I Maccabees 11

¹And the king of Egypt gathered together an army, like the sand that is along the shore of the sea, and many ships. And he sought to obtain the kingdom of Alexander by deceit, and to add it to his own kingdom.

²And he departed into Syria with words of peace, and they opened the cities to him, and they were meeting with him. For king Alexander had commanded them to go out to meet him, because he was his father-in-law.

³But when Ptolemy entered a city, he placed garrisons of soldiers in each of the cities.

⁴And when he drew near to Azotus, they revealed to him that the temple of Dagon had been burned with fire, and Azotus and its suburbs had been demolished, and bodies had been abandoned, and that, for those who had been cut to pieces in the war, they had made a tomb along the way.

⁵And they told the king that Jonathan had done these things, so as to make him hated. But the king remained silent.

⁶And Jonathan went to meet the king at Joppa with glory, and they greeted one another, and they stayed there.

⁷And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river, which is called Eleutherus. And he returned to Jerusalem.

⁸But king Ptolemy obtained the dominion of the coastal cities, as far as Seleucia, and he devised evil plans against Alexander.

⁹And he sent ambassadors to Demetrius, saying: “Come, let us compose a pact between us, and I will give you my daughter, whom Alexander had, and you will reign in the kingdom of your father.

¹⁰For I regret that I have given him my daughter. For he has sought to kill me.”

¹¹And he slandered him, because he coveted his kingdom.

¹²And he took away his daughter, and he gave her to Demetrius, and he alienated himself from Alexander, and his hostilities were made manifest.

¹³And Ptolemy entered Antioch, and he placed two diadems upon his head, that of Egypt, and that of Asia.

¹⁴Now king Alexander was in Cilicia at that time, because the people of those places were rebelling.

¹⁵And when Alexander heard of it, he came against him in warfare. And king Ptolemy led forth his army, and he met him with a strong hand, and he put him to flight.

¹⁶And Alexander fled into Arabia, so as to be protected there. And king Ptolemy was exalted.

¹⁷And Zabdiel the Arab took off the head of Alexander, and he sent it to Ptolemy.

¹⁸And king Ptolemy died on the third day, and those who were in the strongholds were destroyed by those who were in the camp.

¹⁹And Demetrius reigned in the one hundred and sixty-seventh year.

²⁰In those days, Jonathan gathered together those who were in Judea, in order to fight against the stronghold that was in Jerusalem. And they made many machines of war against it.

²¹And so, certain men of iniquity, who hated their own people, went forth to king Demetrius, and they reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the stronghold.

²²And when he heard it, he became angry. And immediately he came to Ptolemais, and he wrote to Jonathan that he should not besiege the stronghold, but that he should meet with him promptly, for a discussion.

²³But when Jonathan heard this, he ordered them to besiege it. And he chose some from the elders of Israel and from the priests, and he put himself in danger.

²⁴And he took gold, and silver, and vestments, and many other presents, and he went to the king at Ptolemais, and he found favor in his sight.

²⁵And some of the iniquitous from his nation came forward with objections against him.

²⁶And the king treated him just as those who were before him had treated him. And he exalted him in the sight of all his friends.

²⁷And he confirmed him in the high priesthood and in all the other honors that he held before, and he made him the leader of his friends.

²⁸And Jonathan requested of the king that he would make Judea free from tribute, along with the three districts, and Samaria, and its confines. And he promised him three hundred talents.

²⁹And the king consented. And he wrote letters to Jonathan about all these things, continuing in this way:

³⁰“King Demetrius to his brother Jonathan, and to the nation of the Jews: greetings.

³¹We are sending you a copy of the letter that we wrote to Lasthenes, our parent, about you, so that you will know.

³²‘King Demetrius to Lasthenes, his parent: greetings.

³³We have determined to do good to the people of the Jews, who are our friends and who keep to what is just with us, because of their good will, which they hold toward us.

³⁴Therefore, we have assigned to them all the parts of Judea, and the three cities, Lydda and Ramatha, which were added to Judea from Samaria, and all their confines, to be set apart for all those sacrificing in Jerusalem, in place of that which the king previously received from them each year, and in place of the fruits of the land and of the fruit trees.

³⁵And, as for the rest of that which pertains to us from tithes and tributes, from this time forward, we release them from these, as well as from the drying areas of salt and the crowns that were presented to us.

³⁶All these, we concede to them, and nothing of these shall be revoked, from this time forward and for all time.

³⁷Now, therefore, take care to make a copy of these things, and let it be given to Jonathan and set upon the holy mountain, in an honorable place.’ ”

³⁸And king Demetrius, seeing that the land was quieted in his sight and that nothing resisted him, sent all his forces away, each one to his own place, except the foreign army, which he had drawn together from the islands of the nations. And so all the troops of his fathers were hostile to him.

