I Maccabees 13

¹And as Symount herde, that Trifon gaderide a greet oost, for to come in to the lond of Juda,

²and for to distrie it, and siy that the puple was in tremblyng and drede, he stiy vp to Jerusalem, and gaderide the puple;

³and monestide, and seide, Ye witen, hou grete thingis Y, and my britheren, and the hous of my fadir, han do, for lawis, and for hooli thingis, batels, and what maner angwischis we saien.

⁴For loue of these thingis alle my britheren perischiden for Israel, and Y aloone am left.

⁵And now bifalle it not to me, for to spare my lijf in al the tyme of tribulacioun; for Y am not betere than my britheren.

⁶Therfor Y schal venge my folc, and hooli thingis, and oure children, and wyues; for alle hethene men ben gaderid, for to distrie vs, bi cause of enemyte.

⁷And the spirit of the puple was kyndlid togidere, as it herde these wordis.

⁸And thei answeriden with greet vois, seiynge, Thou art oure duyk in stide of Judas, and Jonathas, thi brother; fiyte thou oure batel,

⁹and alle thingis what euere thou schalt seie to vs, we schulen do.

¹⁰And he gaderide alle men fiyteris, and hastide for to ende alle wallis of Jerusalem, and strengthide it in cumpas.

¹¹And he sente Jonathas, the sone of Absolomy, and with hym a newe oost, in to Joppe. And whanne he hadde put out these men that weren in it, he dwelte there.

¹²And Trifon mouyde fro Tolomaida with myche oost, for to come in to the lond of Juda, and Jonathas with hym in kepyng.

¹³Forsothe Symount appliede in Addus, ayens the face of the feeld.

¹⁴And as Trifon knew, that Symount roos in the stide of his brother Jonathas, and that he was to ioynynge batel with hym, he sente to hym legatis,

¹⁵and seide, For siluer, that thi brother Jonatas ouyte in acountis of the kyng, we withhelden hym.

¹⁶And nowe sende thou an hundrid talentis of siluer, and hise twei sones pleggis, that he not dismyttid fle fro vs, and we schulen ayensende hym.

¹⁷And Symount knew, that with gile he spak with hym. Netheles he comaundide the siluer for to be youun, and children, leste he schulde take grete enemytee at the puple of Israel, seiynge, For he sente not to hym siluer and children,

¹⁸therfor he perischide.

¹⁹And he sente the children, and an hundrid talentis. And he liede, and dismyttide not Jonathas.

²⁰And after these thingis Trifon cam with ynne the cuntre, for to distrie it. And thei cumpassiden bi the weie that ledith to Ador; and Symount and his oost walkiden in to ech place, whidur euere thei wenten.

²¹Sotheli thei that weren in the hiy tour, senten legatis to Trifon, for to haste to come bi desert, and sende to hem foodis.

²²And Trifon made redi al the multitude of horse men, for to come in that nyyt. Sotheli ther was ful myche snow, and he cam not in to Galadithym.

²³And whanne he neiyede to Baschama, he slow Jonathas and hise sones there.

²⁴And Trifon turnede, and wente in to his lond.

²⁵And Symount sente, and took the boonus of Jonathas, his brother, and biride tho in Modyn, the citee of hise fadris.

²⁶And al Israel biweiliden hym with greet weilyng, and thei bymourenyde hym many daies.

²⁷And Symount bildide on the sepulcre of his fadir and hise britheren an hiy bildyng in siyt, with stoon polischid bihynde and bifore.

²⁸And he ordeynede seuene smale bildyngis, brood bynethe and scharp aboue, oon ayens oon, to fadir, and modir, and foure britheren.

²⁹And to these he puttide aboute grete pilers, and on the pileris armeris, to euerlastynge mynde; and bisidis armeris schippis grauun, whiche schulden be seyn of men seilynge in the see.

³⁰This is the sepulcre that Symount maad in Modyn, til in to this day.

³¹Forsothe whanne Trifon made weie with Antiok, the yonge kyng, in gile he slow hym, and regnyde in his stide;

³²and puttide on hym the diademe of Asie, and made greet veniaunce in the lond.

³³And Symount bildide strengthis of Judee, and wardide hem with hiy touris, and grete wallis, and yatis, and lockis; and puttide foodis in strengthingis.

³⁴And Symount chees men, and sente to kyng Demetrie, that he schulde make remyssioun to the cuntree, for alle dedis of Trifon weren don bi rauyschyng.

³⁵And kyng Demetrie answeride to hym to these wordis, and wroot suche epistle.

³⁶Kyng Demetrie to Symount, hiyeste prest, and frend of kyngis, and to the eldere men, and folc of Jewis, heelthe.

