I Maccabees 10

¹In the hundred and sixtieth year Alexander, the son of Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, went up and took Ptolemais: for the people had received him, by means whereof he reigned there,

²Now when king Demetrius heard thereof, he gathered together an exceeding great host, and went forth against him to fight.

³Moreover Demetrius sent letters unto Jonathan with loving words, so as he magnified him.

⁴For said he, Let us first make peace with him, before he join with Alexander against us:

⁵Else he will remember all the evils that we have done against him, and against his brethren and his people.

⁶Wherefore he gave him authority to gather together an host, and to provide weapons, that he might aid him in battle: he commanded also that the hostages that were in the tower should be delivered him.

⁷Then came Jonathan to Jerusalem, and read the letters in the audience of all the people, and of them that were in the tower:

⁸Who were sore afraid, when they heard that the king had given him authority to gather together an host.

⁹Whereupon they of the tower delivered their hostages unto Jonathan, and he delivered them unto their parents.

¹⁰This done, Jonathan settled himself in Jerusalem, and began to build and repair the city.

¹¹And he commanded the workmen to build the walls and the mount Sion and about with square stones for fortification; and they did so.

¹²Then the strangers, that were in the fortresses which Bacchides had built, fled away;

¹³Insomuch as every man left his place, and went into his own country.

¹⁴Only at Bethsura certain of those that had forsaken the law and the commandments remained still: for it was their place of refuge.

¹⁵Now when king Alexander had heard what promises Demetrius had sent unto Jonathan: when also it was told him of the battles and noble acts which he and his brethren had done, and of the pains that they had endured,

¹⁶He said, Shall we find such another man? now therefore we will make him our friend and confederate.

¹⁷Upon this he wrote a letter, and sent it unto him, according to these words, saying,

¹⁸King Alexander to his brother Jonathan sendeth greeting:

¹⁹We have heard of thee, that thou art a man of great power, and meet to be our friend.

²⁰Wherefore now this day we ordain thee to be the high priest of thy nation, and to be called the king’s friend; (and therewithal he sent him a purple robe and a crown of gold:) and require thee to take our part, and keep friendship with us.

²¹So in the seventh month of the hundred and sixtieth year, at the feast of the tabernacles, Jonathan put on the holy robe, and gathered together forces, and provided much armour.

²²Whereof when Demetrius heard, he was very sorry, and said,

²³What have we done, that Alexander hath prevented us in making amity with the Jews to strengthen himself?

²⁴I also will write unto them words of encouragement, and promise them dignities and gifts, that I may have their aid.

²⁵He sent unto them therefore to this effect: King Demetrius unto the people of the Jews sendeth greeting:

²⁶Whereas ye have kept covenants with us, and continued in our friendship, not joining yourselves with our enemies, we have heard hereof, and are glad.

²⁷Wherefore now continue ye still to be faithful unto us, and we will well recompense you for the things ye do in our behalf,

²⁸And will grant you many immunities, and give you rewards.

²⁹And now do I free you, and for your sake I release all the Jews, from tributes, and from the customs of salt, and from crown taxes,

³⁰And from that which appertaineth unto me to receive for the third part or the seed, and the half of the fruit of the trees, I release it from this day forth, so that they shall not be taken of the land of Judea, nor of the three governments which are added thereunto out of the country of Samaria and Galilee, from this day forth for evermore.

³¹Let Jerusalem also be holy and free, with the borders thereof, both from tenths and tributes.

³²And as for the tower which is at Jerusalem, I yield up authority over it, and give the high priest, that he may set in it such men as he shall choose to keep it.

³³Moreover I freely set at liberty every one of the Jews, that were carried captives out of the land of Judea into any part of my kingdom, and I will that all my officers remit the tributes even of their cattle.

³⁴Furthermore I will that all the feasts, and sabbaths, and new moons, and solemn days, and the three days before the feast, and the three days after the feast shall be all of immunity and freedom for all the Jews in my realm.

³⁵Also no man shall have authority to meddle with or to molest any of them in any matter.

³⁶I will further, that there be enrolled among the king’s forces about thirty thousand men of the Jews, unto whom pay shall be given, as belongeth to all king’s forces.

³⁷And of them some shall be placed in the king’s strong holds, of whom also some shall be set over the affairs of the kingdom, which are of trust: and I will that their overseers and governors be of themselves, and that they live after their own laws, even as the king hath commanded in the land of Judea.

