I crushed Demetrius and gained control of our country; 53 I met him in battle, and he and his army were crushed by us, and we have taken our seat on the throne of his kingdom— 54 now therefore let us establish friendship with one another; give me now your daughter as my wife, and I will become your son-in-law and will make gifts to you and to her in keeping with your position.”
55 Ptolemy the king replied and said, “Happy was the day on which you returned to the land of your ancestors and took your seat on the throne of their kingdom. 56 And now I will do for you as you wrote, but meet me at Ptolemais, so that we may see one another, and I will become your father-in-law, as you have said.”(AC)
57 So Ptolemy set out from Egypt, he and his daughter Cleopatra, and came to Ptolemais in the one hundred sixty-second year. 58 King Alexander met him, and Ptolemy[j] gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage and celebrated her wedding at Ptolemais with great pomp, as kings do.(AD)
59 Then King Alexander wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him. 60 So he went with pomp to Ptolemais and met the two kings; he gave them and their Friends silver and gold and many gifts and found favor with them.(AE) 61 A group of malcontents from Israel, renegades, gathered together against him to accuse him, but the king paid no attention to them.(AF) 62 The king gave orders to take off Jonathan’s garments and to clothe him in purple, and they did so.(AG) 63 The king also seated him at his side, and he said to his officers, “Go out with him into the middle of the city and proclaim that no one is to bring charges against him about any matter, and let no one trouble him for any reason.”(AH) 64 When his accusers saw the honor that was paid him, in accord with the proclamation, and saw him clothed in purple, they all fled.(AI) 65 Thus the king honored him and enrolled him among his First Friends and made him general and governor of the province.(AJ) 66 And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem in peace and gladness.
Apollonius Is Defeated by Jonathan
67 In the one hundred sixty-fifth year Demetrius son of Demetrius came from Crete to the land of his ancestors.(AK) 68 When King Alexander heard of it, he was greatly distressed and returned to Antioch.(AL) 69 And Demetrius appointed Apollonius the governor of Coelesyria, and he assembled a large force and encamped against Jamnia. Then he sent the following message to the high priest Jonathan:(AM)
70 “You are the only one to rise up against us, and I have fallen into ridicule and disgrace because of you. Why do you assume authority against us in the hill country? 71 If you now have confidence in your forces, come down to the plain to meet us, and let us match strength with each other there, for I have with me the power of the cities. 72 Ask and learn who I am and who the others are who are helping us. People will tell you that you cannot stand before us, for your ancestors were twice put to flight in their own land.(AN) 73 And now you will not be able to withstand my cavalry and such an army in the plain, where there is no stone or pebble or place to flee.”
74 When Jonathan heard the words of Apollonius, his spirit was aroused. He chose ten thousand men and set out from Jerusalem, and his brother Simon met him to help him.(AO) 75 He encamped before Joppa, but the people of the city closed its gates, for Apollonius had a garrison in Joppa.(AP) 76 So they fought against it, and the people of the city became afraid and opened the gates, and Jonathan gained possession of Joppa.
77 When Apollonius heard of it, he mustered three thousand cavalry and a large army and went to Azotus as though he were going farther. At the same time he advanced into the plain, for he had a large troop of cavalry and put confidence in it.(AQ) 78 Jonathan[k] pursued him to Azotus, and the armies engaged in battle.(AR) 79 Now Apollonius had secretly left a thousand cavalry behind them. 80 Jonathan learned that there was an ambush behind him, for they surrounded his army and shot arrows at his men from early morning until late afternoon. 81 But his men stood fast, as Jonathan had commanded, and the enemy’s[l] horses grew tired.
82 Then Simon brought forward his force and engaged the phalanx in battle (for the cavalry was exhausted); they were overwhelmed by him and fled, 83 and the cavalry was dispersed in the plain. They fled to Azotus and entered Beth-dagon, the temple of their idol, for safety.(AS) 84 But Jonathan burned Azotus and the surrounding towns and plundered them, and the temple of Dagon and those who had taken refuge in it he burned with fire.(AT) 85 The number of those who fell by the sword, with those burned alive, came to eight thousand.
