1 Maccabees 13:31-16:24

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Alliance of Simon and Demetrius II. ³¹ Trypho dealt treacherously with the young King Antiochus. He killed him ³² and became king in his place, putting on the crown of Asia. Thus he brought much evil on the land.^{(A) 33} Simon, for his part, built up the strongholds of Judea, fortifying them all around with high towers, thick walls, and gates with bars, and he stored up provisions in the strongholds. ³⁴ Simon also chose men and sent them to King Demetrius to obtain for the land an exemption from taxation, since Trypho did nothing but plunder. ³⁵ King Demetrius replied favorably and sent him the following letter:

³⁶ “King Demetrius sends greetings to Simon, high priest and friend of kings, and to the elders and the Jewish people. ³⁷ We have received the gold crown and the palm branch that you sent. We are ready to make a lasting peace with you and to write to our officials to grant you exemption. ³⁸ Whatever decrees we have made in your regard remain in force, and the strongholds that you have built you may keep. ³⁹ We pardon any oversights and offenses committed up to now, as well as the crown tax that you owe. Any other tax that used to be collected in Jerusalem shall no longer be collected there. ⁴⁰ Any of you qualified for enrollment in our service may be enrolled. Let there be peace between us.”

⁴¹ Thus in the one hundred and seventieth year,^[a] the yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel, ⁴² and the people began to write in their records and contracts, “In the first year of Simon, great high priest, governor, and leader of the Jews.”

Simon Captures Gazara. ^43 (B)In those days Simon besieged Gazara^[b] and surrounded it with troops. He made a siege machine, brought it up against the city, and attacked and captured one of the towers. ⁴⁴ Those in the siege machine leaped down into the city and a great tumult arose there. ⁴⁵ Those in the city, together with their wives and children, went up on the wall, with their garments rent, and cried out in loud voices, begging Simon to grant them terms of peace. ⁴⁶ They said, “Treat us not according to our evil deeds but according to your mercy.” ⁴⁷ So Simon came to terms with them and did not attack them. He expelled them from the city, however, and he purified the houses in which there were idols. Then he entered the city with hymns and songs of praise. ⁴⁸ After removing from it everything that was impure, he settled there people who observed the law. He improved its fortifications and built himself a residence.

Simon Captures the Citadel. ⁴⁹ The people in the citadel in Jerusalem were prevented from going out into the country and back to buy or sell; they suffered greatly from hunger, and many of them died of starvation. ⁵⁰ They finally cried out to Simon, and he gave them terms of peace. He expelled them from the citadel and cleansed it of impurities. ⁵¹ On the twenty-third day of the second month,^[c] in the one hundred and seventy-first year, the Jews entered the citadel with shouts of praise, the waving of palm branches, the playing of harps and cymbals and lyres, and the singing of hymns and canticles, because a great enemy of Israel had been crushed.^{(C) 52} Simon decreed that this day should be celebrated every year with rejoicing. He also strengthened the fortifications of the temple mount alongside the citadel, and he and his people dwelt there. ⁵³ Seeing that his son John^[d] was now a grown man, Simon made him commander of all his soldiers, and he dwelt in Gazara.

Chapter 14

Capture of Demetrius II. ¹ In the one hundred and seventy-second year,^[e] King Demetrius assembled his army and marched into Media to obtain help so that he could fight Trypho. ² When Arsaces,^[f] king of Persia and Media, heard that Demetrius had entered his territory, he sent one of his generals to take him alive. ³ The general went forth and attacked the army of Demetrius; he captured him and brought him to Arsaces, who put him under guard.

Praise of Simon

Alliance with Rome and Sparta. ¹⁶ When people in Rome and even in Sparta heard that Jonathan had died, they were deeply grieved.^{[g] 17} But when they heard that his brother Simon had become high priest in his place and was master of the territory and its cities, ¹⁸ they sent him inscribed tablets of bronze to renew with him the friendship and alliance that they had established with his brothers Judas and Jonathan.^{(J) 19} 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 send greetings to Simon the high priest, the elders, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers. ²¹ The ambassadors sent to our people have informed us of your glory and renown, and we rejoiced at their coming. ²² In accordance with what they said we have recorded the following in the public decrees: Numenius, son of Antiochus, and Antipater, son of Jason, ambassadors of the Jews, have come to us to renew their friendship with us.^{(K) 23} The people have resolved to receive these men with honor, and to deposit a copy of their words in the public archives, so that the people of Sparta may have a record of them. A copy of this decree has been made for Simon the high priest.”

