1 Maccabees 10 (DRA)

v1

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

v2

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

v3

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

v4

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

v5

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

v6

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

v7

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

v8

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

v9

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

v10

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

v11

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

v12

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

v13

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

v14

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

v15

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

v16

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

v17

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

v18

King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greeting.

v19

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

v20

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

v21

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

v22

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

v23

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

v24

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

v25

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

v26

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

v27

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

v28

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

v29

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

v30

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

v31

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

v32

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

v33

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

v34

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

v35

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

v36

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

v37

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

v38

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

v39

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

v40

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

v41

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

v42

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

v43

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

v44

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

v45

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

v46

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

v47

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

v48

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

v49

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

v50

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

v51

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

v52

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

v53

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

v54

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

v55

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

v56

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

v57

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

v58

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

v59

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

v60

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

v61

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

v62

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

v63

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

v64

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

v65

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

v66

And Jonathan returned into Jerusalem with peace and joy.

v67

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

v68

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

v69

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

v70

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

v71

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

v72

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

v73

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

v74

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

v75

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

v76

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

v77

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

v78

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

v79

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

v80

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

v81

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

v82

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

v83

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

v84

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

v85

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

v86

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

v87

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

v88

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

v89

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

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