³⁷We resseyueden the goldun coroun, and baheu, which ye senten, and ben redi for to make with you greet pees, and for to write to prepostis of the kyng, for to releesse to you what thingis we foryauen;

³⁸for what euere thingis we ordeynen to you, ben stable. The strengthis that ye bildiden, be to you; and we forgyuen ignorances and synnes,

³⁹til in to this dai, and the coroun that ye ouyten; and if ony other thing was tributarie in Jerusalem, now be it not tributarie.

⁴⁰And if ony of you ben able for to be writun togidere among oure men, be thei writun togidere, and pees be bitwixe vs.

⁴¹In the hundrid yeer and seuentithe, the yok of hethene men was takun awei fro Israel.

⁴²And the puple began for to write in tablis, and comyn doyngis, in the firste yeer vndur Symount, hiyeste prest, greet duyk, and prince of Jewis.

⁴³In tho daies Symount appliede to Gasan, and enuyrownyde it with tentis, and made engines, and appliede to the citee, and smoot o tour, and took it.

⁴⁴And thei that braken out, weren with ynne the engyne in the cite, and greet stiryng was maad in the cite.

⁴⁵And thei stieden vp, that weren in the cite, with her wyues, and sones, on the wal, with her cootis kit, and crieden with greet vois axynge of Symount that riythondis be youun to hem,

⁴⁶and seiden, Yelde thou not to vs bi oure malices, but bi thi mercies, and we schulen serue to thee.

⁴⁷And Symount was bowid, and fauyt not ayens hem; netheles he castide hem out of the citee, and clenside fulli the housis in whiche weren symylacris, and thanne he entride in to it with ympnes, and blesside the Lord.

⁴⁸And whanne alle vnclennesse was caste out therof, he settide therynne men, that schulden do the lawe; and he strengthide it, and made an abitacioun to him.

⁴⁹Forsothe thei that weren in the hiy tour of Jerusalem, weren forbodun for to go out and go yn, in to the cuntre, and bie, and sille; and thei hungriden greetli, and many of hem perischiden for hungur.

⁵⁰And thei crieden to Symount, for to take riyt hondis, and he yaf to hem; and he castide out hem fro thennus, and clenside the hiy tour fro defoulingis.

⁵¹And thei entriden in to it in thre and twentithe dai of the secounde monethe, in the hundrid and oon and seuenty yeer, with heriyng, and braunchis of palmes, and instrumentis of musik, `ether giternys, and cymbalis, and harpis, and ympnys, and songis, for the greet enemye of Israel was al to-brokun.

⁵²And he ordeynede, that in alle yeeris these daies schulden be don with gladnesse.

⁵³And he strengthide the hil of the temple, that was bisidis the hiy tour, and dwelte there, he, and thei that weren with hym.

⁵⁴And Symount siy Joon, his sone, that he was a man of batel, and he puttide hym duyk of alle vertues, and he dwelte in Gasaris.

I Maccabees 13

¹Now when Simon heard that Tryphon had gathered together a great host to invade the land of Judea, and destroy it,

²And saw that the people was in great trembling and fear, he went up to Jerusalem, and gathered the people together,

³And gave them exhortation, saying, Ye yourselves know what great things I, and my brethren, and my father’s house, have done for the laws and the sanctuary, the battles also and troubles which we have seen.

⁴By reason whereof all my brethren are slain for Israel’s sake, and I am left alone.

⁵Now therefore be it far from me, that I should spare mine own life in any time of trouble: for I am no better than my brethren.

⁶Doubtless I will avenge my nation, and the sanctuary, and our wives, and our children: for all the heathen are gathered to destroy us of very malice.

⁷Now as soon as the people heard these words, their spirit revived.

⁸And they answered with a loud voice, saying, Thou shalt be our leader instead of Judas and Jonathan thy brother.

⁹Fight thou our battles, and whatsoever, thou commandest us, that will we do.

¹⁰So then he gathered together all the men of war, and made haste to finish the walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it round about.

¹¹Also he sent Jonathan the son of Absolom, and with him a great power, to Joppa: who casting out them that were therein remained there in it.

¹²So Tryphon removed from Ptolemaus with a great power to invade the land of Judea, and Jonathan was with him in ward.

¹³But Simon pitched his tents at Adida, over against the plain.

¹⁴Now when Tryphon knew that Simon was risen up instead of his brother Jonathan, and meant to join battle with him, he sent messengers unto him, saying,

¹⁵Whereas we have Jonathan thy brother in hold, it is for money that he is owing unto the king’s treasure, concerning the business that was committed unto him.

¹⁶Wherefore now send an hundred talents of silver, and two of his sons for hostages, that when he is at liberty he may not revolt from us, and we will let him go.

