The First Book of the Maccabees, chapters 11 - 14
11 The king of Egypt collected a huge army, countless as the sand on the
sea-shore, and a great fleet of ships, meaning to make himself master of
Alexander's kingdom by treachery and add it to his own. He set out for
Syria with professions of peace, and the people of the towns proceeded to
open their gates to him and went to meet him; King Alexander had ordered
them to do this, because Ptolemy was his father-in-law.
As he went on his progress from town to town, Ptolemy left a detach-
ment of troops in each of them as a garrison. When he reached Azotus, he
was shown the burnt-out temple of Dagon, the city itself and its ruined
suburbs strewn with corpses, and, piled up along his way, the bodies of
those who had been burned in the course of the fighting. They told the
king that it was Jonathan's doing, hoping that he would reprimand him;
but the king said nothing. Jonathan met him in state at Joppa, where they
exchanged greetings and passed the night. Jonathan accompanied the king
as far as the river Eleutherus and then returned to Jerusalem. King Ptolemy
made himself master of the coast towns as far as Seleucia-by-the-sea. He
was harbouring malicious designs against Alexander.
He sent ambassadors against King Demetrius with the following message:
'I propose that you and I should make a pact: I will give you my daughter,
now Alexander's wife, and you shall reign over the kingdom of your father.
I now regret having given my daughter to him, for he has tried to kill me.'
He maligned Alexander in this way because he coveted his kingdom, and
he took his daughter away and gave her to Demetrius. This led to a breach
between him and Alexander, and to open enmity.
Ptolemy now entered Antioch, where he assumed the crown of Asia;
thus he wore two crowns, that of Egypt and that of Asia.
King Alexander was at this time in Cilicia, because the inhabitants of that
region were in revolt. But when he heard the news he marched against
Ptolemy, who came to meet him with a powerful army and routed him.
Alexander fled to Arabia for protection, and King Ptolemy was triumphant.
Zabdiel the Arab chieftain cut off Alexander's head and sent it to Ptolemy.
But two days later King Ptolemy died, and his garrisons in the fortresses
were killed by the inhabitants. So in the year 167 Demetrius became
king.
At this time Jonathan gathered together the Judaeans to assault the
citadel in Jerusalem, and they brought up many siege-engines against it.
But a number of renegades, enemies of their own people, went to the king
and reported that Jonathan had besieged the citadel. The king was furious
at the news and immediately moved his quarters to Ptolemais. He wrote to
Jonathan ordering him to raise the siege, and to meet him for conference at
Ptolemais with all speed.
When Jonathan received this letter, he gave orders for the siege to be
continued. Then, selecting elders of Israel and priests to accompany him,
he set out on his dangerous mission. He took with him silver an gold, and
robes, and many other gifts, and went to meet the king at Ptolemais.
He won the favour of Demetrius, although some renegade Jews tried
to lodge complaints against him. But the king treated him just as his pre-
decessors had done, honouring him in the presence of all his Friends. He
confirmed him in the high-priesthood and in all his former dignities, and
appointed him head of the first class of the King's Friends.
Jonathan requested the king to exempt Judaea and the three Samaritan
districts from tribute, promising him in return three hundred talents.
King Demetrius consented, writing to Jonathan on all these affairs as
follows:
King Demetrius to his brother Jonathan, and to the Jewish nation,
greeting.
This is a copy of our letter written to our kinsman Lasthenes about
you, which we have made for your information:
'King Demetrius to his respected kinsman Lasthenes, greeting.
'Because our friends the Jewish nation show us goodwill, and observe
their obligations to us, we are resolved to become their benefactor. We
have therefore settled on them the lands of Judaea and the three districts,
Apherema, Lydda, and Ramathaim, which are now transferred from
Samaria to Judaea, together with all the lands adjacent thereto, for the
benefit of the priesthood at Jerusalem. This is a transfer of the annual
dues which the King formerly received from these territories, from the
produce of the soil and of the orchards. Other of our revenues, the tithes
and tolls now pertaining to us, the salt-pans, and the crown-money, all
these we shall cede to them. These provisions are irrevocable from now
for all future time. See to it that you make a copy of them to be
given to Jonathan and set by him in a conspicuous position on the holy
mountain.'
