Maccabes-1 Chapters

Alexander

1 | • ¹Everything began with the conquests of Alexander the first, son of Philip, the Macedonian. Setting out from Greece, he killed Darius, king of the Persians and the Medes. Being already king of Greece, he took the throne of Darius. ²After fighting many battles, conquering strongholds, and putting to death the kings of those nations, ³he reached the ends of the earth and plundered several nations. And when the world became quiet and subject to his power, he became proud. ⁴He gathered a strong army, ruled over provinces and nations, and rulers paid him taxes. ⁵But he fell sick, and knowing he would die, 6 he summoned his generals and the noblemen who had been brought up with him from his youth; while still alive, he divided his kingdom among them. ⁷Alexander had reigned for twelve years when he died.

⁸His generals assumed power, each one in the region assigned to him. ⁹And immediately after Alexander’s death, they made themselves kings and their sons after them, filling the earth with evil for many years. ¹⁰From their descendants came a godless offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus, who had been held hostage in Rome. He became king in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the Greek era (in 175 B.C.).

¹¹It was then that some rebels emerged from Israel, who succeeded in winning over many people. They said, “Let us renew contact with the people around us, for we have endured many misfortunes since we separated from them.”

¹²This proposal was well-received, ¹³and some eagerly went to the king. The king authorized them to adopt the customs of the pagan nations. ¹⁴With his permission, they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem in the pagan style. ¹⁵And as they wanted to be like the pagans in everything, they made artificial foreskins for themselves and abandoned the Holy Covenant, sinning as they pleased.

Antiochus Despoils the Temple

¹⁶When Antiochus felt confident of his power, he seized Egypt and ruled over the two nations. ¹⁷He entered Egypt with a strong army, with chariots of war, elephants, horses, and a great fleet, ¹⁸and attacked Ptolemy, king of Egypt. Ptolemy had to retreat and was defeated, and many of his men died. ¹⁹The victors seized the fortified cities of Egypt and plundered the land. ²⁰In one hundred and forty-three (in 169 B.C.), when Antiochus returned after defeating Egypt, he passed through Israel and went up to Jerusalem with a strong army.

²¹He arrogantly broke into the Sanctuary and removed the golden altar, the lampstand for the light with all its accessories, ²²the table for the bread of offering, the libation vessels, the cups, the golden censers, the curtains and the crowns; and stripped away all the decorations, the golden moldings that used to cover the temple entrance. ²³He also took possession of the silver, gold, valuable objects, and all the hidden treasures he could find. ²⁴He took everything with him and left for his country after shedding blood and making arrogant statements.

²⁵There was great mourning throughout the land of Israel. ²⁶The leaders and the elders groaned, young men and maidens lost courage, and women grew pale; ²⁷bridegrooms sang lamentations, and the young bride wept in her marriage bed. 28 The earth quaked in sorrow for its inhabitants, and all the people of Jacob were humiliated.

²⁹After two years, the king sent to the cities of Judah, the chief tax collector, and he came to Jerusalem with a strong army. ³⁰He spoke to the people with words of peace to deceive them. But when he had gained their confidence, he suddenly fell on the city and dealt it a terrible blow, killing many Israelites. ³¹He plundered the city, burning and destroying the palaces and the surrounding walls.

³²He took women and children captive and seized the livestock. ³³Then, they rebuilt the city of David with a high and solid wall protected by strong towers, which became their fortress. ³⁴There, they set evil men and apostates who defended it. ³⁵They stored up weapons and provisions and everything they looted in the city, posing a constant threat. ³⁶It became an ambush for the Sanctuary, a grave and constant threat to Israel. ³⁷They shed innocent blood around the Sanctuary and defiled the Sanctuary itself.

³⁸The inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them. She became a colony of strangers and was a stranger to her children, who abandoned her. ³⁹Her Sanctuary became as empty as the desert, her feasts became days of mourning, her Sabbaths were ridiculed, and her fame became an object of contempt. ⁴⁰As her glory had been great, so now was her dishonor, for her greatness was turned into grief.

Religious Persecution

•  ⁴¹Antiochus issued a decree to his whole kingdom. ⁴²All the people of his empire had to renounce their particular customs and become one people. ⁴³All the pagan nations obeyed and respected the king’s decree, and even in Israel, many accepted the imposed cult. They offered sacrifices to idols and no longer respected the Sabbath. ⁴⁴The king sent messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judea to carry the decree, which imposed strange customs. ⁴⁵In accordance with it, burnt offerings, sacrifices, and other offerings in the Sanctuary were suppressed. It also ordered that Sabbaths and sacred feasts be like ordinary days. ⁴⁶The Sanctuary and its ministers were no longer to be regarded sacred. ⁴⁷Instead, altars, sacred enclosures, and temples were to be dedicated to idols. They were to offer pigs and unclean animals in sacrifice, ⁴⁸and not perform on their sons the rite of circumcision. To sum up, they were to defile themselves by all kinds of impurity and profanity, ⁴⁹to forget the law and change all their customs. ⁵⁰The decree finally declared: “Anyone who does not fulfill the king’s order shall die.”

⁵¹The king published this obligation throughout the province, and inspectors he appointed went around the land of Judea. They saw to it that sacrifices were offered in all cities. ⁵²Many Israelites joined them, abandoning the law and committing countless evils ⁵³obliging the true Israelites to find places of refuge to hide themselves.

⁵⁴On the fifteenth day of the month of Kislev, in one hundred and forty-five (in 167 B.C.), Antiochus erected the “abominable idol of the invaders” on the temple's altar. Pagan altars were built throughout the whole land of Judea; ⁵⁵incense was offered at the doors of their houses and in the squares. ⁵⁶There, wicked men tore up the books of the law they found and burned them. ⁵⁷They killed anyone they caught in possession of the book of the Covenant and who fulfilled the precepts of the law, as the royal decree had ordered. ⁵⁸And being men in power, they pursued the Israelite rebels they found, month after month, in the cities. ⁵⁹On the twenty-fifth day of every month, they offered sacrifices on the new altar they had built upon the temple's altar.

⁶⁰The women who, in defiance of the decree, had the rite of circumcision performed on their children were put to death with their babies hung around their necks. ⁶¹Their families and all who had taken part in the circumcision were also put to death.

⁶²But many Israelites remained firm and determined not to eat unclean food despite all this. ⁶³They preferred to die rather than to make themselves unclean with those foods (prohibited by the law) that violated the Holy Covenant. ⁶⁴And Israel suffered a very great trial.

Mattathias Unleashes the Holy War

2 | •  ¹In those days, Mattathias, son of Simon, a priest of the family of Joarib, left Jerusalem and went to settle in Modein. ²He had five sons: John, known as Gaddi, ³Simon called Thassi, ⁴Judas called Maccabeus, ⁵Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus.

⁶Mattathias saw the blasphemies committed in Judah and Jerusalem, ⁷so he said: “Alas! Was I born just to witness the ruin of my people and the destruction of the Holy City? Shall I sit by while she is in the hands of her enemies and her Sanctuary in the power of foreigners?

⁸Her temple has become like a dishonored man, ⁹the precious objects that were her glory have been carried off as booty, her babies have been murdered in the squares, and her young men killed by the sword of the enemy. ¹⁰What nation has not received part of her treasures and taken possession of her spoils? ¹¹She has been stripped of all her adornments and from the freedom that was hers; she has gone into slavery. ¹²Our beautiful Sanctuary that was our pride has been laid waste and profaned by pagans. ¹³What is there to live for?”

¹⁴Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and went into deep mourning. ¹⁵In the meantime, the king’s representatives, who were forcing the Jews to give up their religion, came to Modein to organize a sacred gathering.

¹⁶Mattathias and his sons drew apart while many Israelites went to them.

¹⁷The king's representatives addressed Mattathias and said, "You are one of the city's leaders, an important and well-known man, and your many children and relatives follow you. ¹⁸Come now, and be the first to fulfill the king’s order, as the men of Judah have already done, and the survivors in Jerusalem as well. You and your sons will be the king's friends, and the king will send you gold, silver, and many other gifts.”

¹⁹But Mattathias answered loudly: “Even if all the nations included in the kingdom should abandon the religion of their ancestors and submit to the order of King Antiochus, ²⁰I, my sons, and my family will remain faithful to the Covenant of our ancestors. ²¹May God preserve us from abandoning the law and its precepts. ²²We will not obey the king's orders nor turn aside from our religion either to the right or the left.”

²³When he finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward, in the sight of everyone, to offer incense on the altar that was built in Modein, according to the king’s decree. ²⁴When Mattathias saw him, he was fired with zeal. His heart was stirred, and giving vent to his righteous anger, he threw himself on the Jew and cut the man’s throat on the altar. ²⁵At the same time, he killed the king’s representative, who was forcing the people to offer sacrifice, and then tore down the altar. ²⁶In doing this, he showed his zeal for the law, as Phinehas had done with Zimri, son of Salu.

²⁷Mattathias then began to proclaim loudly in the city: “Everyone who is zealous for the law and supports the Covenant, come out and follow me!” ²⁸He and his sons immediately fled to the mountains and left behind all they had in the city.

•  ²⁹Many Jews who sought justice and wanted to be faithful to the law went into the desert. ³⁰They took their children, wives, and livestock with them because life had become unbearable.

³¹Then the king’s representatives and the authority in the city of David, in Jerusalem, were informed that some men had disobeyed the king’s order and had gone to hide in the caves in the desert.

³²A strong force of the king pursued and overtook them. They surrounded them and prepared themselves for an attack. It was the day of the Sabbath. ³³And they said to the Jews: “Enough of this! Come out and obey the king’s order if you wish to save your lives.” ³⁴But they answered: “We will neither come out nor obey the king’s order to violate the day of the Sabbath.”

³⁵So they attacked them at once; ³⁶but the Jews did not defend themselves, nor did they try to close the entrance of their place of refuge. ³⁷They said: “We shall die with a clear conscience, but heaven and earth will remember that we were murdered.” ³⁸The king’s men attacked them on that Sabbath, and they all died—men, women, and children—a total of more than a thousand, not counting the livestock.

³⁹When Mattathias and his friends came to know what happened, they went into deep mourning. ⁴⁰They said to one another: “We cannot do as our brothers and sisters have done. We shall fight against the pagans to defend our life and customs; otherwise, they will quickly destroy us.” ⁴¹On that day, they resolved to defend themselves against anyone who attacked them on the day of the Sabbath and not let themselves be killed, as had happened with their people in the hiding place.

⁴²At that time, a group of Hasideans (the Devout), valiant Israelites who devoted themselves sincerely to the law, joined them. ⁴³All those who wanted to escape from oppression joined them, and in this way, they grew strong. ⁴⁴They succeeded in forming an army. Then, they began to pour their anger and resentment onto the sinners and renegades. These men had to flee to other lands for safety. ⁴⁵Mattathias and his friends made expeditions, during which they destroyed the altars, ⁴⁶imposed, by force, the rite of circumcision on the children they found uncircumcised, ⁴⁷and pursued all the arrogant. The undertaking prospered in their hands. ⁴⁸They defended the law against foreigners and their kings and subdued the renegades.

Mattathias’ Death

⁴⁹When Mattathias neared his death, he said to his sons: “Now the insolent and the violent are in power. It is a time of upheaval in which God releases his anger. ⁵⁰So, my sons, be zealous for the law and risk your lives defending the Covenant of our ancestors. ⁵¹Remember the deeds our ancestors fulfilled in their time, that you, too, may have fame and glory.

⁵²Remember Abraham, who proved himself faithful in the hour of trial, and how God made him righteous. ⁵³Joseph, at the time of his misfortune, observed the commandment of God and so became the lord of Egypt. ⁵⁴Phinehas, our ancestor, because of his great zeal, received the priesthood for himself and his sons forever. ⁵⁵Joshua became head of Israel because he carried out God’s command. ⁵⁶Caleb received his inheritance in this land because he had proclaimed the truth before the assembly. ⁵⁷And David was given a lasting kingdom because of his devotion. ⁵⁸Elijah was taken up into heaven because of his zeal for the law. ⁵⁹Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael were saved from the flames because of their faith. ⁶⁰Daniel was rescued from the lion’s mouth because of his righteousness. ⁶¹Consider, then, that, in any generation, those who trust in God are never defeated.

⁶²Do not fear the threats of an impious man, for his glory will end in dung and worms. 63 Today, he is exalted, but tomorrow, he shall perish. He will return to dust from where he came, and nothing will remain of his plans. ⁶⁴ Have courage, my sons, and remain steadfast in the law, for you will receive glory.

⁶⁵I know that Simon is a man of sound judgment among you. Listen to him, and he will take your father’s place. ⁶⁶Judas Maccabeus has been valiant from his youth; let him be your general and conduct the war against foreigners.

