1 Maccabees 9-16

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Bacchides Returns to Judea

9 When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah a second time, and with them the right wing of the army.^{(A) 2} They went by the road that leads to Gilgal and encamped against Mesaloth in Arbela, and they took it and killed many people. ³ In the first month of the one hundred fifty-second year they encamped against Jerusalem; ⁴ then they marched off and went to Berea with twenty thousand foot soldiers and two thousand cavalry.

⁵ Now Judas was encamped in Elasa, and with him were three thousand picked men. ⁶ When they saw the huge number of the enemy forces, they were greatly frightened, and many slipped away from the camp, until no more than eight hundred of them were left.

⁷ When Judas saw that his army had slipped away and the battle was imminent, he was crushed in spirit, for he had no time to assemble them. ⁸ He became faint, but he said to those who were left, “Let us get up and go against our enemies. We may have the strength to fight them.” ⁹ But they tried to dissuade him, saying, “We do not have the strength. Let us rather save our own lives now, and let us come back with our kindred and fight them, for we are too few.” ¹⁰ But Judas said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing as to flee from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our kindred and leave no cause to question our honor.”^(B)

The Last Battle of Judas

¹¹ Then the army of Bacchides^[a] marched out from the camp and took its stand for the encounter. The cavalry was divided into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, as did all the chief warriors. ¹² Bacchides was on the right wing. Flanked by the two companies, the phalanx advanced to the sound of the trumpets, and the men with Judas also blew their trumpets. ¹³ The earth was shaken by the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning until evening.^(C)

¹⁴ Judas saw that Bacchides and the strength of his army were on the right; then all the courageous men went with him, ¹⁵ and they crushed the right wing, and he pursued them as far as Mount Azotus. ¹⁶ When those on the left wing saw that the right wing was crushed, they turned and followed close behind Judas and his men. ¹⁷ The battle became desperate, and many on both sides were wounded and fell. ¹⁸ Judas also fell, and the rest fled.

¹⁹ Then Jonathan and Simon took their brother Judas and buried him in the tomb of their ancestors at Modein^{(D) 20} and wept for him. All Israel made great lamentation for him; they mourned many days and said,^(E)

²² Now the rest of the acts of Judas, and his wars and the brave deeds that he did, and his greatness have not been recorded because they were very many.^(G)

Jonathan Succeeds Judas

²³ After the death of Judas, the renegades emerged in all parts of Israel; all the wrongdoers reappeared.^{(H) 24} In those days a very great famine occurred, and the country went over to their side. ²⁵ Bacchides chose the godless and put them in charge of the country.^{(I) 26} They made inquiry and searched for the friends of Judas and brought them to Bacchides, who took vengeance on them and made sport of them. ²⁷ So there was great distress in Israel such as had not been since the time a prophet had last appeared among them.^(J)

²⁸ Then all the friends of Judas assembled and said to Jonathan,^{(K) 29} “Since the death of your brother Judas there has been no one like him to go against our enemies and Bacchides and to deal with those of our nation who hate us.^{(L) 30} Now, therefore, we have chosen you today to take his place as our ruler and leader, to fight our battle.” ³¹ So Jonathan accepted the leadership at that time in place of his brother Judas.^(M)

The Campaigns of Jonathan

³² When Bacchides learned of this, he tried to kill him. ³³ But Jonathan and his brother Simon and all who were with him heard of it, and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoa and camped by the water of the pool of Asphar.^{(N) 34} Bacchides found this out on the Sabbath day, and he with all his army crossed the Jordan.^(O)

³⁵ So Jonathan^[b] sent his brother as leader of the multitude and begged the Nabateans, who were his friends, for permission to store with them the great amount of baggage that they had.^{(P) 36} But the family of Jambri from Medeba came out and seized John and all that he had and left with it.

³⁷ After these things it was reported to Jonathan and his brother Simon, “The family of Jambri are celebrating a great wedding and are conducting the bride, a daughter of one of the great nobles of Canaan, from Nadabath with a large escort.” ³⁸ Remembering how their brother John had been killed, they went up and hid under cover of the mountain. ³⁹ They looked out and saw a tumultuous procession with a great amount of baggage, and the bridegroom came out with his friends and his brothers to meet them with tambourines and musicians and many weapons. ⁴⁰ Then they rushed on them from the ambush and began killing them. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled to the mountain, and the troops^[c] took all their goods.^{(Q) 41} So the wedding was turned into mourning and the voice of their musicians into a funeral dirge. ⁴² After they had fully avenged the blood of their brother, they returned to the marshes of the Jordan.

⁴³ When Bacchides heard of this, he came with a large force on the Sabbath day to the banks of the Jordan.^{(R) 44} And Jonathan said to those with him, “Let us get up now and fight for our lives, for today things are not as they were before.^{(S) 45} For look! The battle is in front of us and behind us; the water of the Jordan is on this side and on that, with marsh and thicket; there is no place to turn.^{(T) 46} Cry out now to heaven that you may be delivered from the hands of our enemies.” ⁴⁷ So the battle began, and Jonathan stretched out his hand to strike Bacchides, but he eluded him and went to the rear. ⁴⁸ Then Jonathan and the men with him leaped into the Jordan and swam across to the other side, and Bacchides’s troops^[d] did not cross the Jordan to attack them. ⁴⁹ And about one thousand of Bacchides’s men fell that day.