²⁴ After this, Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a large gold shield weighing a thousand minas, to confirm the alliance with the Romans.

Official Honors for Simon. ²⁵ When the people heard of these things, they said, “How shall we thank Simon and his sons? ²⁶ He and his brothers and his father’s house have stood firm and repulsed Israel’s enemies, and so have established its freedom.” So they made an inscription on bronze tablets, which they affixed to pillars on Mount Zion.

²⁷ The following is a copy of the inscription: “On the eighteenth day of Elul,^[h] in the one hundred and seventy-second year, that is, the third year under Simon the great high priest in Asaramel, ²⁸ in a great assembly of priests, people, rulers of the nation, and elders of the region, the following proclamation was made to us:

²⁹ “‘Since there have often been wars in our country, Simon, son of the priest Mattathias, descendant of Joarib, and his brothers have put themselves in danger and resisted the enemies of their nation, so that their sanctuary and law might be maintained, and they have thus brought great glory to their nation. ³⁰ Jonathan rallied the nation, became their high priest, and was gathered to his people. ³¹ When their enemies sought to invade and ravage their country and to violate their sanctuary, ³² Simon rose up and fought for his nation, spending large sums of his own money to equip his nation’s forces and give them their pay. ³³ He fortified the cities of Judea, especially the border city of Beth-zur, formerly the site of the enemy’s weaponry, and he stationed there a garrison of Jewish soldiers. ³⁴ He also fortified Joppa by the sea and Gazara on the border of Azotus, a place previously occupied by the enemy; these cities he settled with Jews and furnished them with all that was necessary for their restoration. ³⁵ When the people saw Simon’s fidelity and the glory he planned to bring to his nation, they made him their leader and high priest because of all he had accomplished and the justice and fidelity he had shown his nation. In every way he sought to exalt his people.

³⁶ “‘In his time and under his guidance they succeeded in driving the Gentiles out of their country and those in the City of David in Jerusalem, who had built for themselves a citadel from which they used to sally forth to defile the environs of the sanctuary and inflict grave injury on its purity. ³⁷ In this citadel he stationed Jewish soldiers, and he strengthened its fortifications for the security of the land and the city, while he also built up the wall of Jerusalem to a greater height. ³⁸ Consequently, King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood, ³⁹ made him one of his Friends, and conferred great honor on him.^{(L) 40} This was because he had heard that the Romans had addressed the Jews as friends, allies, and brothers, that they had received Simon’s envoys with honor, ⁴¹ and that the Jewish people and their priests had decided the following: Simon shall be their leader and high priest forever until a trustworthy prophet arises.^{(M) 42} He shall act as governor over them, and shall have charge of the sanctuary, to make regulations concerning its functions and concerning the country, its weapons and strongholds. ⁴³ He shall be obeyed by all. All contracts in the country shall be written in his name, and he shall be clothed in purple and gold.^{(N) 44} It shall not be lawful for any of the people or priests to nullify any of these decisions, or to contradict the orders given by him, or to convene an assembly in the country without his consent, to be clothed in purple or wear a gold buckle. ⁴⁵ Whoever acts otherwise or violates any of these prescriptions shall be liable to punishment.

⁴⁶ “‘Thus all the people approved of granting Simon the right to act in accord with these decisions, ⁴⁷ and Simon accepted and agreed to be high priest, governor, and ethnarch^[i] of the Jewish people and priests, and to have authority over all.’”

⁴⁸ It was decreed that this inscription should be engraved on bronze tablets, to be set up in a conspicuous place in the precincts of the sanctuary, ⁴⁹ and that copies of it should be deposited in the treasury, where they would be available to Simon and his sons.