¹⁷Hereupon Simon, albeit he perceived that they spake deceitfully unto him yet sent he the money and the children, lest peradventure he should procure to himself great hatred of the people:

¹⁸Who might have said, Because I sent him not the money and the children, therefore is Jonathan dead.

¹⁹So he sent them the children and the hundred talents: howbeit Tryphon dissembled neither would he let Jonathan go.

²⁰And after this came Tryphon to invade the land, and destroy it, going round about by the way that leadeth unto Adora: but Simon and his host marched against him in every place, wheresoever he went.

²¹Now they that were in the tower sent messengers unto Tryphon, to the end that he should hasten his coming unto them by the wilderness, and send them victuals.

²²Wherefore Tryphon made ready all his horsemen to come that night: but there fell a very great snow, by reason whereof he came not. So he departed, and came into the country of Galaad.

²³And when he came near to Bascama he slew Jonathan, who was buried there.

²⁴Afterward Tryphon returned and went into his own land.

²⁵Then sent Simon, and took the bones of Jonathan his brother, and buried them in Modin, the city of his fathers.

²⁶And all Israel made great lamentation for him, and bewailed him many days.

²⁷Simon also built a monument upon the sepulchre of his father and his brethren, and raised it aloft to the sight, with hewn stone behind and before.

²⁸Moreover he set up seven pyramids, one against another, for his father, and his mother, and his four brethren.

²⁹And in these he made cunning devices, about the which he set great pillars, and upon the pillars he made all their armour for a perpetual memory, and by the armour ships carved, that they might be seen of all that sail on the sea.

³⁰This is the sepulchre which he made at Modin, and it standeth yet unto this day.

³¹Now Tryphon dealt deceitfully with the young king Antiochus, and slew him.

³²And he reigned in his stead, and crowned himself king of Asia, and brought a great calamity upon the land.

³³Then Simon built up the strong holds in Judea, and fenced them about with high towers, and great walls, and gates, and bars, and laid up victuals therein.

³⁴Moreover Simon chose men, and sent to king Demetrius, to the end he should give the land an immunity, because all that Tryphon did was to spoil.

³⁵Unto whom king Demetrius answered and wrote after this manner:

³⁶King Demetrius unto Simon the high priest, and friend of kings, as also unto the elders and nation of the Jews, sendeth greeting:

³⁷The golden crown, and the scarlet robe, which ye sent unto us, we have received: and we are ready to make a stedfast peace with you, yea, and to write unto our officers, to confirm the immunities which we have granted.

³⁸And whatsoever covenants we have made with you shall stand; and the strong holds, which ye have builded, shall be your own.

³⁹As for any oversight or fault committed unto this day, we forgive it, and the crown tax also, which ye owe us: and if there were any other tribute paid in Jerusalem, it shall no more be paid.

⁴⁰And look who are meet among you to be in our court, let then be enrolled, and let there be peace betwixt us.

⁴¹Thus the yoke of the heathen was taken away from Israel in the hundred and seventieth year.

⁴²Then the people of Israel began to write in their instruments and contracts, In the first year of Simon the high priest, the governor and leader of the Jews.

⁴³In those days Simon camped against Gaza and besieged it round about; he made also an engine of war, and set it by the city, and battered a certain tower, and took it.

⁴⁴And they that were in the engine leaped into the city; whereupon there was a great uproar in the city:

⁴⁵Insomuch as the people of the city rent their clothes, and climbed upon the walls with their wives and children, and cried with a loud voice, beseeching Simon to grant them peace.

⁴⁶And they said, Deal not with us according to our wickedness, but according to thy mercy.

⁴⁷So Simon was appeased toward them, and fought no more against them, but put them out of the city, and cleansed the houses wherein the idols were, and so entered into it with songs and thanksgiving.

⁴⁸Yea, he put all uncleanness out of it, and placed such men there as would keep the law, and made it stronger than it was before, and built therein a dwellingplace for himself.

⁴⁹They also of the tower in Jerusalem were kept so strait, that they could neither come forth, nor go into the country, nor buy, nor sell: wherefore they were in great distress for want of victuals, and a great number of them perished through famine.

⁵⁰Then cried they to Simon, beseeching him to be at one with them: which thing he granted them; and when he had put them out from thence, he cleansed the tower from pollutions:

⁵¹And entered into it the three and twentieth day of the second month in the hundred seventy and first year, with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs: because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel.

⁵²He ordained also that that day should be kept every year with gladness. Moreover the hill of the temple that was by the tower he made stronger than it was, and there he dwelt himself with his company.

⁵³And when Simon saw that John his son was a valiant man, he made him captain of all the hosts; and he dwelt in Gazera.