When King Demetrius saw that the country was quiet under his rule
and resistance was at an end, he disbanded all his forces, sending every
man home, with the exception of the foreign mercenaries he had hired from
the islands of the Gentiles. Then all the troops enlisted under his pre-
decessors turned against the king. A certain Trypho, formerly of the party
of Alexander, aware of the disaffection of all the forces towards Demetrius,
went to Imalcue, the Arab chieftain, who had charge of the child Antiochus,
Alexander's son, and kept pressing him to hand the boy over to him to be
made king in succession to his father. He also informed Imalcue of all the
measures Demetrius was taking and of his unpopularity with his troops.
There he remained for some time.
Meanwhile Jonathan sent to King Demetrius requesting him to with-
draw, from the citadel in Jerusalem and from the fortresses, the garrisons
which were constantly harassing Israel. Demetrius sent Jonathan this
reply: 'I will not only meet your request, but when opportunity arises I
will do you and your people the highest honour. And now be so good as to
send men to support me, for all my troops are in revolt.'
Jonathan dispatched three thousand fighting men to Antioch, and the
king was much relieved at their arrival. The citizens poured into the centre
of the city, a hundred ad twenty thousand strong, bent on killing the
king. He took refuge in the palace, while the citizens seized control of
the streets and fighting broke out. King Demetrius called the Jews to
his assistance, and they rallied to him at once. Then they dispersed all
over the city and slaughtered that day as many as a hundred thousand,
setting the city on fire and taking much booty. And thus they saved the
king's life.
When the citizens saw that the Jews had the city completely at their
mercy, their courage failed them and they clamoured to the king to accept
their surrender and to stop the Jews fighting against them and the city.
They threw down their arms and made peace; and the Jews, now in high
repute with the king and all his subjects, returned to Jerusalem loaded with
booty. But when King Demetrius was secure upon his throne, with the
country quiet under him, he went back on all his promises and broke off
relations with Jonathan; instead of repaying the benefits he had received,
he put severe pressure upon him.
After this, Trypho returned, and with him Antiochus, a mere lad.
Antiochus was crowned, and all the forces Demetrius had so contemp-
tuously discharged rallied to the king. These fought against Demetrius,
and he was utterly routed. Trypho brought up his elephants and made him-
self master of Antioch. The young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan confirm-
ing him in the high-priesthood, with authority over the four districts, and
making him of of the King's Friends. He also sent him a service of gold
plate, and gave him the right to drink from a gold cup, to be robed in
purple, and to wear the gold clasp. He appointed Jonathan's brother Simon
as officer commanding the area from the Ladder of Tyre to the borders
of Egypt.
Jonathan made a tour through the country on the far side of the river
and the towns there; and all the forces of Syria gathered to his support.
He went to Ascalon, where he was received with great honour by the
citizens. From there he went on to Gaza, but the inhabitants closed the
gates against him; so he blockaded the city, set fire to its suburbs, and
plundered them. The citizens of Gaza then sought peace, and he made
terms with them, taking the sons of their magistrates as hostages and
sending them off to Jerusalem; he himself continued his progress through
the country in the direction of Damascus.
Jonathan heard that Demetrius's generals had arrived at Kedesh-in-
Galilee with a large force to prevent him from reaching his objective. He
went to meet them, leaving his brother Simon in Judaea. Simon took up
position against Bethsura and, after prolonged fighting, blockaded it.
Finally the citizens sued for terms of peace and Simon consented; he
evicted them, took over the town, and installed a garrison there.
Jonathan, who had encamped with his army by the Lake of Gennesaret,
marched out early in the morning into the plain of Asor. There in the plain
the gentile army was advancing to meet him; they had set an ambush for
him in the hills, while they themselves confronted him. When the men
from the ambush emerged and joined in the fighting, all Jonathan's men
took to flight; not one remained except Mattathias son of Absalom, and
Judas son of Chalphi, officers in the army, Jonathan ore his clothes, put
dust upon his head, and prayed. Then he turned upon the enemy and
routed them in headlong flight. When the fugitives of Jonathan's army saw
this, they rallied to him and joined in the pursuit as far as the enemy base
at Kedesh; there they encamped. That day about three thousand of the
Gentiles fell. Jonathan then returned to Jerusalem.