⁶⁷Now, call all those who fulfill the law to join you and defend our people. ⁶⁸Retaliate against the pagans and fulfill the ordinance of the law.”

⁶⁹Mattathias blessed them and then went to join his fathers. ⁷⁰He died in one hundred and forty-six (in 166 B.C.), and they buried him in the tomb of his fathers at Modein, and all Israel mourned him deeply.

Judas Maccabeus

3 | •  ¹Mattathias’ son, Judas Maccabeus, succeeded him. ²His brothers, and all who had followed his father, gave him their support, and they continued the war with determination.

³Judas made his people's name more famous. He put on his breastplate and girded himself with the armor of war like a giant. He fought many battles and protected his camp with his sword.

⁴He was like a lion when he attacked, like a lion’s whelp roaring over its prey.

⁵He pursued the renegades in their secret places and consigned those who troubled his people to the flames.

⁶All the renegades feared him, all evildoers were confounded, and liberation was accomplished through him.

⁷Many kings feared him, while the people of Israel rejoiced in his deeds.

His memory shall be blessed forever. ⁸He went through the cities of Judah, utterly destroying the impious, and saved Israel in their trial.

⁹His fame resounded to the ends of the earth for having gathered those about to perish.

First Successes

•  ¹⁰Apollonius also gathered together men from the pagans and a good number of Samaritans to fight Israel. ¹¹When Judas learned of this, he went out to meet him in battle. He defeated and killed him. Many of the enemies fell, and the rest fled. ¹²They seized the plunder, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius; from then on, he always used it in battle.

¹³Seron, the commander of the Syrian army, learned that Judas had gathered many men and that the whole community of believers was at his side. ¹⁴He thought: “This is now the opportunity for me to become famous and an important man in the kingdom. I will go to fight Judas and his men, who do not obey the king’s order.” ¹⁵So he did, and a strong army of pagans went up with him to help him take vengeance on the children of Israel.

¹⁶As Seron approached the slope of Beth-horon, Judas went out to confront him with a small company of warriors. ¹⁷But on seeing the enemy advancing against them, Judas’ men said to him, “How can we, few as we are, fight against so many? And besides, we feel weak, for we have not eaten anything today.”

¹⁸But Judas declared: “A multitude shall easily fall into the hands of a few, for Heaven can win over equally well with the help of many or few. ¹⁹Victory does not depend on the number of those who fight but on Heaven, which strengthens us. ²⁰They come against us, moved by their pride and lawlessness, to seize us and take possession of our wives and children and to take everything away from us. ²¹But we are fighting for our lives and our laws. ²²God will crush them before us, so do not be afraid.”

²³As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed against the enemies. Seron and his army were defeated. ²⁴They pursued them down the slope of Beth-horon to the plain. And about eight hundred of Seron’s men fell, and the rest escaped to the land of the Philistines.

²⁵With this, fright and fear of Judas and his brothers seized the pagans who lived around them. ²⁶The fame of his name reached the king, and the pagan nations recounted his battles.

Antiochus Prepares for War

²⁷When this news reached King Antiochus, he was furious. So he ordered all the forces of his kingdom to assemble, for he had a powerful army. ²⁸He opened his treasury and paid the troops a year’s salary, ordering them to be prepared for any eventuality. ²⁹But he found that the money in the treasury had run short, for the taxes of the provinces had decreased due to dissension and disaster, which he had caused in the land by changing the laws that were in force from the earliest days. ³⁰He feared that, as before, he would not have enough funds for his expenses and for the gifts he used to give more lavishly than preceding kings. ³¹So great was his need that he decided to go to Persia to collect the taxes from those provinces and raise considerable funds.

³²Then he left Lysias, a nobleman from the royal family, in charge of government affairs, from the river Euphrates to the Egyptian frontier, ³³and with the responsibility of educating the king’s son, Antiochus, until his return. ³⁴And he turned over to Lysias half of his troops, with the elephants, and instructed him about his policies. On matters dealing with the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem, ³⁵Lysias was to send an army to destroy and crush the defenders of Israel and all who remained in Jerusalem and to wipe out even the memory of them. ³⁶Then, he was to have foreigners settle throughout the Jewish territory and distribute the land to them by a lot.

³⁷The king took the remaining half of the army with him and set out from Antioch, the kingdom's capital, in one hundred and forty-seven (in 165 B.C.). He crossed the Euphrates River and went through the upper provinces.

³⁸Lysias chose from among the friends of the King, Ptolemy, the son of Dorymenes, Nicanor, and Gorgias—all influential men. ³⁹With them, he dispatched forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to the Judean province to destroy it as the king had ordered. ⁴⁰They marched out with their troops and encamped on the plain near Emmaus. ⁴¹The merchants of the region heard of their arrival, so they went to the camp with large amounts of silver, gold, and fetters, proposing to buy the Israelites as slaves. The Syrian army and those from the province of the Philistines also joined the troops.

⁴²Judas and his brothers understood the situation was worsening because the enemy had encamped their territory. So when they learned of the king’s order to destroy and crush the people, ⁴³they said, “Let us uplift our people from their miserable situation and fight for them and the Holy Place!”

⁴⁴The whole community assembled to prepare for war, and they prayed and asked God for mercy and compassion.

⁴⁵Like a desert, Jerusalem was left without inhabitants. None of her children went in or out. The temple was profaned, and foreigners lived in the city, which had become a dwelling place for the pagans. There was no more rejoicing for Jacob; no flute or zither was heard.

The Jews Gather at Mizpah

⁴⁶So they gathered and went to Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because Mizpah had been a place of prayer for Israel. ⁴⁷They fasted that day, put on sackcloth, sprinkled ashes on their heads, and tore their garments. ⁴⁸They opened the book of the law to look for an answer to their questions, just as the pagans consulted the images of their idols. ⁴⁹They brought the vestments of the priests, the firstfruits, the tithes, and the Nazirites who had completed the days of their consecration. ⁵⁰They cried aloud to Heaven and said: “What shall we do with this people, and where shall we take them? ⁵¹For your Sanctuary has been trampled on and profaned. Your priests are in mourning and are humiliated. ⁵²And now, the pagans have gathered together to destroy us. You know what they are plotting against us. ⁵³How can we resist them if you do not come to help us?” ⁵⁴Then they sounded the trumpets and made a great outcry.

⁵⁵After this, Judas appointed officials to lead his people: leaders of a thousand men, leaders of a hundred, fifty, and ten. ⁵⁶Then he told those building houses, those about to marry, those planting vineyards, and those afraid to return to their homes, as the law allowed. ⁵⁷Next, the army marched out and encamped south of Emmaus. ⁵⁸Judas told them: “Prepare your weapons. Be valiant and be ready to fight in the morning against those foreigners who have joined forces to crush us and remove our Holy Place from this land. ⁵⁹It is better to die fighting than to live and see the misery of our nation and the Holy Place. ⁶⁰May Heaven’s will be done in everything.”

Battle of Emmaus

4 | •  ¹Gorgias took with him five thousand infantry and a thousand picked cavalry and moved out by night ²to fall upon the Jews and take them by surprise. He had asked men from the Citadel to guide his troops. ³But Judas learned of this. So he went out with his men to attack the king’s army in Emmaus, ⁴while the enemy troops dispersed outside the camp. ⁵Gorgias arrived at the camp of the Jews by night but found no one there. He then began to search for them in the mountains, for he thought: “They are running away from us.”

⁶But at daybreak, Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand men who did not have the armor or swords they would have liked. ⁷They saw the camp of the pagans with its strong fortifications and the cavalry surrounding it—all trained men in war. ⁸Judas told his men: “Do not fear the number of the enemy or be afraid of their attack. ⁹Remember how our ancestors were saved at the Red Sea when Pharaoh’s army pursued them. ¹⁰Cry out to God, for, if he so wishes, he will remember his Covenant and destroy that army before us this very day. ¹¹And all the nations will know that Someone saves and liberates Israel.”

¹²The pagans looked up and saw the Jews coming down against them, ¹³so they came out of their camp to face them in battle. Judas had the trumpets sounded, ¹⁴and his men attacked. The pagans were defeated and fled to the plain, ¹⁵but all the rear guards fell by the sword. They pursued them to Gazara, the plains of Idumaea, Azotus, and Jamnia, killing about three thousand of the enemy.

¹⁶When Judas and his army stopped chasing them, ¹⁷he said to the men with him: “Do not think of the booty now, for another battle awaits us. ¹⁸Gorgias, with his army, is in the hills close by. Remain ready to fight them; afterward, you can gather the plunder with nothing to worry about.” ¹⁹He had barely finished speaking when an army detachment appeared on the hillside. ²⁰These men saw that their troops had fled and their camp had been destroyed, for the smoke that rose up from the camp was enough to tell them this. ²¹So they were terrified. And when they saw the army of Judas drawn up on the plain ready for battle, ²²they fled to the land of the Philistines.

²³So Judas and his men returned to plunder the camp. They carried off valuable booty. ²⁴On their return, they sang and praised heaven: He is good, and his mercy is eternal.

²⁵That day was a great victory for Israel. ²⁶The escaped pagans told Lysias what had happened. ²⁷When he heard this, he was dismayed and depressed because things in Israel had not gone as expected, and he had not carried out the king’s command.

²⁸The following year, he organized an army of sixty thousand men and five thousand cavalry to confront the Jews. ²⁹They advanced into Idumea and encamped at Beth-zur. Judas came out with ten thousand men to meet them in battle. ³⁰When he saw their military strength, he prayed, “Blessed are you, Savior of Israel, who broke the warrior’s strength by the hand of your servant David and handed over the camp of the Philistines to the power of Jonathan, son of Saul, and his armor-bearer.

³¹In the same way, give this army into the hands of your people Israel, and let the confidence they place in their power and their horses be destroyed. ³²Fill them with fear. Shatter their confidence in their strength. May they be defeated and recover no more. ³³Deliver them to the sword of your faithful people so that all who know you may praise your name.”

³⁴Both sides attacked, and five thousand men from Lysias's army died. ³⁵ Lysias saw that his army was disheartened, while Judas and his men grew bolder and were ready to live or die nobly. So he retreated to Antioch, where he recruited mercenaries to strengthen his army, for he planned to return to Judea.

Judas Purifies the Temple

•  ³⁶Judas and his brothers said: “Our enemies are defeated, so let us go up and purify the Holy Place and consecrate it again.” ³⁷And all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. ³⁸There, they found the Sanctuary abandoned, the altar profaned, the gates burned, bushes growing in the courtyard as in a forest or on a mountain, and the rooms destroyed. ³⁹They tore their garments and wept bitterly. Some sprinkled ashes on their heads, ⁴⁰while others prostrated themselves on the ground. They sounded the trumpets and cried aloud to Heaven.

⁴¹Then Judas chose men to fight against the defenders of the Citadel until he had purified the temple. ⁴²He chose blameless priests, who showed great zeal for the law, ⁴³and had them purify the temple and bring the stones of the abominable altar of the pagans to an unclean place.

⁴⁴They held a council to decide on what should be done with the altar of the Holocaust, which had been defiled. ⁴⁵And they decided to destroy it so that shame brought about by the pagans might not remain with it. ⁴⁶They deposited the stones of the said altar in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should appear to settle the matter.

⁴⁷Then they took uncut stones as the law prescribed and built a new altar like the former. ⁴⁸They repaired the Sanctuary and the house's interior and consecrated the courts.

⁴⁹They made new sacred vessels and brought in the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table. ⁵⁰They burned incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, which began to shine in the temple. ⁵¹They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains—completing all that had been decided.

⁵²On the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev, in one hundred and forty-eight (in 164 B.C.), ⁵³arose at dawn and offered the sacrifice prescribed by the law on the new altar of holocausts they had built. ⁵⁴It was precisely at that same time and date that the pagans had profaned it before, but now they consecrated it with songs accompanied by zithers, harps, and cymbals. ⁵⁵All the people fell prostrate and blessed Heaven that had given them happiness and success.

⁵⁶They celebrated the consecration of the altar for eight days, joyfully offering holocausts and celebrating sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. ⁵⁷The front of the temple was adorned with crowns of gold and shields, and the gates and the rooms had been restored and fitted with doors.

⁵⁸There was no end to the celebration among the people, so the pagans' profanation of the temple was forgotten. 59 Finally, Judas, his brothers, and the whole assembly of Israel agreed to celebrate the anniversary of the consecration of the altar annually for eight days, from the twenty-fifth of the month of Kislev, in high festivity.

⁶⁰At that time, they built high walls and strong towers around Mount Zion to prevent the pagans from coming in to occupy it as they had done before. 61 Judas stationed a garrison there to defend it. He also fortified Beth-Zur so the people might have a fortress against Idumea.