86 Then Jonathan left there and encamped against Askalon, and the people of the city came out to meet him with great pomp.(AU)
87 He and those with him then returned to Jerusalem with a large amount of plunder. 88 When King Alexander heard of these things, he honored Jonathan still more, 89 and he sent to him a golden buckle, such as it is the custom to give to the King’s Kinsmen. He also gave him Ekron and all its environs as his possession.(AV)
1 Maccabees 10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 10
Jonathan Becomes High Priest. 1 In the one hundred and sixtieth year,[a] Alexander Epiphanes, son of Antiochus, came up and took Ptolemais. They accepted him as king and he began to reign there. 2 When King Demetrius heard of it, he mustered a very large army and marched out to engage him in battle. 3 Demetrius sent a letter to Jonathan written in peaceful terms, to exalt him; 4 for he said: “Let us be the first to make peace with him, before he makes peace with Alexander against us, 5 since he will remember all the wrongs we have done to him, his brothers, and his nation.”
6 So Demetrius authorized him to gather an army and procure arms as his ally; and he ordered that the hostages in the citadel be released to him. 7 Accordingly Jonathan went to Jerusalem and read the letter to all the people and to those who were in the citadel. 8 They were struck with fear when they heard that the king had given him authority to gather an army. 9 Those in the citadel released the hostages to Jonathan, and he gave them back to their parents.(A) 10 Thereafter Jonathan dwelt in Jerusalem, and began to build and restore the city. 11 He ordered those doing the work to build the walls and to encircle Mount Zion with square stones for its fortification, and they did so. 12 The foreigners in the strongholds that Bacchides had built took flight; 13 all of them left their places and returned to their own lands. 14 Only in Beth-zur did some remain of those who had abandoned the law and the commandments, for it was a place of refuge.
15 King Alexander heard of the promises that Demetrius had made to Jonathan; he was also told of the battles and brave deeds of Jonathan and his brothers and of the troubles that they had endured. 16 He said, “Shall we ever find another man like him? Let us now make him our friend and ally.” 17 So he sent Jonathan a letter written in these terms: 18 “King Alexander sends greetings to his brother Jonathan. 19 We have heard of you, that you are a mighty warrior and worthy to be our friend. 20 We have therefore appointed you today to be high priest of your nation; you are to be called the King’s Friend, and you are to look after our interests and preserve friendship with us.” He also sent him a purple robe and a crown of gold.(B) 21 Jonathan put on the sacred vestments in the seventh month of the one hundred and sixtieth year at the feast of Booths,[b] and he gathered an army and procured many weapons.
A Letter from Demetrius to Jonathan. 22 When Demetrius heard of these things, he was distressed and said: 23 “Why have we allowed Alexander to get ahead of us by gaining the friendship of the Jews and thus strengthening himself? 24 I too will write them encouraging words and offer honors and gifts, so that they may support me.” 25 So he sent them this message: “King Demetrius sends greetings to the Jewish nation. 26 We have heard how you have kept the treaty with us and continued in our friendship and not gone over to our enemies, and we are glad. 27 Continue, therefore, to keep faith with us, and we will reward you with favors in return for what you do in our behalf. 28 We will grant you many exemptions and will bestow gifts on you.
29 (C)“I now free you and exempt all the Jews from the tribute, the salt tax, and the crown levies. 30 Instead of collecting the third of the grain and the half of the fruit of the trees that should be my share, I renounce the right from this day forward. Neither now nor in the future will I collect them from the land of Judah or from the three districts annexed from Samaria.[c] 31 Let Jerusalem and her territory, her tithes and her tolls, be sacred and free from tax. 32 I also yield my authority over the citadel in Jerusalem, and I transfer it to the high priest, that he may put in it such men as he shall choose to guard it. 33 Every Jew who has been carried into captivity from the land of Judah into any part of my kingdom I set at liberty without ransom; and let all their taxes, even those on their cattle, be canceled.
34 Let all feast days, sabbaths, new moon festivals, appointed days, and the three days that precede each feast day, and the three days that follow, be days of immunity and exemption for all Jews in my kingdom. 35 No one will have authority to exact payment from them or to harass any of them in any matter.