³⁹But there was a certain one, Trypho, who was previously on Alexander’s side. And he saw that all the army murmured against Demetrius, and so he went to Imalkue the Arab, who raised Antiochus, the son of Alexander.

⁴⁰And he persuaded him to deliver him to him, so that he would reign in his father’s place. And he reported to him what Demetrius had done, and that his army was hostile to him. And he remained there for many days.

⁴¹And Jonathan sent to king Demetrius, so that he would cast out those who were in the stronghold in Jerusalem and those who were with the garrisons, because they fought against Israel.

⁴²And Demetrius sent to Jonathan, saying: “I will not only do this for you and your people, but I will elevate your glory and your nation, when opportunity shall serve.

⁴³Now, therefore, you will do well if you send men as auxiliaries to me. For all my army has withdrawn from me.”

⁴⁴And Jonathan sent three thousand strong men to him at Antioch. And they came to the king, and the king was delighted at their arrival.

⁴⁵And those who were of the city gathered together, one hundred and twenty thousand men, and they wanted to execute the king.

⁴⁶And the king fled into the royal court. And those who were of the city, occupied the passageways of the city, and they began to fight.

⁴⁷And the king called the Jews to his assistance. And they came together before him at the same time, and then they all dispersed themselves throughout the city.

⁴⁸And they killed, in that day, one hundred thousand men, and they set fire to the city, and they seized many spoils in that day, and they freed the king.

⁴⁹And those who were of the city saw that the Jews had taken the city, just as they wanted, and they were weakened in their resolve, and they cried out to the king with supplication, saying,

⁵⁰“Grant us a pledge, and let the Jews cease from assailing us and the city.”

⁵¹And they threw down their arms, and they made peace. And the Jews were glorified in the sight of the king and in the sight of all who were in his realm. And they became renowned in the kingdom, and they returned to Jerusalem, holding many spoils.

⁵²And so king Demetrius sat on the throne of his kingdom. And the land was quieted in his sight.

⁵³And he falsified everything whatsoever that he had said. And he alienated himself from Jonathan, and he did not repay him according to the benefits that he had received in tribute from him. And he vexed him greatly.

⁵⁴But after this, Trypho returned, and with him was Antiochus, the adolescent boy, and he reigned, and he put a diadem on himself.

⁵⁵And there assembled before him all the troops, which Demetrius had dispersed, and they fought against him. And he turned his back and fled.

⁵⁶And Trypho took the elephants, and he obtained Antioch.

⁵⁷And young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan, saying: “I confirm you in the priesthood, and I appoint you over the four cities, so as to be among the king’s friends.”

⁵⁸And he sent him vessels of gold for his ministry, and he gave him the authority to drink from gold, and to be clothed in purple, and to have a golden clasp.

⁵⁹And he appointed his brother Simon as governor, from the borders of Tyre, all the way to the borders of Egypt.

⁶⁰Then Jonathan went out, and he passed through the cities across the river. And all the armies of Syria were gathered together in assistance to him, and he came to Askalon, and those from the city met him honorably.

⁶¹And he went from there to Gaza. And those who were in Gaza closed themselves in. And so he besieged it, and he burned all that was around the city, and he plundered it.

⁶²And those of Gaza petitioned Jonathan, and he pledged to them with his right hand, and he accepted their sons as hostages and sent them to Jerusalem. And he traveled through the country, as far as Damascus.

⁶³And Jonathan heard that the leaders of Demetrius were acting treacherously at Kadesh, which is in Galilee, with a great army, intending to remove him from the affairs of the kingdom.

⁶⁴And he went to meet them. But he left his brother Simon behind in the countryside.

⁶⁵And Simon took a position against Bethzur, and he assailed it for many days, and he closed them in.

⁶⁶And they asked him to accept a pledge, and he granted this to them. And he cast them out of there, and he seized the city, and he placed a garrison in it.

⁶⁷And Jonathan and his camp took a position by the water of Gennesaret, and, before first light, they were standing watch in the plains of Hazor.

⁶⁸And behold, an army of foreigners met him in the plains. And they set up an ambush against him in the mountains. But he met them from the opposite direction.

⁶⁹Yet those lying in ambush then rose up from their places and joined them in combat.

⁷⁰And all those who were from Jonathan’s side fled, and not one of them was left, except Mattathias, the son of Absalom, and Judas, the son of Chalphi, the leader of military training.

⁷¹And so Jonathan tore his garments, and he placed dirt on his head, and he prayed.

⁷²And Jonathan turned back toward them in battle, and he put them to flight, and they fought.

