1 Maccabees 10

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 In the year 160, Alexander, son of Antiochus Epiphanes, raised an army and occupied Ptolemais. Hewas wel received, and there inaugurated his reign.	1 In the year one hundred and sixty, Alexander, who was called Epiphanes, son of Antiochus, came up and took Ptolemais. He was accepted and began to reign there.
2 On hearing this, King Demetrius assembled a very large army and marched off to do battle with him.	2 When King Demetrius heard of it, he mustered a very large army and marched out to engage him in combat.
3 Demetrius furthermore sent Jonathan a most conciliatory letter, promising to promote him in rank,	3 Demetrius sent a letter to Jonathan written in peaceful terms, to pay him honor;
4 for, as he said, 'We had better move first to come to terms with these people before he makescommon cause with Alexander against us;	4 for he said: "Let us be the first to make peace with him, before he makes peace with Alexander against us,
5 he wil not have forgotten al the wrongs we inflicted on him and his brothers, and on his nation.'	5 since he will remember all the wrongs we have done to him, his brothers, and his nation."
6 He even authorised him to raise an army, to manufacture arms, and to describe himself as his al y,and ordered the hostages in the Citadel to be surrendered to him.	6 So Demetrius authorized him to gather an army and procure arms as his ally; and he ordered that the hostages in the citadel be released to him.
7 Jonathan went straight to Jerusalem and read the letter in the hearing of the whole people and of themen in the Citadel.	7 Accordingly Jonathan went up to Jerusalem and read the letter to all the people. The men in the citadel
8 They were terrified when they heard that the king had given him authority to raise an army.	8 were struck with fear when they heard that the king had given him authority to gather an army.
9 The men in the Citadel surrendered the hostages to Jonathan, who handed them back to theirparents.	9 They released the hostages to Jonathan, and he gave them back to their parents.
10 Jonathan then took up residence in Jerusalem and began the rebuilding and restoration of the city.	10 Thereafter Jonathan dwelt in Jerusalem, and began to build and restore the city.
11 He ordered those responsible for the work to build the wal s and the defences round Mount Zion ofsquared stone blocks to make them stronger, and this was done.	11 He ordered the workmen to build the walls and encircle Mount Zion with square stones for its fortification, which they did.
12 The foreigners in the fortresses built by Bacchides abandoned them,	12 The foreigners in the strongholds that Bacchides had built, took flight;
13 one after another leaving his post to go back to his own country.	13 each one of them left his place and returned to his own country.
14 Only at Beth-Zur were a few left of those who had forsaken the Law and the precepts, since this wastheir refuge.	14 Only in Beth-zur did some remain of those who had abandoned the law and the commandments, for they used it as a place of refuge.
15 King Alexander heard of al the promises Demetrius had sent to Jonathan, and he was also given anaccount of the battles and exploits of this man and his brothers and of the hardships they had endured.	15 King Alexander heard of the promises that Demetrius had made to Jonathan; he was also told of the battles and valiant deeds of Jonathan and his brothers and the troubles that they had endured.
16 'Shal we ever find another man like him?' he exclaimed. 'We must make him our friend and al y!'	16 He said, "Shall we ever find another man like him? Let us now make him our friend and ally."
17 He therefore wrote him a letter, addressing him in these terms:	17 So he sent Jonathan a letter written in these terms:
18 'King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greetings.	18 "King Alexander sends greetings to his brother Jonathan.
19 'You have been brought to our notice as a strong man of action and as someone who deserves to beour friend.	19 We have heard of you, that you are a mighty warrior and worthy to be our friend.
20 Accordingly, we have today appointed you high priest of your nation, with the title of "Friend of theKing" ' -- he also sent him a purple robe and a golden crown-'and you are to study our interests and maintainfriendly relations with us.'	20 We have therefore appointed you today to be high priest of your nation; you are to be called the King's Friend, and you are to look after our interests and preserve amity with us." He also sent him a purple robe and a crown of gold.