Bacchides Builds Fortifications

⁵⁰ Then Bacchides^[e] returned to Jerusalem and built strong cities in Judea: the fortress in Jericho, and Emmaus, and Beth-horon, and Bethel, and Timnath, and^[f] Pharathon, and Tephon, with high walls and gates and bars.^{(U) 51} And he placed garrisons in them to harass Israel. ⁵² He also fortified the town of Beth-zur, and Gazara, and the citadel, and in them he put troops and stores of food.^{(V) 53} And he took the sons of the leading men of the land as hostages and put them under guard in the citadel at Jerusalem.^(W)

⁵⁴ In the one hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month, Alcimus gave orders to tear down the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary. He tore down the work of the prophets!^{(X) 55} But he only began to tear it down, for at that time Alcimus was stricken, and his work was hindered; his mouth was stopped, and he was paralyzed, so that he could no longer say a word or give commands concerning his house. ⁵⁶ And Alcimus died at that time in great agony. ⁵⁷ When Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead, he returned to the king, and the land of Judah had rest for two years.^(Y)

The End of the War

⁵⁸ Then all the lawless plotted and said, “See! Jonathan and his men are living in quiet and confidence. So now let us bring Bacchides back, and he will capture them all in one night.”^{(Z) 59} And they went and consulted with him. ⁶⁰ He started to come with a large force and secretly sent letters to all his allies in Judea telling them to seize Jonathan and his men, but they were unable to do it, because their plan became known. ⁶¹ And Jonathan’s men^[g] seized about fifty of the men of the country who were leaders in this treachery and killed them.

⁶² Then Jonathan with his men and Simon withdrew to Bethbasi in the wilderness; he rebuilt the parts of it that had been demolished, and they fortified it. ⁶³ When Bacchides learned of this, he assembled all his forces and sent orders to the men of Judea. ⁶⁴ Then he came and encamped against Bethbasi; he fought against it for many days and made engines of war.

⁶⁵ But Jonathan left his brother Simon in the town while he went out into the country, and he went with only a few men. ⁶⁶ He struck down Odomera and his kindred and the people of Phasiron in their tents. ⁶⁷ Then he^[h] began to attack and went into battle with his forces, and Simon and his men sallied out from the town and set fire to the engines of war. ⁶⁸ They fought with Bacchides, and he was crushed by them. They pressed him very hard, for his plan and his expedition had been in vain.^{(AA) 69} So he was very angry at the renegades who had counseled him to come into the country, and he killed many of them. Then he decided to go back to his own land.^(AB)

⁷⁰ When Jonathan learned of this, he sent ambassadors to him to make peace with him and obtain release of the captives.^{(AC) 71} He agreed and did as he said, and he swore to Jonathan^[i] that he would not try to harm him as long as he lived. ⁷² He restored to him the captives whom he had taken previously from the land of Judah; then he turned and went back to his own land and did not come again into their territory.^{(AD) 73} Thus the sword ceased from Israel. Jonathan settled in Michmash and began to judge the people, and he destroyed the godless out of Israel.^(AE)

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.^{(AF) 2} When King Demetrius heard of it, he assembled a very large army and marched out to meet him in battle.^{(AG) 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^[j] before he makes peace with Alexander against us,^{(AH) 5} for he will remember all the wrongs that we did to him and to his brothers and his nation.”^{(AI) 6} So Demetrius^[k] 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.^(AJ)

⁷ Then Jonathan came to Jerusalem and read the letter in the hearing of all the people and of those in the citadel.^{(AK) 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.^(AL)

¹² Then the foreigners who were in the strongholds that Bacchides had built fled;^{(AM) 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.^(AN)

¹⁵ Now King Alexander heard of all the promises that Demetrius had sent to Jonathan, and he heard of the battles that Jonathan^[l] 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.”^{(AO) 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.^{(AP) 19} We have heard about you, that you are a mighty warrior and worthy to be our friend.^{(AQ) 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.^(AR)

²¹ So Jonathan put on the sacred vestments in the seventh month of the one hundred sixtieth year, at the Festival of Booths,^[m] and he recruited troops and equipped them with arms in abundance.^{(AS) 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.^{(AT) 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.^(AU)

²⁹ “I now free you and exempt all the Jews from payment of tribute and salt tax and crown levies,^{(AV) 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.^{(AW) 31} Jerusalem and its environs, its tithes and its revenues, shall be holy and free from tax.^{(AX) 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.^{(AY) 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.^(AZ)

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.^{(BA) 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.^{(BB) 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.^{(BC) 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.^{(BD) 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,^[n] they shall give from now on for the service of the temple.^{[o] 42} Moreover, the five thousand shekels of silver that my officials^[p] 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.”^(BE)

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^[q] had done in Israel and how much he had oppressed them.^{(BF) 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^[r] 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:^{(BG) 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.”^(BH)