36 “Let thirty thousand Jews be enrolled in the king’s army and allowances be given them, as is due to all the king’s soldiers. 37 Let some of them be stationed in the king’s principal strongholds, and of these let some be given positions of trust in the affairs of the kingdom. Let their superiors and their rulers be chosen from among them, and let them follow their own laws, as the king has commanded in the land of Judah.
38 “Let the three districts that have been added to Judea from the province of Samaria be annexed to Judea so that they may be under one rule and obey no other authority than the high priest. 39 Ptolemais and its confines I give as a present to the sanctuary in Jerusalem for the necessary expenses of the sanctuary. 40 I make a yearly personal grant of fifteen thousand silver shekels out of the royal revenues, taken from appropriate places. 41 All the additional funds that the officials did not hand over as they had done in the first years shall henceforth be handed over for the services of the temple. 42 Moreover, the dues of five thousand silver shekels that used to be taken from the revenue of the sanctuary every year shall be canceled, since these funds belong to the priests who perform the services. 43 All who take refuge in the temple of Jerusalem or in any of its precincts, because of money they owe the king, or because of any other debt, shall be released, together with all the goods they possess in my kingdom. 44 The cost of rebuilding and restoring the structures of the sanctuary shall be covered out of the royal revenue. 45 Likewise the cost of building the walls of Jerusalem and fortifying it all around, and of building walls in Judea, shall be donated from the royal revenue.”
46 When Jonathan and the people heard these words, they neither believed nor accepted them, for they remembered the great evil that Demetrius had done in Israel, and the great tribulation he had brought upon them. 47 They therefore decided in favor of Alexander, for he had been the first to address them peaceably, and they remained his allies for the rest of his life.
48 Then King Alexander gathered together a large army and encamped opposite Demetrius. 49 The two kings joined battle, and when the army of Demetrius fled, Alexander pursued him, and overpowered his soldiers. 50 He pressed the battle hard until sunset, and Demetrius fell that day.
Treaty of Ptolemy and Alexander. 51 Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemy, king of Egypt, with this message: 52 “Now that I have returned to my realm, taken my seat on the throne of my ancestors, and established my rule by crushing Demetrius and gaining control of my country— 53 for I engaged him in battle, he and his army were crushed by us, and we assumed his royal throne— 54 let us now establish friendship with each other. Give me now your daughter for my wife; and as your son-in-law, I will give to you and to her gifts worthy of you.”
55 King Ptolemy answered in these words: “Happy the day on which you returned to the land of your ancestors and took your seat on their royal throne! 56 I will do for you what you have written; but meet me in Ptolemais, so that we may see each other, and I will become your father-in-law as you have proposed.”
57 So Ptolemy with his daughter Cleopatra[d] set out from Egypt and came to Ptolemais in the one hundred and sixty-second year. 58 There King Alexander met him, and Ptolemy gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage. Their wedding was celebrated at Ptolemais with great splendor according to the custom of kings.
59 King Alexander also wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him. 60 So he went with pomp to Ptolemais, where he met the two kings and gave them and their friends silver and gold and many gifts and thus won their favor.(D) 61 Some villainous men of Israel, transgressors of the law, united against him to accuse him, but the king paid no heed to them. 62 The king ordered Jonathan to be divested of his garments and to be clothed in royal purple; and so it was done. 63 The king also had him seated at his side. He said to his magistrates: “Go with him to the center of the city and make a proclamation that no one is to bring charges against him on any grounds or be troublesome to him for any reason.” 64 (E)When his accusers saw the honor paid to him according to the king’s proclamation, and him clothed in purple, they all fled. 65 And so the king honored him, enrolling him among his Chief Friends, and he made him governor and chief of the province. 66 So Jonathan returned in peace and happiness to Jerusalem.
