1 Maccabees 13

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Simon heard that Trypho had col ected a large army to invade and devastate Judaea,	1 Now Simon heard that Tryphon was gathering together a very great army, to invade the land of Juda, and to destroy it.
2 and when he saw how the people were quaking with fear, he went up to Jerusalem, cal ed the peopletogether,	2 And seeing that the people was in dread, and in fear, he went up to Jerusalem, and assembled the people:
3 and exhorted them thus, 'You know yourselves how much I and my brothers and my father's familyhave done for the laws and the sanctuary; you know what wars and hardships we have experienced.	3 And exhorted them, saying: You know what great battles I and my brethren, and the house of my father, have fought for the laws, and the sanctuary, and the distresses that we have seen:
4 That is why my brothers are all dead, for Israel's sake, and I am the only one left.	4 By reason whereof all my brethren have lost their lives for Israel's sake, and I am left alone.
5 Far be it from me, then, to be sparing of my own life in any time of oppression, for I am not worth morethan my brothers.	5 And now far be it from me to spare my life in any time of trouble: for I am not better than my brethren.
6 Rather wil I avenge my nation and the sanctuary and your wives and children, now that the foreignersare al united in malice to destroy us.'	6 I will avenge then my nation and the sanctuary, and our children, and wives: for all the heathens are gathered together to destroy us out of mere malice.
7 The people's spirit rekindled as they listened to his words,	7 And the spirit of the people was enkindled as soon as they heard these words.
8 and they shouted back at him, 'You are our leader in place of Judas and your brother Jonathan.	8 And they answered with a loud voice, saying: Thou art our leader in the place of Judas, and Jonathan thy brother.
9 Fight our battles for us, and we wil do whatever you tel us.'	9 Fight thou our battles, and we will do whatsoever thou shalt say to us.
10 So he assembled al the fighting men and hurried on with completing the wal s of Jerusalem,fortifying the whole perimeter.	10 So gathering together all the men of war, he made haste to finish all the walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it round about.
11 He sent a considerable force to Joppa under Jonathan son of Absalom who drove out the inhabitantsand remained there in occupation.	11 And he sent Jonathan the son of Absalom, and with him a new army into Joppe, and he cast out them that were in it, and himself remained there.
12 Trypho now left Ptolemais with a large army to invade Judaea, taking Jonathan with him underguard.	12 And Tryphon removed from Ptolemais with a great army, to invade the land of Juda, and Jonathan was with him in custody.
13 Simon pitched camp in Adida, facing the plain.	13 But Simon pitched in Addus, over against the plain.
14 When Trypho learned that Simon had taken the place of his brother Jonathan and that he intendedto join battle with him, he sent envoys to him with this message,	14 And when Tryphon understood that Simon was risen up in the place of his brother Jonathan, and that he meant to join battle with him, he sent messengers to him,
15 'Your brother Jonathan was in debt to the royal exchequer for the offices he held; that is why we aredetaining him.	15 Saying: We have detained thy brother Jonathan for the money that he owed in the king's account, by reason of the affairs which he had the management of.
16 If you send a hundred talents of silver and two of his sons as hostages, to make sure that on hisrelease he does not revolt against us, we shal release him.'	16 But now send a hundred talents of silver, and his two sons for hostages, that when he is set at liberty he may not revolt from us, and we will release him.
17 Although Simon was aware that the message was a ruse, he sent for the money and the boys forfear of incurring great hostility from the people,	17 Now Simon knew that he spoke deceitfully to him, nevertheless he ordered the money, and the children to be sent: lest he should bring upon himself a great hatred of the people of Israel, who might have said:
18 who would have said that Jonathan had died because Simon would not send Trypho the money andthe children.	18 Because he sent not the money, and the children, therefore is he lost.
19 He therefore sent both the boys and the hundred talents, but Trypho broke his word and did notrelease Jonathan.	19 So he sent the children, and the hundred talents: and he lied, and did not let Jonathan go.