Judas Goes to Rescue the Scattered Jews

5 | •  ¹When the pagans who lived around them learned that the altar had been rebuilt and the temple restored as before, they became outraged. ²They determined to destroy the descendants of Jacob who lived among them. So, they began killing and driving away the Jews.

³That is why Judas declared war against the sons of Esau in Idumea and the province of Akrabattene, for they surrounded Israel. He dealt them a mortal blow—he humbled them and looted them. ⁴Then he remembered the wickedness of the gangs of Baean, who were a plague and a permanent source of trouble for the Jews, with their ambushes on the roads. ⁵Judas, after blockading and besieging them in their towers, took an oath to exterminate them. He then burned the towers with all who were inside.

⁶From there, he crossed over to the land of the Ammonites, where he encountered a large and well-organized army under the command of Timotheus. ⁷He engaged them in many encounters, defeated and crushed them. ⁸He attacked and captured the city of Jazer with its neighboring villages and then returned to Judea.

⁹The pagans of Gilead gathered together to destroy the Israelites who lived in their territory. But the Israelites took refuge in the fortress of Dathema, ¹⁰and sent a letter to Judas and his brothers which said, “The pagans around us have joined forces to crush us ¹¹and are now preparing to storm the fortress where we have taken refuge. Timothy is their leader. ¹²Come at once and rescue us from their hands since many among us have already died. ¹³All our brothers living in the land of Tobias have been murdered; their women and children were taken captives; about a thousand men have been killed.”  

¹⁴They were reading this letter when other messengers arrived from Galilee, tearing their garments as they gave this message: ¹⁵ “The people of Ptolemais, Tyre, Sidon, and the whole of heathen Galilee have united to destroy us!”

¹⁶When Judas and his men heard this news, they summoned a great assembly to determine what could be done for their brothers and sisters in distress who were fighting for their lives. ¹⁷Judas said to his brother Simon: “Choose your men. Go and free our brothers in Galilee. I and my brother Jonathan will go to Gilead.”

¹⁸He left the rest of the troops under the command of Joseph, the son of Zechariah, and Azariah, a leader of the people, to defend the land of Judea; ¹⁹giving them this order: “Remain at the head of the people. But do not attack the pagans until we return.”

²⁰Three thousand men were assigned to Simon for the campaign in Galilee, and eight thousand men to Judas for Gilead. ²¹Simon left for Galilee and defeated the pagans in many encounters, ²²and pursued them to the gates of Ptolemais. About three thousand of the pagans fell, and Simon seized their spoils. ²³Then he took away with him the Jews who were in Galilee and Arbatta, as well as their women and children, and all they had, and brought them into Judea with great rejoicing.

²⁴Meanwhile, Judas Maccabeus and his brother Jonathan crossed the Jordan and journeyed through the desert for three days. ²⁵There, they encountered the Nabateans, who received them in a friendly way and told them all that had happened to their brothers in the Gilead region. ²⁶They gave them the news that many Jews were imprisoned in Alema, Chaspho, Maked, and Carnaim; all large and fortified towns in the vicinity of Bozrah and Bosor. ²⁷They also related that Jews were also blockaded in other cities of Gilead and that the pagans had decided to attack their strongholds on the following day, intending to destroy all of them in one day.

²⁸Judas quickly turned off with his army by the desert road to Bozrah. He occupied the city, put all the men to the sword, seized the booty, and then burned the city. ²⁹He left the place at night and advanced until they reached the fortress. ³⁰At dawn, the Jews looked up and saw an innumerable army carrying ladders and engines of war to attack and capture the fortress.

³¹Judas saw that the attack had begun. From the city, an uproar rose up to heaven with shouts and trumpet blasts. ³²He told his men: “Let us now fight for our brothers.” ³³Then he divided his troops into three groups and attacked the enemy from behind, sounding the trumpets and praying out loud. ³⁴When Timothy's army recognized that it was Maccabeus, they began to escape, but Judas dealt them a heavy blow; about five thousand of the enemy fell that day.

³⁵From there, Judas went to Alema. He attacked and occupied the city, killed all the men, seized the booty, and burned the city. ³⁶ From there, he captured Chaspho, Maked, Bosor, and the remaining towns of Gilead.

³⁷After these events, Timothy gathered a new army and encamped opposite Raphon on the other side of the stream. ³⁸Judas sent men to explore the camp, and they brought back the following information: “All the pagans of this region have joined forces under Timothy, forming a powerful army. ³⁹They have also hired Arab mercenaries as auxiliaries. They are now encamped at the other side of the stream, ready to attack you.” So Judas set out to confront them in battle.

⁴⁰Timothy saw that Judas was approaching the stream with his army, so he said to the captains of his troops, “If he crosses first and advances against us, he shall attack us with such great force that we will not be able to withstand him. ⁴¹But if he hesitates and encamps at the other side of the river, we shall cross over to attack and defeat him.”

⁴²When Judas reached the banks of the stream, he assigned the officials of his men along the stream and ordered them: “Do not let anyone pitch his tent; all are to fight.” ⁴³Judas was the first to cross to the enemy, and all his men followed. They defeated all the pagans, who threw down their weapons and took refuge in the sacred enclosure of Carnaim. ⁴⁴But the Jews captured the city and burned the sacred enclosure with everyone inside. So Carnaim was crushed. No one was able to withstand Judas.

⁴⁵Judas gathered together all the Israelites from the region of Gilead, small and great, their women and children and their belongings, an immense multitude, to take them into the land of Judea. ⁴⁶They reached Ephron, a strong and important town, by the road. Going around it to the right or left was impossible, so they were forced to go through it. ⁴⁷But the inhabitants entrenched themselves inside and blocked the entrance with stones. ⁴⁸Judas sent them a message of peace: “Allow us to go through your land as we go back to ours; we will simply walk through, and none of us will do you any harm.” But they refused to open the gates to him.

⁴⁹So Judas ordered his army so that everyone could take up his position where he was. ⁵⁰The men of war took up their positions, and Judas attacked the city all day and night until it fell into his hands. ⁵¹He put all the male inhabitants to the sword, razed the city, and took its plunder. ⁵²Then they passed through the city, over the bodies of the dead, and came to the great plain after crossing the Jordan, opposite Beth-shan.

⁵³Throughout the journey, Judas kept encouraging his people and rallying those who fell behind until they reached the land of Judah. ⁵⁴They went up to Mount Zion joyfully and well-contented, and they offered holocausts because they had returned safe and sound without losing a single man.

Joseph and Azariah Are Defeated

•  ⁵⁵While Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Gilead, and their brother Simon was encamped in Galilee, opposite Ptolemais, ⁵⁶Zechariah’s son, Joseph, and Azariah were in command of the army. When they heard of their exploits and how well they had done in battle, ⁵⁷said, “We also have to win renown, so let us go and fight the pagans who live around us.”

⁵⁸So they gave orders to their army to march against Jamnia. ⁵⁹But Gorgias came out of the city with his men and attacked them. ⁶⁰Joseph and Azariah were defeated and pursued as far as the borders of Judea. About two thousand Israelites fell that day. ⁶¹The people suffered this great defeat because the Jewish commanders did not listen to Judas and his brothers, thinking they were capable of great deeds. ⁶²They did not belong to those to whom the deliverance of Israel had been entrusted.

⁶³The valiant Judas and his brothers were greatly honored in Israel, and they became famous among the foreigners who heard of them, ⁶⁴and many came to congratulate them.

⁶⁵Judas and his brothers went to the Negeb to fight the Edomites. He seized Hebron and its villages, demolished its walls, and burned its defending towers. ⁶⁶Then he left for the land of the Philistines, passing through Marisa. ⁶⁷That day, some priests who wanted to be valiant fell because they imprudently attacked the enemy. ⁶⁸From there, Judas turned towards Azotus in the land of the Philistines. He destroyed their altars, burned the statues of their gods, plundered the city, and then returned to Judah.

Last Days of Antiochus Epiphanes

6 | •  ¹When King Antiochus was making his way through the upper regions of Persia, he received news about Elam, a city renowned for its wealth in silver and gold. ²They kept in the wealthy temple of their city golden armor, breastplates, and weapons, left there by the Macedonian king, Alexander, the son of Philip, the first sovereign of the Greeks. ³So Antiochus went there. But when they learned of his intention, the inhabitants came out armed against him, so his attempt to take the city failed. ⁴He had to turn back and returned much embittered to Babylon.

⁵While he was still in Persia, it was reported to him that the armies sent to Judea had been defeated. They told him ⁶that although Lysias had gone with a strong army, he had to flee before the Jews, who had been strengthened with the weapons and the abundant booty taken from the neighboring armies. ⁷He heard, too, that the Jews had destroyed the abominable idol he had erected on the altar in Jerusalem, had rebuilt the temple walls to the same height as before, and had also fortified the city of Beth-Zur.

⁸When he received this news, he was terrified and deeply upset. He fell sick and became greatly depressed because things had not turned out the way he had planned. ⁹So he remained overcome by this terrible anguish for many days. He felt that he was dying, ¹⁰so he called his friends and said to them, “Sleep has fled from my eyes, and my anxieties greatly crush me. ¹¹And I keep on asking why such grief has come upon me—I who was generous and well-loved when in power—and now I am so discouraged.

¹²Now I remember the evils I did in Jerusalem, the vessels of gold and silver that I stole, the inhabitants of Judea I ordered to be killed for no reason at all. ¹³I now know that because of this, these misfortunes have come upon me. I am dying of grief in a strange land.” ¹⁴The king summoned Philip, one of his friends, and appointed him administrator of his whole kingdom. ¹⁵Then he entrusted him with the crown, robe, and signet ring, with the charge of educating his son Antiochus, to prepare him for the throne; ¹⁶Antiochus died there, in one hundred and forty-nine (in 163 B.C.). ¹⁷As soon as Lysias learned of the king’s death, he proclaimed his son Antiochus as his successor, for he had trained him from childhood and named him Eupator.

Expedition of Antiochus V

¹⁸The men from the Citadel were blockading the Israelites around the temple and did not let an opportunity pass to harm them on behalf of the pagans. ¹⁹Judas decided to wipe them out. ²⁰So he gathered together all the people to besiege them. The troops assembled and laid siege to the Citadel in one hundred and fifty (in 162 B.C.), building firing platforms and siege engines. ²¹But some of the besieged broke through the blockade, and with renegade Israelites, ²²went to tell the king, “How much longer will you wait to do us justice and avenge our brothers? ²³We took the side of your father. We obeyed his orders and observed his laws. ²⁴The result is that our people now besiege the Citadel, and we are treated as foreigners. All of us who were caught have been killed, and they have seized our property. ²⁵And they are fighting not only against us but in the neighboring lands as well.

²⁶They are currently encamped against the Citadel in Jerusalem to capture it; they have fortified the temple and the city of Beth-Zur. ²⁷If you do not take the lead now, they will do greater things, and then you will not be able to control them.”

²⁸The king was enraged when he heard this news and summoned all his friends, the army generals, and the cavalry commanders. ²⁹He recruited mercenary troops From other kingdoms and islands of the sea. ³⁰His forces numbered a hundred thousand infantry, twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants trained for battle. ³¹They came through Idumea, besieged Beth-Zur, and attacked for days, using engines of war. But the besieged made a sortie, burned their engines, and bravely kept up the resistance.

Battle of Beth-Zechariah

•  ³²Judas ceased fighting at the Citadel and encamped at Beth-Zechariah, opposite the king's camp. ³³The king rose Early in the morning, and his army boldly advanced along the road to Beth-Zechariah. The troops prepared for battle and sounded the trumpets.

³⁴They showed the elephants juice of grapes and mulberries to arouse them for battle, ³⁵and distributed them among the battalions. One thousand men in a coat of mail and bronze helmets lined up at the side of each elephant. ³⁶A cavalry of five hundred picked horsemen went before each elephant and accompanied it, with the order not to separate from it. ³⁷A strong wooden tower was fixed to each elephant using leather straps, and four warriors, including the driver, were on the tower.

³⁸The rest of the cavalry were stationed on the right and left flanks of the army to harass the enemy and protect the battalions. ³⁹When the sun shone on the shields of gold and bronze, the mountains glittered and gleamed like flames of fire. ⁴⁰One part of the king’s army was deployed up in the mountains and the other on the plain. All advanced confidently and in good order. ⁴¹The Jews trembled when they heard the great noise of this vast multitude, the marching of that mass, and the clanking of their weapons. It was indeed an army that was extremely numerous and powerful.

