1 Maccabees 11
Good News Translation
The Fall of Alexander Epiphanes
11 King Ptolemy the Sixth of Egypt assembled an army of soldiers more numerous than the grains of sand along the seashore, and he also gathered a great fleet of ships. He intended to trap Alexander, take his kingdom, and add it to his own, 2 so he went to Syria with promises of peace, and the citizens opened their gates to him and welcomed him. King Alexander had ordered them to do this because Ptolemy was his father-in-law. 3 But as Ptolemy moved north, he stationed a detachment of troops in each town. 4 When he reached Azotus, the people there showed him the burned ruins of the temple of Dagon and all the destruction in the city and the surrounding towns. There were corpses everywhere. The bodies of the men Jonathan had burned to death during the battle were now stacked up along Ptolemy's route. 5 The people told him what Jonathan had done, hoping that he would hold him responsible, but Ptolemy said nothing. 6 Jonathan, with all the proper ceremony, went to Joppa to meet him. They exchanged greetings and spent the night there. 7 Jonathan accompanied him as far as the Eleutherus River before returning to Jerusalem. 8 In this way King Ptolemy, in his plot against Alexander, took control of the towns along the coast as far north as Seleucia-by-the-sea.
9 From there King Ptolemy sent this message to King Demetrius:
Let's make a treaty. My daughter is now Alexander's wife, but I will take her back and give her to you and let you rule over your father's kingdom. 10 I regret that I ever gave her to Alexander, because he has tried to kill me.
11 Ptolemy made this accusation against Alexander because he wanted to take over his kingdom. 12 So he took his daughter away from Alexander and gave her to Demetrius; he broke off all relations with Alexander, and they became open enemies. 13 Then Ptolemy entered Antioch and assumed the crown of Syria; so he wore both the crown of Egypt and the crown of Syria.
14 King Alexander was in Cilicia at the time because the people of that region were in a state of rebellion. 15 But when he heard what Ptolemy had done, he moved to attack him. Ptolemy met him with a large force and won a decisive victory. 16 While Ptolemy reached the peak of his power, Alexander fled to Arabia to find protection, 17 but an Arab named Zabdiel cut off his head and sent it to Ptolemy. 18 Two days later Ptolemy himself died, and the troops he had left in the fortresses were then killed by the local citizens. 19 So in the year 167[a] Demetrius the Second became king.
Jonathan Wins the Favor of Demetrius the Second
20 About that time Jonathan gathered the men of Judea to attack the fort in Jerusalem. They built many siege platforms to use in the attack. 21 But some traitorous Jews who hated their own nation went to King Demetrius the Second and told him that Jonathan was laying siege to the fort in Jerusalem. 22 When Demetrius heard this, he was furious and immediately moved his headquarters to Ptolemais. He wrote to Jonathan and ordered him to lift the siege and to meet him for a conference in Ptolemais without a moment's delay.
23 When Jonathan got the message, he gave orders for the siege to continue, and then chose some Jewish leaders and some priests to go with him. At the risk of his life, 24 he went to the king in Ptolemais, taking along robes, silver and gold, and many other gifts. He made a good impression on the king. 25 Although some lawless traitors of his own nation had made accusations against Jonathan, 26 the king still treated him just as his predecessors had done. He honored him in the presence of all his advisers, 27 and confirmed him as High Priest, restoring all his former honors and appointing him to the highest rank among the
Friends of the King.
28 Jonathan asked the king to release the territory of Judea and the three regions of Samaria[b] from the payment of taxes, promising that if Demetrius would do that, he would pay him a lump sum of 22,000 pounds of silver. 29 The king agreed and wrote a letter to Jonathan to confirm all this:
30 King Demetrius to King Jonathan and to the Jewish nation, greetings.
31 For your information I am sending a copy of the letter I have written to the Honorable Lasthenes about you:
32 King Demetrius to the Honorable Lasthenes, greetings. 33 I have decided to grant the Jewish nation certain benefits because they are our loyal allies and keep their treaty obligations. 34 (A)I confirm their rights to the land of Judea and the three regions of Ephraim, Lydda, and Arimathea, which are hereby annexed to Judea from Samaria with all the lands belonging to them. This will be of benefit to everyone who goes to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice, since payments of the annual tax on produce and fruit from these lands will no longer be made to the king, but to the Temple. 35 And I also grant them relief from the payment of revenues now due me from tithes, tolls, salt taxes, and special taxes. 36 None of the provisions mentioned in this letter shall ever be canceled in the future.
