Primus Machabaeorum 16

VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Et ascendit Joannes de Gazaris, et nuntiavit Simoni patri suo quæ fecit Cendebæus in populo ipsorum.	1 John then went up from Gezer and reported to his father Simon what Cendebaeus was busy doing.
2 Et vocavit Simon duos filios seniores, Judam et Joannem, et ait illis : Ego, et fratres mei, et domus patris mei expugnavimus hostes Israël ab adolescentia usque in hunc diem : et prosperatum est in manibus nostris liberare Israël aliquoties.	2 At this, Simon summoned his two elder sons, Judas and John, and said to them, 'My brothers and I,and my father's House, have fought the enemies of Israel from our youth until today, and many a time we havebeen successful in rescuing Israel.
3 Nunc autem senui : sed estote loco meo, et fratres mei, et egressi pugnate pro gente nostra : auxilium vero de cælo vobiscum sit.	3 But now I am an old man, while you, by the mercy of Heaven, are the right age; take the place of mybrother and myself, go out and fight for our nation, and may Heaven's aid be with you.'
4 Et elegit de regione viginti millia virorum belligeratorum, et equites : et profecti sunt ad Cendebæum, et dormierunt in Modin.	4 He then selected twenty thousand of the country's fighting men and cavalry, and these marchedagainst Cendebaeus, spending the night at Modein.
5 Et surrexerunt mane, et abierunt in campum : et ecce exercitus copiosus in obviam illis peditum et equitum : et fluvius torrens erat inter medium ipsorum.	5 Making an early start, they marched into the plain, to find a large army opposing them, both infantryand cavalry; there was, however, a stream-bed in between.
6 Et admovit castra contra faciem eorum ipse et populus ejus, et vidit populum trepidantem ad transfretandum torrentem : et transfretavit primus, et viderunt eum viri, et transierunt post eum.	6 John drew up facing them, he and his army and, seeing that the men were afraid to cross the stream-bed, crossed over first himself. When his men saw this, they too crossed after him.
7 Et divisit populum et equites in medio peditum : erat autem equitatus adversariorum copiosus nimis.	7 He divided his army into two, with the cavalry in the centre and the infantry on either flank, as the opposing cavalry was very numerous.
8 Et exclamaverunt sacris tubis, et in fugam conversus est Cendebæus et castra ejus : et ceciderunt ex eis multi vulnerati : residui autem in munitionem fugerunt.	8 The trumpets rang out; Cendebaeus and his army were put to flight, many of them fal ing mortal ywounded and the rest of them fleeing to the fortress.
9 Tunc vulneratus est Judas frater Joannis : Joannes autem insecutus est eos, donec venit Cedronem, quam ædificavit :	9 Then it was that Judas, John's brother, was wounded, but John pursued them until Cendebaeusreached Kedron, which he had rebuilt.
10 et fugerunt usque ad turres, quæ erant in agris Azoti, et succendit eas igni. Et ceciderunt ex illis duo millia virorum, et reversus est in Judæam in pace.	10 Their flight took them as far as the towers in the countryside of Azotus, and John burnt these down.The enemy losses amounted to ten thousand men; John returned safely to Judaea.
11 Et Ptolemæus filius Abobi constitutus erat dux in campo Jericho, et habebat argentum et aurum multum :	11 Ptolemy son of Abubos had been appointed general in command of the Plain of Jericho; he owned agreat deal of silver and gold,
12 erat enim gener summi sacerdotis.	12 and was the high priest's son-in-law.
13 Et exaltatum est cor ejus, et volebat obtinere regionem, et cogitabat dolum adversus Simonem et filios ejus, ut tolleret eos.	13 His ambition was fired; he hoped to make himself master of the whole country and thereforetreacherously began to plot the destruction of Simon and his sons.
14 Simon autem, perambulans civitates quæ erant in regione Judææ, et sollicitudinem gerens earum, descendit in Jericho ipse, et Mathathias filius ejus, et Judas, anno centesimo septuagesimo septimo, mense undecimo : hic est mensis Sabath.	14 Simon, who was inspecting the towns up and down the country and attending to their administration,had come down to Jericho with his sons Mattathias and Judas, in the year 172, in the eleventh month, the monthof Shebat.
15 Et suscepit eos filius Abobi in munitiunculam, quæ vocatur Doch, cum dolo, quam ædificavit : et fecit eis convivium magnum, et abscondit illic viros.	15 The son of Abubos lured them into a smal fortress cal ed Dok, which he had built, where he offeredthem a great banquet, having previously hidden men in the place.
16 Et cum inebriatus esset Simon et filii ejus, surrexit Ptolemæus cum suis, et sumpserunt arma sua, et intraverunt in convivium : et occiderunt eum, et duos filios ejus, et quosdam pueros ejus :	16 When Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men reached for their weapons, rushed onSimon in the banqueting hall and killed him with his two sons and some of his servants.
17 et fecit deceptionem magnam in Israël, et reddidit mala pro bonis.	17 He thus committed a great act of treachery and rendered evil for good.
18 Et scripsit hæc Ptolemæus, et misit regi ut mitteret ei exercitum in auxilium, et traderet ei regionem, et civitates eorum, et tributa.	18 Ptolemy wrote a report of the affair and sent it to the king, in the expectation of being sentreinforcements and of having the cities and the province made over to him.
19 Et misit alios in Gazaram tollere Joannem : et tribunis misit epistolas, ut venirent ad se, et daret eis argentum, et aurum, et dona.	19 He also sent people to Gezer to murder John, and sent written orders to the military commanders tocome to him so that he could give them silver, gold and presents;
20 Et alios misit occupare Jerusalem et montem templi.	20 and he also sent others to seize control of Jerusalem and the Temple mount.
21 Et præcurrens quidam, nuntiavit Joanni in Gazara quia periit pater ejus et fratres ejus, et quia misit te quoque interfici.	21 But someone had been too quick for him and had already informed John in Gezer that his father andbrothers had perished, adding, 'He is sending someone to kil you too!'
22 Ut audivit autem, vehementer expavit : et comprehendit viros, qui venerant perdere eum, et occidit eos : cognovit enim quia quærebant eum perdere.	22 Overcome as John was by the news, he arrested the men who had come to kil him and put them todeath, being forewarned of their murderous design.
23 Et cetera sermonum Joannis, et bellorum ejus, et bonarum virtutum, quibus fortiter gessit, et ædificii murorum, quos exstruxit, et rerum gestarum ejus :	23 The rest of John's acts, the battles he fought and the exploits he performed, the city wal s he built,and all his other achievements,
24 ecce hæc scripta sunt in libro dierum sacerdotii ejus, ex quo factus est princeps sacerdotum post patrem suum.	24 from the day he succeeded his father as high priest, are recorded in the annals of his pontificate.