⁴²Judas and his army advanced to give battle, and about six hundred men of the king’s army fell. ⁴³Eleazar, called Avaran, saw one of the beasts protected with armor, which excelled over all the others. So he supposed that it must be the king’s. ⁴⁴He then sacrificed himself to save his people and win eternal renown for himself. ⁴⁵He boldly charged towards the animal, right into the midst of the battalion, killing men right and left, scattering the enemy before him on both sides. ⁴⁶He reached the elephant, darted under it, and stabbed it in the belly. The elephant collapsed on top of him, and he died on the spot.

⁴⁷The Jews, aware of the tremendous force of the king’s army and their bravery, retreated before them. ⁴⁸The king’s troops went up to Jerusalem to overtake them, and the king encamped in Judea and around Mount Zion. ⁴⁹He made peace with the people of Beth-Zur, who evacuated the city since they had no food to continue the resistance, for that year was a year of rest for the land. ⁵⁰The king seized Beth-zur and stationed a garrison there to guard it.

⁵¹He encamped before the temple for a long time and set up firing platforms, crossbows, engines, fire-throwers, catapults, and scorpions to discharge arrows and slingers. ⁵²The defenders also constructed engines as their attackers had done, and they fought for a long time. ⁵³But they had no food in storage, as it was the seventh year, and because the Israelites, who came to Judea from the pagan lands, had consumed the last of their reserves. ⁵⁴So, the famine left few men in the temple. The others had dispersed.

The King Grants Religious Freedom

•  ⁵⁵Meanwhile, Philip, to whom King Antiochus, during his life, had entrusted the education of his son, Antiochus, to prepare him for the throne, ⁵⁶had returned from Persia and Media with the army that had accompanied the king to those regions; and was planning to seize power. ⁵⁷This is why Lysias hastily gave orders to depart, saying to the king, the generals of the army, and the soldiers, “We are losing strength every day. We are short of food, and the place we are besieging is well fortified. We are, moreover, diverting our attention from the affairs of the kingdom. ⁵⁸Let us, then, offer the hand of friendship to these people and make peace with them and their nation. ⁵⁹Let us permit them to live according to their customs since all this came to be because we suppressed their laws, and they have risen in defense of them.”

⁶⁰These words pleased the king and the generals. ⁶¹So the king sent messengers to make peace with the Jews, who accepted it.

When the king and the generals had committed themselves with an oath, the Jews came out of the fortress. ⁶²The king went up to Mount Zion, and when he saw the defenses, he broke his oath and ordered the surrounding wall to be demolished. ⁶³Then he hurriedly left, returning to Antioch, where Philip was already controlling the city. So he fought him and took the city by force.

7 | ¹In one hundred and fifty-one (in 161 B.C.), Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, escaped from Rome. He sailed with a few men to a port of the kingdom, where he arrived and proclaimed himself king. ² As soon as he entered the kingdom of his fathers, the army arrested Antiochus and Lysias to hand them over to him. ³When Demetrius heard this, he said: “I do not want to see their faces.” ⁴So the army executed them, and Demetrius took the throne.

⁵At once, all the Israelites without law or religion came to him. They were led by Alcimus, a man who sought the office of a chief priest for himself, ⁶began accusing their people before the king: “Judas and his brothers have murdered all your friends and have driven us away from our land. ⁷Send one of your trustworthy friends to see the havoc they have caused us and our province, which belongs to the king. Let him punish all who support them.”

Expedition of Bacchides and Nicanor

⁸The king chose Bacchides, one of his friends and a distinguished man of the kingdom, the governor of the western province of the Euphrates. ⁹He also sent Alcimus, whom he had appointed chief priest, and ordered them to punish the Israelites.

¹⁰They set out with a large army. On reaching Judea, they sent messengers to Judas and his brothers with treacherous peace proposals. ¹¹But the Jews, who knew that they came with a powerful army, did not trust them.

¹²However, a commission of teachers of the law met with Alcimus and Bacchides to seek a satisfactory solution. ¹³These men, from the group of the Hasideans, the first to seek peace in Israel, ¹⁴reasoned like this: “A man in the line of Aaron has come with the army. He will surely deal with us in fairness.” ¹⁵Bacchides, moreover, sent them a friendly message and assured them under oath: “We do not wish any harm to you and your friends.” ¹⁶They believed him. But he arrested sixty of them, executing them the same day, according to the word of the Scripture: ¹⁷Around Jerusalem, they have scattered the dead bodies of your saints. They have shed their blood, and there was no one to bury them.

¹⁸All the people were terrified and feared them. They said, “There is no justice or truth in these people who have violated the agreement they made with an oath.”

¹⁹Bacchides left Jerusalem and encamped at Beth-Zur. From there, he ordered the arrest of many prominent men who had deserted him and some people. He then had them thrown into a deep pit.

²⁰Then he placed the province in the hands of Alcimus, leaving him with an army to help him, and he returned to the king. ²¹ Alcimus struggled to have the Israelites recognize him as a chief priest, ²² and all who disturbed the peace of the people joined him. They became masters of the land of Judea and did great harm to the Israelites.

²³Judas saw that Alcimus and his men were an even greater menace to Israel than the pagans. ²⁴So he went throughout the territory of Judea to do justice to those traitors and to prevent them from going about the country.

²⁵Alcimus realized that Judas and his men were of greater strength and that he could not resist them. So he returned to the king, accusing them of serious crimes. ²⁶The king then sent Nicanor, one of his more illustrious generals and a known enemy of Israel, with the mission to utterly destroy this people.

²⁷Nicanor reached Jerusalem with a large army. He sent Judas and his brothers false friendship messages, telling them, ²⁸“Let us not begin as enemies once more. I will come with a few men to meet you face to face, in friendship.”

²⁹He indeed came to Judas, and they greeted each other peaceably, but the enemy was prepared to seize him. ³⁰Judas was told that Nicanor had come to him treacherously. So he withdrew from Nicanor and would not see him again. ³¹When Nicanor saw that his plans had been discovered, he went looking for Judas, this time to fight him. He found him near Capharsalama. ³²About five hundred of Nicanor’s men fell, and the rest fled to the city of David.

Nicanor Is Defeated

³³After these events, Nicanor went up to Mount Zion, where some priests and elders came out of the temple to greet him peacefully and show him the sacrifice they offered for the king. ³⁴But he mocked, scorned, and insulted them; ³⁵and angrily swore this oath: “If you do not deliver Judas into my hands immediately, as soon as I have destroyed him, I will return and burn this temple.” Then, furious, he went away.

³⁶The priests entered the temple and stood weeping before the altar and the Sanctuary. They said, ³⁷“You, Lord, chose this house that your name may be invoked in it, that it would be a house of prayer and petition for your people. ³⁸Take vengeance on this man and his army. Let them die by the sword. Remember their insults and do not delay in punishing them.”

³⁹Nicanor left Jerusalem and encamped in Beth-horon, where the Syrian army joined him. ⁴⁰Meanwhile, Judas encamped in Adasa with three thousand men and prayed: ⁴¹“Lord, when the messengers of the king of Assyria insulted you, your angel came and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand of his men. ⁴²So now, crush this army before us, so that all the rest may know that this Nicanor has blasphemed against your temple. Judge him according to his wickedness.”

⁴³The two armies met in battle on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. Nicanor’s army was defeated, and he was one of the first to fall into battle. ⁴⁴When his troops saw that he was dead, they threw down their weapons and fled. ⁴⁵The Jews pursued them a day’s journey from Adasa to the entrance of Gazara, sounding the trumpets as they followed them. ⁴⁶The people came out from all the neighboring villages of Judea and surrounded the fugitives, forcing them to return to defend their lives. So all fell by the sword; not even one was left.

⁴⁷Then the Jews seized the plunder and booty. They cut off Nicanor’s head and the right hand he had so arrogantly stretched out, and they displayed them at the entrance of Jerusalem within sight of all. ⁴⁸The people were elated, and ⁴⁹celebrated their victory annually on Adar's thirteenth day of the month.

⁵⁰The land of Judah enjoyed peace for a short time.

Alliance With the Romans

8 | •  ¹In the meantime, Judas was informed about the Romans. He was told that the Romans were valiant in war. They showed goodwill towards all who sided with them and offered friendship to all who approached them. ²They were a strong ally in war.

He was told of their wars and of their exploits among the Gauls, whom they conquered and forced to pay taxes; ³and of all they had done in Spain to gain possession of the silver and gold mines; ⁴and how they had conquered that land by dint of intelligence and perseverance, despite its great distance from their land. He also learned how they had defeated the kings who came from the ends of the earth to attack them and how they managed to conquer and crush them. Others paid them an annual tax.

⁵They had defeated and subjected Philip and Perseus, the kings of Macedonia, and others who opposed them. ⁶They had vanquished Antiochus the Great, king of Asia, who went to fight the Romans with one hundred and twenty elephants, cavalry, chariots, and a mighty army. But he was defeated ⁷and fell into their hands. He and his successors were forced to pay an enormous amount in tax, surrender hostages, and cede some of their best provinces, ⁸like India, Media, and Lydia, which, afterward, the Romans gave to King Eumenes. ⁹The Greeks had planned to come and destroy the Romans, ¹⁰but hearing of it, the Romans sent a single general against them. They killed a great number of Greeks, took their women and children, destroyed their fortresses, and enslaved them to this day.

¹¹In the same way, they destroyed and subdued other countries, islands, and others who opposed them. ¹²But they have usually remained faithful to their allies and those who relied on them.

The Romans were really powerful. They conquered kingdoms far and near, and all who heard their name feared them. ¹³They appointed kings to their liking and deposed those who were not.

¹⁴But despite all this, not one had himself crowned or dressed as a king to be exalted. ¹⁵They had created a senate, and daily, three hundred and twenty men deliberated on matters relating to the good of the people and the maintenance of order. ¹⁶Every year, they would choose one man to rule over them and govern the empire, and all obeyed him without envy or jealousy.

¹⁷So, Judas sent Eupolemus, the son of John, and Jason, the son of Eleazar, to Rome, entrusting them with the mission of making a covenant of friendship with the Romans. ¹⁸Since the Greeks treated the Israelites as slaves, Judas hoped to liberate them from oppression in this way.

¹⁹The envoys from Judas went to Rome, where they arrived after a long journey. When they entered the Senate, they addressed the assembly: ²⁰“Judas Maccabeus, his brothers and the people of Israel, have sent us to you to conclude a covenant of peace with you, and to be numbered among your allies and friends.” ²¹The Romans approved this proposal, ²²and this is a copy of the letter they wrote on bronze tablets, which they sent to Jerusalem as a memorial of peace and alliance:

²³“May all go well with the Romans and the Jewish people, at sea and on land, forever. May both sword and enemy be far from them! ²⁴If war comes first to the Romans or any of their allies in any part of its empire, ²⁵the Jewish nation shall enter the war wholeheartedly, as circumstances permit. ²⁶The Jewish nation will not receive wheat, weapons, money, or ships from them. As Rome has decided, they shall fulfill their obligations without compensation.

²⁷Similarly, if the Jewish nation is attacked, the Romans shall fight at her side with all zeal, as circumstances may allow. ²⁸The Roman allies would not receive wheat, weapons, money, or ships. As Rome has decided, the Romans shall fulfill their obligations without deception. ^29 , the Romans concluded their alliance with the Jewish nation on these terms.

³⁰If, after these terms have taken effect, either party wishes to add or delete anything, the said party shall do so in joint agreement with the other party; then what has been added or deleted shall be binding.

³¹And concerning the harm King Demetrius does to the Jews, we have written to him as follows, ‘Why do you lay such a heavy yoke upon the Jews, our friends, and allies? ³²If they complain about you again, we shall defend their rights and attack you by sea and land.’”

Death of Judas Maccabeus

9 | •  ¹When Demetrius was informed of Nicanor's death and his army's defeat, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus back to Judea with the best troops of his army. ²They took the road to Galilee. They besieged the city of Mesaloth in the Arbela region. They captured it, killing many. ³In the first month of one hundred and fifty-two (in 160 B.C.), they encamped before Jerusalem. ⁴From there, twenty thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry set out for Berea. ⁵Judas had his camp in Elasa with three thousand picked men. ⁶When they saw the vast number of enemies, they were terrified. Many slipped out of the camp, leaving only eight hundred men. ⁷Judas saw his army's dispersal, which crushed his spirit. The battle was imminent, but he had no time to group them. ⁸Yet, despite being dismayed, he did his best to encourage those who remained with him: “Let us fight our enemies. We may yet be able to defeat them.”

⁹They tried to dissuade him, “We cannot do anything now but save ourselves. We can come back later with our brothers and fight. But now, we are too few.” ¹⁰But Judas answered them, “God forbid I should run away from them. If our time has come, let us die as valiant men for our brothers without tarnishing our glory.”