21 Jonathan put on the sacred vestments in the seventh month of the year 160, on the feast of Shelters;he then set about raising troops and manufacturing arms in quantity.	21 Jonathan put on the sacred vestments in the seventh month of the year one hundred and sixty at the feast of Booths, and he gathered an army and procured many arms.
22 Demetrius was displeased when he heard what had happened.	22 When Demetrius heard of these things, he was distressed and said:
23 'What have we been doing,' he said, 'for Alexander to forestal us in winning the friendship of theJews and so improving his own position?	23 "Why have we allowed Alexander to get ahead of us by gaining the friendship of the Jews and thus strengthening himself?
24 I too shall address an appeal to them, offering them advancement and riches as an inducement tosupport me.'	24 I too will write them conciliatory words and offer dignities and gifts, so that they may be an aid to me."
25 And he wrote to them as fol ows: 'King Demetrius to the Jewish nation, greetings.	25 So he sent them this message: "King Demetrius sends greetings to the Jewish nation.
26 'We have heard how you have kept your agreement with us and have maintained friendly relationswith us and have not gone over to our enemies, and it has given us great satisfaction.	26 We have heard how you have kept the treaty with us and continued in our friendship and not gone over to our enemies, and we are glad.
27 If you now continue to keep faith with us, we shal make you a handsome return for what you do onour behalf.	27 Continue, therefore, to keep faith with us, and we will reward you with favors in return for what you do in our behalf.
28 We shal accord you many exemptions and grant you privileges.	28 We will grant you many exemptions and will bestow gifts on you.
29 'Henceforth I release you and exempt al the Jews from the tribute, the salt dues and the crownlevies,	29 "I now free you, as I also exempt all the Jews, from the tribute, the salt tax, and the crown levies.
30 and whereas I am entitled to one-third of the grain and one-half of the fruit of the trees, I release fromthis levy, from today and for the future, Judaea and the three districts annexed to it from Samaria-Galilee, fromthis day henceforth in perpetuity.	30 Instead of collecting the third of the grain and the half of the fruit of the trees that should be my share, I renounce the right from this day forward: Neither now nor in the future will I collect them from the land of Judah or from the three districts annexed from Samaria.
31 Jerusalem wil be sacred and exempt, with its territory, from tithes and dues.	31 Let Jerusalem and her territory, her tithes and her tolls, be sacred and free from tax.
32 I relinquish control of the Citadel in Jerusalem and make it over to the high priest, so that he mayman it with a garrison of his own choosing.	32 I also yield my authority over the citadel in Jerusalem, and I transfer it to the high priest, that he may put in it such men as he shall choose to guard it.
33 Every Jewish person taken from Judaea into captivity in any part of my kingdom I set free withoutransom, and decree that al wil be exempt from taxes, even on their livestock.	33 Every one of the Jews who has been carried into captivity from the land of Judah into any part of my kingdom I set at liberty without ransom; and let all their taxes, even those on their cattle, be canceled.
34 Al festivals, Sabbaths, New Moons and days of special observance, and the three days before andthree days after a festival, wil be days of exemption and quittance for al the Jews in my kingdom,	34 Let all feast days, sabbaths, new moon festivals, appointed days, and the three days that precede each feast day, and the three days that follow, be days of immunity and exemption for every Jew in my kingdom.
35 and no one wil have the right to exact payment from, or to molest, any of them for any matterwhatsoever.	35 Let no man have authority to exact payment from them or to molest any of them in any matter.
36 'Jews will be enrol ed in the king's forces to the number of thirty thousand men and receivemaintenance on the same scale as the rest of the king's forces.	36 "Let thirty thousand Jews be enrolled in the king's army and allowances be given them, as is due to all the king's soldiers.
37 Some of them wil be stationed in the king's major fortresses, and from among others appointmentswil be made to positions of trust in the kingdom. Their officers and commanders will be appointed from their ownnumber and wil live under their own laws, as the king has prescribed for Judaea.	37 Let some of them be stationed in the king's principal strongholds, and of these let some be given positions of trust in the affairs of the kingdom. Let their superiors and their rulers be taken from among them, and let them follow their own laws, as the king has commanded in the land of Judah.