12 JONATHAN NOW SAW his opportunity and sent picked men on a mis-
sion to Rome to confirm and renew the treaty of friendship with that city.
He sent letters to the same effect to Sparta and to other places. The envoys
travelled to Rome and went to the Senate House to deliver their message:
'Jonathan the high priest and the Jewish people have sent us to renew their
former pact of friendship and alliance.' The Romans gave them letters
requiring the authorities in each place to give them safe conduct to Judaea.
Here follows a transcript of the letter which Jonathan wrote to the
Spartans:
Jonathan the High Priest, the Senate of the Jews, the priests, and the
rest of the Jewish people, to our brothers of Sparta, greeting.
On a previous occasion a letter was sent to Onias the High Priest from
Arius your king, acknowledging our kinship; a copy is given below.
Onias welcomed your envoy with full honours and received the letter in
which the terms of the alliance and friendship were set forth. We do not
regard ourselves as needing such alliances, since our support is the holy
books in our possession. Nevertheless, we now venture to send and
renew our pact of brotherhood and friendship with you, so that we may
not become estranged, for it is many years since you wrote to us. We
never lose any opportunity, on festal and other appropriate days, of
remembering you at our sacrifices and in our prayers, as it is right and
proper to remember kinsmen; and we rejoice at your fame. We our-
selves have been under the pressure of hostile attack on every side; all
the surrounding kings have made war upon us. In the course of these
wars we had no wish to trouble you or the rest of our allies and friends:
we have the aid of Heaven to support us, and so we have been saved
from our enemies, and they have been humbled. Accordingly, we chose
Numenius son of Antiochus, and Antipater son of Jason, and have sent
them to the Romans to renew our former friendship and alliance with
them. We instructed them to go to you also with our greetings, and to
deliver this letter about the renewal of our pact of brotherhood. And now
we pray you to send us a reply to this letter.
This is a copy of the letter sent by the Spartans to Onias:
Arius, King of Sparta, to Onias the High Priest, greeting.
A document has come to light which shows that Spartans and Jews
are kinsmen descended alike from Abraham. Now that we have learnt
this, we beg you to write and tell us how your affairs prosper. The
message we return to you is, 'What is yours, your cattle and every kind
of property, is ours, and what is ours is yours', and we have therefore
instructed our envoys to report to you in these terms.
Jonathan heard that Demetrius's generals had returned to attack him
with larger forces than before. He marched from Jerusalem and met them
in the region of Hamath, giving them no chance to set foot in his territory.
He sent spies to their camp, who on their return reported that preparations
were being made for a night attack. At sunset Jonathan gave orders to his
men to stay awake and stand to arms all night, ready for battle; and he
stationed outposts all round the camp. When the enemy heard that
Jonathan and his men were ready for battle, they were alarmed; their
courage failed, and they withdrew, first lighting watch-fires in their camp.
Jonathan and his men, seeing the watch-fires burning, did not realize
what had happened until morning. Then Jonathan set out in pursuit,
but failed to overtake them, for they had crossed the river Eleutherus.
So Jonathan turned aside the Arabs called Zabadaeans, and
he dealt them a severe blow and plundered them. He struck camp
and came to Damascus, and then made a march through the whole
country.
Simon set out and marched as far as Ascalon and the neighbouring
fortresses. he then turned towards Joppa; he had heard that the citizens
intended to hand it over to the supporters of Demetrius, but before they
could do so, he occupied the town and placed a garrison there to defend it.
When Jonathan returned he convened the senate. With their agreement
he decided to build fortresses in Judaea, to heighten the walls of Jerusalem,
and to erect a high barrier to separate the citadel from every city and so to
isolate it that the garrison could not buy or sell. They assembled to rebuild
the city, for the wall along the ravine to the east had partly collapsed, and
he repaired the section of the wall called Chaphenatha. Simon also rebuilt
and fortified Adida in the Shephelah, erecting gates and bars.
Trypho now aspired to be king of Asia; he meant to rebel against King
Antiochus and assume the crown himself. But he was afraid that Jonathan
would fight to prevent this, so he cast about for some means of capturing
and killing him. He set off and reached Bethshan. Jonathan marched out to
meet him with forty thousand picked troops, and he also reached Bethshan.