¹¹While the Jews remained in their place, the army of Bacchides marched out of their camp to engage them in battle. The cavalry was divided into two wings. In the first line, the war veterans advanced, and the archers and slingers followed. ¹²Bacchides was on the right wing. At the sound of the trumpets, they advanced on both sides. The Jews also sounded the trumpets. ¹³The earth trembled with the noise of the armies, and a battle began, which lasted the whole day.

¹⁴Judas saw that Bacchides, and the main strength of his army, was on the right. The most courageous of the Israelites went with him, ¹⁵and they defeated the enemy's right wing, pursuing them up to the hills. ¹⁶But when those on the left wing saw the right-wing defeated, they attacked Judas and his men from the rear. ¹⁷They fought bitterly, and many fell on both sides. ¹⁸Judas also fell, and the rest fled.

¹⁹Jonathan and Simon took their brother and buried him in the tomb of their fathers at Modein. ²⁰All the people of Israel mourned and wept for him for many days, repeating this lamentation: ²¹“How the hero has fallen; he, who saved Israel.”

²²Judas's other deeds, his battles, exploits, and heroism, were not written about, for they were many.

Jonathan Succeeds Judas

•  ²³After the death of Judas, the renegades reappeared throughout the territory of Israel, and the evildoers took courage. ²⁴At the same time, there was a severe famine, and the country went to their side. ²⁵Bacchides chose renegade men, making them masters of the land. ²⁶These men traced and searched out all the friends and supporters of Judas, bringing them before Bacchides, who punished and humiliated them in a thousand ways. ²⁷It was a terrible trial for Israel, as it had never been experienced since the disappearance of the prophets.

²⁸So the friends of Judas came together and said to Jonathan, ²⁹“Since your brother, Judas, died, we haven’t found anyone like him to head the resistance against the enemy—against Bacchides and all the enemies of our nation. ³⁰So, we now choose you to take his place, to be our head, and lead us in our wars.” So, from that day on, ³¹Jonathan accepted the leadership and succeeded his brother Judas.

³²When Bacchides heard of this, he planned to kill Jonathan. ³³But Jonathan was informed of the plot and fled to Tekoa's desert with his brother Simon and his followers. They encamped by the lake Asphar. ³⁴Bacchides found this out on the Sabbath day, and with all his army, he crossed the Jordan.

³⁵Jonathan had sent his brother John, a representative of the people, to ask their friends, the Nabateans, to store their large amount of baggage for them. ³⁶But the tribe of Jambri and the people of Medeba captured John, took all he had, and departed with the booty. ³⁷After this had happened, Jonathan and his brother Simon were told that the Jambrites were celebrating a solemn wedding of the daughter of one of the magnates and were escorting the bride from Nadabath with great pomp.

³⁸Both remembered the murder of their brother John, so they went and hid under cover of the mountain. ³⁹At a particular moment, they heard a confusion of sounds; then they saw a great deal of baggage. The bridegroom, his friends, and brothers came straight to them with tambourines, musical instruments, and many weapons. ⁴⁰Then the Jews rushed down on them from their ambush, killing them. There were many casualties, and others fled to the mountain. The Jews seized all the plunder. ⁴¹So the wedding turned to mourning and the music to lamentation. ⁴²Having avenged their brother's death, the Israelites returned to the marshes of the Jordan.

Meanwhile, Bacchides ⁴³arrived with a strong army on the Sabbath day at the banks of the Jordan. ⁴⁴So Jonathan said to his men, “Courage! Let us fight for our lives. For today, things are going to be serious. ⁴⁵Dangers surround us—we have the waters of the Jordan on this side, the marshes and the thickets on the other side—there is no place to turn. ⁴⁶So cry out to Heaven for deliverance from our enemies.”

⁴⁷When the battle began, Jonathan stretched out his arm to strike Bacchides, but he eluded him and withdrew. ⁴⁸So Jonathan and his men leaped into the Jordan, swimming to the other side. But their enemies did not follow them. ⁴⁹On that day, about a thousand of Bacchides’ men fell.

⁵⁰Bacchides returned to Jerusalem, where he began to build fortified cities in Judea—the strongholds of Jericho, Emmaus, Beth-horon, Bethel, Timnath, Pharathon, and Tephon—with high walls and barred gates, ⁵¹with a garrison stationed in each of them to harass the Israelites. ⁵²He also fortified the cities of Beth-Zur, Gazara, and the Citadel, placing troops in each of them with supplies of provisions. ⁵³He took the sons of the leaders of the land as hostages, imprisoning them in the Citadel of Jerusalem.

⁵⁴In one hundred and fifty-three (in 159 B.C.), in the second month, Alcimus ordered the demolition of the temple's inner court wall. This meant no less than destroying the work of the prophets. ⁵⁵Alcimus did begin the demolition but, soon after, suffered a stroke, suspending the work. Alcimus could no longer speak, not even rule over his household. ⁵⁶After a while, he died in great agony. ⁵⁷Because of his death, Bacchides returned to the king, bringing peace to the land for two years.

The Siege of Bethbasi

⁵⁸Then all the renegades agreed on a plan: “Jonathan and his people now live in peace, without fear. Let us bring Bacchides back so he can arrest them all in one night.” ⁵⁹They went to Bacchides, and after convincing him, ⁶⁰he set out with a large contingent. He secretly sent letters to his supporters in Judea, instructing them to seize Jonathan and his men. But their plot was found out, and their plan was foiled. ⁶¹Instead, the supporters of Jonathan arrested fifty Jewish leaders of this conspiracy and had them executed.

⁶²Jonathan and Simon withdrew to Bethbasi in the desert with their men. They rebuilt the ruins and fortified it. ⁶³When Bacchides heard this, he assembled all his men and notified his adherents in Judea. ⁶⁴He attacked Bethbasi, besieging it for many days with engines of war. ⁶⁵Then Jonathan left his brother Simon in the city and went to the countryside with a handful of men. ⁶⁶He defeated Odomera, his brothers, and the people of Phasiron in their camp. ⁶⁷Then, turning back, they began to attack the troops who had laid siege to the city. Meanwhile, Simon and his men left the city and burned the engines. ⁶⁸They attacked Bacchides, who was defeated and dismayed by the failure of his expedition. ⁶⁹He was greatly enraged against the renegades who had advised him to return to the Jewish country. He executed many of them and then decided to return to his land. ⁷⁰When Jonathan learned this, he sent messengers to make a peace treaty and exchange prisoners.

⁷¹Bacchides accepted his terms. For Bacchides’ part, he fulfilled his promises and swore that henceforth and until his death, he would never harm him in any way. ⁷²He turned over to Jonathan the prisoners taken earlier in Judea. Then, he returned to his own country and never returned to the territory of Judea. ⁷³So there was peace in Israel, and Jonathan resided in Michmash, where he began to govern the land while the renegades disappeared from Israel.

The War Between Alexander Balas and Demetrius

10 | ¹In one hundred and sixty (in 152 B.C.), Alexander Epiphanes, son of Antiochus, sailed for Ptolemais and occupied it. He was well received when he began to reign. ²When Demetrius heard this, he assembled a large army and marched out to fight him. ³At the same time, he sent a letter of friendship to Jonathan. He offered him vast power, ⁴for Demetrius thought: “Let us make the first move in making peace with him, before he makes peace with Alexander against us, ⁵remembering all the wrongs we have done to him, his brothers, and his nation.”

⁶So Demetrius authorized Jonathan to organize an army and manufacture arms. He named him his ally and ordered the release of the hostages in the Citadel of Jerusalem. ⁷Jonathan went to Jerusalem and read the letter before all the people and those in the Citadel. ⁸They were afraid when they heard that the king had authorized Jonathan to organize a great army; ⁹and they released the hostages to Jonathan, who handed them back to their families. ¹⁰Jonathan resided in Jerusalem and began rebuilding and restoring the city. ¹¹He commanded the builders to build the walls and the defenses of Mount Zion with hewn stones. And they did so.

¹²Then, all the foreigners who stayed in the fortresses built by Bacchides began to flee, ¹³abandoning his post and returning to his land. ¹⁴Only at Beth-Zur did some who had abandoned the law and the precepts remain since this was a place of refuge.

•  ¹⁵King Alexander was informed of Demetrius's promises to Jonathan. He was also given an account of the battles and exploits of Jonathan and his brothers and the trials they had endured. ¹⁶So Alexander declared: “Shall we ever find another man like him? Let us make him our ally and friend.” ¹⁷He wrote him a letter: ¹⁸“King Alexander, to our brother Jonathan: Peace. ¹⁹We have heard that you are a valiant man and most worthy of our friendship. ²⁰Therefore, we now appoint you high priest of your nation and bestow on you the title Friend of the King (he also sent him a purple robe and a golden crown). So we invite you to watch over our interests and maintain friendly relations with us.”

²¹This is why in the seventh month of one hundred and sixty (in 152 B.C.), during the feast of Tabernacles, Jonathan put on the sacred vestments. He also recruited troops and manufactured a great quantity of arms.

²²When Demetrius heard what had happened, he was greatly displeased and said, ²³“What have we done that Alexander is ahead of us in gaining the friendship of the Jews? ²⁴I will also write them kind words and promise them honor and gifts to win them to my side.” ²⁵So he wrote to the Jews:

“King Demetrius greets the Jewish nation. ²⁶You have kept your agreement with us, remained our friends, and not joined our enemies. We have heard of it, and so we rejoice. ²⁷Therefore, continue to be faithful, and we will grant you privileges in return for all you do on our behalf. ²⁸I will free the Jews from many taxes and grant them royal privileges and exemptions. ²⁹From now on, and forever, I now free all Jews from payment of tribute, salt dues, and crown levies. ³⁰I give up, from this day and subsequently, the third of the harvest and half of the fruit of the trees which I have the right to exact from the region of Judea and the three districts annexed to it from Samaria and Galilee. ³¹From this day on, and for all time, Jerusalem shall be a Holy City and be free with all its territory, with the right to collect tithes and tributes. ³²I also gave up control of the Citadel of Jerusalem and turned it over to the high priest, who said he may choose the men he wants to defend it. ³³I grant freedom without ransom to all the captives taken from Judea into any part of my kingdom. I free everyone from the taxes they owe me for their livestock.

³⁴All feasts, Sabbaths, new moons, special days, and the three holy days before and after a feast shall be days of exemption for all the Jews in my kingdom. ³⁵No one shall have the right to pursue or molest them for any motive whatsoever. ³⁶I also decreed that they be accepted into the king’s army, and thirty thousand Jews would receive the same salary as the rest of the king’s forces. ³⁷Some of them shall be stationed at the king’s fortresses, and positions of trust shall be given to some of them. Their officers shall be chosen from among themselves, and they will live according to their laws, as the king has prescribed in the land of Judea.

³⁸The three districts of Samaria annexed to Judea shall be considered part of Jewish territory. To avoid any power conflict, these shall be subject to no authority other than that of the High Priest. ³⁹I give the city of Ptolemais and its territory as a gift to the temple of Jerusalem to cover the expenses of public worship. ⁴⁰Henceforth, I will give fifteen thousand pieces of silver annually for the maintenance of the temple, which shall be taken from the royal revenues from appropriate places. ⁴¹Moreover, I give all that the administrators should have paid me in previous years.

⁴²In addition, I also remit the five thousand pieces of silver levied every year from the tributes to the temple and give them to the priests in charge of public worship. ⁴³Anyone who takes refuge in the temple of Jerusalem, or any of its enclosures, because of his debt on royal taxes or any other debt, shall not be disturbed, and his possessions anywhere in my kingdom shall be duly protected.

⁴⁴Finally, the cost of rebuilding or restoring the Sanctuary shall be passed on to the king’s account, ⁴⁵as well as the expenses of reconstructing the walls of Jerusalem, fortifying its defenses, and building the walls in the cities of Judea.

⁴⁶When Jonathan and the people heard such proposals, they did not believe or accept them, for they remembered the great wrongs Demetrius had done to Israel and the ill-treatment to which he had subjected them. ⁴⁷They decided to favor Alexander, for he was the first to propose peace, and they became his faithful allies. ⁴⁸King Alexander assembled a great army and encamped opposite Demetrius. ⁴⁹The two kings met in battle, and the army of Demetrius was routed. Alexander pursued him until Demetrius was defeated. ⁵⁰The battle lasted until sunset, and on that day, Demetrius died.

⁵¹Then Alexander sent messengers to Ptolemy, the king of Egypt, with the following message: ⁵²“I am now again in my kingdom and have assumed power after defeating Demetrius and all his army. ⁵³Now I occupy the throne of my ancestors as master of all the land. Let us be friends. ⁵⁴Give me your daughter in marriage, and I will become your son-in-law, and I will give you and her gifts worthy of you.”