Jonathan Defeats Apollonius. 67 In the one hundred and sixty-fifth year,[e] Demetrius, son of Demetrius, came from Crete to the land of his ancestors. 68 When King Alexander heard of it he was greatly troubled, and returned to Antioch. 69 Demetrius set Apollonius over Coelesyria.[f] Having gathered a large army, Apollonius encamped at Jamnia. From there he sent this message to Jonathan the high priest:
70 “You are the only one who resists us. I am laughed at and put to shame on your account. Why are you exercising authority against us in the mountains? 71 If you have confidence in your forces, come down now to us in the plain, and let us test each other’s strength there; for the forces of the cities are on my side. 72 Inquire and find out who I am and who the others are who are helping me. People are saying that you cannot make a stand against us because your ancestors were twice put to flight[g] in their own land. 73 Now you too will be unable to withstand our cavalry and such a force as this in the plain, where there is not a stone or a pebble or a place to flee.”
74 When Jonathan heard the message of Apollonius, he was provoked. Choosing ten thousand men, he set out from Jerusalem, and Simon his brother joined him to help him. 75 He encamped near Joppa, but the people of the city shut him out because Apollonius had a garrison in Joppa. When they attacked it, 76 the people of the city became afraid and opened the gates, and so Jonathan took possession of Joppa.[h]
77 When Apollonius heard of it, he drew up three thousand cavalry and a large force of infantry. He marched toward Azotus as though he were going on through, but at the same time he was advancing into the plain, because he had such a large number of cavalry to rely on. 78 Jonathan pursued him toward Azotus, and the armies engaged in battle. 79 Apollonius, however, had left a thousand cavalry in hiding behind them. 80 Jonathan discovered that there was an ambush behind him; his army was surrounded. From morning until evening they showered his troops with arrows. 81 But his troops held their ground, as Jonathan had commanded, while the enemy’s horses became tired out.
82 Then Simon brought forward his force, and engaged the phalanx in battle. Since the cavalry were exhausted, the phalanx was crushed by him and fled, 83 while the cavalry too were scattered over the plain. They fled to Azotus and entered Beth-dagon, the temple of their idol, to save themselves. 84 But Jonathan burned and plundered Azotus with its neighboring towns, and destroyed by fire both the temple of Dagon and those who had taken refuge in it.(F) 85 Those who fell by the sword, together with those who were burned alive, came to about eight thousand.
86 Then Jonathan left there and encamped at Askalon, and the people of that city came out to meet him with great pomp. 87 Jonathan and those with him then returned to Jerusalem, with much spoil. 88 When King Alexander heard of these events, he accorded new honors to Jonathan. 89 He sent him a gold buckle, such as is usually given to King’s Kinsmen;[i] he also gave him Ekron and all its territory as a possession.
Footnotes
- 10:1 The one hundred and sixtieth year: 152 B.C. Alexander…Antiochus: Alexander Balas claimed to be a son of Antiochus IV. He had the backing of the Romans, who had never forgiven Demetrius for becoming king without their permission. The latter meanwhile had become unpopular with his own people as well as with the Jews.
- 10:21 Jonathan…feast of Booths: Jonathan began to discharge the office of high priest in October 152 B.C. For seven years after the death of Alcimus there had been no high priest in Jerusalem. It was taken for granted that the king, though a Gentile, had the power to appoint one (2 Mc 4:7, 23–24). The Maccabees, though a priestly family (1 Mc 2:1), were not of the line of Zadok, and some in Israel (perhaps the Qumran community) regarded Jonathan’s tenure as a usurpation.
- 10:30 The three districts annexed from Samaria: mentioned by name in 11:34. The present Greek text, by a scribal error, has added “and Galilee” after “Samaria.”
- 10:57 Cleopatra: Cleopatra Thea, then about fifteen years old. She later married Demetrius II, and later still, his brother Antiochus VII. Ptolemais (Acco) on the coast of Palestine was a neutral site. The one hundred and sixty-second year: 151/150 B.C.
- 10:67 The one hundred and sixty-fifth year: 147 B.C. Demetrius: Demetrius II Nicator.
- 10:69 Coelesyria: originally the region between the Lebanon and anti-Lebanon mountains, it came later to refer to Palestine also. Jamnia: on the coast, also known as Yavneh (5:58).
- 10:72 Twice put to flight: the reference is unclear.
- 10:76 Joppa: about forty miles northwest of Jerusalem. For the first time the Maccabees took possession of a seaport, though nominally it was on behalf of King Alexander.
- 10:89 Kinsmen: a rank higher than Chief Friends.
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