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^[s] gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage and celebrated her wedding at Ptolemais with great pomp, as kings do.^(BI)

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.^{(BJ) 61} A group of malcontents from Israel, renegades, gathered together against him to accuse him, but the king paid no attention to them.^{(BK) 62} The king gave orders to take off Jonathan’s garments and to clothe him in purple, and they did so.^{(BL) 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.”^{(BM) 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.^{(BN) 65} Thus the king honored him and enrolled him among his First Friends and made him general and governor of the province.^{(BO) 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.^{(BP) 68} When King Alexander heard of it, he was greatly distressed and returned to Antioch.^{(BQ) 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:^(BR)

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.^{(BS) 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.^{(BT) 75} He encamped before Joppa, but the people of the city closed its gates, for Apollonius had a garrison in Joppa.^{(BU) 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.^{(BV) 78} Jonathan^[t] pursued him to Azotus, and the armies engaged in battle.^{(BW) 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^[u] 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.^{(BX) 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.^{(BY) 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.^(BZ)

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.^(CA)

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.^{(CB) 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^[v] father-in-law. ³ But when Ptolemy entered the towns he stationed forces as a garrison in each town.

⁴ When he^[w] 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^[x] had burned in the war, for they had piled them in heaps along his route.^{(CC) 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.^{(CD) 7} And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river called Eleutherus; then he returned to Jerusalem.^(CE)

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.^{(CF) 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.^{(CG) 10} I now regret that I gave him my daughter, for he has tried to kill me.” ¹¹ He threw blame on Alexander^[y] 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.^{(CH) 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.^(CI)

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.^{(CJ) 21} But certain renegades who hated their nation went to the king and reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the citadel.^{(CK) 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.^(CL)

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.^{(CM) 25} Although certain renegades of his nation kept making complaints against him,^{(CN) 26} the king treated him as his predecessors had treated him; he exalted him in the presence of all his Friends.^{(CO) 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.^{(CP) 28} Then Jonathan asked the king to free Judea and the three districts and Samaria from tribute and promised him three hundred talents.^{(CQ) 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.^{(CR) 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;^[z] 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^[aa] the royal taxes that the king formerly received from them each year, from the crops of the land and the fruit of the trees.^{(CS) 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.^{(CT) 36} And not one of these grants shall be canceled from this time on forever.^{(CU) 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.^{(CV) 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,^{(CW) 40} and insistently urged him to hand Antiochus^[ab] over to him, to become king in place of his father. He also reported to Imalkue^[ac] what Demetrius had done and told of the hatred that the troops of Demetrius^[ad] had for him, and he stayed there many days.^(CX)

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.^{(CY) 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.”^{(CZ) 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.^(DA)

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.”^{(DB) 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.^{(DC) 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^[ae] 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.^{(DD) 55} All the troops whom Demetrius had discharged gathered around him; they fought against Demetrius,^[af] and he fled and was routed. ⁵⁶ Trypho captured the elephants^[ag] and gained control of Antioch.^{(DE) 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.”^{(DF) 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.^{(DG) 59} He appointed Jonathan’s^[ah] brother Simon governor from the Ladder of Tyre to the borders of Egypt.^(DH)

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.^{(DI) 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.^{(DJ) 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.^(DK)

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.^{(DL) 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.^{(DM) 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.^(DN)

⁶⁷ Jonathan and his army encamped by the waters of Gennesaret. Early in the morning they marched to the plain of Hazor,^{(DO) 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.^{(DP) 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.^{(DQ) 71} Jonathan tore his clothes, put dust on his head, and prayed.^{(DR) 72} Then he turned back to the battle against the enemy^[ai] 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.^{(DS) 74} As many as three thousand of the foreigners fell that day. And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.^(DT)

Alliances with Rome and Sparta

12 Now when Jonathan saw that the time was favorable for him, he chose men and sent them to Rome to confirm and renew the friendship with them.^{(DU) 2} He also sent letters to the same effect to the Spartans and to other places.^{(DV) 3} So they went to Rome and entered the senate chamber and said, “The high priest Jonathan and the Jewish nation have sent us to renew the former friendship and alliance with them.”^{(DW) 4} And the Romans^[aj] gave them letters to the people in every place, asking them to provide for the envoys^[ak] safe conduct to the land of Judah.

⁵ This is a copy of the letter that Jonathan wrote to the Spartans: ⁶ “The high priest Jonathan, the council of the nation, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people to their brothers the Spartans, greetings.^{(DX) 7} Already in time past a letter was sent to the high priest Onias from Arius, who was king among you, stating that you are our brothers, as the appended copy shows.^{(DY) 8} Onias welcomed the envoy with honor and received the letter, which contained a clear declaration of alliance and friendship.^{(DZ) 9} Therefore, though we have no need of these things, since we have as encouragement the holy books that are in our hands,^{(EA) 10} we have undertaken to send to renew our family ties and friendship with you, so that we may not become estranged from you, for considerable time has passed since you sent your letter to us. ¹¹ We therefore remember you constantly on every occasion, both at our festivals and on other appropriate days, at the sacrifices that we offer and in our prayers, as it is right and proper to remember brothers. ¹² And we rejoice in your glory. ¹³ But as for ourselves, many trials and many wars have encircled us; the kings around us have waged war against us. ¹⁴ We were unwilling to trouble you and our other allies and friends with these wars, ¹⁵ for we have the help that comes from heaven for our aid, so we were delivered from our enemies, and our enemies were humbled.^{(EB) 16} We therefore have chosen Numenius son of Antiochus and Antipater son of Jason and have sent them to Rome to renew our former friendship and alliance with them.^{(EC) 17} We have commanded them to go also to you and greet you and deliver to you this letter from us concerning the renewal of our family ties. ¹⁸ And now please send us a reply to this.”