⁵⁵King Ptolemy replied, “Blessed be the day when you returned to the land of your ancestors and ascended to their throne! ⁵⁶ I will, without delay, do for you as you have proposed. But meet me in Ptolemais. We shall see one another there, and I will receive you as my son-in-law as you requested.”

⁵⁷Ptolemy left Egypt with his daughter Cleopatra in one hundred and sixty-two (in 150 B.C.) and arrived at Ptolemais. ⁵⁸Alexander met him, and Ptolemy gave him his daughter Cleopatra and celebrated her wedding with great splendor as kings do.

Political Liability of Jonathan

•  ⁵⁹King Alexander also wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him. ⁶⁰So Jonathan went to Ptolemais with great pomp and met the two kings. Then he gave them and their friends much silver, gold, and other gifts. ⁶¹The renegades, the pests of Israel, gathered together to accuse Jonathan, but the king paid no attention to them. ⁶²The king even ordered that Jonathan remove his garment and be clothed in purple; it was done. ⁶³The king seated him by his side and said to his captains: “Go with him into the center of the city and proclaim that no one is to accuse Jonathan under any pretext, and no one is to molest him for any reason.” ⁶⁴When his accusers saw the public honor given to Jonathan and that he was clothed in purple, they all fled. ⁶⁵The king honored him, enrolled him among his first friends, and appointed him general and governor. ⁶⁶So Jonathan returned to Jerusalem happy and secure.

⁶⁷In one hundred and sixty-five (in 147 B.C.), Demetrius, the son of Demetrius, returned from Crete to the land of his ancestors. ⁶⁸When King Alexander heard of it, he was so greatly disturbed that he returned to Antioch. ⁶⁹Demetrius took his general Apollonius, the governor of Coelesyria, who assembled a large force. He encamped at Jamnia and sent the following message to Jonathan, the high priest:

⁷⁰“Are you the only one who resists our authority? And am I to be ridiculed because of you? Why do you stand against our authority in your mountains? ⁷¹If you have confidence in your forces, come down to the plain and let us measure each other’s strength there, for I have the army of the cities with me.

⁷²Inquire and find out who I am and those who support me. People are saying that you cannot make a stand against us, for your fathers were twice defeated on their land. ⁷³Nor will you withstand the cavalry and so great an army on the plain, where no stones or rocks offer a refuge.”

⁷⁴When Jonathan heard Apollonius’ message, he was greatly provoked. So he left Jerusalem with ten thousand picked men, and his brother Simon came to his help. ⁷⁵They encamped near Joppa, but the city's inhabitants closed the gates to them because Apollonius had a garrison there. ⁷⁶So Jonathan gave the order to attack. The people in the city were so afraid that they opened the gates to him, and Jonathan occupied Joppa. ⁷⁷When Apollonius learned of it, he mobilized three thousand cavalry and a large army. He set out towards Azotus, pretending to march through the land, when, in fact, his troops were spreading out in the direction of the plain because he had a great number of cavalry on which he relied. ⁷⁸Jonathan pursued him towards Azotus, and they began to fight. ⁷⁹Apollonius had left a thousand picked horsemen hidden behind Jonathan, ⁸⁰but Jonathan was informed of the ambush.

The horsemen surrounded Jonathan’s men and shot their arrows from morning till evening. ⁸¹But the Israelites faced them, as Jonathan had commanded, until the enemy's horses tired. Once the cavalry were exhausted, ⁸²Simon and his men advanced, attacking the infantry. The enemy was defeated and fled.

⁸³The cavalry scattered over the plain. Those who fled went to Azotus, where they entered the temple of Dagon, their idol, to save their lives. ⁸⁴But Jonathan set fire to Azotus and the surrounding towns and plundered them. He also burned down the temple of Dagon with all who had taken refuge in it. ⁸⁵About eight thousand men either fell by the sword or were burned to death. ⁸⁶Jonathan then left for Askalon, where the inhabitants received him with great honor. ⁸⁷From there, Jonathan and his men returned to Jerusalem laden with booty.

⁸⁸When King Alexander heard what happened, he gave Jonathan new honors. ⁸⁹He sent him a golden brooch, usually given to the relatives of kings. He also gave him Ekron and all its territory as his possession.

11 | ¹But the king of Egypt assembled an army as numerous as the sands of the seashore, with many ships, for he intended to trick Alexander, take his kingdom, and add it to his own. ²He went to Syria with words of peace, and the inhabitants of the cities opened their gates to him. As Alexander had ordered, they came to meet him, ³because Ptolemy was his father-in-law. But as soon as Ptolemy entered the cities, he stationed garrisons in them. ⁴When he reached Azotus, he was shown the burnt temple of Dagon, Azotus and its surroundings in ruins, the scattered corpses that had been abandoned, and the charred remains of those whom Jonathan burned to death in the battle, piled in heaps along the king’s way.

⁵They recounted to King Ptolemy everything Jonathan had done. They hoped the king would disapprove, but he said nothing. ⁶Jonathan went with great pomp to Joppa to meet the king. They greeted each other and spent the night there. ⁷On the following day, Jonathan accompanied the king as far as the Eleutherus River and then returned to Jerusalem. ⁸King Ptolemy, for his part, seized the coastal cities as far as Seleucia by the sea, for he had made plans against King Alexander. ⁹He sent this message to Demetrius: “Come and let us forge an alliance. I will give you my daughter, who was married to Alexander, and you will reign on the throne of your fathers. ¹⁰The fact is, I now regret having given him my daughter, for he has tried to kill me.” ¹¹He accused Alexander because he wanted to take his kingdom. ¹²Ptolemy took his daughter away and gave her to Demetrius. In this way, his hostility towards Alexander became public. ¹³Ptolemy then entered Antioch and took for himself the crown of Asia. So, he held two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Egypt and the Kingdom of Asia.

¹⁴Alexander was in Cilicia, trying to quell a rebellion at that time. ¹⁵When he heard what had happened, he returned to fight Ptolemy. Ptolemy met him in battle with a strong army, and Alexander was defeated. ¹⁶As he fled to Arabia and sought refuge there, ¹⁷Zabdiel the Arab cut his head off and sent it to Ptolemy. ¹⁸But after three days, Ptolemy died, and immediately, the Egyptian soldiers who guarded the fortified cities were killed by the local inhabitants. ¹⁹In this way, Demetrius became king in one hundred and sixty-seven (in 145 B.C.).

²⁰In those days, Jonathan assembled the Jewish army to attack the Citadel in Jerusalem, occupied by the Syrians, and he prepared many siege engines. ²¹But some wicked men who were traitors to their country informed the king. ²²When the king heard of it, he became angry and immediately set out for Ptolemais. From there, he wrote to Jonathan, telling him to stop the siege and see him as soon as possible. ²³Jonathan received the message, but he ordered the siege to continue. Then, he decided to put himself at risk and went to see the king with the elders and priests of Israel. ²⁴Bringing gold, silver, delicate garments, and other presents, they went before the king in Ptolemais and won him over. ²⁵Some traitors accused them. ²⁶But the king, in the presence of all his friends, treated Jonathan as kings before had treated him. ²⁷He confirmed Jonathan’s office as high priest with all the privileges he already had. And he numbered him among his first friends.

²⁸Jonathan asked the king to exempt Judea and the three districts of Samaria from taxes and promised him three hundred talents in return. ²⁹The king agreed and wrote to Jonathan regarding the matter in these terms: ³⁰“King Demetrius to Jonathan, to his brothers, and the whole Jewish nation, Peace: ³¹We are sending you a copy of the letter we have written to our relative Lasthenes that you may know: ³²King Demetrius greets his relative Lasthenes. ³³Because of their fidelity to us, we have decided to grant favors to the Jewish nation, who are our friends and fulfill their obligations to us. We wish to reward their fidelity. ³⁴We confirm the possession of Judea's territory and the three regions of Aphairema, Lydda, and Ramathaim, which have been annexed to Judea from Samaria, with all their dependencies. And to all who go up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice, we grant exemption from the tax the king formerly received from them annually until now, from the produce of the soil and the fruit of the trees.

³⁵Similarly, they shall also be exempt from the other taxes due to us, especially from the taxes on the produce of the salt mines and the gold crowns they formerly offered us. ³⁶None of these privileges shall ever be annulled. ³⁷Have a copy of this decree made and delivered to Jonathan to be displayed on the Holy Mountain in a conspicuous place.”

³⁸King Demetrius could place the kingdom under his rule, but no one dared oppose him. So he dismissed his army and sent all the men back to their homes, except the foreign troops he had recruited from the islands of the pagans. And this drew the hatred of all the troops who had served his fathers. ³⁹Then Trypho, one of Alexander’s former supporters, took advantage of the army’s discontent with Demetrius. He went to Imalkue, the Arab who was in charge of the education of Antiochus, the son of Alexander. ⁴⁰Trypho persuaded him to hand the boy over to him to restore Antiochus to the throne of his father. He told him of Demetrius's decisions and the resentment of his soldiers towards him. And Trypho spent a long time there.

⁴¹Meanwhile, Jonathan asked King Demetrius to withdraw the troops from the Citadel in Jerusalem and to call back the garrisons from the fortresses since they were always fighting Israel. ⁴²Demetrius answered, “Not only will I do this for you and your people, but I will confer great honor on you and your nation if I find an opportunity. ⁴³ You would do well to send me reinforcements, for all my soldiers have deserted me.”

⁴⁴Jonathan sent off three thousand valiant men to Antioch. They presented themselves before the king, and this made him very happy. ⁴⁵About a hundred and twenty thousand rebel inhabitants gathered at the city's center, intending to do away with the king. ⁴⁶Demetrius took refuge in the palace while the residents occupied the city streets and began to attack. ⁴⁷The king then called on the Jews to help him, and the Jews rallied around him. They spread out through the city and killed a hundred thousand men on that day. ⁴⁸They burned the city, seized great plunder, and saved the king. ⁴⁹The Jews took control of the city. And the inhabitants were so discouraged that they begged the king, ⁵⁰“Forgive us and stop the Jews from maltreating us and the city.”

⁵¹They threw down their arms and made peace. With this, the Jews merited the king's admiration and became famous throughout the kingdom. Then they returned to Jerusalem laden with booty. ⁵²But when Demetrius felt secure on his throne, and the land was in peace, ⁵³forgot his promises and changed his attitude towards Jonathan. He did not treat him with the same kindness as before but began to treat him very harshly.

⁵⁴After this, Trypho returned with Antiochus, who was still a boy. He was proclaimed and crowned king, ⁵⁵ and the troops discharged by Demetrius rallied to him and fought against Demetrius, who had to flee. ⁵⁶Trypho seized the elephants and occupied Antioch.

⁵⁷The young Antiochus sent Jonathan this letter: “I confirm your office as High Priest and make you governor of four districts, and I include you among the Friends of the King.” ⁵⁸He sent him a service of gold plate and granted him the right to drink from gold vessels, be clothed in purple, and wear the golden brooch. ⁵⁹He also appointed Jonathan’s brother, Simon, as general from the Ladder of Tyre to the frontiers of Egypt.

⁶⁰Jonathan then began to make rounds of the region and the cities on the western side of the Euphrates. The whole Syrian army came to his aid. He came to Askalon, and the inhabitants of that city went out to receive him with full honors. ⁶¹From there, he went to Gaza, but the people there closed their gates on him. So Jonathan laid siege to it and burned the suburbs of the city, plundering everything. ⁶²Then, the people of Gaza sought peace, and he made peace with them. But he took the sons of their elders as hostages and sent them away to Jerusalem. Then, he traveled through the province until he reached Damascus. ⁶³Jonathan then received news that the generals of Demetrius were in Kadesh, of Galilee, with a great army and planned to capture him. ⁶⁴Leaving his brother Simon in Judea, he met them in battle. ⁶⁵Simon encamped against Beth-Zur, besieging it for many days. ⁶⁶The inhabitants sued for peace, which he granted. But he expelled them from the city, occupied it, and stationed a garrison there.

⁶⁷Meanwhile, Jonathan encamped with his army by the waters of Gennesaret. Then, early in the morning, they went to the plain of Hazor. ⁶⁸The army of the pagans went out to confront them on the plain after laying an ambush for him in the mountains. ⁶⁹As they advanced directly towards the Jews, the men in ambush broke cover and began to attack. ⁷⁰The men of Jonathan’s side fled. Only Mattathias, the son of Absalom, and Judas, the son of Chalphi, the leaders of his army, remained with him. ⁷¹At this, Jonathan tore his garments, put dust on his head, and prayed. ⁷²Then he faced his attackers, defeated them, and put them to flight.