Trypho, seeing that Jonathan had a large force with him, as afraid to
attack. So he received him honourably and commended him to all his
Friends, gave him presents, and ordered his Friends and his troops to obey
Jonathan as they would himself. He said to Jonathan: 'Why have you put
all these men to so much trouble, when we are not at war? Send them home
now and choose a few to accompany you, and come with me to Ptolemais.
I will hand it over to you with all the other fortresses, the rest of the troops,
and all the officials, and then I will leave the country. This is the only pur-
pose of my coming.' Jonathan took him at his word and did as he said: he
dismissed his forces ad they returned to Judaea. He kept back three
thousand men, of whom he left two thousand in Galilee, while a thousand
accompanied him. But when Jonathan entered Ptolemais, the citizens
closed the gates, seized him, and put to the sword all who had entered
with him.
Trypho sent a force of infantry and cavalry into Galilee to the great
plain, to wipe out all Jonathan's men. They now learnt that Jonathan had
been seized and was lost, along with his escort, but they put heart into one
another and marched in close formation, ready for battle. When their pur-
suers saw that they would fight to the death, they turned back. So all came
safely home to Judaea, mourning for Jonathan and his followers, and filled
with alarm. All Israel was plunged in grief. The surrounding Gentiles
were now bent on destroying them root and branch, saying to themselves,
'The Jews have no leader or champion, so now is the time to attack, and
we shall blot out all memory of them among men.'
13 THE NEWS REACHED SIMON that Trypho had mustered a large force
for the invasion and destruction of Judaea, and it threw the people into
a state of panic. When Simon saw this, he went up to Jerusalem, called an
assembly, and encouraged them in these words: 'I need not remind you
of all that my brothers and I and my father's house have done for the laws
and the holy place, what battles we have fought, what hardships we have
endured. My brothers have all fallen in this cause, fighting for Israel, and
I am the only one left. Now Heaven forbid that I should grudge my own
life in any moment of danger, for I am not worth more than my brothers.
No! I will take up the cause of my nation and the holy place, of your wives
and children, since all the Gentiles in their hatred have gathered to destroy
us.' At these words the people plucked up courage, and they shouted in
answer: 'You shall be our leader in place of Judas and your brother
Jonathan. Fight our battles and we will do whatever you tell us.' So Simon
mustered all the fighting men and hurried on the completion of the walls
of Jerusalem until it was fortified on all sides. He sent Jonathan son of
Absalom with a considerable force to Joppa; he expelled its inhabitants
and remained in possession of the town.
Trypho marched out from Ptolemais with a large force to invade Judaea,
taking Jonathan with him as a prisoner. Simon encamped at Adida on the
edge of the plain. When Trypho learnt that Simon had come forward to
take the place of his brother Jonathan, and that he was about to join battle
with him, he sent envoys to Simon with the following message: 'We are
detaining your brother Jonathan because of certain monies which he owed
to the royal treasury in connection with the offices he held. To ensure that he
will not again revolt if we release him, send one hundred talents of silver
and two of his sons as hostages, and we will let him go.' Simon himself
realized that this was a trick, but he had the money and the children brought
to him, fearing that otherwise he might arouse deep animosity among the
people, who would say, 'It was because you did not send the money and the
children that Jonathan lost his life.' So he sent the children and the hundred
talents, but Trypho broke his word and did not release Jonathan.
After this, Trypho set out to invade the country and ravage it, taking a
roundabout way through Adora. Simon and his army marched parallel
with him everywhere he went. Meanwhile the garrison of the citadel were
sending emissaries to Trypho, urging him to come to them by way of the
desert, and to send them provisions. Trypho prepared to send all his
cavalry, but that night there was a severe snow-storm, which prevented
their arrival; so he withdrew into Gilead. When he reached Bascama, he
had Jonathan put to death, and there he was buried. Trypho then turned
and went back to his own country.
Simon had the body of his brother Jonathan brought to Modin, and
buried in the town of their fathers; and all Israel made a great lamentation
and mourned him for many days. Simon built a high monument over the
tomb of his father and his brothers, visible at a great distance, faced back
and front with polished stone. He erected seven pyramids, those for his
father and mother and his four brothers arranged in pairs. For the pyramids
he contrived an elaborate setting: he surrounded them with great columns
surmounted with trophies of armour for a perpetual memorial, and between
the trophies carved ships, plainly visible to all at sea. This mausoleum
which he made at Modin stands to this day.