¹⁹ This is a copy of the letter that they sent to Onias:^{(ED) 20} “King Arius of the Spartans, to the high priest Onias, greetings.^{(EE) 21} It has been found in writing concerning the Spartans and the Jews that they are brothers and are of the family of Abraham.^{(EF) 22} And now that we have learned this, please write us concerning your welfare; ²³ we on our part write to you that your livestock and your property belong to us, and ours belong to you. We therefore command that our envoys^[al] report to you accordingly.”^(EG)

Further Campaigns of Jonathan and Simon

²⁴ Now Jonathan heard that the commanders of Demetrius had returned with a larger force than before to wage war against him.^{(EH) 25} So he marched away from Jerusalem and met them in the region of Hamath, for he gave them no opportunity to invade his own country. ²⁶ He sent spies to their camp, and they returned and reported to him that the enemy^[am] were being drawn up in formation to attack the Jews^[an] by night. ²⁷ So when the sun had set, Jonathan commanded his troops to be alert and to keep their arms at hand so as to be ready all night for battle, and he stationed outposts around the camp. ²⁸ When the enemy heard that Jonathan and his troops were prepared for battle, they were afraid and were terrified at heart, so they kindled fires in their camp and withdrew.^{[ao] 29} But Jonathan and his troops did not know it until morning, for they saw the fires burning. ³⁰ Then Jonathan pursued them, but he did not overtake them, for they had crossed the Eleutherus River.^{(EI) 31} So Jonathan turned aside against the Arabs who are called Zabadeans, and he crushed them and plundered them. ³² Then he broke camp and went to Damascus and marched through all that region.^(EJ)

³³ Simon also went out and marched through the country as far as Askalon and the neighboring strongholds. He turned aside to Joppa and took it by surprise,^{(EK) 34} for he had heard that they were ready to hand over the stronghold to those whom Demetrius had sent. And he stationed a garrison there to guard it.^(EL)

³⁵ When Jonathan returned he convened the elders of the people and planned with them to build strongholds in Judea,^{(EM) 36} to build the walls of Jerusalem still higher, and to erect a high barrier between the citadel and the city to separate it from the city, in order to isolate it so that its garrison^[ap] could neither buy nor sell.^{(EN) 37} So they gathered together to rebuild the city; part of the wall on the valley to the east had fallen, and he repaired the section called Chaphenatha. ³⁸ Simon also built Adida in the Shephelah; he fortified it and installed gates with bolts.^(EO)

Trypho Captures Jonathan

³⁹ Then Trypho attempted to become king in Asia and put on the crown and to raise his hand against King Antiochus.^{(EP) 40} He feared that Jonathan might not permit him to do so but might make war on him, so he kept seeking to seize and kill him, and he marched out and came to Beth-shan. ⁴¹ Jonathan went out to meet him with forty thousand picked warriors, and he came to Beth-shan. ⁴² When Trypho saw that he had come with a large army, he was afraid to raise his hand against him.^{(EQ) 43} So he received him with honor and commended him to all his Friends, and he gave him gifts and commanded his Friends and his troops to obey him as they would himself.^{(ER) 44} Then he said to Jonathan, “Why have you put all these people to so much trouble when we are not at war? ⁴⁵ Dismiss them now to their homes and choose for yourself a few men to stay with you and come with me to Ptolemais. I will hand it over to you, as well as the other strongholds and the remaining troops and all the officials, and will turn around and go home. For that is why I am here.”^(ES)

⁴⁶ Jonathan^[aq] trusted him and did as he said; he sent away the troops, and they returned to the land of Judah. ⁴⁷ He kept with himself three thousand men, two thousand of whom he left in Galilee, while one thousand accompanied him. ⁴⁸ But when Jonathan entered Ptolemais, the people of Ptolemais closed the gates and seized him, and they killed with the sword all who had entered with him.^(ET)

⁴⁹ Then Trypho sent troops and cavalry into Galilee and the Great Plain to destroy all Jonathan’s soldiers.^{(EU) 50} But they realized that Jonathan had been seized and had perished along with his men, and they encouraged one another and kept marching in close formation, ready for battle.^{(EV) 51} When their pursuers saw that they would fight for their lives, they turned back. ⁵² So they all reached the land of Judah safely, and they mourned for Jonathan and his companions and were in great fear, and all Israel mourned deeply.^{(EW) 53} All the nations around them tried to destroy them, for they said, “They have no leader or helper. Now, therefore, let us make war on them and blot out the memory of them from humankind.”^(EX)

