1 Maccabees 15

NEW JERUSALEM	VULGATA
1 Antiochus son of King Demetrius addressed a letter from the Mediterranean Isles to Simon, priest andethnarch of the Jews, and to the whole nation;	1 Et misit rex Antiochus filius Demetrii epistolas ab insulis maris Simoni sacerdoti, et principi gentis Judæorum, et universæ genti :
2 this was how it read: 'King Antiochus to Simon, high priest and ethnarch, and to the Jewish nation,greetings.	2 et erant continentes hunc modum : Rex Antiochus Simoni sacerdoti magno, et genti Judæorum salutem.
3 'Whereas certain scoundrels have seized control of the kingdom of our fathers, and I propose to claimback the kingdom so that I may re-establish it as it was before, and whereas I have accordingly recruited verylarge forces and fitted out warships,	3 Quoniam quidem pestilentes obtinuerunt regnum patrum nostrorum, volo autem vendicare regnum, et restituere illud sicut erat antea : et electam feci multitudinem exercitus, et feci naves bellicas.
4 intending to make a landing in the country and to hunt down the men who have ruined it and laidwaste many towns in my kingdom;	4 Volo autem procedere per regionem ut ulciscar in eos, qui corruperunt regionem nostram, et qui desolaverunt civitates multas in regno meo.
5 'I now, therefore, confirm in your favour al remissions of taxes granted to you by the kings mypredecessors, as wel as the waiving of whatever presents they may have conceded.	5 Nunc ergo statuo tibi omnes oblationes, quas remiserunt tibi ante me omnes reges, et quæcumque alia dona remiserunt tibi :
6 I hereby authorise you to mint your own coinage as legal tender for your own country.	6 et permitto tibi facere percussuram proprii numismatis in regione tua :
7 I declare Jerusalem and the sanctuary to be free; all the arms you have manufactured and thefortresses you have built and now occupy may remain yours.	7 Jerusalem autem sanctam esse, et liberam : et omnia arma, quæ fabricata sunt, et præsidia, quæ construxisti, quæ tenes, maneant tibi.
8 Al debts to the royal treasury, present or future, are cancel ed henceforth in perpetuity.	8 Et omne debitum regis, et quæ futura sunt regi, ex hoc et in totum tempus remittuntur tibi.
9 Furthermore, when we have won back our kingdom, we shall bestow such great honour on yourself,your nation and the sanctuary as wil make your glory known throughout the world.'	9 Cum autem obtinuerimus regnum nostrum, glorificabimus te, et gentem tuam, et templum, gloria magna, ita ut manifestetur gloria vestra in universa terra.
10 Antiochus invaded the land of his ancestors in the year 174 and, since the troops all rallied to him,Trypho was left with few supporters.	10 Anno centesimo septuagesimo quarto exiit Antiochus in terram patrum suorum, et convenerunt ad eum omnes exercitus, ita ut pauci relicti essent cum Tryphone.
11 Antiochus pursued the usurper, who took refuge in Dora on the coast,	11 Et insecutus est eum Antiochus rex, et venit Doram fugiens per maritimam :
12 knowing that misfortunes were piling up on him and that his troops had deserted him.	12 sciebat enim quod congregata sunt mala in eum, et reliquit eum exercitus :
13 Antiochus pitched camp outside Dora with a hundred and twenty thousand fighting men and eightthousand cavalry.	13 et applicuit Antiochus super Doram cum centum viginti millibus virorum belligeratorum, et octo millibus equitum :
14 He laid siege to the city while the ships closed in from the sea, so that he had the city under attackfrom land and sea, and al owed no one to go in or come out.	14 et circuivit civitatem, et naves a mari accesserunt : et vexabant civitatem a terra et mari, et neminem sinebant ingredi vel egredi.
15 Numenius and his companions, meanwhile, arrived from Rome, bringing letters addressed to variouskings and states, in the fol owing terms:	15 Venit autem Numenius, et qui cum eo fuerant, ab urbe Roma, habentes epistolas regibus et regionibus scriptas, in quibus continebantur hæc :
16 'Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greetings.	16 Lucius consul Romanorum, Ptolemæo regi salutem.
17 'The Jewish ambassadors have come to us as our friends and al ies to renew our original friendshipand alliance in the name of the high priest Simon and the Jewish people.	17 Legati Judæorum venerunt ad nos amici nostri, renovantes pristinam amicitiam et societatem, missi a Simone principe sacerdotum et populo Judæorum.
18 They have brought a golden shield worth a thousand mina.	18 Attulerunt autem et clypeum aureum mnarum mille.
19 Accordingly, we have seen fit to write to various kings and states, warning them neither to molest theJewish people nor to attack either them or their towns or their country, nor to al y themselves with any suchaggressors.	19 Placuit itaque nobis scribere regibus et regionibus, ut non inferant illis mala, neque impugnent eos, et civitates eorum, et regiones eorum : et ut non ferant auxilium pugnantibus adversus eos.
20 We have seen fit to accept the shield from them.	20 Visum autem est nobis accipere ab eis clypeum.
21 If, therefore, any scoundrels have fled their country to take refuge with you, hand them over to Simonthe high priest, to be punished by him according to their law.'	21 Si qui ergo pestilentes refugerunt de regione ipsorum ad vos, tradite eos Simoni principi sacerdotum, ut vindicet in eos secundum legem suam.
