1 Maccabees, 15

1. Antiochus son of King Demetrius addressed a letter from the Mediterranean Isles to Simon, priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to the whole nation;

1. Antiochus, the son of Demetrius the king, sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to all the nation;

2. this was how it read: 'King Antiochus to Simon, high priest and ethnarch, and to the Jewish nation, greetings.

2. its contents were as follows: "King Antiochus to Simon the high priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the Jews, greeting.

3. 'Whereas certain scoundrels have seized control of the kingdom of our fathers, and I propose to claim back the kingdom so that I may re-establish it as it was before, and whereas I have accordingly recruited very large forces and fitted out warships,

3. Whereas certain pestilent men have gained control of the kingdom of our fathers, and I intend to lay claim to the kingdom so that I may restore it as it formerly was, and have recruited a host of mercenary troops and have equipped warships,

4. intending to make a landing in the country and to hunt down the men who have ruined it and laid waste many towns in my kingdom;

4. and intend to make a landing in the country so that I may proceed against those who have destroyed our country and those who have devastated many cities in my kingdom,

5. 'I now, therefore, confirm in your favour all remissions of taxes granted to you by the kings my predecessors, as well as the waiving of whatever presents they may have conceded.

5. now therefore I confirm to you all the tax remissions that the kings before me have granted you, and release from all the other payments from which they have released you.

6. I hereby authorise you to mint your own coinage as legal tender for your own country.

6. I permit you to mint your own coinage as money for your country,

7. I declare Jerusalem and the sanctuary to be free; all the arms you have manufactured and the fortresses you have built and now occupy may remain yours.

7. and I grant freedom to Jerusalem and the sanctuary. All the weapons which you have prepared and the strongholds which you have built and now hold shall remain yours.

8. All debts to the royal treasury, present or future, are cancelled henceforth in perpetuity.

8. Every debt you owe to the royal treasury and any such future debts shall be canceled for you from henceforth and for all time.

9. Furthermore, when we have won back our kingdom, we shall bestow such great honour on yourself, your nation and the sanctuary as will make your glory known throughout the world.'

9. When we gain control of our kingdom, we will bestow great honor upon you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will become manifest in all the earth."

10. Antiochus invaded the land of his ancestors in the year 174 and, since the troops all rallied to him, Trypho was left with few supporters.

10. In the one hundred and seventy-fourth year Antiochus set out and invaded the land of his fathers. All the troops rallied to him, so that there were few with Trypho.

11. Antiochus pursued the usurper, who took refuge in Dora on the coast,

11. Antiochus pursued him, and he came in his flight to Dor, which is by the sea;

12. knowing that misfortunes were piling up on him and that his troops had deserted him.

12. for he knew that troubles had converged upon him, and his troops had deserted him.

13. Antiochus pitched camp outside Dora with a hundred and twenty thousand fighting men and eight thousand cavalry.

13. So Antiochus encamped against Dor, and with him were a hundred and twenty thousand warriors and eight thousand cavalry.

14. He laid siege to the city while the ships closed in from the sea, so that he had the city under attack from land and sea, and allowed no one to go in or come out.

14. He surrounded the city, and the ships joined battle from the sea; he pressed the city hard from land and sea, and permitted no one to leave or enter it.

15. Numenius and his companions, meanwhile, arrived from Rome, bringing letters addressed to various kings and states, in the following terms:

15. Then Numenius and his companions arrived from Rome, with letters to the kings and countries, in which the following was written:

16. 'Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greetings.

16. "Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greeting.

17. 'The Jewish ambassadors have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our original friendship and alliance in the name of the high priest Simon and the Jewish people.

17. The envoys of the Jews have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our ancient friendship and alliance. They had been sent by Simon the high priest and by the people of the Jews,

18. They have brought a golden shield worth a thousand mina.

18. and have brought a gold shield weighing a thousand minas.

19. Accordingly, we have seen fit to write to various kings and states, warning them neither to molest the Jewish people nor to attack either them or their towns or their country, nor to ally themselves with any such aggressors.

19. We therefore have decided to write to the kings and countries that they should not seek their harm or make war against them and their cities and their country, or make alliance with those who war against them.

20. We have seen fit to accept the shield from them.

20. And it has seemed good to us to accept the shield from them.

21. If, therefore, any scoundrels have fled their country to take refuge with you, hand them over to Simon the high priest, to be punished by him according to their law.'

21. Therefore if any pestilent men have fled to you from their country, hand them over to Simon the high priest, that he may punish them according to their law."

22. The consul sent the same letter to King Demetrius, to Attalus, Ariarathes and Arsaces,

22. The consul wrote the same thing to Demetrius the king and to Attalus and Ariarathes and Arsaces,

23. and to all states, including Sampsames, the Spartans, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos, Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Arados, Gortyn, Cyprus and Cyrene.