Simon Takes Command

13 Simon heard that Trypho had assembled a large army to invade the land of Judah and destroy it,^{(EY) 2} and he saw that the people were trembling with fear. So he went up to Jerusalem, and gathering the people together ³ he encouraged them, saying to them, “You yourselves know what great things my brothers and I and the house of my father have done for the laws and the sanctuary; you know also the wars and the difficulties that my brothers and I have seen. ⁴ By reason of this all my brothers have perished for the sake of Israel, and I alone am left.^{(EZ) 5} And now, far be it from me to spare my life in any time of distress, for I am not better than my brothers.^{(FA) 6} But I will avenge my nation and the sanctuary and your wives and children, for all the nations have gathered together out of hatred to destroy us.”^(FB)

⁷ The spirit of the people was rekindled when they heard these words, ⁸ and they answered in a loud voice, “You are our leader in place of Judas and your brother Jonathan.^{(FC) 9} Fight our battles, and all that you say to us we will do.” ¹⁰ So he assembled all the warriors and hurried to complete the walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it on every side.^{(FD) 11} He sent Jonathan son of Absalom to Joppa and with him a considerable army; he drove out its occupants and remained there.^(FE)

Deceit and Treachery of Trypho

¹² Then Trypho left Ptolemais with a large army to invade the land of Judah, and Jonathan was with him under guard.^{(FF) 13} Simon encamped in Adida, facing the plain.^{(FG) 14} Trypho learned that Simon had risen up in place of his brother Jonathan and that he was about to join battle with him, so he sent envoys to him and said,^{(FH) 15} “It is for the money that your brother Jonathan owed the royal treasury, in connection with the offices he held, that we are detaining him. ¹⁶ Send now one hundred talents of silver and two of his sons as hostages, so that when released he will not revolt against us, and we will release him.”

¹⁷ Simon knew that they were speaking deceitfully to him, but he sent to get the money and the sons, so that he would not arouse great hostility among the people, who might say, ¹⁸ “It was because Simon^[ar] did not send him the money and the sons that Jonathan^[as] perished.” ¹⁹ So he sent the sons and the hundred talents, but Trypho^[at] broke his word and did not release Jonathan.

²⁰ After this Trypho came to invade the country and destroy it, and he circled around by the way to Adora. But Simon and his army kept marching along opposite him to every place he went. ²¹ Now the men in the citadel kept sending envoys to Trypho urging him to come to them by way of the wilderness and to send them food.^{(FI) 22} So Trypho got all his cavalry ready to go, but that night a very heavy snow fell, and he did not go because of the snow. He marched off and went into the land of Gilead.^{(FJ) 23} When he approached Baskama, he killed Jonathan, and he was buried there.^{(FK) 24} Then Trypho turned and went back to his own land.

Jonathan’s Tomb

²⁵ Simon sent and took the bones of his brother Jonathan and buried him in Modein, the city of his ancestors.^{(FL) 26} All Israel bewailed him with great lamentation and mourned for him many days.^{(FM) 27} And Simon built a monument over the tomb of his father and his brothers; he made it high so that it might be seen, with polished stone at the front and back. ²⁸ He also erected seven pyramids, opposite one another, for his father and mother and four brothers. ²⁹ For the pyramids^[au] he devised an elaborate setting, erecting about them great columns, and on the columns he put suits of armor for a permanent memorial, and beside the suits of armor he carved ships, so that they could be seen by all who sail the sea. ³⁰ This is the tomb that he built in Modein; it remains to this day.^(FN)

Judea Gains Independence

³¹ Trypho dealt treacherously with the young King Antiochus; he killed him^{(FO) 32} and became king in his place, putting on the crown of Asia, and he brought great calamity on the land.^{(FP) 33} But Simon built up the strongholds of Judea and walled them all around, with high towers and great walls and gates and bolts, and he stored food in the strongholds.^{(FQ) 34} Simon also chose emissaries and sent them to King Demetrius with a request to grant relief to the country, for all that Trypho did was to plunder.^{(FR) 35} King Demetrius sent him a favorable reply to this request and wrote him a letter as follows, ³⁶ “King Demetrius to Simon, the high priest and friend of kings, and to the elders and nation of the Jews, greetings.^{(FS) 37} We have received the gold crown and the palm branch that you sent, and we are ready to make a general peace with you and to write to our officials to grant you release from tribute.^{(FT) 38} All the grants that we have made to you remain valid, and let the strongholds that you have built be your possession.^{(FU) 39} We pardon any errors and offenses committed to this day and cancel the crown tax that you owe, and whatever other tax has been collected in Jerusalem shall be collected no longer.^{(FV) 40} And if any of you are qualified to be enrolled in our bodyguard,^[av] let them be enrolled, and let there be peace between us.”^(FW)

⁴¹ In the one hundred seventieth year the yoke of the nations was removed from Israel, ⁴² and the people began to write in their documents and contracts, “In the first year of Simon the great high priest and commander and leader of the Jews.”^(FX)

The Capture of Gazara by Simon

⁴³ In those days Simon^[aw] encamped against Gazara^[ax] and surrounded it with troops. He made a siege engine, brought it up to the city, and battered and captured one tower. ⁴⁴ The men in the siege engine leaped out into the city, and a great tumult arose in the city. ⁴⁵ The men in the city, with their wives and children, went up on the wall with their clothes torn, and they cried out with a loud voice, asking Simon to make peace with them;^{(FY) 46} they said, “Do not treat us according to our wicked acts but according to your mercy.” ⁴⁷ So Simon reached an agreement with them and stopped fighting against them. But he expelled them from the city and cleansed the houses in which the idols were located and then entered it with hymns and praise.^{(FZ) 48} He removed all uncleanness from it and settled in it those who observed the law. He also strengthened its fortifications and built in it a house for himself.

