1 Maccabees 15

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 Antiochus, son of King Demetrius, sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to all the nation,	1 Moreover Antiochus son of Demetrius the king sent letters from the isles of the sea unto Simon the priest and prince of the Jews, and to all the people;
2 which read as follows: "King Antiochus sends greetings to Simon, the priest and ethnarch, and to the Jewish nation.	2 The contents whereof were these: King Antiochus to Simon the high priest and prince of his nation, and to the people of the Jews, greeting:
3 Whereas certain villains have gained control of the kingdom of my ancestors, I intend to reclaim it, that I may restore it to its former state. I have recruited a large number of mercenary troops and equipped warships	3 Forasmuch as certain pestilent men have usurped the kingdom of our fathers, and my purpose is to challenge it again, that I may restore it to the old estate, and to that end have gathered a multitude of foreign soldiers together, and prepared ships of war;
4 to make a landing in my country and take revenge on those who have ruined it and laid waste many cities in my realm.	4 My meaning also being to go through the country, that I may be avenged of them that have destroyed it, and made many cities in the kingdom desolate:
5 "Now, therefore, I confirm to you all the tax exemptions that the kings before me granted you and whatever other privileges they conferred on you.	5 Now therefore I confirm unto thee all the oblations which the kings before me granted thee, and whatsoever gifts besides they granted.
6 I authorize you to coin your own money, as legal tender in your country.	6 I give thee leave also to coin money for thy country with thine own stamp.
7 Jerusalem and its temple shall be free. All the weapons you have prepared and all the strongholds you have built and now occupy shall remain in your possession.	7 And as concerning Jerusalem and the sanctuary, let them be free; and all the armour that thou hast made, and fortresses that thou hast built, and keepest in thine hands, let them remain unto thee.
8 All debts, present or future, due to the royal treasury shall be canceled for you, now and for all time.	8 And if anything be, or shall be, owing to the king, let it be forgiven thee from this time forth for evermore.
9 When we recover our kingdom, we will greatly honor you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will be manifest in all the earth."	9 Furthermore, when we have obtained our kingdom, we will honour thee, and thy nation, and thy temple, with great honour, so that your honour shall be known throughout the world.
10 In the year one hundred and seventy-four Antiochus invaded the land of his ancestors, and all the troops rallied to him, so that few were left with Trypho.	10 In the hundred threescore and fourteenth year went Antiochus into the land of his fathers: at which time all the forces came together unto him, so that few were left with Tryphon.
11 Pursued by Antiochus, Trypho fled to Dor, by the sea,	11 Wherefore being pursued by king Antiochus, he fled unto Dora, which lieth by the sea side:
12 realizing what a mass of troubles had come upon him now that his soldiers had deserted him.	12 For he saw that troubles came upon him all at once, and that his forces had forsaken him.
13 Antiochus encamped before Dor with a hundred and twenty thousand infantry and eight thousand horsemen.	13 Then camped Antiochus against Dora, having with him an hundred and twenty thousand men of war, and eight thousand horsemen.
14 While he invested the city, his ships closed in along the coast, so that he blockaded it by land and sea and let no one go in or out.	14 And when he had compassed the city round about, and joined ships close to the town on the sea side, he vexed the city by land and by sea, neither suffered he any to go out or in.
15 Meanwhile, Numenius and his companions left Rome with letters such as this addressed to various kings and countries:	15 In the mean season came Numenius and his company from Rome, having letters to the kings and countries; wherein were written these things:
16 "Lucius, Consul of the Romans, sends greetings to King Ptolemy.	16 Lucius, consul of the Romans unto king Ptolemee, greeting:
17 Certain envoys of the Jews, our friends and allies, have come to us to renew their earlier alliance of friendship. They had been sent by Simon the high priest and the Jewish people,	17 The Jews' ambassadors, our friends and confederates, came unto us to renew the old friendship and league, being sent from Simon the high priest, and from the people of the Jews:
18 and they brought with them a gold shield worth a thousand minas.	18 And they brought a shield of gold of a thousand pound.
19 Therefore we have decided to write to various kings and countries, that they are not to harm them, or wage war against them or their cities or their country, and are not to assist those who fight against them.	19 We thought it good therefore to write unto the kings and countries, that they should do them no harm, nor fight against them, their cities, or countries, nor yet aid their enemies against them.
20 We have also decided to accept the shield from them.	20 It seemed also good to us to receive the shield of them.
21 If, then, any troublemakers from their country take refuge with you, hand them over to Simon the high priest, so that he may punish them according to their law."	21 If therefore there be any pestilent fellows, that have fled from their country unto you, deliver them unto Simon the high priest, that he may punish them according to their own law.