³⁸And concerning the three governments that are added to Judea from the country of Samaria, let them be joined with Judea, that they may be reckoned to be under one, nor bound to obey other authority than the high priest’s.

³⁹As for Ptolemais, and the land pertaining thereto, I give it as a free gift to the sanctuary at Jerusalem for the necessary expences of the sanctuary.

⁴⁰Moreover I give every year fifteen thousand shekels of silver out of the king’s accounts from the places appertaining.

⁴¹And all the overplus, which the officers payed not in as in former time, from henceforth shall be given toward the works of the temple.

⁴²And beside this, the five thousand shekels of silver, which they took from the uses of the temple out of the accounts year by year, even those things shall be released, because they appertain to the priests that minister.

⁴³And whosoever they be that flee unto the temple at Jerusalem, or be within the liberties hereof, being indebted unto the king, or for any other matter, let them be at liberty, and all that they have in my realm.

⁴⁴For the building also and repairing of the works of the sanctuary expences shall be given of the king’s accounts.

⁴⁵Yea, and for the building of the walls of Jerusalem, and the fortifying thereof round about, expences shall be given out of the king’s accounts, as also for the building of the walls in Judea.

⁴⁶Now when Jonathan and the people heard these words, they gave no credit unto them, nor received them, because they remembered the great evil that he had done in Israel; for he had afflicted them very sore.

⁴⁷But with Alexander they were well pleased, because he was the first that entreated of true peace with them, and they were confederate with him always.

⁴⁸Then gathered king Alexander great forces, and camped over against Demetrius.

⁴⁹And after the two kings had joined battle, Demetrius’ host fled: but Alexander followed after him, and prevailed against them.

⁵⁰And he continued the battle very sore until the sun went down: and that day was Demetrius slain.

⁵¹Afterward Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemee king of Egypt with a message to this effect:

⁵²Forasmuch as I am come again to my realm, and am set in the throne of my progenitors, and have gotten the dominion, and overthrown Demetrius, and recovered our country;

⁵³For after I had joined battle with him, both he and his host was discomfited by us, so that we sit in the throne of his kingdom:

⁵⁴Now therefore let us make a league of amity together, and give me now thy daughter to wife: and I will be thy son in law, and will give both thee and her as according to thy dignity.

⁵⁵Then Ptolemee the king gave answer, saying, Happy be the day wherein thou didst return into the land of thy fathers, and satest in the throne of their kingdom.

⁵⁶And now will I do to thee, as thou hast written: meet me therefore at Ptolemais, that we may see one another; for I will marry my daughter to thee according to thy desire.

⁵⁷So Ptolemee went out of Egypt with his daughter Cleopatra, and they came unto Ptolemais in the hundred threescore and second year:

⁵⁸Where king Alexander meeting him, he gave unto him his daughter Cleopatra, and celebrated her marriage at Ptolemais with great glory, as the manner of kings is.

⁵⁹Now king Alexander had written unto Jonathan, that he should come and meet him.

⁶⁰Who thereupon went honourably to Ptolemais, where he met the two kings, and gave them and their friends silver and gold, and many presents, and found favour in their sight.

⁶¹At that time certain pestilent fellows of Israel, men of a wicked life, assembled themselves against him, to accuse him: but the king would not hear them.

⁶²Yea more than that, the king commanded to take off his garments, and clothe him in purple: and they did so.

⁶³And he made him sit by himself, and said into his princes, Go with him into the midst of the city, and make proclamation, that no man complain against him of any matter, and that no man trouble him for any manner of cause.

⁶⁴Now when his accusers saw that he was honored according to the proclamation, and clothed in purple, they fled all away.

⁶⁵So the king honoured him, and wrote him among his chief friends, and made him a duke, and partaker of his dominion.

⁶⁶Afterward Jonathan returned to Jerusalem with peace and gladness.

⁶⁷Furthermore in the; hundred threescore and fifth year came Demetrius son of Demetrius out of Crete into the land of his fathers:

⁶⁸Whereof when king Alexander heard tell, he was right sorry, and returned into Antioch.

⁶⁹Then Demetrius made Apollonius the governor of Celosyria his general, who gathered together a great host, and camped in Jamnia, and sent unto Jonathan the high priest, saying,

⁷⁰Thou alone liftest up thyself against us, and I am laughed to scorn for thy sake, and reproached: and why dost thou vaunt thy power against us in the mountains?