⁷³So the troops who had abandoned him came back to his side, and together they pursued the enemies as far as Kadesh, where the enemy camp was; and there, they, too, pitched camp. ⁷⁴About three thousand pagans perished that day. Then Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.

Jonathan Renews the Alliances With the Spartans and Romans

12 | ¹Jonathan saw that circumstances were to his advantage. So he chose men, sending them to Rome to confirm and renew the alliance of friendship with the Romans. ²He also sent letters to the Spartans and other places for this exact purpose. ³Those who went to Rome entered the Senate and delivered this message: “The High Priest Jonathan and the Jewish nation have sent us to renew with you the friendship and alliance that formerly united us.” ⁴The Senate gave them letters of recommendation to the authorities of each region, enabling them to journey safely back to the land of Judah.

⁵This is a copy of the letter Jonathan wrote to the Spartans: ⁶“Jonathan, the high priest, the senate of the nation, the priests and the whole country of the Jews, to the people of Sparta, their brothers: Peace: ⁷In the past, our high priest Onias received from Areios, your king, a letter stating that you are indeed our brothers, as the enclosed copy attests. ⁸Onias received the envoy with great honor and accepted the letter of friendship and alliance.

⁹Though we are not in need, for we have our consolation in our Sacred Books, ¹⁰we have decided to send ambassadors to you to renew our fraternal bonds and friendship so as not to become strangers to you, for it has been a long time since you wrote to us.

¹¹For our part, we constantly remember you in all circumstances, on special days, in the sacrifices we offer, as well as in our prayers; for it is but fitting and proper to remember our brothers ¹²and greatly rejoice at your prosperity and fame. ¹³For our part, we have been involved in many trials, in misery and wars, for neighboring kings have attacked us. ¹⁴However, we did not want to burden you or the rest of our allies and friends during these wars, ¹⁵for our help comes from Heaven. Finally, we have been freed from our enemies who have been humbled.

¹⁶So we have chosen Numenius, son of Antiochus, and Antipater, son of Jason, and sent them to the Romans to renew our former friendship and alliance. ¹⁷We have also ordered them to go to you, greet you, and deliver this letter to you on our behalf, with which we wish to renew our alliance. ¹⁸We shall be glad to receive a favorable response.”

¹⁹This is a copy of the letter that Onias had received: ²⁰ “Areios, king of the Spartans, to Onias the High Priest. 21 We have found in one of our documents that the Spartans and the Jews are brothers, for both, are of the race of Abraham. ²²Now that we know this, we shall be grateful if you send us news of your welfare. ²³And we say this to you: our livestock and possessions are yours, and all that are yours are ours. This is what we have instructed our envoys to say to you.”

²⁴Jonathan learned that the generals of Demetrius had come to attack him with a larger army than before. ²⁵So he left Jerusalem at once and went to face them in the country of Hamath, not to give them time to invade his land. ²⁶He sent spies to their camp, and on their return, they told him that the enemy planned to attack them at night.

²⁷So, at sunset, Jonathan ordered his men to keep watch throughout the night with their weapons at hand, ready to fight. And he posted guards around the camp. ²⁸When the enemies learned that Jonathan was keeping watch with his troops and ready for battle, they were afraid and discouraged; for this reason, they kindled fires in their camp and fled. ²⁹But neither Jonathan nor his army knew of their withdrawal until morning, for they saw the fires burning the whole night. ³⁰Jonathan pursued them but could not catch up with them, for they had crossed the Eleutherus River.

³¹So Jonathan went back against the Arabs called Zabadeans, defeated them, and plundered them. ³²After breaking camp, he went to Damascus and traveled throughout the region. Meanwhile, ³³Simon had also set out and gone as far as Askalon and the neighboring fortresses. He then proceeded to Joppa and occupied it, ³⁴for he had heard that the city's inhabitants planned to hand the Citadel over to the supporters of Demetrius. And he stationed a garrison there to hold it.

³⁵On returning, Jonathan summoned the elders of the people. The assembly decided to build fortresses in Judea, ³⁶to make the walls of Jerusalem still higher, erect a barrier between the Citadel and the city, separating it from the city, isolating it, and preventing its defenders from going out to buy or sell. ³⁷They also held an assembly to rebuild the city. Part of the wall over a rushing stream had fallen, and they built up a new wall called Chaphenatha. ³⁸ Simon rebuilt Adida in the Shephelah, fortified it, and erected barred gates.

³⁹Trypho wanted to reign in Asia and do away with King Antiochus to be king. ⁴⁰But he feared that Jonathan might not allow him to do so and might even come to attack him. He set out and came to Beth-shan. ⁴¹At once, Jonathan went out to meet him with forty thousand men, and he, too, came to Beth-shan.

Deceit Takes Jonathan

•  ⁴²When Trypho saw that Jonathan had come with a large army, he was afraid to begin the assault. ⁴³So he received Jonathan with honor, presented him to all his friends, gave him gifts, and instructed his friends and troops to obey Jonathan as they obeyed him. ⁴⁴Then he asked Jonathan, “Why have you bothered to come with so many men? Are we perhaps enemies? ⁴⁵Send them back to their homes and remain with some of them. Then, you will accompany me to the city of Ptolemais because I wish to hand it over to you and the other fortresses and place the rest of the troops and their officers at your disposal. Then, I will return home, for I have come only for this.”

⁴⁶Jonathan believed him and did as Trypho had asked him. He dismissed his men, who returned to the land of Judea, ^47, and three thousand men remained with him. Of these, he left two thousand in Galilee, and only a thousand accompanied him. ⁴⁸But as soon as they had entered Ptolemais, the inhabitants closed the gates. They seized him and killed all who had come with him.

⁴⁹Trypho sent troops and cavalry to Galilee and to the Great Plain to wipe out all of Jonathan’s men. ⁵⁰On receiving the news that Jonathan and his companions had been seized and killed, his soldiers encouraged one another and prepared to face their pursuers. ⁵¹When their enemy saw them ready to fight for their lives, they turned back. ⁵²So the men of Jonathan reached the land of Judea safe and sound. They wept for Jonathan and his companions, and they were discouraged. And all of Israel was in mourning. ⁵³All the neighboring nations planned to destroy them, seeing they were now without a leader or ally. And the pagans said: “This is now the opportunity to wipe out the remembrance of them from humankind.”

Simon Succeeds Jonathan

13 | ¹Simon heard that Trypho had assembled a great army to invade and devastate Judea. ²Because the people were frightened and apprehensive, he went up to Jerusalem. ³There, he called the people together and encouraged them with this exhortation:

“All of you know what I, my brothers, and my father's family have done for the laws and the Holy Place. You also know the wars and the hardships we endured. ⁴All my brothers died for Israel, and now I alone am left. ⁵God forbid I should seek my safety when things go wrong! For my life is not worth more than my brothers' lives. Now that all the nations have united in their hatred to destroy us, ⁶I will defend my nation and the Holy Place, your wives, and your children.”

⁷All were encouraged with these words, ⁸ and they exclaimed loudly: “Be our leader in place of Judas and your brother Jonathan. ⁹ Lead us in the war, and we will obey your commands.”

¹⁰So Simon assembled all the men able to fight and hastened to finish building the walls of Jerusalem, which was fortified on all sides. ¹¹Then he sent Jonathan, son of Absalom, with a strong army to Joppa. They drove out those who occupied it and remained there.

¹²Meanwhile, Trypho left Ptolemais with a large army to invade Judea, taking Jonathan as a prisoner. ¹³Simon encamped in Adida facing the plain. ¹⁴But when Trypho learned that Simon had taken command in place of his brother Jonathan and was prepared to fight him, he sent some envoys to him with this message: ¹⁵“We have in our custody your brother Jonathan because of the money he owes to the royal treasury for the offices he held. ¹⁶So, send a hundred talents of silver and two of his sons as hostages lest he slip away when we release him and come back against us. Then we shall let him go.”

¹⁷Simon knew that Trypho was deceiving him, but he still sent for the money and the boys so as not to draw upon himself the anger of the people of Israel who might say: ¹⁸“They killed Jonathan because Simon refused to send Trypho the money and the boys.” ¹⁹He sent the boys and the hundred talents, but Trypho broke his word and did not set Jonathan free.

²⁰After this, Trypho advanced to invade Judea to plunder it. He moved along the way to Adora, but Simon and his army kept confronting him wherever he went. ²¹Then the men in the Citadel sent messengers to Trypho urging him to come at once to their rescue by way of the desert and to bring them food. ²²Trypho prepared his entire cavalry to go, but it snowed so heavily that night that he could not go. So he left for Gilead. ²³When he approached Baskama, he killed Jonathan and buried him there. ²⁴Then Trypho returned to his land. ²⁵Simon sent men to look for the remains of Jonathan, his brother, and he buried him in Modein, the city of their fathers. ²⁶All Israel deeply mourned and wept for Jonathan for many days.

²⁷Simon built a monument over the tomb of his fathers and brothers, high enough to be seen even from afar, with the back and front covered with marble. ²⁸He erected seven pyramids facing each other for his father, mother, and four brothers. ²⁹He surrounded the pyramids with great columns and had trophies of arms carved upon the columns as a lasting remembrance; beside the armor, sculptured ships were to be seen by all who sailed the sea. ³⁰This is the tomb he constructed in Modein, and it is still there today.

³¹Trypho treated the young King Antiochus in bad faith and put him to death. ³²He then made himself king in his place, put on the crown of Asia, and caused great havoc in the country.

³³Now Simon rebuilt the fortresses of Judea, surrounded them with high towers and great walls with barred gates, and stored food in them.

³⁴Simon chose men whom he sent to King Demetrius in his attempt to obtain tax exemption for the region because all that Trypho did was plunder. ³⁵King Demetrius responded favorably to his request and wrote to him as follows.

³⁶“King Demetrius greets Simon, high priest and friend of the king, the elders, and the Jewish nation. ³⁷We have received the golden crowns and the palm you have sent us, and we are disposed to make a lasting peace with you and to write to the officials to grant you remission of your debts. ³⁸All our concessions in your favor are definitive, and the fortresses you have built are yours.

³⁹Moreover, we pardon all errors and offenses committed to this day and the crown tax you owe. From now on, any other tax that used to be paid in Jerusalem shall no longer be collected. ⁴⁰If any of your men are qualified to enlist in our army, they can do so. And let peace reign between us.”

⁴¹So, in one hundred and seventy (in 142 B.C.), Israel became free from the yoke of the pagans. ⁴²They began to write in their documents and contracts, “In the first year of Simon, high priest, general and leader of the Jews.”

⁴³In those days, Simon encamped against Gazara and surrounded it with his army. He constructed a mobile tower, brought it up to the city, and attacked and occupied one tower. ⁴⁴Then, the men of the mobile tower entered the city, causing great dismay.

⁴⁵The inhabitants, with their wives and children, went up on the walls, tore their garments, cried out loudly to Simon, and sought peace. ⁴⁶They told him, “Treat us not as our wickedness deserves, but according to your mercy.” ⁴⁷Simon was reconciled with them and did not treat them according to the rigor of war. But he expelled them from the city and purified the houses where idols were kept. He then entered the city singing hymns of thanksgiving.

⁴⁸After cleansing it from all its impurity, he settled in it men who observed the law. He fortified it and built a house there for himself.

⁴⁹The men who occupied the Citadel in Jerusalem could no longer come out or go into Jewish territory to buy or sell. So they were desperately in need of food, many of them dying of hunger. ⁵⁰They begged Simon for peace, and he granted it to them. But he expelled them from there and cleansed the Citadel from all that reminded them of the presence of the pagans. ⁵¹On the twenty-third day of the second month of one hundred and seventy-one (in 141 B.C.), the Jews entered it with songs and palm branches to the accompaniment of zithers, cymbals, and harps and with hymns and songs for a great plague had been crushed and removed from Israel. ⁵²Simon decreed that this day be celebrated as a day of annual rejoicing. He strengthened the temple hill's fortifications by the military Citadel's side and dwelt there with his men.

⁵³John, son of Simon, had come to manhood, so his father appointed him general in command of all the troops, and John lived in Gazara.

Simon Rules Victoriously Over Judah

14 | ¹In one hundred and seventy-two (in 140 B.C.), King Demetrius assembled his army and marched into Media to look for help to fight Trypho. ²Arsaces, king of Persia and Media, heard that Demetrius had entered his territory, so he sent one of his generals to capture him alive. ³The general went and defeated the army of Demetrius, seized him and brought him to Arsaces, who put him in prison.