Chapter 15

Letter of Antiochus VII. ¹ Antiochus,^[j] 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, ² which read as follows:

“King Antiochus sends greetings to Simon, the high priest and ethnarch, and to the Jewish nation. ³ Whereas certain villains have gained control of the kingdom of our ancestors, I intend to reclaim it, that I may restore it to its former state. I have recruited a large number of mercenary troops and equipped warships. ⁴ I intend to make a landing in the country so that I may take revenge on those who have ruined our country and laid waste many cities in my kingdom.

⁵ “Now, therefore, I confirm to you all the tax exemptions that the kings before me granted you and whatever other privileges they conceded to you. ⁶ I authorize you to coin your own money, as legal tender in your country. ⁷ Jerusalem and its sanctuary shall be free. All the weapons you have prepared and all the strongholds you have built and now occupy shall remain in your possession. ⁸ All debts, present or future, due to the royal treasury shall be canceled for you, now and for all time. ⁹ When we establish our kingdom, we will greatly honor you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will be manifest in all the earth.”

¹⁰ In the one hundred and seventy-fourth year^[k] Antiochus invaded the land of his ancestors, and all the troops rallied to him, so that few were left with Trypho. ¹¹ Pursued by Antiochus, Trypho fled to Dor, by the sea,^{[l] 12} realizing what troubles had come upon him now that his soldiers had deserted him. ¹³ Antiochus encamped before Dor with a hundred and twenty thousand infantry and eight thousand cavalry. ¹⁴ While he surrounded the city, his ships closed from the sea, so that he pressed it hard by land and sea and let no one go in or out.

Roman Alliance Renewed. ¹⁵ Meanwhile, Numenius and his companions came from Rome with letters containing this message to various kings and countries:^{(O) 16} “Lucius,^[m] Consul of the Romans, sends greetings to King Ptolemy. ¹⁷ Ambassadors of the Jews, our friends and allies, have come to us to renew their earlier friendship and alliance. They had been sent by Simon the high priest and the Jewish people, ¹⁸ and they brought with them a gold shield of a thousand minas.^{(P) 19} Therefore we have decided to write to various kings and countries, that they are not to venture to harm them, or wage war against them or their cities or their country, and are not to assist those who fight against them. ²⁰ We have also decided to accept the shield from them. ²¹ If, then, any troublemakers from their country take refuge with you, hand them over to Simon the high priest, so that he may punish them according to their law.”

²² The consul sent identical letters to Kings Demetrius, Attalus,^[n] Ariarthes and Arsaces; ²³ to all the countries—Sampsames, the Spartans, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos, Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Aradus, Gortyna, Cnidus, Cyprus, and Cyrene. ²⁴ A copy of the letter was also sent to Simon the high priest.

Hostility from Antiochus VII. ²⁵ When King Antiochus encamped before Dor, he assaulted it continuously both with troops and with the siege engines he had made. He blockaded Trypho by preventing anyone from going in or out. ²⁶ Simon sent to Antiochus’ support two thousand elite troops, together with silver and gold and much equipment. ²⁷ But he refused to accept the aid; in fact, he broke all the agreements he had previously made with Simon and became hostile toward him.^(Q)

²⁸ He sent Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with Simon and say: “You are occupying Joppa and Gazara and the citadel of Jerusalem; these are cities of my kingdom. ²⁹ You have laid waste their territories, done great harm to the land, and taken possession of many districts in my kingdom. ³⁰ Now, therefore, give up the cities you have seized and the tribute money of the districts you control outside the territory of Judea; ³¹ or instead, pay me five hundred talents of silver for the devastation you have caused and five hundred talents more for the tribute money of the cities. If you do not do this, we will come and make war on you.”

³² So Athenobius, the king’s Friend, came to Jerusalem and on seeing the splendor of Simon’s court, the gold and silver plate on the sideboard, and his rich display, he was amazed. When he gave him the king’s message, ³³ Simon said to him in reply: “It is not foreign land we have taken nor have we seized the property of others, but only our ancestral heritage which for a time had been unjustly held by our enemies. ³⁴ Now that we have the opportunity, we are holding on to the heritage of our ancestors. ³⁵ As for Joppa and Gazara, which you demand, those cities were doing great harm to our people and our country. For these we will give you a hundred talents.” Athenobius made no reply, ³⁶ but returned to the king in anger. When he told him of Simon’s words, of his splendor, and of all he had seen, the king fell into a violent rage.