20 Next, Trypho set about the invasion and devastation of the country; he made a detour along theAdora road, but Simon and his army confronted him wherever he attempted to go.	20 And after this Tryphon entered within the country, to destroy it: and they went about by the way that leadeth to Ador: and Simon and his army marched to every place whithersoever they went.
21 The men in the Citadel kept sending messengers to Trypho, urging him to get through to them byway of the desert and send them supplies.	21 And they that were in the castle, sent messengers to Tryphon, that he should make haste to come through the desert, and sent them victuals.
22 Trypho organised his entire cavalry to go, but that night it snowed so heavily that he could not getthrough for the snow, so he left there and moved off into Gilead.	22 And Tryphon made ready all his horsemen to come that night: but there fell a very great snow, and he came not into the country of Galaad.
23 As he approached Baskama he kil ed Jonathan, who was buried there.	23 And when he approached to Bascama, he slew Jonathan and his sons there.
24 Trypho turned back and regained his own country.	24 And Tryphon returned, and went into his own country.
25 Simon sent and recovered the bones of his brother Jonathan, and buried him in Modein, the town ofhis ancestors.	25 And Simon sent, and took the bones of Jonathan his brother, and buried them in Modin, in the city of his fathers.
26 Al Israel kept solemn mourning for him and long bewailed him.	26 And all Israel bewailed him with great lamentation: and they mourned for him many days.
27 Over the tomb of his father and brothers, Simon raised a monument high enough to catch the eye,using dressed stone back and front.	27 And Simon built over the sepulchre of his father and of his brethren, a building lofty to the sight, of polished stone behind and before:
28 He erected seven pyramids facing each other, for his father and mother and his four brothers,	28 And he set up seven pyramids one against another for his father and his mother, and his four brethren:
29 surrounding them with a structure consisting of tal columns surmounted by trophies of arms to theireverlasting memory and, beside the trophies of arms, ships sculpted on a scale to be seen by al who sail thesea.	29 And round about these he set great pillars: and upon the pillars arms for a perpetual memory: and by the arms ships carved, which might be seen by all that sailed on the sea.
30 Such was the monument he constructed at Modein, and it is stil there today.	30 This is the sepulchre that he made in Modin even unto this day.
31 Now Trypho, betraying the trust of young King Antiochus, put him to death.	31 But Tryphon when he was upon a journey with the young king Antiochus, treacherously slew him.
32 He usurped his throne, assuming the crown of Asia, and brought great havoc on the country.	32 And he reigned in his place, and put on the crown of Asia: and brought great evils upon the land.
33 Simon built up the fortresses of Judaea, surrounding them with high towers, great wal s and gateswith bolts, and stocked these fortresses with food.	33 And Simon built up the strong holds of Judea, fortifying them with high towers, and great walls, and gates, and bars: and he stored up victuals in the fortresses.
34 He also sent a delegation to King Demetrius, to get him to grant the province a remission, since alTrypho did was to despoil.	34 And Simon chose men and sent to king Demetrius, to the end that he should grant an immunity to the land: for all that Tryphon did was to spoil.
35 King Demetrius replied to his request in a letter framed as fol ows:	35 And king Demetrius in answer to this request, wrote a letter in this manner:
36 'King Demetrius to Simon, high priest and Friend of Kings, and to the elders and nation of the Jews,greetings.	36 King Demetrius to Simon the high priest, and friend of kings, and to the ancients, and to the nation of the Jews, greeting.
37 'It has pleased us to accept the golden crown and the palm you have sent us, and we are disposedto make a general peace with you, and to write to the officials to grant you remissions.	37 The golden crown, and the palm, which you sent, we have received: and we are ready to make a firm peace with you, and to write to the king's chief officers to release you the things that we have released.
38 Everything that we have decreed concerning you remains in force, and the fortresses you have builtmay remain in your hands.	38 For all that we have decreed in your favour, shall stand in force. The strong holds that you have built, shall be your own.