Trypho now plotted against the young King Antiochus and murdered
him. He usurped his throne and assumed the crown of Asia. This was a
disaster for the country.
Simon rebuilt the fortresses of Judaea, furnishing them with high towers
and great walls with gates and bars; he also provisioned the fortresses. He
sent representatives to King Demetrius to negotiate a remission of taxes
for the country, on the grounds that all Trypho's exactions had been exorbi-
tant. Demetrius replied favourably to this request and wrote him a letter
in the following terms:
King Demetrius to Simon the High Priest and friend of kings, and
to the Senate and nation of the Jews, greeting.
We have received the golden crown and the palm branch which you
sent, and we are ready to make a lasting peace with you and to instruct
the revenue officers to grant you immunities. All our agreements with
you stand, and the strongholds which you built shall remain yours. We
give a free pardon for any errors of omission or commission, to take effect
from the date of this letter. We remit the crown-money which you owed
us, and every other tax formerly exacted in Jerusalem is henceforth
cancelled. All those of you who are suitable for enrollment of our retinue
shall be so enrolled. Let there be peace between us.
In the year 170, Israel was released from the gentile yoke. The people
began to write on their contracts and agreements, 'In the first year of Simon,
the great high priest, general and leader of the Jews'.
Then Simon invested Gazara, and surrounded it with his forces. He
constructed a siege-engine and brought it up to the town, made a breach
in one of the towers and captured it. The men on the siege-engine leapt
out of it into the town, and there was a great commotion. The townspeople
and their wives and children climbed up on to the city wall with their
garments torn, clamouring to Simon to offer them terms. 'Do not treat us
as our wickedness deserves,' they cried, 'but as your mercy prompts you.'
Simon came to terms with them, and brought the war to an end. But he
expelled them from the town, and after purifying the house in which the
idols stood, he made his entry with songs of thanksgiving and praise. He
removed every pollution from it and settled men in it who would keep the
law. He strengthened its fortifications and built a residence there for
himself.
The men in the citadel in Jerusalem were prevented from going in and
out to buy and sell in the country; famine set in and many of them died of
starvation. They clamoured to Simon to accept their surrender, and he
agreed: he expelled hem from the citadel and cleansed it from its pollu-
tions. It was on the twenty-third day of the second month in the year 171
that he made his entry, with a chorus of praise and the waving of palm
branches, with lutes, cymbals, and zithers, with hymns and songs, to
celebrate Israel's final riddance of a formidable enemy. Simon decreed
that this day should be observed as an annual festival. He fortified the
temple hill opposite the citadel, and he and his men took up residence
there. When Simon saw that his son John had become a man, he made him
commander of all the forces, with Gazara as his headquarters.
14 In the year 172, King Demetrius mustered his army and went into
Media to recruit additional forces for his war against Trypho. When
Arsakes king of Persia and Media heard that Demetrius had entered his
territories, he sent one of his generals to capture him alive. The general
marched out and defeated Demetrius, captured him and brought him to
Arsakes, who put him in prison.
As long as Simon lived, Judaea was at peace. He promoted his people's
welfare, and they lived happily all through the glorious days of his reign.
Among other notable achievements he captured the port of Joppa to secure
his communications overseas. He extended his nation's territories and
made himself master of the whole land. He repatriated a large number of
prisoners of war. Without meeting any resistance he gained control over
Gazara and Bethsura and over the citadel, and removed their pollution.
They farmed their land in peace, and the land produced its crops, and
the trees in the plains their fruit. Old men in the streets, talking together
of their blessings; and the young men dressed themselves in splendid
military style. Simon supplied the towns with food in plenty and equipped
them with weapons for defence. His renown reached the ends of the earth.
He restored peace to the land, and there were great rejoicings throughout
Israel. Each man sat under his own vine and fig tree, and they had no one
to fear. Those were the days when every enemy vanished from the land and
every hostile king was crushed. Simon gave his protection to the poor
among the people; he paid close attention to the law and rid the country of
lawless and wicked men. He gave new splendour to the temple and
furnished it with a wealth of sacred vessels.