⁷¹Now therefore, if thou trustest in thine own strength, come down to us into the plain field, and there let us try the matter together: for with me is the power of the cities.

⁷²Ask and learn who I am, and the rest that take our part, and they shall tell thee that thy foot is not able to to flight in their own land.

⁷³Wherefore now thou shalt not be able to abide the horsemen and so great a power in the plain, where is neither stone nor flint, nor place to flee unto.

⁷⁴So when Jonathan heard these words of Apollonius, he was moved in his mind, and choosing ten thousand men he went out of Jerusalem, where Simon his brother met him for to help him.

⁷⁵And he pitched his tents against Joppa: but; they of Joppa shut him out of the city, because Apollonius had a garrison there.

⁷⁶Then Jonathan laid siege unto it: whereupon they of the city let him in for fear: and so Jonathan won Joppa.

⁷⁷Whereof when Apollonius heard, he took three thousand horsemen, with a great host of footmen, and went to Azotus as one that journeyed, and therewithal drew him forth into the plain. because he had a great number of horsemen, in whom he put his trust.

⁷⁸Then Jonathan followed after him to Azotus, where the armies joined battle.

⁷⁹Now Apollonius had left a thousand horsemen in ambush.

⁸⁰And Jonathan knew that there was an ambushment behind him; for they had compassed in his host, and cast darts at the people, from morning till evening.

⁸¹But the people stood still, as Jonathan had commanded them: and so the enemies’ horses were tired.

⁸²Then brought Simon forth his host, and set them against the footmen, (for the horsemen were spent) who were discomfited by him, and fled.

⁸³The horsemen also, being scattered in the field, fled to Azotus, and went into Bethdagon, their idol’s temple, for safety.

⁸⁴But Jonathan set fire on Azotus, and the cities round about it, and took their spoils; and the temple of Dagon, with them that were fled into it, he burned with fire.

⁸⁵Thus there were burned and slain with the sword well nigh eight thousand men.

⁸⁶And from thence Jonathan removed his host, and camped against Ascalon, where the men of the city came forth, and met him with great pomp.

⁸⁷After this returned Jonathan and his host unto Jerusalem, having any spoils.

⁸⁸Now when king Alexander heard these things, he honoured Jonathan yet more.

⁸⁹And sent him a buckle of gold, as the use is to be given to such as are of the king’s blood: he gave him also Accaron with the borders thereof in possession.

I Maccabees 10

¹Now in the hundred and sixtieth year, Alexander, the son of Antiochus, surnamed the Illustrious, came up and took Ptolemais, and they received him, and he reigned there.

²And king Demetrius heard of it, and gathered together an exceeding great army, and went forth against him to fight.

³And Demetrius sent a letter to Jonathan, with peaceable words, to magnify him.

⁴For he said: Let us first make a peace with him, before he make one with Alexander against us.

⁵For he will remember all the evils that we have done against him, and against his brother, and against his nation.

⁶And he gave him authority to gather together a army, and to make arms, and that he should be his confederate: and the hostages that were in the castle, he commanded to be delivered to him.

⁷And Jonathan came to Jerusalem, and read the letters in the hearing of all the people, and of them that were in the castle.

⁸And they were struck with great fear, because they heard that the king had given him authority to gather together an army.

⁹And the hostages were delivered to Jonathan, and he restored them to their parents.

¹⁰And Jonathan dwelt in Jerusalem, and began to build, and to repair the city.

¹¹And he ordered workmen to build the walls, and mount Sion round about with square stones for fortification: and so they did.

¹²Then the strangers that were in the strong holds, which Bacchides had built, fled away.

¹³And every man left his place, and departed into his own country:

¹⁴Only in Bethsura there remained some of them, that had forsaken the law, and the commandments of God: for this was a place of refuge for them.

¹⁵And king Alexander heard of the promises that Demetrius had made Jonathan: and they told him of the battles, and the worthy acts that he and his brethren had done, and the labours that they had endured.

¹⁶And he said: Shall we find such another man? now, therefore, we will make him our friend and our confederate.

¹⁷So he wrote a letter, and sent it to him according to these words, saying:

¹⁸King Alexander to his brother, Jonathan, greetings.

¹⁹We have heard of thee, that thou art a man of great power, and fit to be our friend:

²⁰Now therefore, we make thee this day high priest of thy nation, and that thou be called the king's friend, (and he sent him a purple robe, and a crown of gold) and that thou be of one mind with us in our affairs, and keep friendship with us.