37 You are required to see that a complete copy of this decree is made and given to Jonathan, to be posted in a prominent place on the Temple hill.
Jonathan Helps Demetrius the Second
38 When King Demetrius saw that the land was peaceful under his rule and there was no further resistance, he disbanded his whole army and sent everyone home, except the soldiers he had hired from the Greek islands. This made all the soldiers who had served under his predecessors hate him because they had lost their source of income. 39 One of Alexander's former supporters, Trypho, saw that all the soldiers were complaining about Demetrius, so he went to Imalkue, the Arab who was responsible for bringing up Alexander's young son Antiochus. 40 Trypho stayed there for a long time and kept urging Imalkue to hand the boy over to him, so that he could make him king in place of his father. He also told Imalkue about the decrees of Demetrius and how the soldiers hated him.
41 Jonathan sent a message to King Demetrius asking him to remove his troops from the fort in Jerusalem and from the fortresses in Judea, since they kept harassing the Jews. 42 Demetrius replied: I will do what you request, and when the opportunity presents itself, I will bestow upon you and your nation the highest honors. 43 But now you can help me by sending soldiers to fight for me, because all of my troops have revolted.
44 So Jonathan sent 3,000 trained soldiers to Antioch. The king was delighted when they arrived, 45 because a mob of 120,000 had gathered in the city determined to kill him. 46 But he escaped to the palace while the mob took control of the streets and began to riot. 47 Then the king called on the Jewish soldiers for help, and they all rushed to his aid. They went through the whole city and killed at least 100,000 people. 48 They saved the king's life, but they plundered and burned the city. 49 When the people saw that the Jews had complete control of the city, they lost courage and appealed to the king, requesting 50 him to arrange a truce and stop the Jewish attack. 51 The rebels threw down their arms and surrendered. The king and everyone in his kingdom now had great respect for the Jews, who returned to Jerusalem with a great deal of loot. 52 Demetrius was firmly established as king, and the country was at peace under his rule, 53 but he broke all his promises and turned against Jonathan. He did not reward him for his loyal service, but instead continued to harass him.
Jonathan Supports Antiochus the Sixth
54 Some time later, Trypho returned with the young boy Antiochus and crowned him king. 55 All the soldiers that Demetrius had dismissed then came to the support of the young king. They defeated Demetrius, and he fled. 56 Trypho captured the elephants and took control of Antioch. 57 The young King Antiochus wrote to Jonathan and confirmed him as High Priest and as ruler over the four regions and gave him the title
Friend of the King. 58 He sent him a set of gold tableware and authorized him to drink from gold cups, to wear a royal robe, and to wear the gold shoulder buckle awarded to
Relatives of the King. 59 He also appointed Jonathan's brother Simon as governor of the territory from the Phoenician coast to the Egyptian border.
60 Jonathan then marched with his army through the towns of Greater Syria, and all the Syrian forces joined him as allies. He went to Ascalon, where the people welcomed him with great honors. 61 Then he went to Gaza, but the people there barred their gates against him. So he laid siege to the city and burned and looted the surrounding area. 62 The people of Gaza then asked for peace, and Jonathan arranged a truce. He took the sons of the leaders and sent them to Jerusalem as hostages. After that he marched on as far as Damascus.
63 Jonathan learned that the officers of Demetrius had come to Kedesh in Galilee with a large army, intending to keep him from carrying out his plan. 64 So he left his brother Simon in Judea and set out to meet them in battle. 65 Then Simon laid siege to Bethzur and fought against it for a long time. 66 The people asked for peace terms, and Simon agreed. He then took over the town, drove the people out, and stationed a detachment of troops there.