38 'As regards the three districts annexed to Judaea from the province of Samaria, these wil beintegrated into Judaea and considered as coming under one governor, obeying the high priest's authority and noother.	38 "Let the three districts that have been added to Judea from the province of Samaria be incorporated with Judea so that they may be under one man and obey no other authority than the high priest.
39 Ptolemais and the land thereto pertaining I present to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, to meet thenecessary expenses of public worship.	39 Ptolemais and its confines I give as a present to the sanctuary in Jerusalem for the necessary expenses of the sanctuary.
40 And I make a personal grant of fifteen thousand silver shekels annual y chargeable to the royalrevenue from appropriate places.	40 I make a yearly personal grant of fifteen thousand silver shekels out of the royal revenues, from appropriate places.
41 And the entire surplus, which has not been paid in by the officials as in previous years, wilhenceforth be paid over by them for work on the Temple.	41 All the additional funds that the officials did not hand over as they had done in the first years, shall henceforth be handed over for the services of the temple.
42 In addition, the sum of five thousand silver shekels, levied annual y on the profits of the sanctuary, asshown in the annual accounts, is also relinquished as the perquisite of the priests who perform the liturgy.	42 Moreover, the dues of five thousand silver shekels that used to be taken from the revenue of the sanctuary every year shall be canceled, since these funds belong to the priests who perform the services.
43 Anyone who takes refuge in the Temple in Jerusalem or any of its precincts, when in debt to theroyal exchequer or otherwise, wil be discharged in ful possession of al the goods he owns in my kingdom.	43 Whoever takes refuge in the temple of Jerusalem or in any of its precincts, because of money he owes the king, or because of any other debt, shall be released, together with all the goods he possesses in my kingdom.
44 As regards the building and restoration of the sanctuary, the expense of the work wil be met fromthe royal exchequer.	44 The cost of rebuilding and restoring the structures of the sanctuary shall be covered out of the royal revenue.
45 The reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem and the fortification of the perimeter will also be acharge on the royal exchequer, as also the reconstruction of other city wal s in Judaea.'	45 Likewise the cost of building the walls of Jerusalem and fortifying it all around, and of building walls in Judea, shall be donated from the royal revenue."
46 When Jonathan and the people heard these proposals, they put no faith in them and refused toaccept them, remembering what great wrongs Demetrius had done to Israel and how cruel y he had oppressedthem.	46 When Jonathan and the people heard these words, they neither believed nor accepted them, for they remembered the great evil that Demetrius had done in Israel, and how sorely he had afflicted them.
47 They decided in favour of Alexander, since he seemed to offer the better inducements of the two,and they became his constant al ies.	47 They therefore decided in favor of Alexander, for he had been the first to address them peaceably, and they remained his allies for the rest of his life.
48 King Alexander now mustered large forces and advanced against Demetrius.	48 King Alexander gathered together a large army and encamped opposite Demetrius.
49 The two kings met in battle. Alexander's army was routed, and Demetrius pursued him and defeatedhis troops.	49 The two kings joined battle, and when the army of Demetrius fled, Alexander pursued him, and overpowered his soldiers.
50 He continued the battle with vigour until sunset. Demetrius himself, however, was kil ed the sameday.	50 He pressed the battle hard until sunset, and Demetrius fell that day.
51 Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemy king of Egypt, with this message:	51 Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemy, king of Egypt, with this message:
52 'Since I have returned to my kingdom, have ascended the throne of my ancestors, have gainedcontrol by crushing Demetrius, and so recovered our country-	52 "Now that I have returned to my realm, taken my seat on the throne of my fathers, and established my rule by crushing Demetrius and gaining control of my country--
53 for I fought him and we crushed both him and his army, and I now occupy his royal throne-	53 for I engaged him in battle, defeated him and his army, and recovered the royal throne--
54 let us now make a treaty of friendship. Give me your daughter in marriage: as your son-in-law, I shalgive you, and her, presents which are worthy of you.'	54 let us now establish friendship with each other. Give me your daughter for my wife; and as your son-in-law, I will give to you and to her gifts worthy of you."