²¹Then Jonathan put on the holy vestment in the seventh month, in the year one hundred and threescore, at the feast day of the tabernacles: and he gathered together an army, and made a great number of arms.

²²And Demetrius heard these words, and was exceeding sorry, and said:

²³What is this that we have done, that Alexander hath prevented us to gain the friendship of the Jews to strengthen himself?

²⁴I also will write to them words of request, and offer dignities, and gifts: that they may be with me to aid me.

²⁵And he wrote to them in these words: King Demetrius to the nation of the Jews, greeting.

²⁶Whereas you have kept covenant with us, and have continued in our friendship, and have not joined with our enemies, we have heard of it, and are glad.

²⁷Wherefore now continue still to keep fidelity towards us, and we will reward you with good things, for what you have done in our behalf.

²⁸And we will remit to you many charges, and will give you gifts.

²⁹And now I free you, and all the Jews, from tributes, and I release you from the customs of salt, and remit the crowns, and the thirds of the seed:

³⁰And the half of the fruit of trees, which is my share, I leave to you from this day forward, so that it shall not be taken of the land of Juda, and of the three cities that are added thereto out of Samaria and Galilee, from this day forth, and for ever:

³¹And let Jerusalem be holy and free, with the borders thereof: and let the tenths, and tributes be for itself.

³²I yield up also the power of the castle that is in Jerusalem, and I give it to the high priest, to place therein such men as he shall choose, to keep it.

³³And every soul of the Jews that hath been carried captive from the land of Juda in all my kingdom, I set at liberty freely, that all be discharged from tributes, even of their cattle.

³⁴And I will that all the feasts, and the sabbaths, and the new moons, and the days appointed, and three days before the solemn day, and three days after the solemn day, be all days of immunity and freedom, for all the Jews that are in my kingdom:

³⁵And no man shall have power to do any thing against them, or to molest any of them, in any cause.

³⁶And let there be enrolled in the king's army to the number of thirty thousand of the Jews: and allowance shall be made them, as is due to all the king's forces and certain of them shall be appointed to be in the fortresses of the great king:

³⁷And some of them shall be set over the affairs of the kingdom, that are of trust, and let the governors be taken from among themselves, and let them walk in their own laws, as the king hath commanded in the land of Juda.

³⁸And the three cities that are added to Judea, out of the country of Samaria, let them be accounted with Judea: that they may be under one, and obey no other authority but that of the high priest:

³⁹Ptolemais and the confines thereof, I give as a free gift to the holy places that are in Jerusalem, for the necessary charges of the holy things.

⁴⁰And I give every year fifteen thousand sickles of silver out of the king's accounts, of what belongs to me:

⁴¹And all that is above, which they that were over the affairs the years before, had not paid, from this time they shall give it to the works of the house.

⁴²Moreover, the five thousand sickles of silver, which they received from the account of the holy places, every year, shall also belong to the priests that execute the ministry.

⁴³And whosoever shall flee into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and in all the borders thereof, being indebted to the king for any matter, let them be set at liberty, and all that they have in my kingdom, let them have it free.

⁴⁴For the building also, or repairing the works of the holy places, the charges shall be given out of the king's revenues:

⁴⁵For the building also of the walls of Jerusalem, and the fortifying thereof round about, the charges shall be given out of the king's account, as also for the building of the walls in Judea.

⁴⁶Now when Jonathan and the people heard these words, they gave no credit to them, nor received them because they remembered the great evil that he had done in Israel, for he had afflicted them exceedingly.

⁴⁷And their inclinations were towards Alexander, because he had been the chief promoter of peace in their regard, and him they always helped.

⁴⁸And king Alexander gathered together a great army, and moved his camp near to Demetrius.

⁴⁹And the two kings joined battle, and the army of Demetrius fled away, and Alexander pursued after him, and pressed them close.

⁵⁰And the battle was hard fought, till the sun went down: and Demetrius was slain that day.

⁵¹And Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemee king of Egypt, with words to this effect, saying:

⁵²Forasmuch as I am returned into my kingdom and am set in the throne of my ancestors, and have gotten the dominion, and have overthrown Demetrius and possessed our country,

⁵³And have joined battle with him, and both he and his army have been destroyed by us, and we are placed in the throne of his kingdom:

⁵⁴Now, therefore, let us make friendship one with another: and give me now thy daughter to wife, and I will be thy son in law, and I will give both thee and her gifts worthy of thee.