67 Jonathan and his army set up camp by Lake Galilee. Early the next morning he marched his troops to the plain of Hazor, 68 where the main force of the foreign army was advancing to meet him. Unknown to Jonathan, they had left a detachment of troops in ambush in the mountains, 69 and when the men in ambush came out and attacked, 70 Jonathan's entire army turned and ran. No one was left, except two officers, Mattathias son of Absalom and Judas son of Chalphi. 71 Jonathan was humiliated, so he tore his clothes, threw dust on his head, and prayed. 72 Then he turned back to the battle, crushed the enemy, and put them to flight. 73 When his own fleeing soldiers saw this, they turned back and joined him in pursuit. They chased the enemy all the way back to their camp at Kedesh and then took over the camp. 74 At least 3,000 enemy soldiers were killed that day. Jonathan then returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 1 Maccabees 11:19 the year 167: This corresponds to 145 B.C.
- 1 Maccabees 11:28 Probable text three regions of Samaria; Greek three regions and Samaria.
1 Maccabees 11
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Ptolemy Invades Syria
11 Then the king of Egypt gathered great forces like the sand by the seashore and many ships, and he tried to get possession of Alexander’s kingdom by trickery and add it to his own kingdom.(A) 2 He set out for Syria with peaceable words, and the people of the towns opened their gates to him and went to meet him, for King Alexander had commanded them to meet him, since he was Alexander’s[a] father-in-law. 3 But when Ptolemy entered the towns he stationed forces as a garrison in each town.
4 When he[b] approached Azotus, they showed him the burnt-out temple of Dagon, and Azotus and its suburbs destroyed, and the corpses lying about, and the charred bodies of those whom Jonathan[c] had burned in the war, for they had piled them in heaps along his route.(B) 5 They also told the king what Jonathan had done, to throw blame on him, but the king kept silent. 6 Jonathan met the king at Joppa with pomp, and they greeted one another and spent the night there.(C) 7 And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river called Eleutherus; then he returned to Jerusalem.(D)
8 So King Ptolemy gained control of the coastal cities as far as Seleucia by the sea, and he kept devising wicked designs against Alexander.(E) 9 He sent envoys to King Demetrius, saying, “Come, let us make a covenant with each other, and I will give you in marriage my daughter who was Alexander’s wife, and you shall reign over your father’s kingdom.(F) 10 I now regret that I gave him my daughter, for he has tried to kill me.” 11 He threw blame on Alexander[d] because he coveted his kingdom. 12 So he took his daughter away from him and gave her to Demetrius. He was estranged from Alexander, and their hostility became apparent.
13 Then Ptolemy entered Antioch and put on the crown of Asia. Thus he put two crowns on his head, the crown of Egypt and that of Asia.(G) 14 Now King Alexander was in Cilicia at that time because the people of that region were in revolt. 15 When Alexander heard of it, he came against him in battle. Ptolemy marched out and met him with a strong force and put him to flight. 16 So Alexander fled into Arabia to find protection there, and King Ptolemy was triumphant. 17 Zabdiel the Arab cut off the head of Alexander and sent it to Ptolemy. 18 But King Ptolemy died three days later, and his troops in the strongholds were killed by the inhabitants of the strongholds. 19 So Demetrius became king in the one hundred sixty-seventh year.(H)
Jonathan’s Diplomacy
20 In those days Jonathan assembled the Judeans to attack the citadel in Jerusalem, and he built many engines of war to use against it.(I) 21 But certain renegades who hated their nation went to the king and reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the citadel.(J) 22 When he heard this he was angry, and as soon as he heard it he set out and came to Ptolemais, and he wrote Jonathan not to continue the siege but to meet him for a conference at Ptolemais as quickly as possible.(K)
