1 Maccabees 11

Bishops^{(i) 1} And the king of Egypt gathered an hoast like the sande that lyeth vpon the sea shore, and many shippes, & went about thorow disceyte to obtayne the kingdome of Alexander, and to ioyne it vnto his owne realme. ² Upon this he toke his iourney into Syria, vsing gentle wordes, so that he was letten into the cities, & men came foorth to meete hym: for king Alexander had commaunded them so to do, because he was his father in lawe. ³ Nowe when Ptolomi entred into any citie, he left men of warre to kepe it: and this he did thorowout all the cities. ⁴ And when he came to Azotus, they shewed hym the temple of Dagon, and Azotus that was brent vp, with the other thinges which were destroyed, the dead bodies cast abrode, and the graues that they had made by the way side for such as were slayne in the fielde, ⁵ And tolde the king that Ionathas had done all these thinges, to the intent they might get him euyll will: But the king sayde not one worde therto. ⁶ And Ionathas mette the king with great honour at Ioppa, where they saluted one an other, and toke their rest. ⁷ So when Ionathas had gone with the king vnto the water that was called Eleutherus, he turned againe to Hierusalem. ⁸ Nowe Ptolomi had gotten the dominion of the cities vnto Seleucia vpon the sea coast, imagining wicked counsels against Alexander, ⁹ And sent ambassadours vnto Demetrius, saying: Come, let vs make a bonde betwixt vs, so shall I geue thee my daughter that Alexander hath, and thou shalt raigne in thy fathers kingdome. ¹⁰ I repent that I gaue Alexander my daughter, for he goeth about to slay me. ¹¹ And thus he slaundered Alexander, because he woude haue had his realme. ¹² Thus he toke his daughter from him, gaue her vnto Demetrius, and forsoke Alexander: so that his malice was openly knowen. ¹³ And Ptolomi came to Antioch, where he set two crownes vpon his owne head, the crowne of Egypt, and of Asia. ¹⁴ In the meane season was king Alexander in Cilicia: for they that dwelt in those places had rebelled against hym. ¹⁵ But when Alexander hearde of this, he came to warre against hym: So king Ptolomi brought foorth his hoast, and mette him with a mightie power, and chased him away. ¹⁶ Then fled Alexander into Arabia, there to be defended: and king Ptolomeus honour increased. ¹⁷ And Zabdiel the Arabian smote of Alexanders head, & sent it vnto Ptolomi. ¹⁸ But the thirde day after died king Ptolomi hym selfe, and they whom he had set in the strong holdes, were slayne one of another. ¹⁹ And Demetrius raigned in the hundred threscore and seuenth yere. ²⁰ At the same time gathered Ionathas them that were in Iurie, to lay siege vnto the castle which was at Hierusalem, & so they made many instrumentes of warre against it. ²¹ Then went there certayne vngodly persons, whiche hated their owne people, vnto king Demetrius, and told hym that Ionathas besieged the castle. ²² So when he hearde it, he was angry, and immediatly came vnto Ptolomais, & wrote vnto Ionathas, that he should not lay siege to the castle, but come and speake with hym at Ptolomais in all haste. ²³ Neuerthelesse, when Ionathas heard this, he commaunded to besiege it: He chose also certayne of the elders and priestes of Israel, and put him selfe in peryll, ²⁴ And toke with him golde, siluer, clothing, and diuers presentes, and went to Ptolomais vnto the king, and founde him gracious. ²⁵ And though certayne vngodly men of his owne people made complayntes vpon him, ²⁶ Yet the king intreated him, like as his predecessours had done before, and promoted hym in the sight of all his friendes, ²⁷ Confirmed hym in the hye priesthood with all the worship that he had afore, and made him his chiefe friend. ²⁸ Ionathas also desired the king that he woulde make Iurie free, with the three head cities of Samaria, and the landes perteyning therto: vpon this did Ionathas promise hym three hundred talentes. ²⁹ Wherunto the king consented, and gaue Ionathas wryting of the same, conteyning these wordes: ³⁰ King Demetrius sendeth greeting vnto his brother Ionathas, and to the people of the Iewes. ³¹ We sende you here a copie of the letter which we did write vnto our cosen Lasthenus concerning you, that ye shoulde knowe it. ³² King Demetrius sendeth greeting vnto Lasthenus his father. ³³ For the faythfulnesse that our friendes the people of the Iewes kepe vnto vs, and for the louing kindnesse which they beare towarde vs, we are determined to do them good. ³⁴ Wherfore we assigne vnto the coastes of Iudea the three gouernemetes, Afferema, Lydda, and Ramatha, whiche are added vnto Iurie from Samaria and all the landes pertayning therevnto, to be freely separated for such as do sacrifice in Hierusalem, both concerning the paymentes whiche the king toke yerely aforetime, & the fruite also of the earth and trees: ³⁵ As for other tithes and tributes that belonged vnto vs, we discharge them therof from this time foorth. ³⁶ In like maner we graunt vnto them all the customes of salt, & crowne taxes, which were brought vnto vs: and this freedome shal they haue firme and stedfast from this time foorth for euermore. ³⁷ Therefore, see that ye make a copie of these our letters, and deliuer it vnto Ionathas, that it may be set vpon the holy mount in a conuenient place. ³⁸ After this, when Demetrius the king sawe that his land was in rest, and that no resistaunce was