22 The consul sent the same letter to King Demetrius, to Attalus, Ariarathes and Arsaces,	22 Hæc eadem scripta sunt Demetrio regi, et Attalo, et Ariarathi, et Arsaci,
23 and to all states, including Sampsames, the Spartans, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos,Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Arados, Gortyn, Cyprus and Cyrene.	23 et in omnes regiones : et Lampsaco, et Spartiatis, et in Delum, et in Myndum, et in Sicyonem, et in Cariam, et in Samum, et in Pamphyliam, et in Lyciam, et in Alicarnassum, et in Coo, et in Siden, et in Aradon, et in Rhodum, et in Phaselidem, et in Gortynam, et Gnidum, et Cyprum, et Cyrenen.
24 They also drew up a copy for Simon the high priest.	24 Exemplum autem eorum scripserunt Simoni principi sacerdotum, et populo Judæorum.
25 Antiochus, meanwhile, from his positions on the outskirts of Dora, was continual y throwingdetachments against the town. He constructed siege-engines, and blockaded Trypho, preventing movement inor out.	25 Antiochus autem rex applicuit castra in Doram secundo, admovens ei semper manus, et machinas faciens : et conclusit Tryphonem, ne procederet :
26 Simon sent him two thousand picked men to support him in the fight, with silver and gold and plentyof equipment.	26 et misit ad eum Simon duo millia virorum electorum in auxilium, et argentum, et aurum, et vasa copiosa :
27 But Antiochus would not accept them; instead, he repudiated al his previous agreements with Simonand completely changed his attitude to him.	27 et noluit ea accipere, sed rupit omnia, quæ pactus est cum eo antea, et alienavit se ab eo.
28 He sent him Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with him and say, 'You are now occupyingJoppa and Gezer and the Citadel in Jerusalem, which are towns in my kingdom.	28 Et misit ad eum Athenobium unum de amicis suis, ut tractaret cum ipso, dicens : Vos tenetis Joppen, et Gazaram, et arcem, quæ est in Jerusalem, civitates regni mei :
29 You have laid waste their territory and done immense harm to the country; and you have seizedcontrol of many places properly in my kingdom.	29 fines earum desolastis, et fecistis plagam magnam in terra, et dominati estis per loca multa in regno meo.
30 Either now surrender the towns you have taken and the taxes from the places you have seizedoutside the frontiers of Judaea,	30 Nunc ergo tradite civitates quas occupastis, et tributa locorum in quibus dominati estis extra fines Judææ :
31 or else pay me five hundred talents of silver in compensation for them and for the destruction youhave done, and another five hundred talents for the taxes from the towns; otherwise we shall come and makewar on you.'	31 sin autem, date pro illis quingenta talenta argenti, et exterminii, quod exterminastis, et tributorum civitatum alia talenta quingenta : sin autem, veniemus, et expugnabimus vos.
32 When the King's Friend, Athenobius, reached Jerusalem and saw Simon's magnificence, his cabinetof gold and silver plate and the state he kept, he was dumbfounded. He delivered the king's message,	32 Et venit Athenobius amicus regis in Jerusalem, et vidit gloriam Simonis, et claritatem in auro, et argento, et apparatum copiosum : et obstupuit, et retulit ei verba regis.
33 but Simon gave him this answer, 'We have not taken foreign territory or any alien property but haveoccupied our ancestral heritage, for some time unjustly wrested from us by our enemies;	33 Et respondit ei Simon, et dixit ei : Neque alienam terram sumpsimus, neque aliena detinemus : sed hæreditatem patrum nostrorum, quæ injuste ab inimicis nostris aliquo tempore possessa est.
34 now that we have a favourable opportunity, we are merely recovering our ancestral heritage.	34 Nos vero tempus habentes, vindicamus hæreditatem patrum nostrorum.
35 As regards Joppa and Gezer, which you claim, these were towns that did great harm to our peopleand laid waste our country; we are prepared to give a hundred talents for them.' Without so much as a word inanswer,	35 Nam de Joppe et Gazara quæ expostulas, ipsi faciebant in populo plagam magnam, et in regione nostra : horum damus talenta centum. Et non respondit ei Athenobius verbum.
36 the envoy went back to the king in a rage and reported on Simon's answer and his magnificence,and on everything he had seen, at which the king fel into a fury.	36 Reversus autem cum ira ad regem, renuntiavit ei verba ista, et gloriam Simonis, et universa quæ vidit, et iratus est rex ira magna.
37 Trypho now boarded a ship and escaped to Orthosia.	37 Tryphon autem fugit navi in Orthosiada.
38 The king appointed Cendebaeus military governor of the coastal region and al otted him a force ofinfantry and cavalry.	38 Et constituit rex Cendebæum ducem maritimum, et exercitum peditum et equitum dedit illi.
39 He ordered him to deploy his men facing Judaea, and instructed him to rebuild Kedron and fortify itsgates, and to make war on our people, while the king himself went in pursuit of Trypho.	39 Et mandavit illi movere castra contra faciem Judææ : et mandavit ei ædificare Gedorem, et obstruere portas civitatis, et debellare populum. Rex autem persequebatur Typhonem.
40 Cendebaeus arrived at Jamnia and began to provoke our people forthwith, invading Judaea, takingprisoners, and massacring.	40 Et pervenit Cendebæus Jamniam, et cœpit irritare plebem, et conculcare Judæam, et captivare populum, et interficere, et ædificare Gedorem.
41 Having rebuilt Kedron, he stationed cavalry and troops there to make sorties and patrol the roads ofJudaea, as the king had ordered.	41 Et collocavit illic equites et exercitum, ut egressi perambularent viam Judææ, sicut constituit ei rex.