23 When Jonathan heard this, he gave orders to continue the siege. He chose some of the elders of Israel and some of the priests and put himself in danger, 24 for he went to the king at Ptolemais, taking silver and gold and clothing and numerous other gifts. And he won his favor.(L) 25 Although certain renegades of his nation kept making complaints against him,(M) 26 the king treated him as his predecessors had treated him; he exalted him in the presence of all his Friends.(N) 27 He confirmed him in the high priesthood and in as many other honors as he had formerly had and caused him to be reckoned among his First Friends.(O) 28 Then Jonathan asked the king to free Judea and the three districts and Samaria from tribute and promised him three hundred talents.(P) 29 The king consented and wrote a letter to Jonathan about all these things; its contents were as follows:
30 “King Demetrius to his brother Jonathan and to the nation of the Jews, greetings.(Q) 31 This copy of the letter that we wrote concerning you to our kinsman Lasthenes we have written to you also, so that you may know what it says. 32 ‘King Demetrius to his father Lasthenes, greetings. 33 We have determined to do good to the nation of the Jews, who are our friends and fulfill their obligations to us, because of the goodwill they show toward us. 34 We have confirmed as their possession both the territory of Judea and the three districts of Aphairema and Lydda and Ramathaim;[e] the latter, with all the region bordering them, were added to Judea from Samaria. To all those who offer sacrifice in Jerusalem we have granted release from[f] the royal taxes that the king formerly received from them each year, from the crops of the land and the fruit of the trees.(R) 35 And the other payments henceforth due to us of the tithes, and the taxes due to us, and the salt pits and the crown taxes due to us—from all these we shall grant them release.(S) 36 And not one of these grants shall be canceled from this time on forever.(T) 37 Now, therefore, take care to make a copy of this, and let it be given to Jonathan and put up in a conspicuous place on the holy mountain.’ ”
The Intrigue of Trypho
38 When King Demetrius saw that the land was quiet before him and that there was no opposition to him, he dismissed all his troops, all of them to their own homes, except the foreign troops whom he had recruited from the islands of the nations. So all the troops who had served under his predecessors hated him.(U) 39 A certain Trypho had formerly been one of Alexander’s supporters; he saw that all the troops were grumbling against Demetrius. So he went to Imalkue the Arab, who was bringing up Antiochus, the young son of Alexander,(V) 40 and insistently urged him to hand Antiochus[g] over to him, to become king in place of his father. He also reported to Imalkue[h] what Demetrius had done and told of the hatred that the troops of Demetrius[i] had for him, and he stayed there many days.(W)
41 Now Jonathan sent to King Demetrius the request that he remove the troops of the citadel from Jerusalem and the troops in the strongholds, for they kept fighting against Israel.(X) 42 And Demetrius sent this message back to Jonathan: “Not only will I do these things for you and your nation, but I will confer great honor on you and your nation, if I find an opportunity. 43 Now, then, you will do well to send me men who will help me, for all my troops have revolted.”(Y) 44 So Jonathan sent three thousand stalwart men to him at Antioch, and when they came to the king, the king rejoiced at their arrival.(Z)
45 Then the people of the city assembled within the city, to the number of a hundred and twenty thousand, and they wanted to kill the king. 46 But the king fled into the palace. Then the people of the city seized the main streets of the city and began to fight. 47 So the king called the Jews to his aid, and they all rallied around him and then spread out through the city, and they killed on that day about one hundred thousand. 48 They set fire to the city and seized a large amount of spoil on that day and saved the king. 49 When the people of the city saw that the Jews had gained control of the city as they pleased, their courage failed, and they cried out to the king with this entreaty: 50 “Grant us peace, and make the Jews stop fighting against us and our city.”(AA) 51 And they threw down their arms and made peace. So the Jews gained glory in the sight of the king and of all the people in his kingdom, and they returned to Jerusalem with a large amount of spoil.
52 So King Demetrius sat on the throne of his kingdom, and the land was quiet before him.(AB) 53 But he broke his word about all that he had promised; he became estranged from Jonathan and did not repay the favors that Jonathan[j] had done him but treated him very harshly.