made against him, he sent away all his hoast, euery man to his owne place, except certayne bandes of straungers, whom he brought from the Iles of the heathen: wherefore all his fathers hoast hated him. ³⁹ Now was ther one Tryphon that had ben of Alexanders part afore, whiche when he saw that all the hoast murmured against Demetrius, he went to Samalcue the Arabian, that brought vp Antiochus the sonne of Alexander, ⁴⁰ And lay sore vpon him to deliuer hym this young Antiochus, that he might raine in his fathers steade: He tolde him also what great euyll Demetrius had done, & how his men of warre loued him not: & so remayned there a long season. ⁴¹ And Ionathas sent vnto king Demetrius, to driue them out which were in the castle at Hierusalem, and those that were in the fortresses, for they dyd Israel great harme. ⁴² So Demetrius sent word vnto Ionathas, saying, I will not only do these thinges for thee and thy people: but at time conuenient I wil do both thee and thy people great worship. ⁴³ But now thou shalt do me a pleasure if thou wilt sende me men to helpe me: for all myne armie is gone fro me. ⁴⁴ So Ionathas sent hym three thousande strong men vnto Antioch, & they came vnto the king, wherefore the king was very glad at their comming. ⁴⁵ But they that were of the citie, euen an hundred and twentie thousand men, gathered them together in the middest of the citie, & would haue slaine the king: ⁴⁶ Whiche fled into his court, and the citezins kept the streetes of the citie, and began to fight. ⁴⁷ Then the king called for the Iewes helpe, which came vnto him altogether, and went abrode thorowe the citie, ⁴⁸ And slue the same day an hundred thousand men, set fire vpon the citie, and gat many spoyles in that day, and deliuered the king. ⁴⁹ So when the citezins sawe that the Iewes had gotten their will of the citie, and they them selues disapointed of their purpose, they made their supplication vnto the king, saying: ⁵⁰ Graunt vs peace, and let the Iewes ceasse from troubling vs and the citie, ⁵¹ And vpon this they cast away their weapons. Thus they made peace, and the Iewes gat great worship in the sight of the king and in the sight of all that were in his realme, and were spoken of throughout the kingdome: and so they came againe to Hierusalem with great goodes. ⁵² So the king Demetrius sate in the throne of his kingdome, and had peace in his lande. ⁵³ Neuerthelesse, he dissembled in all that euer he spake, and withdrewe hym selfe from Ionathas, neither rewarded him according to the benefites which he had done for hym, but troubled hym very sore. ⁵⁴ After this came Tryphon againe with young Antiochus, which raigned & was crowned king. ⁵⁵ Then there gathered vnto him all the men of warre whom Demetrius had put away, these fought against Demetrius: whith fled and turned his backe. ⁵⁶ So Tryphon toke the Elephantes, and wan Antioche. ⁵⁷ And young Antiochus wrote vnto Ionathas, saying: I confirme thee in thy pristhood, and make thee ruler of foure countreys, that thou mayst be a friende of the kinges. ⁵⁸ Upon this he sent hym golden vessels to be serued in, and gaue hym leaue to drinke in golde, to be clothed in purple, and to weare a coller of golde. ⁵⁹ He made his brother Simon also captayne, from the coastes of Tyrus vnto the borders of Egypt. ⁶⁰ Then Ionathas toke his iourney, and went thorowe the cities beyonde the water of Iordane, and all the men of warre of Syria gathered them vnto hym for to helpe hym: So he came vnto Ascalon, & they of the citie receaued hym honorably. ⁶¹ And from thence went he to Gaza, but they woulde not let hym in: wherefore he layed siege vnto it, burning vp and spoyling the places that were about the citie. ⁶² And the citezins of Gaza submitted them selues vnto Ionathas, whiche made peace with them: but toke of their sonnes to pledge, sent them to Hierusalem, and went thorow the countrey vnto Damascus. ⁶³ Now when Ionathas heard that Demetrius princes were come into Cades which is in Galilee, with a great hoast, purposing to dryue him out of the countrey: ⁶⁴ He came against them, and left Simon his brother in the lande. ⁶⁵ And Simon came to Bethsura, and layed siege to it a long season, and discomfited them. ⁶⁶ So they desired to haue peace with hym: whiche he graunted them, & afterwarde put them out from thence, toke the citie, and set men to kepe it. ⁶⁷ And Ionathas with his hoast came to the water of Genesar, and betimes in the morning gat them to the playne fielde of Azor: ⁶⁸ And behold, the hoastes of the heathen mette them in the fielde, & layed watch for them in the mountaynes: ⁶⁹ So that when Ionathas came against them, the other whiche were layed to watch rose out of their places and fought, ⁷⁰ And they that were of Ionathas side fled euery man, & there was not one of them left, except Mathathias the sonne of Absalomus, and Iudas the sonne of Calphi the captayne of the hoast. ⁷¹ Then Ionathas rent his clothes, layde earth vpon his head, made his prayer, ⁷² And turned againe to them in the fielde, where they fought together, and he put them to flight. ⁷³ Now when his owne men that were fled, sawe this, they turned againe vnto him, and helped him to folowe vpon all their enemies vnto their tentes at Cades, and there they camped. ⁷⁴ So there were slaine of the heathen the same day three thousand men, and Ionathas turned againe to Hierusalem.