22 The consul sent similar letters to Kings Demetrius, Attalus, Ariarthes and Arsaces;	22 The same things wrote he likewise unto Demetrius the king, and Attalus, to Ariarathes, and Arsaces,
23 to all the countries--Sampsames, Sparta, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos, Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Aradus, Gortyna, Cnidus, Cyprus, and Cyrene.	23 And to all the countries and to Sampsames, and the Lacedemonians, and to Delus, and Myndus, and Sicyon, and Caria, and Samos, and Pamphylia, and Lycia, and Halicarnassus, and Rhodus, and Aradus, and Cos, and Side, and Aradus, and Gortyna, and Cnidus, and Cyprus, and Cyrene.
24 A copy of the letter was also sent to Simon the high priest.	24 And the copy hereof they wrote to Simon the high priest.
25 When King Antiochus was encamped before Dor, he assaulted it continuously both with troops and with the siege machines he had made. He blockaded Trypho by preventing anyone from going in or out.	25 So Antiochus the king camped against Dora the second day, assaulting it continually, and making engines, by which means he shut up Tryphon, that he could neither go out nor in.
26 Simon sent to Antiochus' support two thousand elite troops, together with gold and silver and much equipment.	26 At that time Simon sent him two thousand chosen men to aid him; silver also, and gold, and much armour.
27 But he refused to accept the aid; in fact, he broke all the agreements he had previously made with Simon and became hostile toward him.	27 Nevertheless he would not receive them, but brake all the covenants which he had made with him afore, and became strange unto him.
28 He sent Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with Simon and say: "You are occupying Joppa and Gazara and the citadel of Jerusalem; these are cities of my kingdom.	28 Furthermore he sent unto him Athenobius, one of his friends, to commune with him, and say, Ye withhold Joppa and Gazera; with the tower that is in Jerusalem, which are cities of my realm.
29 You have laid waste their territories, done great harm to the land, and taken possession of many districts in my realm.	29 The borders thereof ye have wasted, and done great hurt in the land, and got the dominion of many places within my kingdom.
30 Therefore, give up the cities you have seized and the tribute money of the districts outside the territory of Judea of which you have taken possession;	30 Now therefore deliver the cities which ye have taken, and the tributes of the places, whereof ye have gotten dominion without the borders of Judea:
31 or instead, pay me five hundred talents of silver for the devastation you have caused and five hundred talents more for the tribute money of the cities. If you do not do this, we will come and make war on you."	31 Or else give me for them five hundred talents of silver; and for the harm that ye have done, and the tributes of the cities, other five hundred talents: if not, we will come and fight against you
32 So Athenobius, the king's Friend, came to Jerusalem and on seeing the splendor of Simon's court, the gold and silver plate on the sideboard, and the rest of his rich display, he was amazed. When he gave him the king's message,	32 So Athenobius the king's friend came to Jerusalem: and when he saw the glory of Simon, and the cupboard of gold and silver plate, and his great attendance, he was astonished, and told him the king's message.
33 Simon said to him in reply: "We have not seized any foreign land; what we took is not the property of others, but our ancestral heritage which for a time had been unjustly held by our enemies.	33 Then answered Simon, and said unto him, We have neither taken other men's land, nor holden that which appertaineth to others, but the inheritance of our fathers, which our enemies had wrongfully in possession a certain time.
34 Now that we have the opportunity, we are holding on to the heritage of our ancestors.	34 Wherefore we, having opportunity, hold the inheritance of our fathers.
35 As for Joppa and Gazara, which you demand, the men of these cities were doing great harm to our people and laying waste our country; however, we are willing to pay you a hundred talents for these cities."	35 And whereas thou demandest Joppa and Gazera, albeit they did great harm unto the people in our country, yet will we give thee an hundred talents for them. Hereunto Athenobius answered him not a word;
36 Athenobius made no reply, but returned to the king in anger. When he told him of Simon's words, of his splendor, and of all he had seen, the king fell into a violent rage.	36 But returned in a rage to the king, and made report unto him of these speeches, and of the glory of Simon, and of all that he had seen: whereupon the king was exceeding wroth.
37 Trypho had gotten aboard a ship and escaped to Orthosia.	37 In the mean time fled Tryphon by ship unto Orthosias.
38 Then the king appointed Cendebeus commander-in-chief of the seacoast, and gave him infantry and cavalry forces.	38 Then the king made Cendebeus captain of the sea coast, and gave him an host of footmen and horsemen,
39 He ordered him to move his troops against Judea and to fortify Kedron and strengthen its gates, so that he could launch attacks against the Jewish people. Meanwhile the king went in pursuit of Trypho.	39 And commanded him to remove his host toward Judea; also he commanded him to build up Cedron, and to fortify the gates, and to war against the people; but as for the king himself, he pursued Tryphon.
40 When Cendebeus came to Jamnia, he began to harass the people and to make incursions into Judea, where he took people captive or massacred them.	40 So Cendebeus came to Jamnia and began to provoke the people and to invade Judea, and to take the people prisoners, and slay them.
41 As the king ordered, he fortified Kedron and stationed horsemen and infantry there, so that they could go out and patrol the roads of Judea.	41 And when he had built up Cedrou, he set horsemen there, and an host of footmen, to the end that issuing out they might make outroads upon the ways of Judea, as the king had commanded him.