Trypho Seizes Power
54 After this Trypho returned, and with him the young boy Antiochus, who began to reign and put on the crown.(AC) 55 All the troops whom Demetrius had discharged gathered around him; they fought against Demetrius,[k] and he fled and was routed. 56 Trypho captured the elephants[l] and gained control of Antioch.(AD) 57 Then the young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan, saying, “I confirm you in the high priesthood and set you over the four districts and make you one of the king’s Friends.”(AE) 58 He also sent him gold plates and a table service and granted him the right to drink from gold cups and dress in purple and wear a gold buckle.(AF) 59 He appointed Jonathan’s[m] brother Simon governor from the Ladder of Tyre to the borders of Egypt.(AG)
Campaigns of Jonathan and Simon
60 Then Jonathan set out and traveled beyond the river and among the towns, and all the army of Syria gathered to him as allies. When he came to Askalon, the people of the city met him and paid him honor.(AH) 61 From there he went to Gaza, but the people of Gaza shut him out. So he besieged it and burned its suburbs with fire and plundered them.(AI) 62 Then the people of Gaza pleaded with Jonathan, and he made peace with them and took the sons of their rulers as hostages and sent them to Jerusalem. And he passed through the country as far as Damascus.(AJ)
63 Then Jonathan heard that the officers of Demetrius had come to Kadesh in Galilee with a large army, intending to remove him from office.(AK) 64 He went to meet them but left his brother Simon in the country. 65 Simon encamped before Beth-zur and fought against it for many days and hemmed it in.(AL) 66 Then they asked him to grant them terms of peace, and he did so. He removed them from there, took possession of the town, and set a garrison over it.(AM)
67 Jonathan and his army encamped by the waters of Gennesaret. Early in the morning they marched to the plain of Hazor,(AN) 68 and there in the plain the army of the foreigners met him; they had set an ambush against him in the mountains, but they themselves met him face to face.(AO) 69 Then the men in ambush emerged from their places and joined battle. 70 All the men with Jonathan fled; not one of them was left except Mattathias son of Absalom and Judas son of Chalphi, commanders of the forces of the army.(AP) 71 Jonathan tore his clothes, put dust on his head, and prayed.(AQ) 72 Then he turned back to the battle against the enemy[n] and routed them, and they fled. 73 When his men who were fleeing saw this, they returned to him and joined him in the pursuit as far as Kadesh, to their camp, and there they encamped.(AR) 74 As many as three thousand of the foreigners fell that day. And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.(AS)
1 Maccabees 11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 11
Alliance of Ptolemy and Demetrius II. 1 Then the king of Egypt gathered forces as numerous as the sands of the seashore, and many ships; and he sought by deceit to take Alexander’s kingdom and add it to his own. 2 He set out for Syria with peaceful words, and the people in the cities opened their gates to welcome him, as King Alexander had ordered them to do, since Ptolemy was his father-in-law. 3 But when Ptolemy entered the cities, he stationed a garrison of troops in each one.
4 As they neared Azotus, they showed him the temple of Dagon destroyed by fire, Azotus and its suburbs demolished, corpses lying about, and the charred bodies of those burned in the war, for they had heaped them up along his route.(A) 5 They told the king what Jonathan had done in order to denigrate him; but the king said nothing. 6 Jonathan met the king with pomp at Joppa, and they greeted each other and spent the night there. 7 Jonathan accompanied the king as far as the river called Eleutherus[a] and then returned to Jerusalem.
8 And so King Ptolemy took possession of the cities along the seacoast as far as Seleucia by the sea,[b] plotting evil schemes against Alexander all the while. 9 He sent ambassadors to King Demetrius, saying: “Come, let us make a covenant with each other; I will give you my daughter whom Alexander has married, and you shall reign over your father’s kingdom. 10 I regret that I gave him my daughter, for he has sought to kill me.”[c] 11 He was criticizing Alexander, however, because he coveted his kingdom. 12 After taking his daughter away, Ptolemy gave her to Demetrius and broke with Alexander; the enmity between them was now evident. 13 Then Ptolemy entered Antioch and assumed the crown[d] of Asia; thus he set upon his head two crowns, that of Egypt and that of Asia.
14 Now King Alexander was in Cilicia at that time, because the people of that region had revolted. 15 When Alexander heard the news, he came against Ptolemy in battle. Ptolemy marched out and met him with a strong force and routed him. 16 When Alexander fled to Arabia to seek protection, King Ptolemy was triumphant. 17 Zabdiel the Arabian cut off Alexander’s head and sent it to Ptolemy. 18 But three days later King Ptolemy himself died, and his troops in the strongholds were killed by the inhabitants of the strongholds. 19 Thus Demetrius became king in the one hundred and sixty-seventh year.[e]
Alliance of Jonathan and Demetrius II. 20 In those days Jonathan gathered together the people of Judea to attack the citadel in Jerusalem, and they set up many siege engines against it. 21 But some transgressors of the law, enemies of their own nation, went to the king and informed him that Jonathan was besieging the citadel. 22 When Demetrius heard this, he was enraged; and as soon as he heard it, he set out and came to Ptolemais. He wrote to Jonathan to discontinue the siege and to meet him for a conference at Ptolemais as soon as possible.