⁷³And when those from his side, who had fled, saw this, they returned to him, and with him they all pursued them, even to Kadesh, to their camp, and they even passed beyond there.

⁷⁴And there fell from the foreigners on that day three thousand men. And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.

I Maccabees 11

¹And the king of Egypt gathered together an army, like the sand that lieth upon the sea shore, and many ships: and he sought to get the kingdom of Alexander by deceit, and join it to his own kingdom.

²And he went out into Syria with peaceable words and they opened to him the cities, and met him: for king Alexander had ordered them to go forth to meet him, because he was his father in law.

³Now when Ptolemee entered into the cities, he put garrisons of soldiers in every city.

⁴And when he came near to Azotus, they shewed him the temple of Dagon that was burnt with fire, and Azotus, and the suburbs thereof, that were destroyed, and the bodies that were cast abroad, and the graves of them that were slain in the battle, which they had made near the way.

⁵And they told the king that Jonathan had done these things, to make him odious: but the king held his peace.

⁶And Jonathan came to meet the king at Joppe with glory, and they saluted one another, and they lodged there.

⁷And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river, called Eleutherus: and he returned into Jerusalem.

⁸And king Ptolemee got the dominion of the cities by the sea side, even to Seleucia, and he devised evil designs against Alexander.

⁹And he sent ambassadors to Demetrius, saying: Come, let us make a league between us, and I will give thee my daughter whom Alexander hath, and thou shalt reign in the kingdom of thy father.

¹⁰For I repent that I have given him my daughter: for he hath sought to kill me.

¹¹And he slandered him, because he coveted his kingdom,

¹²And he took away his daughter, and gave her to Demetrius, and alienated himself from Alexander, and his enmities were made manifest.

¹³And Ptolemee entered into Antioch, and set two crowns upon his head, that of Egypt, and that of Asia.

¹⁴Now king Alexander was in Cilicia at that time: because they that were in those places had rebelled.

¹⁵And when Alexander heard of it, he came to give him battle: and king Ptolemee brought forth his army, and met him with a strong power, and put him to flight.

¹⁶And Alexander fled into Arabia, there to be protected: and king Ptolemee was exalted.

¹⁷And Zabdiel the Arabian took off Alexander's head, and sent it to Ptolemee.

¹⁸And king Ptolemee died the third day after: and they that were in the strong holds were destroyed by them that were within the camp.

¹⁹And Demetrius reigned in the hundred and sixty-seventh year.

²⁰In those days Jonathan gathered together them that were in Judea, to take the castle that was in Jerusalem: and they made many engines of war against it.

²¹Then some wicked men that hated their own nation, went away to king Demetrius, and told him that Jonathan was besieging the castle.

²²And when he heard it, he was angry: and forthwith he came to Ptolemais, and wrote to Jonathan that he should not besiege the castle, but should come to him in haste, and speak to him.

²³But when Jonathan heard this, he bade them besiege it still: and he chose some of the ancients of Israel, and of the priests, and put himself in danger

²⁴And he took gold, and silver, and raiment, and many other presents, and went to the king to Ptolemais and he found favour in his sight.

²⁵And certain wicked men of his nation made complaints against him.

²⁶And the king treated him as his predecessors had done before: and he exalted him in the sight of all his friends.

²⁷And he confirmed him in the high priesthood and all the honours he had before, and he made him the chief of his friends.

²⁸And Jonathan requested of the king that he would make Judea free from tribute, and the three governments, and Samaria, and the confines thereof: and he promised him three hundred talents.

²⁹And the king consented: and he wrote letters to Jonathan of all these things, to this effect.

³⁰King Demetrius to his brother, Jonathan, and to the nation of the Jews, greeting.

³¹We send you here a copy of the letter which we have written to Lasthenes, our parent, concerning you, that you might know it.

³²King Demetrius to Lasthenes, his parent, greetings.

³³We have determined to do good to the nation of the Jews, who are our friends, and keep the things that are just with us, for their good will which they bear towards us.

³⁴We have ratified, therefore, unto them all the borders of Judea, and the three cities, Apherema, Lydda, and Ramatha, which are added to Judea, out of Samaria, and all their confines, to be set apart to all them that sacrifice in Jerusalem, instead of the payments which the king received of them every year, and for the fruits of the land, and of the trees.

³⁵And as for other things that belonged to us of the tithes, and of the tributes, from this time we discharge them of them: the saltpans also, and the crowns that were presented to us.

³⁶We give all to them, and nothing hereof shall be revoked from this time forth and for ever.

³⁷Now, therefore, see that thou make a copy of these things, and let it be given to Jonathan, and set upon the holy mountain, in a conspicuous place.