Victory over Cendebeus. ³⁷ Trypho had boarded a ship and escaped to Orthosia.^{[o] 38} Then the king appointed Cendebeus commander-in-chief of the seacoast, and gave him infantry and cavalry forces. ³⁹ He ordered him to encamp against Judea and to fortify Kedron^[p] and strengthen its gates, so that he could wage war on the people. Meanwhile the king went in pursuit of Trypho. ⁴⁰ When Cendebeus came to Jamnia, he began to harass the people and to make incursions into Judea, where he took people captive and massacred them. ⁴¹ As the king ordered, he fortified Kedron and stationed cavalry and infantry there, so that they could go out and patrol the roads of Judea.

Chapter 16

¹ John then went up from Gazara and told his father Simon what Cendebeus was doing.^{(R) 2} Simon called his two oldest sons, Judas and John, and said to them: “I and my brothers and my father’s house have fought the wars of Israel from our youth until today, and many times we succeeded in saving Israel. ³ I have now grown old, but you, by the mercy of Heaven, have come to maturity. Take my place and my brother’s, and go out and fight for our nation; and may the help of Heaven be with you!”

⁴ John then mustered in the land twenty thousand warriors and cavalry. Setting out against Cendebeus, they spent the night at Modein, ⁵ rose early, and marched into the plain. There, facing them, was an immense army of foot soldiers and cavalry, and between the two armies was a wadi. ⁶ John and his people took their position against the enemy. Seeing that his people were afraid to cross the wadi, John crossed first. When his men saw this, they crossed over after him.^{(S) 7} Then he divided his infantry and put his cavalry in the center, for the enemy’s cavalry were very numerous. ⁸ They blew the trumpets, and Cendebeus and his army were routed; many of them fell wounded, and the rest fled toward the stronghold. ⁹ It was then that John’s brother Judas fell wounded; but John pursued them until Cendebeus reached Kedron, which he had fortified. ¹⁰ Some took refuge in the towers on the plain of Azotus, but John set fire to these, and about two thousand of the enemy perished. He then returned to Judea in peace.^(T)

Murder of Simon and His Sons. ¹¹ Ptolemy, son of Abubus, had been appointed governor of the plain of Jericho, and he had much silver and gold, ¹² being the son-in-law of the high priest. ¹³ But his heart became proud and he was determined to get control of the country. So he made treacherous plans to do away with Simon and his sons. ¹⁴ As Simon was inspecting the cities of the country and providing for their needs, he and his sons Mattathias and Judas went down to Jericho in the one hundred and seventy-seventh year, in the eleventh month^[q] (that is, the month Shebat). ¹⁵ The son of Abubus gave them a deceitful welcome in the little stronghold called Dok^[r] which he had built. He served them a sumptuous banquet, but he had his men hidden there. ¹⁶ Then, when Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men sprang up, weapons in hand, rushed upon Simon in the banquet hall, and killed him, his two sons, and some of his servants. ¹⁷ By this vicious act of treachery he repaid good with evil.

¹⁸ Then Ptolemy wrote a report and sent it to the king, asking him to send troops to help him and to turn over to him their country and its cities. ¹⁹ He sent other men to Gazara to do away with John. To the army officers he sent letters inviting them to come to him so that he might present them with silver, gold, and gifts. ²⁰ He also sent others to seize Jerusalem and the temple mount. ²¹ But someone ran ahead and brought word to John at Gazara that his father and his brothers had perished, and “Ptolemy has sent men to kill you also.” ²² On hearing this, John was utterly astounded. When the men came to kill him, he seized them and put them to death, for he knew that they sought to kill him.

^23 [s]Now the rest of the acts of John, his wars and the brave deeds he performed, his rebuilding of the walls, and all his achievements—^{(U) 24} these are recorded in the chronicle of his high priesthood, from the time that he succeeded his father as high priest.