23 On hearing this, Jonathan ordered the siege to continue. He selected some elders and priests of Israel and put himself at risk. 24 Taking with him silver, gold and apparel, and many other presents, he went to the king at Ptolemais, and found favor with him. 25 Although certain renegades of his own nation kept on bringing charges against him, 26 the king treated him just as his predecessors had done and exalted him in the presence of all his Friends. 27 He confirmed him in the high priesthood and in the other honors he had previously held, and had him enrolled among his Chief Friends.
28 Jonathan asked the king to exempt Judea and the three districts of Samaria from tribute, promising him in return three hundred talents.(B) 29 The king agreed and wrote a letter to Jonathan about all these matters as follows:
30 (C)“King Demetrius sends greetings to his brother[f] Jonathan and to the Jewish nation. 31 We are sending you, for your information, a copy of the letter that we wrote to Lasthenes[g] our Kinsman concerning you. 32 ‘King Demetrius sends greetings to his father Lasthenes. 33 Upon the Jewish nation, who are our friends and observe their obligations to us, we have decided to bestow benefits because of the good will they show us. 34 (D)Therefore we confirm their possession, not only of the territory of Judea, but also of the three districts of Aphairema,[h] Lydda, and Ramathaim. These districts, together with all their dependencies, are hereby transferred from Samaria to Judea for those who offer sacrifices in Jerusalem in lieu of the royal taxes the king used to receive yearly from the produce of earth and trees. 35 From payment of the other things that would henceforth be due to us, namely, the tithes and taxes, as well as the salt tax, and the crown tax—from all these we grant them release. 36 Henceforth and forever not one of these provisions shall ever be revoked. 37 See to it, therefore, that a copy of these instructions be made and given to Jonathan. Let it be displayed on the holy mountain in a conspicuous place.’”
The Intrigue of Trypho. 38 When King Demetrius saw that the land was peaceful under his rule and that he had no opposition, he dismissed his entire army, each to his own home, except the foreign troops which he had hired from the islands of the nations. So all the soldiers who had served under his predecessors became hostile to him. 39 When a certain Trypho, who had previously supported Alexander, saw that all the troops were grumbling against Demetrius, he went to Imalkue the Arabian, who was raising Alexander’s young son Antiochus.(E) 40 Trypho kept urging Imalkue to hand over the boy to him, so that he might succeed his father as king. He told him of all that Demetrius had done and of the hostility his soldiers had for him; and he remained there for many days.
Jonathan Aids Demetrius II. 41 Meanwhile Jonathan sent the request to King Demetrius to withdraw the troops in the citadel from Jerusalem and from the other strongholds, for they were constantly waging war on Israel. 42 Demetrius, in turn, sent this word to Jonathan: “I will do not only this for you and your nation, but I will greatly honor you and your nation when I find the opportunity. 43 Now, therefore, you will do well to send men to fight for me, because all my troops have revolted.”
44 So Jonathan sent three thousand good fighting men to him at Antioch. When they came to the king, he was delighted over their arrival. 45 The populace, one hundred and twenty thousand strong, massed in the center of the city in an attempt to kill the king. 46 So the king took refuge in the palace, while the populace gained control of the main streets of the city and prepared for battle. 47 Then the king called the Jewish force to his aid. They all rallied around him and spread out through the city. On that day they killed about a hundred thousand in the city. 48 At the same time, they set the city on fire and took much spoil. Thus they saved the king. 49 When the populace saw that the Jewish force controlled the city, they lost courage and cried out to the king in supplication, 50 “Extend the hand of friendship to us, and make the Jews stop attacking us and the city.” 51 So they threw down their weapons and made peace. The Jews thus gained honor in the eyes of the king and all his subjects, and they became renowned throughout his kingdom. Finally they returned to Jerusalem with much plunder.
52 But when King Demetrius was sure of his royal throne, and the land was peaceful under his rule, 53 he broke all his promises and became estranged from Jonathan. Instead of repaying Jonathan for all the favors he had received from him, he caused him much distress.