⁵⁵And king Ptolomee answered, saying: Happy is the day wherein thou didst return to the land of thy fathers, and sattest in the throne of their kingdom.

⁵⁶And now I will do to thee as thou hast written but meet me at Ptolemais, that we may see one another, and I may give her to thee as thou hast said.

⁵⁷So Ptolemee went out of Egypt, with Cleopatra his daughter, and he came to Ptolemais, in the hundred and sixty-second year.

⁵⁸And king Alexander met him, and he gave him his daughter, Cleopatra: and he celebrated her marriage at Ptolemais with great glory, after the manner of kings.

⁵⁹And king Alexander wrote to Jonathan, that he should come and meet him.

⁶⁰And he went honourably to Ptolemais, and he met there the two kings, and he gave them much silver, and gold, and presents: and he found favour in their sight.

⁶¹And some pestilent men of Israel, men of a wicked life, assembled themselves against him, to accuse him: and the king gave no heed to them.

⁶²And he commanded that Jonathan's garments should be taken off, and that he should be clothed with purple: and they did so. And the king made him sit by himself.

⁶³And he said to his princes: Go out with him into the midst of the city, and make proclamation, that no man complain against him of any matter, and that no man trouble him for any manner of cause.

⁶⁴So when his accusers saw his glory proclaimed, and him clothed with purple, they all fled away.

⁶⁵And the king magnified him, and enrolled him amongst his chief friends, and made him governor, and partaker of his dominion.

⁶⁶And Jonathan returned into Jerusalem with peace and joy.

⁶⁷In the year one hundred and sixty-five, Demetrius, the son of Demetrius, came from Crete into the land of his fathers.

⁶⁸And king Alexander heard of it, and was much troubled, and returned to Antioch.

⁶⁹And king Demetrius made Apollonius his general, who was governor of Celesyria: and he gathered together a great army, and came to Jamnia: and he sent to Jonathan, the high priest,

⁷⁰Saying: Thou alone standest against us, and I am laughed at and reproached, because thou shewest thy power against us in the mountains.

⁷¹Now, therefore, if thou trustest in thy forces, come down to us into the plain, and there let us try one another: for with me is the strength of war.

⁷²Ask, and learn who I am, and the rest that help me, who also say that your foot cannot stand before our face, for thy fathers have twice been put to flight in their own land:

⁷³And now how wilt thou be able to abide the horsemen, and so great an army in the plain, where there is no stone, nor rock, nor place to flee to?

⁷⁴Now when Jonathan heard the words of Apollonius, he was moved in his mind: and he chose ten thousand men, and went out of Jerusalem, and Simon, his brother, met him to help him.

⁷⁵And they pitched their tents near Joppe, but they shut him out of the city: because a garrison of Apollonius was in Joppe, and he laid siege to it.

⁷⁶And they that were in the city being affrighted, opened the gates to him: so Jonathan took Joppe.

⁷⁷And Apollonius heard of it, and he took three thousand horsemen, and a great army.

⁷⁸And he went to Azotus, as one that was making a journey, and immediately he went forth into the plain: because he had a great number of horsemen, and he trusted in them. And Jonathan followed after him to Azotus, and they joined battle.

⁷⁹And Apollonius left privately in the camp a thousand horsemen behind them.

⁸⁰And Jonathan knew that there was an ambush behind him, and they surrounded his army, and cast darts at the people from morning till evening.

⁸¹But the people stood still, as Jonathan had commanded them: and so their horses were fatigued.

⁸²Then Simon drew forth his army, and attacked the legion: for the horsemen were wearied: and they were discomfited by him, and fled.

⁸³And they that were scattered about the plain fled into Azotus, and went into Bethdagon, their idol's temple, there to save themselves.

⁸⁴But Jonathan set fire to Azotus, and the cities that were round about it, and took the spoils of them and the temple of Dagon: and all them that were fled into it, he burnt with fire.

⁸⁵So they that were slain by the sword, with them that were burnt, were almost eight thousand men.

⁸⁶And Jonathan, removed his army from thence and camped against Ascalon: and they went out of the city to meet him with great honour.

⁸⁷And Jonathan returned into Jerusalem with his people, having many spoils.

⁸⁸And it came to pass, when Alexander, the king heard these words, that he honoured Jonathan yet more.

⁸⁹And he sent him a buckle of gold, as the custom is, to be given to such as are of the royal blood. And he gave him Accaron, and all the borders thereof, in possession.