55 King Ptolemy replied as follows: 'Happy the day when you returned to the land of your ancestors andascended their royal throne!	55 King Ptolemy answered in these words: "Happy the day on which you returned to the land of your fathers and took your seat on their royal throne!
56 I shal at once do for you what your letter proposes; but meet me at Ptolemais, so that we can seeone another, and I shall become your father-in-law, as you have asked.'	56 I will do for you what you have written; but meet me in Ptolemais, so that we may see each other, and I will become your father-in-law as you have proposed."
57 Ptolemy left Egypt with his daughter Cleopatra and reached Ptolemais in the year 162.	57 So Ptolemy with his daughter Cleopatra set out from Egypt and came to Ptolemais in the year one hundred and sixty-two.
58 King Alexander went to meet him, and Ptolemy gave him the hand of his daughter Cleopatra andcelebrated her wedding in Ptolemais with great magnificence, as kings do.	58 There King Alexander met him, and Ptolemy gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage. Their wedding was celebrated at Ptolemais with great splendor according to the custom of kings.
59 King Alexander then wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him.	59 King Alexander also wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him.
60 Jonathan made his way in state to Ptolemais and met the two kings; he gave them and their friendssilver and gold, and many gifts, and made a favourable impression on them.	60 So he went with pomp to Ptolemais, where he met the two kings and gave them and their friends silver and gold and many gifts and thus won their favor.
61 A number of scoundrels, the pest of Israel, combined to denounce him, but the king paid no attentionto them.	61 Some pestilent Israelites, transgressors of the law, united against him to accuse him, but the king paid no heed to them.
62 In fact, the king commanded that Jonathan should be divested of his own garments and clothed inthe purple, which was done.	62 He ordered Jonathan to be divested of his ordinary garments and to be clothed in royal purple; and so it was done.
63 The king then seated him by his side and said to his officers, 'Escort him into the centre of the cityand proclaim that no one is to bring charges against him on any count; no one is to molest him for any reason.'	63 The king also had him seated at his side. He said to his magistrates: "Go with him to the center of the city and make a proclamation that no one is to bring charges against him on any grounds or be troublesome to him in any way."
64 And so, when his accusers saw the honour done him by this proclamation, and Jonathan himselfinvested in the purple, they all fled.	64 When his accusers saw the honor paid to him in the proclamation, and the purple with which he was clothed, they all fled.
65 The king did him the honour of enrol ing him among the First Friends, and appointed himcommander-in-chief and governor-general.	65 The king also honored him by numbering him among his Chief Friends and made him military commander and governor of the province.
66 Jonathan then returned to Jerusalem in peace and gladness.	66 So Jonathan returned in peace and happiness to Jerusalem.
67 In the year 165, Demetrius son of Demetrius came from Crete to the land of his ancestors.	67 In the year one hundred and sixty-five, Demetrius, son of Demetrius, came from Crete to the land of his fathers.
68 When King Alexander heard of it he was plunged into gloom, and retired to Antioch.	68 When King Alexander heard of it he was greatly troubled, and returned to Antioch.
69 Demetrius confirmed Apol onius as governor of Coele-Syria; the latter assembled a large force,encamped at Jamnia and sent the fol owing message to Jonathan the high priest:	69 Demetrius appointed Apollonius governor of Coelesyria. Having gathered a large army, Appollonius pitched his camp at Jamnia. From there he sent this message to Jonathan the high priest:
70 'You are entirely alone in rising against us, and now I find myself ridiculed and reproached on youraccount. Why do you use your authority to our disadvantage in the mountains?	70 "You are the only one who resists us. I am laughed at and put to shame on your account. Why are you displaying power against us in the mountains?
71 If you are so confident in your forces, come down now to meet us on the plain and let us take eachother's measure there; on my side I have the strength of the towns.	71 If you have confidence in your forces, come down now to us in the plain, and let us test each other's strength there; the city forces are on my side.