Simon Regains the Citadel at Jerusalem

⁴⁹ Those who were in the citadel at Jerusalem were prevented from going in and out to buy and sell in the country. So they were very hungry, and many of them perished from famine.^{(GA) 50} Then they cried to Simon to make peace with them, and he did so. But he expelled them from there and cleansed the citadel from its pollutions.^{(GB) 51} On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred seventy-first year, the Jews^[ay] entered it with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel.^{(GC) 52} Simon^[az] decreed that every year they should celebrate this day with rejoicing. He strengthened the fortifications of the temple hill alongside the citadel, and he and his men lived there.^{(GD) 53} Simon saw that his son John had reached manhood, so he made him commander of all the forces, and he lived at Gazara.^(GE)

Capture of Demetrius

14 In the one hundred seventy-second year King Demetrius assembled his forces and marched into Media to obtain help, so that he could make war against Trypho.^{(GF) 2} When King Arsaces of Persia and Media heard that Demetrius had invaded his territory, he sent one of his generals to take him alive.^{(GG) 3} The general^[ba] went and defeated the army of Demetrius and seized him and took him to Arsaces, who put him under guard.^(GH)

Eulogy of Simon

Diplomacy with Rome and Sparta

¹⁶ It was heard in Rome and as far away as Sparta that Jonathan had died, and they were deeply grieved.^{(GO) 17} When they heard that his brother Simon had become high priest in his stead and that he was ruling over the country and the towns in it,^{(GP) 18} they wrote to him on bronze tablets to renew with him the friendship and alliance that they had established with his brothers Judas and Jonathan.^{(GQ) 19} And these were read before the assembly in Jerusalem.

²⁰ This is a copy of the letter that the Spartans sent:

“The rulers and the city of the Spartans to the high priest Simon and to the elders and the priests and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers, greetings.^{(GR) 21} The envoys who were sent to our people have told us about your glory and honor, and we rejoiced at their coming. ²² We have recorded what they said in our public decrees, as follows, ‘Numenius son of Antiochus and Antipater son of Jason, envoys of the Jews, have come to us to renew their friendship with us.^{(GS) 23} It has pleased our people to receive these men with honor and to put a copy of their words in the public archives, so that the people of the Spartans may have a record of them. And they have sent a copy of this to the high priest Simon.’ ”^(GT)

²⁴ After this Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a large gold shield weighing one thousand minas to confirm the alliance with the Romans.^[bc](GU)

Official Honors for Simon

²⁵ When the people heard these things they said, “How shall we thank Simon and his sons?^{(GV) 26} For he and his brothers and the house of his father have stood firm; they have fought and repulsed Israel’s enemies and established its freedom.”^{(GW) 27} So they made a record on bronze tablets and put it on pillars on Mount Zion.

This is a copy of what they wrote: “On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the one hundred seventy-second year, which is the third year of the great high priest Simon,^{(GX) 28} in Asaramel, in the great assembly of the priests and the people and the rulers of the nation and the elders of the country, the following was proclaimed to us:

²⁹ “Since wars often occurred in the country, Simon son of Mattathias, of the clan of Joarib, and his brothers, exposed themselves to danger and resisted the enemies of their nation, in order that their sanctuary and the law might be preserved, and they brought great glory to their nation.^{(GY) 30} Jonathan rallied the^[bd] nation, became their high priest, and was gathered to his people.^{(GZ) 31} When their enemies decided to invade their country and lay hands on their sanctuary,^{(HA) 32} then Simon rose up and fought for his nation. He spent great sums of his own money; he armed the soldiers of his nation and paid them wages.^{(HB) 33} He fortified the towns of Judea, and Beth-zur on the borders of Judea, where formerly the arms of the enemy had been stored, and he placed there a garrison of Jews.^{(HC) 34} He also fortified Joppa, which is by the sea, and Gazara, which is on the borders of Azotus, where the enemy formerly lived. He settled Jews there and provided in those towns^[be] whatever was necessary for their restoration.^(HD)

³⁵ “The people saw Simon’s faithfulness^[bf] and the glory that he had resolved to win for his nation, and they made him their leader and high priest because he had done all these things and because of the justice and loyalty that he had maintained toward his nation. He sought in every way to exalt his people.^{(HE) 36} In his days things prospered in his hands, so that the nations were put out of the^[bg] country, as were also those in the city of David in Jerusalem, who had built themselves a citadel from which they used to sally forth and defile the environs of the sanctuary, doing great damage to its purity.^{(HF) 37} He settled Jews in it and fortified it for the safety of the country and of the city and built the walls of Jerusalem higher.^(HG)