23. and to all the countries, and to Sampsames, and to the Spartans, and to Delos, and to Myndos, and to Sicyon, and to Caria, and to Samos, and to Pamphylia, and to Lycia, and to Halicarnassus, and to Rhodes, and to Phaselis, and to Cos, and to Side, and to Aradus and Gortyna and Cnidus and Cyprus and Cyrene.

24. They also drew up a copy for Simon the high priest.

24. They also sent a copy of these things to Simon the high priest.

25. Antiochus, meanwhile, from his positions on the outskirts of Dora, was continually throwing detachments against the town. He constructed siege-engines, and blockaded Trypho, preventing movement in or out.

25. Antiochus the king besieged Dor anew, continually throwing his forces against it and making engines of war; and he shut Trypho up and kept him from going out or in.

26. Simon sent him two thousand picked men to support him in the fight, with silver and gold and plenty of equipment.

26. And Simon sent to Antiochus two thousand picked men, to fight for him, and silver and gold and much military equipment.

27. But Antiochus would not accept them; instead, he repudiated all his previous agreements with Simon and completely changed his attitude to him.

27. But he refused to receive them, and he broke all the agreements he formerly had made with Simon, and became estranged from him.

28. He sent him Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with him and say, 'You are now occupying Joppa and Gezer and the Citadel in Jerusalem, which are towns in my kingdom.

28. He sent to him Athenobius, one of his friends, to confer with him, saying, "You hold control of Joppa and Gazara and the citadel in Jerusalem; they are cities of my kingdom.

29. You have laid waste their territory and done immense harm to the country; and you have seized control of many places properly in my kingdom.

29. You have devastated their territory, you have done great damage in the land, and you have taken possession of many places in my kingdom.

30. Either now surrender the towns you have taken and the taxes from the places you have seized outside the frontiers of Judaea,

30. Now then, hand over the cities which you have seized and the tribute money of the places which you have conquered outside the borders of Judea;

31. or else pay me five hundred talents of silver in compensation for them and for the destruction you have done, and another five hundred talents for the taxes from the towns; otherwise we shall come and make war on you.'

31. or else give me for them five hundred talents of silver, and for the destruction that you have caused and the tribute money of the cities, five hundred talents more. Otherwise we will come and conquer you."

32. When the King's Friend, Athenobius, reached Jerusalem and saw Simon's magnificence, his cabinet of gold and silver plate and the state he kept, he was dumbfounded. He delivered the king's message,

32. So Athenobius the friend of the king came to Jerusalem, and when he saw the splendor of Simon, and the sideboard with its gold and silver plate, and his great magnificence, he was amazed. He reported to him the words of the king,

33. but Simon gave him this answer, 'We have not taken foreign territory or any alien property but have occupied our ancestral heritage, for some time unjustly wrested from us by our enemies;

33. but Simon gave him this reply: "We have neither taken foreign land nor seized foreign property, but only the inheritance of our fathers, which at one time had been unjustly taken by our enemies.

34. now that we have a favourable opportunity, we are merely recovering our ancestral heritage.

34. Now that we have the opportunity, we are firmly holding the inheritance of our fathers.

35. As regards Joppa and Gezer, which you claim, these were towns that did great harm to our people and laid waste our country; we are prepared to give a hundred talents for them.' Without so much as a word in answer,

35. As for Joppa and Gazara, which you demand, they were causing great damage among the people and to our land; for them we will give you a hundred talents." Athenobius did not answer him a word,

36. the envoy went back to the king in a rage and reported on Simon's answer and his magnificence, and on everything he had seen, at which the king fell into a fury.

36. but returned in wrath to the king and reported to him these words and the splendor of Simon and all that he had seen. And the king was greatly angered.

37. Trypho now boarded a ship and escaped to Orthosia.

37. Now Trypho embarked on a ship and escaped to Orthosia.

38. The king appointed Cendebaeus military governor of the coastal region and allotted him a force of infantry and cavalry.

38. Then the king made Cendebeus commander-in-chief of the coastal country, and gave him troops of infantry and cavalry.

39. He ordered him to deploy his men facing Judaea, and instructed him to rebuild Kedron and fortify its gates, and to make war on our people, while the king himself went in pursuit of Trypho.

39. He commanded him to encamp against Judea, and commanded him to build up Kedron and fortify its gates, and to make war on the people; but the king pursued Trypho.

40. Cendebaeus arrived at Jamnia and began to provoke our people forthwith, invading Judaea, taking prisoners, and massacring.

40. So Cendebeus came to Jamnia and began to provoke the people and invade Judea and take the people captive and kill them.

41. Having rebuilt Kedron, he stationed cavalry and troops there to make sorties and patrol the roads of Judaea, as the king had ordered.

41. He built up Kedron and stationed there horsemen and troops, so that they might go out and make raids along the highways of Judea, as the king had ordered him.