⁴Judea had peace as long as Simon lived. He worked for the well-being of his country. His rule pleased the people, and he enjoyed much renown as long as he lived. ⁵To add to his glory, he took Joppa and made it a harbor, opening a way to communicate with the islands of the sea. ⁶He extended the frontiers of his land and was lord of his nation. ⁷He brought back many captives, conquered Gazara, Beth-Zur, and the Citadel, and cast out everything pagan. No one was able to resist him.

⁸The inhabitants tilled their fields in peace. The land gave its grain and the trees their fruit. ⁹The elders sat at ease in the squares and discussed their welfare while the young men wore finery and armor. ¹⁰He supplied the cities with food and made them into strongholds until his fame spread out to the ends of the earth. ¹¹He established peace in the land, and Israel knew great joy. ¹²Each sat under the shade of his vine and his fig tree, with no one to disturb him. ¹³There was no one in the land to fight them, for the kings had been defeated. ¹⁴He raised up the humble among his people. He observed the law and cleared out the renegades and the wicked. ¹⁵He restored the temple's splendor and increased the number of its sacred vessels.

¹⁶These people were deeply grieved when the news of Jonathan’s death reached Rome and Sparta. ¹⁷But as soon as they heard that his brother Simon had succeeded him as High Priest and was in command of the country and its cities, ¹⁸they wrote to him on bronze sheets to renew the alliance and friendship they had made with his brothers Judas and Jonathan.

¹⁹The letter was read in Jerusalem before the whole assembly. ²⁰This is a copy of the letter sent by the Spartans:

“The leaders and the people of Sparta to Simon, High Priest, and the elders, to the priests and all the Jewish people, their brothers: Greetings: ²¹The envoys you sent to our people informed us of the successes and prosperity of your nation. We rejoiced at their coming. ²²We have recorded their declaration in our public acts as follows: ‘Numenius, son of Antiochus, and Antipater, son of Jason, ambassadors of the Jews—have come to renew their relationship with us. ²³It has been a pleasure for the people to receive them with honor and deposit a copy of their statement in the public archives as a remembrance for the people of Sparta.’ And they made a copy of all this for the High Priest Simon.”

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

²⁵When the people came to know these events, they said, “What favor can we do for Simon and his sons? ²⁶It was he and his brothers and the family of their fathers who strengthened the resistance; they have fought the enemies of Israel and restored its freedom.” ²⁷So they engraved an inscription on bronze sheets and set it up on pillars on Mount Zion. This is a copy of the text:

“On the eighteenth day of the month Elul, in one hundred and seventy-two (in 140 B.C.), the third year of Simon, the High Priest, ²⁸in the grand assembly of the priests of Israel, the leaders of the nation and the elders of the people, the following was proclaimed:

²⁹“During the frequent wars for freedom in our land, Simon, the son of Mattathias, a priest from the family of Joarib, and his brothers risked their lives and stood up against the enemies of their nation to preserve the Holy Place and the law, and brought eternal glory to their nation. ³⁰Jonathan rallied the nation, became the high priest, and rested with his fathers. ³¹The enemies of the Jews then planned to invade their land to destroy their Holy Place. ³²So Simon arose to fight for his nation. He spent much of his wealth to procure arms and pay the salaries of the soldiers of his nation.

³³He fortified the cities of Judah and Beth-zur on the frontiers of Judea, where the enemy arsenal had been, and he stationed a Jewish garrison there. ³⁴He also fortified Joppa by the sea and Gazara on the borders of Azotus, formerly inhabited by enemies, and established Jewish colonies there, providing them with all they needed. ³⁵The people saw Simon’s faith and the glory he had resolved to win for his nation. They made him their commander and High Priest because of the services he rendered, the justice and faithfulness he showed to his nation, and because he sought in every way to increase the honor of his people.

³⁶In his days, the Jews managed to root out the pagans from their land, especially from the city of David, Jerusalem, where they had built a Citadel from which they went out to profane the surroundings of the temple and to violate its holiness. ³⁷He settled Jewish soldiers in it, fortified it for the security of the region and the city, and built the walls of Jerusalem higher. ³⁸And for this, King Demetrius confirmed him in his office as high priest, ³⁹made him one of his friends and bestowed high honors on him, ⁴⁰for he had heard that the Romans had considered the Jews their friends, allies, and brothers, and had received Simon’s envoy with honor.

Simon: High Priest and Dictator

⁴¹The king also considered that the Jews and the priests had agreed that Simon be their leader and High Priest until a prophet worthy of trust appeared.

⁴²They wanted him to be their general, take charge of the Holy Place, and appoint men to supervise the works and administer the country, the army, and the fortresses.

⁴³They also wanted everyone to obey him; all national documents should bear his name. He was clothed in purple and wore golden ornaments.

⁴⁴None of the people or the priests shall be allowed to act contrary to these provisions or contradict his orders, convene a public assembly without his consent, be clothed in purple, or wear the golden brooch. ⁴⁵ Whoever opposes or violates these decisions shall be liable to punishment.

⁴⁶All the people agreed to grant Simon the right to act by these provisions. ⁴⁷And Simon accepted and agreed to assume the office of High Priest and to be the general and leader of the Jews and the priests, and to preside over all.

⁴⁸They decided that this decree should be engraved on bronze sheets and placed in a conspicuous place in the sacred enclosure, 49 and that copies should be deposited in the temple treasury and made available to Simon and his sons.

15 | ¹Antiochus, son of King Demetrius, sent from the islands of the sea to Simon, the High Priest and leader of the Jews, and to the whole nation, ²the following letter: “King Antiochus to Simon, high priest, and leader, and to the Jewish nation: Peace!

³Since wicked men have seized our ancestors' kingdom, I now intend to recover and reestablish it as before. I have gathered a vast army and have equipped warships ⁴to make a landing in the country and take revenge on those who devastated our land and laid waste many cities in my kingdom. Therefore, ⁵ I confirm in your regard all the tax exemptions and other privileges granted you by my royal predecessors. ⁶I authorize you to mint your coinage for your nation. ⁷I accept the autonomy of Jerusalem and the Holy Place. All the arms you have manufactured, the fortresses you have constructed, and those you have occupied are yours. ⁸From this day on, I cancel all debts to the king and everything you may owe in the future. ⁹And when I have taken possession of my kingdom, I shall bestow great honors on you, your nation, and the temple, making you famous throughout all the earth.”

¹⁰In one hundred and seventy-four (in 138 B.C.), Antiochus marched out to the land of his ancestors, and all the troops rallied to him so that only a few remained with Trypho. ¹¹Antiochus pursued him, and Trypho took refuge in Dor on the coast. ¹²Trypho knew how critical the situation had become for him and that his army had deserted him. ¹³Antiochus encamped before Dor with a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers and eight thousand horsemen. ¹⁴And he surrounded the city while the ships attacked from the sea: the city was surrounded by land and sea, and no one could go in or come out.

¹⁵Then Numenius and his companions arrived from Rome, carrying letters addressed to the kings and the nations in the following terms: ¹⁶“Lucius, consul of the Romans, to king Ptolemy: Peace! ¹⁷The Jewish people sent by the High Priest Simon and the Jewish people have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our friendship and alliance of old.

¹⁸They have brought us a gold shield weighing a thousand minas. ¹⁹We desire to write to the kings and the people that they should not harm the Israelites nor injure them or their cities or their land, nor ally themselves with their aggressors. ²⁰We have accepted with pleasure the shield that the Jews sent us. ²¹Now, if some wicked Jews who have fled from their land are in your country, hand them over to the High Priest Simon that he may punish them according to their law.”

²²The same letter was sent to King Demetrius, to Attalus, Ariarthes, and Arsaces, ²³and all the nations, to Sampsames, the Spartans, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos, Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Aradus, Gortyna, Cnidus, Cyprus, and Cyrene. ²⁴They also sent copies of these letters to the High Priest Simon.

War With the Syrians Renewed

²⁵King Antiochus encamped before Dor in the new district, continually sending his battalions against it and constructing siege engines. He kept Trypho shut in and prevented him from going out or in. ²⁶Simon sent him two thousand picked men to help him in the fight, with silver, gold, and plenty of equipment. ²⁷But Antiochus did not accept them. Instead, he annulled the concessions he had granted to Simon and declared him his enemy. ²⁸He sent Athenobius, one of his friends, to meet and say to him: “You have occupied Joppa, Gazara, and the Citadel of Judea, which are cities of my kingdom. ²⁹You have laid waste their territory, done great damage in the land, and seized many towns in my kingdom.

³⁰Restore, then, the cities you have seized and the taxes of the places you now occupy beyond the borders of Judea. ³¹Or pay me five hundred talents of silver as compensation for the damage you have caused and another five hundred talents for the cities' taxes. If not, then I shall declare war against you.”

³²Athenobius, the king's friend, arrived in Jerusalem, and when he saw the magnificence of Simon, his plates of gold and silver, and the pomp that surrounded him, he was amazed. But he delivered the king’s message. ³³Simon answered him, “We have not occupied any foreign land nor seized any foreign property: this is the inheritance of our ancestors. Our enemies seized this for some time, ³⁴but now that we have a favorable opportunity, we are only recovering the inheritance of our ancestors.

³⁵Joppa and Gazara, which you claim did great harm to our people and laid waste on our land. But we are prepared to give you a hundred talents for them.”

Athenobius did not say anything, ³⁶but returned to the king very angry and reported Simon’s reply. He also told him of Simon’s magnificence and everything he had seen, so the king became furious.

³⁷Meanwhile, Trypho fled to Orthosia on a ship. ³⁸The king appointed Cendebeus as general and gave him part of the troops and the horsemen. ³⁹He ordered him to encamp against Judea, rebuild Kedron, fortify its gates, and make war on the people. The king then went on pursuing Trypho. ⁴⁰Cendebeus arrived at Jamnia and began to disturb the people. He invaded Judea, imprisoned some people, and put them to death. ⁴¹He fortified Kedron and stationed horsemen and troops there to make sorties and patrol the roads to Judea, as the king had commanded him.

Simon Is Murdered

16 | ¹At that time, John went up from Gazara to relate to his father what Cendebeus was doing. ²So, Simon called his two elder sons, John and Judas, and said to them: “I and my brothers, and the family of my father have fought the enemies of Israel from our youth until today. And many times, we were able to liberate Israel. ³But now I am old, while you—thanks be to Heaven—are already mature men. Take my place and my brothers’, and go out to fight for our country. May Heaven’s help be with you!”

⁴Then he chose a thousand men and horsemen from the country, whom he sent against Cendebeus. And they spent the night in Modein. ⁵They arose early in the morning and advanced into the plain, seeing what a large army, both infantry and cavalry, was coming to meet them.

A stream lay between them, ⁶and John with his troops drew up against the enemies. His troops were afraid to cross the stream, so he crossed over first. On seeing this, his men crossed after him. ⁷He divided his army into two groups and set the horsemen in the center, for the enemy’s cavalry was very numerous.

⁸They sounded the trumpets, and Cendebeus and his army were defeated. Many of them fell, and those who remained fled to the fortress. ⁹Judas, John's brother, fell wounded, but John pursued the enemies until Cendebeus reached Kedron, whom he had fortified. ¹⁰The enemy fled as far as the towers in the fields of Azotus, but John burned these down. About two thousand of the enemy perished. And after this, John returned safely to Judea.

¹¹Ptolemy, son of Abubus, had become general in command of the plain of Jericho. He had much silver and gold, ¹²for he was the son-in-law of the high priest. ¹³He became too ambitious and thought of becoming the leader of his nation. So he looked for ways to do away with Simon and his sons. ¹⁴During this time, Simon made rounds of the cities of Judea and attended to their administration. In the eleventh month, called Shebat, in one hundred and seventy-seven (in 134 B.C.), Simon came to Jericho with his two sons, Mattathias and Judas. ¹⁵The son of Abubus received them treacherously into the small fortress called Dock, which he had built. He gave them a grand banquet but had set men in hiding. ¹⁶When Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men reached for their weapons and rushed on Simon during the banquet. They killed him with his two sons and some of his servants. ¹⁷With this, Ptolemy committed a great act of treason, repaying evil for good.

¹⁸Ptolemy then made haste to send a letter to the king to inform him of what had happened, asking Antiochus to help him hand over the cities and the country to him. ¹⁹He also sent other men to Gazara to kill John and asked the commanders of the Jewish troops in a letter to defect to him, promising them silver, gold, and gifts. ²⁰He then sent others to seize Jerusalem and the temple hill.

²¹But a man ran and reached Gazara before them, informing John that his father and brothers had been killed. And he added, “He has also sent some people to kill you.” ²²John was shocked by the news. So he arrested the men who had been sent to kill him and put them to death, for he knew that they had come with this purpose.

²³The rest of John's deeds, battles, exploits, walls he built, and other achievements ²⁴are written in the annals of his pontificate from the day he succeeded his father as high priest.