72 Ask and learn who I am and who the others supporting us are. You will hear that you cannot standup to us, since your ancestors were twice routed on their own ground,	72 Inquire and learn who I am and who the others are who are helping me. Men say that you cannot make a stand against us because your fathers were twice put to flight in their own land.
73 nor wil you now be able to withstand the cavalry or so great an army on the plain, where there isneither rock, nor stone, nor refuge of any kind.'	73 Now you too will be unable to withstand our cavalry and such a force as this in the plain, where there is not a stone or a pebble or a place to flee."
74 On hearing Apollonius' words, Jonathan's spirit was roused; he picked ten thousand men and leftJerusalem, and his brother Simon joined him with reinforcements.	74 When Jonathan heard the message of Apollonius, he was roused. Choosing ten thousand men, he set out from Jerusalem, and Simon his brother joined him to help him.
75 He drew up his forces outside Joppa, the citizens having shut him out, since Apol onius had agarrison in Joppa. When they began the attack,	75 He pitched camp near Joppa, but the men in the city shut him out because Apollonius had a garrison there. When the Jews besieged it,
76 the citizens took fright and opened the gates, and Jonathan occupied Joppa.	76 the men of the city became afraid and opened the gates, and so Jonathan took possession of Joppa.
77 Hearing this, Apol onius marshal ed three thousand cavalry and a large army and made his way toAzotus as though intending to march through, while in fact pressing on into the plain, since he had a greatnumber of cavalry on which he was relying.	77 When Apollonius heard of it, he drew up three thousand horsemen and an innumerable infantry. He marched on Azotus as though he were going on through the country, but at the same time he advanced into the plain, because he had such a large number of horsemen to rely on.
78 Jonathan pursued him as far as Azotus, where the armies joined battle.	78 Jonathan followed him to Azotus, and they engaged in battle.
79 Now, Apol onius had left a thousand horsemen in concealment behind them.	79 Apollonius, however, had left a thousand cavalry in hiding behind them.
80 Jonathan knew of this enemy position behind him; the horsemen surrounded his army, firing theirarrows into his men from morning til evening.	80 When Jonathan discovered that there was an ambush behind him, his army was surrounded. From morning until evening they showered his men with arrows.
81 But the troops stood firm, as Jonathan had ordered. Once the cavalry was exhausted,	81 But his men held their ground, as Jonathan had commanded, whereas the enemy's horses became tired out.
82 Simon sent his own troops into attack against the phalanx, which he cut to pieces and routed.	82 When the horsemen were exhausted, Simon attacked the phalanx, overwhelmed it and put it to flight.
83 The cavalry scattered over the plain and fled to Azotus, where they took sanctuary in Beth-Dagon,the temple of their idol.	83 The horsemen too were scattered over the plain. The enemy fled to Azotus and entered Beth-dagon, the temple of their idol, to save themselves.
84 Jonathan, however, set fire to Azotus and the surrounding towns, plundered them, and burned downthe temple of Dagon, with al the fugitives who had crowded into it.	84 But Jonathan burned and plundered Azotus with its neighboring towns, and destroyed by fire both the temple of Dagon and the men who had taken refuge in it.
85 The enemy losses, counting those who fell by the sword and those burnt to death, total ed abouteight thousand men.	85 Those who fell by the sword, together with those who were burned alive, came to about eight thousand men.
86 Jonathan then left and pitched camp outside Ascalon, where the citizens came out to meet him withgreat ceremony.	86 Then Jonathan left there and pitched his camp at Ashkalon, and the people of that city came out to meet him with great pomp.
87 Jonathan then returned to Jerusalem with his fol owers, laden with booty.	87 He and his men then returned to Jerusalem, laden with much booty.
88 In the event, when King Alexander heard what had happened, he awarded Jonathan furtherhonours:	88 When King Alexander heard of these events, he accorded new honors to Jonathan.
89 he sent him the golden brooch, of the kind customarily presented to the King's Cousins, and gavehim proprietary rights over Ekron and the land adjoining it.	89 He sent him a gold buckle, such as is usually given to King's Kinsmen; he also gave him Ekron and all its territory as a possession.