THE REPORT OF JONATHAN'S DEATH reached Rome, and Sparta
too, and they were deeply grieved. When they heard, however, that
his brother Simon had become high priest in his place, and was in firm
control of the country and the towns in it, they inscribed on bronze
tablets a renewal of the treaty of friendship and alliance which they had
established with his brothers Judas and Jonathan. This was read before
the assembly in Jerusalem. The following is a copy of the letter from
Sparta:
The rulers and city of Sparta to the High Priest Simon, to the
Senate, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers,
greeting.
The envoys you sent to our people have told us about your fame and
honour; their visit has given us great pleasure. We have entered a tran-
script of the message they brought in the minutes of the public assembly:
'Numenius son of Antiochus, and Antipater son of Jason, envoys of the
Jews, visited us to renew their treaty of friendship with us. It was
resolved by the public assembly to receive these men with honour and to
place a copy of their address in the public archives, so that the Spartans
might have it on permanent record. A copy of this document has been
made for Simon the High Priest.'
After this, Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a large gold shield,
worth a thousand minas, to confirm the alliance with the Romans.
When the people heard of these events they asked themselves how they
could show their gratitude to Simon and hs sons. For he, with his brothers
and his father's family, had stood firm, fought off the enemies of Israel, and
ensured his nation's freedom. So an inscription was engraved on tablets of
bronze and placed on a monument on Mount Zion. A copy of the inscrip-
tion follows:
On the eighteenth day of the month Elul, in the year 172, the third
year of Simon's high-priesthood, at Asaramel, in a large assembly of
priests, people, rulers of the nation, and elders of the land, the following
facts were placed on record. Whereas our land had been subject to
frequent wars, Simon son of Mattathias, a priest of the Joarib family,
and his brothers, risked their lives in resisting the enemies of their people,
in order that the temple and law might be preserved, and they brought
great glory to their nation. Jonathan rallied the nation, became their high
priest, and then was gathered to his fathers. Their enemy resolved to
invade their land and destroy it, and to attack the temple. Then Simon
came forward and fought for his nation. He spent large sums of his own
money to arm the soldiers of his nation and to provide their pay. He
fortified the towns of Judaea, and Bethsura on the boundaries of Judaea,
formerly an enemy arsenal, and stationed a garrison of Jews there. He
fortified Joppa by sea, and Gazara near Azotus, formerly occupied
by the enemy. There he settled the Jews, and provided these towns with
everything needful for their welfare. When the people saw Simon's
patriotism and his resolution to win fame for his nation, they made him
their leader and high priest, in recognition of all that he had done, of his
just conduct, his loyalty to his nation, and his constant effort to enhance
its renown. His leadership was crowned with success, and the Gentiles
were expelled from the land, as were the troops in Jerusalem who
had built themselves a citadel in the city of David, from which they
sallied forth to bring defilement upon the whole precinct of the temple
and do violence to its purity. He settled Jews in it and fortified it for
the security of the land and of the city, and he raised the height of the
walls of Jerusalem. King Demetrius confirmed him in the office of
high priest, made him one of his Friends, and granted him the highest
honours; for he had heard that the Romans were naming the Jews
friends, allies, and brothers, and had gone in state to meet Simon's
envoys.
The Jews and their priests confirmed Simon as their leader and high
priest in perpetuity until a true prophet should appear. He was to be
their general, and to have full charge of the temple; and in addition to
this the supervision of their labour, of the country, and of the arms and
fortifications was to be entrusted to him. He was to be obeyed by all; all
contracts in the country were to be drawn up in his name. He was to wear
the purple robe and the gold clasp.
None of the people or the priests shall have authority to abrogate any
of these decrees, to oppose commands issued by Simon or convene any
assembly in the land without his consent, to be robed in purple, or to wear
the gold clasp. Whoever shall contravene these provisions or neglect
any of them shall be liable to punishment. It is the unanimous decision
of the people that Simon shall officiate in the ways here laid down. Simon
has agreed and consented to be high priest, general and ethnarch of the
Jews and the priests, and to be the protector of them all.
This inscription, it was declared, should be engraved on bronze tablets
and set up within the precincts of the temple in a conspicuous position, and
copies should be placed in the treasury, in the keeping of Simon and
his sons.
The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970
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