³⁸ “In view of these things King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood,^{(HH) 39} made him one of his Friends, and paid him high honors.^{(HI) 40} For he had heard that the Jews were addressed by the Romans as friends and allies and brothers and that the Romans^[bh] had received the envoys of Simon with honor.^(HJ)

⁴¹ “The Jews and their priests have resolved that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise,^{(HK) 42} and that he should be governor over them and^[bi] appoint officials over its tasks and over the country and the weapons and the strongholds, ⁴³ and that he should take charge of the sanctuary, and that he should be obeyed by all, and that all contracts in the country should be written in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple and wear gold.^(HL)

⁴⁴ “None of the people or priests shall be permitted to nullify any of these decisions or to oppose what he says or to convene an assembly in the country without his permission or to be clothed in purple or put on a gold buckle.^{(HM) 45} Whoever acts contrary to these decisions or rejects any of them shall be liable to punishment.”

⁴⁶ All the people agreed to grant Simon the right to act in accordance with these decisions. ⁴⁷ So Simon accepted and agreed to be high priest, to be commander and ethnarch of the Jews and priests, and to be protector of them all.^{[bj](HN) 48} And they gave orders to inscribe this decree on bronze tablets, to put them up in a conspicuous place in the precincts of the sanctuary,^{(HO) 49} and to deposit copies of them in the treasury, so that Simon and his sons might have them.^(HP)

Letter of Antiochus VII

15 Antiochus, son of King Demetrius, sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to all the nation;^{(HQ) 2} its contents were as follows: “King Antiochus to Simon the high priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the Jews, greetings.^{(HR) 3} Whereas certain scoundrels have gained control of the kingdom of our ancestors, and I intend to lay claim to the kingdom so that I may restore it as it formerly was, and have recruited a host of mercenary troops and have equipped warships,^{(HS) 4} and intend to make a landing in the country so that I may proceed against those who have destroyed our country and those who have devastated many cities in my kingdom,^{(HT) 5} now therefore I confirm to you all the tax remissions that the kings before me have granted you and a release from all the other payments from which they have released you.^{(HU) 6} I permit you to mint your own coinage as money for your country, ⁷ and I grant freedom to Jerusalem and the sanctuary. All the weapons that you have prepared and the strongholds that you have built and now hold shall remain yours.^{(HV) 8} Every debt you owe to the royal treasury and any such future debts shall be canceled for you from henceforth and for all time. ⁹ When we gain control of our kingdom, we will bestow great honor on you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will become manifest in all the earth.”

¹⁰ In the one hundred seventy-fourth year Antiochus set out and invaded the land of his ancestors. All the troops rallied to him, so that there were only a few with Trypho.^{(HW) 11} Antiochus pursued him, and Trypho^[bk] came in his flight to Dor, which is by the sea,^{(HX) 12} for he knew that troubles had converged on him, and his troops had deserted him. ¹³ So Antiochus encamped against Dor, and with him were one hundred twenty thousand warriors and eight thousand cavalry.^{(HY) 14} He surrounded the town, and the ships joined battle from the sea; he pressed the town hard from land and sea and permitted no one to leave or enter it.^(HZ)

Rome Supports the Jews

¹⁵ Then Numenius and his companions arrived from Rome, with letters to the kings and countries, in which the following was written:^{(IA) 16} “Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greetings.^{(IB) 17} The envoys of the Jews have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our ancient friendship and alliance. They had been sent by the high priest Simon and by the Jewish people^{(IC) 18} and have brought a gold shield weighing one thousand minas.^{(ID) 19} We therefore have decided to write to the kings and countries that they should not seek their harm or make war against them and their cities and their country or make alliance with those who war against them.^{(IE) 20} And it has seemed good to us to accept the shield from them. ²¹ Therefore if any scoundrels have fled to you from their country, hand them over to the high priest Simon, so that he may punish them according to their law.”^(IF)

²² The consul^[bl] wrote the same thing to King Demetrius and to Attalus and Ariarathes and Arsaces^{(IG) 23} and to all the countries, and to Sampsames,^[bm] and to the Spartans, and to Delos, and to Myndos, and to Sicyon, and to Caria, and to Samos, and to Pamphylia, and to Lycia, and to Halicarnassus, and to Rhodes, and to Phaselis, and to Cos, and to Side, and to Aradus and Gortyna and Cnidus and Cyprus and Cyrene.^{(IH) 24} They also sent a copy of these things to the high priest Simon.