39 We pardon all offences, unwitting or intentional, hitherto committed, and remit the crown tax you nowowe us; and whatever other taxes were levied in Jerusalem are no longer to be levied.	39 And as for any oversight or fault committed unto this day, we forgive it, and the crown which you owed: and if any other thing were taxed in Jerusalem, now let it not be taxed.
40 If any of you are suitable for enrolment in our bodyguard, let them be enrol ed, and let there bepeace between us.'	40 And if any of you be fit to be enrolled among ours, let them be enrolled, and let there be peace between us.
41 The gentile yoke was thus lifted from Israel in the year 170,	41 In the year one hundred and seventy the yoke of the Gentiles was taken off from Israel.
42 when our people began engrossing their documents and contracts: 'In the first year of Simon,eminent high priest, commander-in-chief and ethnarch of the Jews'.	42 And the people of Israel began to write in the instruments, and public records, The first year under Simon the high priest, the great captain and prince of the Jews.
43 About that time Simon laid siege to Gezer, surrounding it with his troops. He constructed a mobiletower, brought it up to the city, opened a breach in one of the bastions and took it.	43 In those days Simon besieged Gaza, and camped round about it, and he made engines, and set them to the city, and he struck one tower, and took it.
44 The men in the mobile tower sprang out into the city, where great confusion ensued.	44 And they that were within the engine leaped into the city: and there was a great uproar in the city.
45 The citizens, accompanied by their wives and children, mounted the ramparts with their garmentstorn and loudly implored Simon to make peace with them:	45 And they that were in the city went up with their wives and children upon the wall, with their garments rent, and they cried with a loud voice, beseeching Simon to grant them peace.
46 'Treat us', they said, 'not as our wickedness deserves, but as your mercy prompts you.'	46 And they said: Deal not with us according to our evil deeds, but according to thy mercy.
47 Simon came to terms with them and stopped the fighting; but he expel ed them from the city, purifiedthe houses which contained idols, and then made his entry with songs of praise.	47 And Simon being moved, did not destroy them: but yet he cast them out of the city, and cleansed the houses wherein there had been idols, and then he entered into it with hymns, blessing the Lord.
48 He banished al impurity from it, settled in it people who observed the Law, and having fortified it,built a residence there for himself.	48 And having cast out of it all uncleanness, he placed in it men that should observe the law: and he fortified it, and made it his habitation.
49 The occupants of the Citadel in Jerusalem, prevented as they were from coming out and going intothe countryside to buy and sel , were in desperate need of food, and numbers of them were being carried off bystarvation.	49 But they that were in the castle of Jerusalem were hindered from going out and coming into the country, and from buying and selling: and they were straitened with hunger, and many of them perished through famine.
50 They begged Simon to make peace with them, and he granted this, though he expel ed them andpurified the Citadel from its pollutions.	50 And they cried to Simon form peace, and he granted it to them: and he cast them out from thence, and cleansed the castle from uncleannesses.
51 The Jews made their entry on the twenty-third day of the second month in the year 171, withacclamations and carrying palms, to the sound of lyres, cymbals and harps, chanting hymns and canticles, sincea great enemy had been crushed and thrown out of Israel. Simon made it a day of annual rejoicing.	51 And they entered into it the three and twentieth day of the second month, in the year one hundred and seventy-one, with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and harps, and cymbals, and psalteries, and hymns, and canticles, because the great enemy was destroyed out of Israel.
52 He fortified the Temple hil on the Citadel side, and took up residence there with his men.	52 And he ordained that these days should be kept every year with gladness.
53 Since his son John had come to manhood, Simon appointed him general-in-chief, with his residencein Gezer.	53 And he fortified the mountain of the temple that was near the castle, and he dwelt there himself, and they that were with him.
	54 And Simon saw that John his son was a valiant man for war: and he made him captain of all the forces: and he dwelt in Gazara.