Liber I Maccabaeorum, 16

1. Et ascendit Ioannes de Ga zaris et nuntiavit Simoni pa tri suo, quae fecit Cendebaeus.

1. John went up from Gazara and reported to Simon his father what Cendebeus had done.

2. Et vocavit Simon duos filios seniores, Iudam et Ioannem, et ait illis: “Ego et fratres mei et domus patris mei expugnavimus hostes Israel ab adulescentia usque in hunc diem, et prosperatum est in manibus nostris liberare Israel saepius.

2. And Simon called in his two older sons Judas and John, and said to them: "I and my brothers and the house of my father have fought the wars of Israel from our youth until this day, and things have prospered in our hands so that we have delivered Israel many times.

3. Nunc autem senui, vos autem in misericordia sufficientes estis in annis; estote loco meo et fratris mei et egressi pugnate pro gente nostra; auxilium vero de caelo vobiscum sit”.

3. But now I have grown old, and you by His mercy are mature in years. Take my place and my brother's, and go out and fight for our nation, and may the help which comes from Heaven be with you."

4. Et elegit de regione viginti milia virorum belligeratorum et equites; et profecti sunt ad Cendebaeum et dormierunt in Modin

4. So John chose out of the country twenty thousand warriors and horsemen, and they marched against Cendebeus and camped for the night in 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. Early in the morning they arose and marched into the plain, and behold, a large force of infantry and horsemen was coming to meet them; and a stream lay between them.

6. Et admovit castra contra faciem eorum ipse et populus eius et vidit populum trepidantem ad transfretandum torrentem; et transfretavit primus, et viderunt eum viri et transierunt post eum.

6. Then he and his army lined up against them. And he saw that the soldiers were afraid to cross the stream, so he crossed over first; and when his men saw him, they crossed over after him.

7. Et divisit populum, et equites in medio peditum; erat autem equitatus adversariorum copiosus nimis.

7. Then he divided the army and placed the horsemen in the midst of the infantry, for the cavalry of the enemy were very numerous.

8. Et exclamaverunt tubis, et in fugam conversus est Cendebaeus et castra eius, et ceciderunt ex eis multi vulnerati; residui autem in munitionem fugerunt.

8. And they sounded the trumpets, and Cendebeus and his army were put to flight, and many of them were wounded and fell; the rest fled into the stronghold.

9. Tunc vulneratus est Iudas frater Ioannis; Ioannes autem insecutus est eos, donec venit Cedron, quam aedificavit.

9. At that time Judas the brother of John was wounded, but John pursued them until Cendebeus reached Kedron, which he had built.

10. Et fugerunt usque ad turres, quae erant in agris Azoti, et succendit eas igni; et ceciderunt ex illis duo milia virorum. Et reversus est in Iudaeam in pace.

10. They also fled into the towers that were in the fields of Azotus, and John burned it with fire, and about two thousand of them fell. And he returned to Judea safely.

11. Et Ptolemaeus filius Abubi constitutus erat dux in campo Iericho et habebat argentum et aurum multum;

11. Now Ptolemy the son of Abubus had been appointed governor over the plain of Jericho, and he had much silver and gold,

12. erat enim gener summi sacerdotis.

12. for he was son-in-law of the high priest.

13. Et exaltatum est cor eius, et volebat obtinere regionem et cogitabat dolum adversus Simonem et filios eius, ut tolleret eos.

13. His heart was lifted up; he determined to get control of the country, and made treacherous plans against Simon and his sons, to do away with them.

14. Simon autem perambulans civitates, quae erant in regione, et sollicitudinem gerens earum descendit in Iericho ipse et Matthathias et Iudas filii eius, anno centesimo septuagesimo septimo, mense undecimo, hic est mensis Sabath.

14. Now Simon was visiting the cities of the country and attending to their needs, and he went down to Jericho with Mattathias and Judas his sons, in the one hundred and seventy-seventh year, in the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat.

15. Et suscepit eos filius Abubi in munitiunculam, quae vocatur Doc, cum dolo, quam aedificavit; et fecit eis convivium magnum et abscondit illic viros.

15. The son of Abubus received them treacherously in the little stronghold called Dok, which he had built; he gave them a great banquet, and hid men there.

16. Et, cum inebriatus esset Simon et filii eius, surrexit Ptolemaeus cum suis et sumpserunt arma sua et intraverunt in convivium et occiderunt eum et duos filios eius et quosdam pueros eius.

16. When Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men rose up, took their weapons, and rushed in against Simon in the banquet hall, and they killed him and his two sons and some of his servants.

17. Et fecit deceptionem magnam et reddidit mala pro bonis.

17. So he committed an act of great treachery and returned evil for good.

18. Et scripsit haec Ptolemaeus et misit regi, ut mitteret ei exercitum in auxilium et traderet ei civitates et regionem.

18. Then Ptolemy wrote a report about these things and sent it to the king, asking him to send troops to aid him and to turn over to him the cities and the country.

19. Et misit alios in Gazaram tollere Ioannem; et tribunis misit epistulas, ut venirent ad se, et daret eis argentum et aurum et dona.

19. He sent other men to Gazara to do away with John; he sent letters to the captains asking them to come to him so that he might give them silver and gold and gifts;

20. Et alios misit occupare Ierusalem et montem templi.

20. and he sent other men to take possession of Jerusalem and the temple hill.

21. Et praecurrens quidam nuntiavit Ioanni in Gazara quia periit pater eius et fratres eius et quia: “Misit te quoque interfici”.

21. But some one ran ahead and reported to John at Gazara that his father and brothers had perished, and that "he has sent men to kill you also."

22. Ut audivit autem, vehementer expavit et comprehendit viros, qui venerant perdere eum, et occidit eos; cognovit enim quia quaerebant eum perdere.

22. When he heard this, he was greatly shocked; and he seized the men who came to destroy him and killed them, for he had found out that they were seeking to destroy him.

23. Et cetera sermonum Ioannis et bellorum eius et bonarum virtutum, quibus fortiter gessit, et aedificii murorum, quos exstruxit, et rerum gestarum eius,

23. The rest of the acts of John and his wars and the brave deeds which he did, and the building of the walls which he built, and his achievements,

24. ecce haec scripta sunt in libro dierum sacerdotii eius, ex quo factus est princeps sacerdotum post patrem suum.

24. behold, they are written in the chronicles of his high priesthood, from the time that he became high priest after his father.