Antiochus VII Threatens Simon

²⁵ King Antiochus besieged Dor for the second time, continually throwing his forces against it and making engines of war, and he shut Trypho up and kept him from going out or in.^{(II) 26} And Simon sent to Antiochus^[bn] two thousand picked troops, to fight for him, and silver and gold and a large amount of military equipment. ²⁷ But he refused to receive them and broke all the agreements he formerly had made with Simon and became estranged from him.^{(IJ) 28} He sent to him Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with him, saying, “You hold control of Joppa and Gazara and the citadel in Jerusalem; they are cities of my kingdom.^{(IK) 29} You have devastated their territory, you have done great damage in the land, and you have taken possession of many places in my kingdom.^{(IL) 30} Now, then, hand over the cities that you have seized and the tribute money of the places that you have conquered outside the borders of Judea, ³¹ or else pay me five hundred talents of silver for the destruction that you have caused and five hundred talents more for the tribute money of the cities. Otherwise we will come and make war on you.”^(IM)

³² So Athenobius, the king’s Friend, came to Jerusalem, and when he saw the splendor of Simon, and the sideboard with its gold and silver plate, and his great magnificence, he was amazed. When he reported to him the king’s message,^{(IN) 33} Simon said to him in reply: “We have neither taken foreign land nor seized foreign property, but only the inheritance of our ancestors, which at one time had been unjustly taken by our enemies.^{(IO) 34} Now that we have the opportunity, we are firmly holding the inheritance of our ancestors. ³⁵ As for Joppa and Gazara, which you demand, they were causing great damage among the people and to our land, for them we will give you one hundred talents.”

Athenobius^[bo] did not answer him a word^{(IP) 36} but returned in wrath to the king and reported to him these words and also the splendor of Simon and all that he had seen. And the king was very angry.

Victory over Cendebeus

³⁷ Meanwhile Trypho embarked on a ship and escaped to Orthosia.^{(IQ) 38} Then the king made Cendebeus commander-in-chief of the coastal country and gave him troops of infantry and cavalry.^{(IR) 39} He commanded him to encamp against Judea, to build up Kedron and fortify its gates, and to make war on the people, but the king pursued Trypho.^{(IS) 40} So Cendebeus came to Jamnia and began to provoke the people and invade Judea and take the people captive and kill them.^{(IT) 41} He built up Kedron and stationed horsemen and troops there, so that they might go out and make raids along the highways of Judea, as the king had ordered him.^(IU)

16 John went up from Gazara and reported to his father Simon what Cendebeus had done.^{(IV) 2} And Simon called in his two eldest sons Judas and John and said to them: “My brothers and I and my father’s house have fought the wars of Israel from our youth until this day, and things have prospered in our hands so that we have delivered Israel many times.^{(IW) 3} But now I have grown old, and you by heaven’s^[bp] mercy are mature in years. Take my place and my brother’s, and go out and fight for our nation, and may the help that comes from heaven be with you.”^(IX)

⁴ So John^[bq] chose out of the country twenty thousand warriors and cavalry, and they marched against Cendebeus and camped for the night in Modein.^{(IY) 5} Early in the morning they started out and marched into the plain, where a large force of infantry and cavalry was coming to meet them, and a wadi lay between them. ⁶ Then he and his army lined up against them. He saw that the soldiers were afraid to cross the wadi, so he crossed over first, and when his troops saw him, they crossed over after him. ⁷ Then he divided the army and placed the cavalry in the center of the infantry, for the cavalry of the enemy were very numerous. ⁸ They sounded the trumpets, and Cendebeus and his army were put to flight; many of them fell wounded, and the rest fled into the stronghold.^{(IZ) 9} At that time Judas the brother of John was wounded, but John pursued them until Cendebeus^[br] reached Kedron, which he had built.^{(JA) 10} They also fled into the towers that were in the fields of Azotus, and John^[bs] burned it with fire, and about two thousand of them fell. He then returned to Judea safely.^(JB)

Murder of Simon and His Sons

¹¹ Now Ptolemy son of Abubus had been appointed governor over the plain of Jericho; he had a large store of silver and gold,^{(JC) 12} for he was son-in-law of the high priest. ¹³ His heart was lifted up; he determined to get control of the country and made treacherous plans against Simon and his sons, to do away with them. ¹⁴ Now Simon was visiting the towns of the country and attending to their needs, and he went down to Jericho with his sons Mattathias and Judas, in the one hundred seventy-seventh year, in the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat. ¹⁵ The son of Abubus received them treacherously in the little stronghold called Dok, which he had built; he gave them a great banquet and hid men there. ¹⁶ When Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men rose up, took their weapons, rushed in against Simon in the banquet hall, and killed him and his two sons, as well as some of his servants.^{(JD) 17} So he committed an act of great treachery and returned evil for good.

John Succeeds Simon

¹⁸ Then Ptolemy wrote a report about these things and sent it to the king, asking him to send troops to aid him and to turn over to him the towns and the country. ¹⁹ He sent other troops to Gazara to do away with John; he sent letters to the captains asking them to come to him so that he might give them silver and gold and gifts,^{(JE) 20} and he sent other troops to take possession of Jerusalem and the temple hill. ²¹ But someone ran ahead and reported to John at Gazara that his father and brothers had perished and that “he has sent men to kill you also.”^{(JF) 22} When he heard this, he was greatly shocked; he seized the men who came to destroy him and killed them, for he had found out that they were seeking to destroy him.

²³ The rest of the acts of John and his wars and the brave deeds that he did, and the building of the walls that he completed, and his achievements^{(JG) 24} are written in the annals of his high priesthood, from the time that he became high priest after his father.