Alliance of Jonathan and Antiochus VI. 54 After this, Trypho returned and brought with him the young boy Antiochus, who became king and put on the diadem.(F) 55 All the soldiers whom Demetrius had discharged rallied around Antiochus and fought against Demetrius, who was routed and fled. 56 Trypho captured the elephants and occupied Antioch. 57 Then young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan: “I confirm you in the high priesthood and appoint you ruler over the four districts, and to be one of the King’s Friends.” 58 He also sent him gold dishes and a table service, gave him the right to drink from gold cups, to dress in royal purple, and to wear a gold buckle.(G) 59 Likewise, he made Jonathan’s brother Simon governor of the region from the Ladder of Tyre[i] to the borders of Egypt.
Campaigns of Jonathan and Simon. 60 Jonathan set out and traveled through the province of West-of-Euphrates[j] and its cities, and all the forces of Syria espoused his cause as allies. When he arrived at Askalon, the citizens welcomed him with pomp. 61 But when he set out for Gaza, the people of Gaza shut him out. So he besieged it, and burned and plundered its suburbs. 62 Then the people of Gaza appealed to Jonathan, and he granted them terms of peace. He took the sons of their leaders as hostages and sent them to Jerusalem. He then traveled on through the province as far as Damascus.
63 Jonathan heard that the generals of Demetrius had come with a strong force to Kadesh in Galilee, intending to remove him from office. 64 So he went to meet them, leaving his brother Simon in the province. 65 (H)Simon encamped against Beth-zur, attacked it for many days, and shut in the inhabitants. 66 They appealed to him, and he granted them terms of peace. He expelled them from the city, took possession of it, and put a garrison there.
67 Meanwhile, Jonathan and his army pitched their camp near the waters of Gennesaret, and at daybreak they went to the plain of Hazor.[k] 68 There the army of the foreigners met him on the plain. Having first detached an ambush in the mountains, this army mounted a frontal attack. 69 Then those in ambush rose out of their places and joined in the battle. 70 All of Jonathan’s men fled; no one stayed except the army commanders Mattathias, son of Absalom, and Judas, son of Chalphi. 71 Jonathan tore his clothes, threw dust on his head, and prayed. 72 Then he went back to the battle and routed them, and they fled. 73 Those of his men who were running away saw it and returned to him; and with him they pursued the enemy as far as their camp in Kadesh, and there they encamped. 74 About three thousand of the foreign troops fell on that day. Then Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 11:7 Eleutherus: two hundred miles north of Joppa, in the second century B.C. the northern limit of Coelesyria.
- 11:8 Seleucia by the sea: at the mouth of the Orontes, the port city of Antioch.
- 11:10 I regret…to kill me: according to Josephus, Ammonius, a friend of Alexander, had tried to assassinate Ptolemy, and the latter claimed that Alexander was the instigator, thus calumniating him to gain his kingdom (v. 11).
- 11:13 Crown: lit., diadem.
- 11:19 The one hundred and sixty-seventh year: 146/145 B.C. The two deaths (vv. 17–18) occurred in the summer of 145 B.C.
- 11:30 Brother: this term and “father” in v. 32 are honorific expressions used of the Kinsmen.
- 11:31 Lasthenes: leader of the mercenary troops who had come with Demetrius from Crete. He was now the young king’s chief minister and was apparently responsible for the disastrous policy (v. 38) of disbanding the national army.
- 11:34 Aphairema: the Ophrah of Jos 18:23; 1 Sm 13:17; the Ephron of 2 Chr 13:19; and the Ephraim of Jn 11:54—modern et-Taiyibeh, five miles northeast of Bethel. Lydda: the Lod of the postexilic Jews (Ezr 2:33; Neh 11:35) and the hometown of Aeneas, who was cured by Peter (Acts 9:32–34). It is ten miles southeast of Joppa. Ramathaim: the Ramathaim-zophim of 1 Sm 1:1, and the Arimathea of Mt 27:57, modern Rentis, nine miles northeast of Lydda.
- 11:59 Ladder of Tyre: modern Ras en-Naqurah, where the mountains reach the sea, so that the coastal road must ascend in a series of steps. Thus the Maccabees controlled the coastal area from Syria to Egypt.
- 11:60 The province of West-of-Euphrates: refers here to the territory of Palestine and Coelesyria, but not Upper Syria; cf. 7:8.
- 11:67 Plain of Hazor: the site of the ancient Canaanite city (Jos 11:10), ten miles north of the Lake of Gennesaret.
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