³⁸And king Demetrius, seeing that the land was quiet before him, and nothing resisted him, sent away all his forces, every man to his own place, except the foreign army, which he had drawn together from the islands of the nations: so all the troops of his fathers hated him.

³⁹Now there was one Tryphon who had been of Alexander's party before: who seeing that all the army murmured against Demetrius, went to Emalchuel, the Arabian, who brought up Antiochus, the son of Alexander:

⁴⁰And he pressed him much to deliver him to him, that he might be king in his father's place: and he told him all that Demetrius had done, and how his soldiers hated him. And he remained there many days.

⁴¹And Jonathan sent to king Demetrius, desiring that he would cast out them that were in the castle in Jerusalem, and those that were in the strong holds: because they fought against Israel.

⁴²And Demetrius sent to Jonathan, saying: I will not only do this for thee, and for thy people, but I will greatly honour thee, and thy nation, when opportunity shall serve.

⁴³Now, therefore, thou shalt do well if thou send me men to help me: for all my army is gone from me.

⁴⁴And Jonathan sent him three thousand valiant men to Antioch: and they came to the king, and the king was very glad of their coming.

⁴⁵And they that were of the city assembled themselves together, to the number of a hundred and twenty thousand men, and would have killed the king.

⁴⁶And the king fled into the palace: and they of the city kept the passages of the city, and began to fight.

⁴⁷And the king called the Jews to his assistance: and they came to him all at once, and they all dispersed themselves through the city.

⁴⁸And they slew in that day a hundred thousand men, and they set fire to the city, and got many spoils that day, and delivered the king.

⁴⁹And they that were of the city saw that the Jews had got the city as they would: and they were discouraged in their mind, and cried to the king, making supplication, and saying

⁵⁰Grant us peace, and let the Jews cease from assaulting us, and the city.

⁵¹And they threw down their arms, and made peace, and the Jews were glorified in the sight of the king, and in the sight of all that were in his realm, and were renowned throughout the kingdom, and returned to Jerusalem with many spoils.

⁵²So king Demetrius sat in the throne of his kingdom: and the land was quiet before him.

⁵³And he falsified all whatsoever he had said, and alienated himself from Jonathan, and did not reward him according to the benefits he had received from him, but gave him great trouble.

⁵⁴And after this Tryphon returned, and with him Antiochus, the young boy, who was made king, and put on the diadem.

⁵⁵And there assembled unto him all the hands which Demetrius had sent away, and they fought against Demetrius who turned his back and fled.

⁵⁶And Tryphon took the elephants, and made himself master of Antioch.

⁵⁷And young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan, saying: I confirm thee in the high priesthood, and I appoint thee ruler over the four cities, and to be one of the king's friends.

⁵⁸And he sent him vessels of gold for his service, and he gave him leave to drink in gold, and to be clothed in purple, and to wear a golden buckle:

⁵⁹And he made his brother, Simon, governor, from the borders of Tyre even to the confines of Egypt.

⁶⁰Then Jonathan went forth, and passed through the cities beyond the river, and all the forces of Syria gathered themselves to him to help him, and he came to Ascalon, and they met him honourably out of the city.

⁶¹And he went from thence to Gaza: and they that were in Gaza shut him out: and he besieged it, and burnt all the suburbs round about, and took the spoils.

⁶²And the men of Gaza made supplication to Jonathan, and he gave them the right hand: and he took their sons for hostages, and sent them to Jerusalem: and he went through the country, as far as Damascus.

⁶³And Jonathan heard that the generals of Demetrius were come treacherously to Cades, which is in Galilee, with a great army, purposing to remove him from the affairs of the kingdom.

⁶⁴And he went against them: but left his brother, Simon, in the country.

⁶⁵And Simon encamped against Bethsura, and assaulted it many days, and shut them up.

⁶⁶And they desired him to make peace, and he granted it them: and he cast them out from thence, and took the city, and placed a garrison in it.

⁶⁷And Jonathan and his army encamped by the water of Genesar, and before it was light they were ready in the plain of Asor.

⁶⁸And behold the army of the strangers met him in the plain, and they laid an ambush for him in the mountains: but he went out against them.

⁶⁹And they that lay in ambush rose out of their places, and joined battle.

⁷⁰And all that were on Jonathan's side fled, and none was left of them, but Mathathias, the son of Absalom, and Judas, the son of Calphi, chief captain of the army.

⁷¹And Jonathan rent his garments, and cast earth upon his head, and prayed.

⁷²And Jonathan turned again to them to battle, and he put them to flight, and they fought.

⁷³And they of his part that fled saw this, and they turned again to him, and they all with him pursued the enemies, even to Cades, to their own camp, and they came even thither.

⁷⁴And there fell of the aliens in that day three thousand men: and Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.