1 Maccabees 14 In the hundred threescore and twelfth yere, gathered king Demetrius his hoast, and departed vnto Media, to get him helpe for to fight against Tryphon.

Bishops⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ In the hundred threescore and twelfth yere, gathered king Demetrius his hoast, and departed vnto Media, to get him helpe for to fight against Tryphon. ² Now when Arsaces the king of Persia and Media, heard that Demetrius was entred within his borders, he sent one of his princes to take him aliue, [and to bring him vnto him.] ³ So he went and slue Demetrius hoast, toke him selfe, brought him to Arsaces, which kept him in warde. ⁴ And all the lande of Iuda was in rest so long as Simon liued, for he sought the wealth of his people, therfore were they glad to haue him for their ruler, and to do him worship alway. ⁵ Simon wan the citie of Ioppa also for an hauen towne, and made it an entraunce into the Iles of the sea: ⁶ He enlarged the borders of his people, and conquered them more lande: ⁷ He gathered vp many of their people that were prisoners, he had the dominion of Gaza, Bethsura, and the castle which he cleansed from filthynes, and there was no man that resisted him. ⁸ So that euery man tilled his grounde in peace, the lande of Iuda and the trees gaue their fruite and encrease. ⁹ The elders sate all in iudgement, and toke their deuice for the wealth of the lande, the young men put on worshippe and harnesse vpon them. ¹⁰ He prouided vitailes for the cities, and made goodly strong holdes of them, so that the same of his worship was spoken of vnto the ende of the worlde. ¹¹ For he made peace throughout the lande, and Israel was full of mirth and ioy. ¹² Euery man sate vnder his vine & figge trees, and there was no man to fraye them away. ¹³ There was none in the lande to fight against them, for then the kinges were ouercome. ¹⁴ He helped those that were in aduersitie among his people, he was diligent to see the lawe kept: as for such as were vngodly and wicked, he toke them away. ¹⁵ He set vp the sanctuary, and encreased the holy vessels of the temple. ¹⁶ When the Romanes and Spartians had gotten worde that Ionathas was dead, they were right sory: ¹⁷ But when they heard that Simon his brother was made hie priest in his steade, and how he had wonne the land againe with the cities in it: ¹⁸ They wrote vnto him in tables of brasse, to renue the frendship and bonde of loue which they had made afore with Iudas and Ionathas his brethren. ¹⁹ Which writinges were read before the congregation at Hierusalem. And this is the copie of the letters that the Spartians sent: ²⁰ The Senatours and citezins of Sparta send greeting vnto Simon the great priest, with the elders, priestes, and the other people of the Iewes their brethren: ²¹ When your Ambassadours that were sent vnto our people, certified vs of your worship, honour, & prosperous wealth: we were glad of their comming, ²² And haue written the ambassage in the publike recordes in this maner: [namely] that Numenius the sonne of Antiochus, and Antipater the sonne of Iason the Iewes ambassadours, are come vnto vs, for to renue the olde frendship with vs. ²³ Upon this the people concented, that the men should be honorably intreated, and that the copie of their ambassage should be written in the speciall bookes of the people for a perpetuall memorie vnto the Spartians, yea and that we should send a copie of the same vnto Simon the great priest. ²⁴ After this, did Simon send Numenius vnto Rome, with a golden shielde of a thousand pound waight, to confirme the frendship with them. ²⁵ Which when the Romanes vnderstoode, they saide: what thankes shall we recompence againe vnto Simon and his children? ²⁶ For he and his brethren and the house of his father, hath stablished Israel, and ouercommed their enemies, wherefore they graunted him to be free, and confirmed the libertie thereof: therefore they wrote this in tables of brasse, and set it vpon pillers in mount Sion. ²⁷ The copie of the writing is this: The eighteenth day of the moneth Elul, in the hundred threescore and twelfth yere, in the third yere of Simon the hie priest, ²⁸ In the great congregation of the priestes, rulers of the people, and elders of the countrey at Saramel, were these wordes openly declared: ²⁹ Forsomuch as there was much warre in our lande, therfore Simon the sonne of Mathathias come of the children of Iarib, & his brethren put them selues in perill, and resisted the enemies of their people, that their sanctuary and lawe might be maintayned, and did their people great worship. ³⁰ Ionathas in lyke maner, after that he had gouerned his people and ben their hie priest, dyed, and lyeth buried beside his elders. ³¹ After that would their enemies haue troden their holy thinges vnder foote, destroyed their lande, and vtterlie wasted their sanctuary. ³² Then Simon withstoode them, and fought for his people, spent much of his owne money, weaponed the valiaunt men of his people, gaue them wages, ³³ Made strong the cities of Iuda, with Bethsura that lyeth vpon the borders of Iurie, where the ordinaunce of their enemies laye sometime, and set Iewes there for to kepe it. ³⁴ He made fast Ioppa also which lyeth vpon the sea, and Gaza that bordereth vpon Azotus, where the enemies dwelt afore, and there he set Iewes to kepe it: and whatsoeuer was meete for the subduing of the aduersaries, that layed he therein. ³⁵ Now when the people sawe the noble actes of Simon, and what worship he purposed to do for them, his godly behauour and faithfulnes which he kept vnto them, and how he sought by alwayes the wealth of his people: because he did all this, therefore they chose him to be their prince and hie priest. ³⁶ And in his time they prospered wel by him, so that the heathen were taken out of their lande, and they also which were in the citie of Dauid at Hierusalem in the castle, where they went out and defiled all thinges that were about the sanctuary, and did great harme vnto cleanlinesse: ³⁷ And Simon put men of the Iewes in it for the defence of the land and citie, and set vp the walles of Hierusalem. ³⁸ And king Demetrius confirmed him in his high priesthood ³⁹ For these causes: made him his friend, and did him great worship: ⁴⁰ For he heard that the Romanes called the Iewes their friendes, louers, and brethren: howe honorably they receaued Simons Ambassadours: ⁴¹ Howe the Iewes and priestes concented that he should be their prince and hie priest perpetually, till God raysed vp the true prophete: ⁴² And that he shoulde be their captaine, to care for the sanctuarie, and to set officers vpon the workes thereof, ouer the lande, ouer the weapons, ouer the houses of defence, to make prouision for the holy thinges, ⁴³ And to be obeyed of euery man, and all the writinges of the lande to be made in his name, that he should be clothed in purple and golde: ⁴⁴ And that it should be lawfull for none of the people nor priestes to breake any of these thinges, to withstand his words, nor to call any congregation in the lande without him: that he should be clothed in purple, and weare a coller of golde. ⁴⁵ And if there were any which disobeyed or brake this ordinaunce, that he should be punished. ⁴⁶ So al the people consented to alow Simon, & to do according to these wordes: ⁴⁷ Simon also him selfe toke it vpon him, and was content to be the hie priest, the captaine and prince of the Iewes and priestes, and to gouerne them all. ⁴⁸ And they commaunded to make this writing in tables of brasse, and fasten it vnto the wall that compasseth the sanctuary, in an open place: ⁴⁹ And to lay vp a copie of the same in the treasurie, that Simon and his posteritie might haue it.