Liber I Maccabaeorum, 13

1. Et audivit Simon quod con gregavit Tryphon exercitum copiosum, ut veniret in terram Iudae et attereret eam.

1. Simon heard that Trypho had assembled a large army to invade the land of Judah and destroy it,

2. Videns quia in tremore populus est et in timore, ascendit Ierusalem et congregavit populum

2. and he saw that the people were trembling and fearful. So he went up to Jerusalem, and gathering the people together

3. et exhortatus est eos et dixit illis: “Vos scitis quanta ego et fratres mei et domus patris mei fecimus pro legibus et pro sanctis proelia et angustias quales vidimus.

3. he encouraged them, saying to them, "You yourselves know what great things I and my brothers and the house of my father have done for the laws and the sanctuary; you know also the wars and the difficulties which we have seen.

4. Horum gratia perierunt fratres mei omnes propter Israel, et relictus sum ego solus.

4. By reason of this all my brothers have perished for the sake of Israel, and I alone am left.

5. Et nunc non mihi contingat parcere animae meae in omni tempore tribulationis; non enim melior sum fratribus meis.

5. And now, far be it from me to spare my life in any time of distress, for I am not better than my brothers.

6. Vindicabo tamen gentem meam et sancta, uxores quoque et natos vestros, quia congregatae sunt universae gentes conterere nos inimicitiae gratia”.

6. But I will avenge my nation and the sanctuary and your wives and children, for all the nations have gathered together out of hatred to destroy us."

7. Et accensus est spiritus populi, simul ut audivit sermones istos,

7. The spirit of the people was rekindled when they heard these words,

8. et responderunt voce magna dicentes: “Tu es dux noster loco Iudae et Ionathae fratris tui;

8. and they answered in a loud voice, "You are our leader in place of Judas and Jonathan your brother.

9. pugna proelium nostrum, et omnia, quaecumque dixeris nobis, faciemus”.

9. Fight our battles, and all that you say to us we will do."

10. Et congregans omnes viros bellatores acceleravit consummare universos muros Ierusalem et munivit eam in gyro.

10. So he assembled all the warriors and hastened to complete the walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it on every side.

11. Et misit Ionathan filium Absalomi et cum eo exercitum magnum in Ioppen et, eiectis his, qui erant in ea, remansit illic in ea.

11. He sent Jonathan the son of Absalom to Joppa, and with him a considerable army; he drove out its occupants and remained there.

12. Et movit Tryphon a Ptolemaida cum exercitu multo, ut veniret in terram Iudae, et Ionathas cum eo in custodia.

12. Then Trypho departed from Ptolemais with a large army to invade the land of Judah, and Jonathan was with him under guard.

13. Simon autem applicuit in Adidis contra faciem campi.

13. And Simon encamped in Adida, facing the plain.

14. Et ut cognovit Tryphon quia surrexit Simon loco fratris sui Ionathae et quia commissurus esset cum eo proelium, misit ad eum legatos

14. Trypho learned that Simon had risen up in place of Jonathan his brother, and that he was about to join battle with him, so he sent envoys to him and said,

15. dicens: “Pro argento, quod debebat frater tuus Ionathas fisco regis propter negotia, quae habuit, detinuimus eum;

15. "It is for the money that Jonathan your brother owed the royal treasury, in connection with the offices he held, that we are detaining him.

16. et nunc mitte argenti talenta centum et duos filios eius obsides, ut non dimissus fugiat a nobis, et remittemus eum”.

16. Send now a hundred talents of silver and two of his sons as hostages, so that when released he will not revolt against us, and we will release him."

17. Et cognovit Simon quia cum dolo loquuntur secum; misit tamen accipere argentum et pueros, ne inimicitiam magnam sumeret ad populum,

17. Simon knew that they were speaking deceitfully to him, but he sent to get the money and the sons, lest he arouse great hostility among the people, who might say,

18. qui dicerent: “Quia non misit ei argentum et pueros, periit”.

18. "Because Simon did not send him the money and the sons, he perished."

19. Et misit pueros et centum talenta. Et mentitus est et non dimisit Ionathan;

19. So he sent the sons and the hundred talents, but Trypho broke his word and did not release Jonathan.

20. et post haec venit Tryphon intrare in regionem, ut contereret eam, et gyraverunt per viam, quae ducit Adoram. Et Simon et castra eius ambulabant in omnem locum, quocumque ibant.

20. After this Trypho came to invade the country and destroy it, and he circled around by the way to Adora. But Simon and his army kept marching along opposite him to every place he went.

21. Qui autem in arce erant, miserunt ad Tryphonem legatos urgentes eum, ut veniret ad eos per desertum et mitteret illis alimonias.

21. Now the men in the citadel kept sending envoys to Trypho urging him to come to them by way of the wilderness and to send them food.

22. Et paravit Tryphon omnem equitatum suum, ut veniret; et in illa nocte fuit nix multa valde, et non venit propter nivem et discessit et abiit in Galaaditim.

22. So Trypho got all his cavalry ready to go, but that night a very heavy snow fell, and he did not go because of the snow. He marched off and went into the land of Gilead.

23. Et cum appropinquasset Bascaman, occidit Ionathan, et sepultus est illic;

23. When he approached Baskama, he killed Jonathan, and he was buried there.

24. et convertit Tryphon et abiit in terram suam.

24. Then Trypho turned back and departed to his own land.

25. Et misit Simon et accepit ossa Ionathae fratris sui et sepelivit eum in Modin civitate patrum eius.

25. And Simon sent and took the bones of Jonathan his brother, and buried him in Modein, the city of his fathers.

26. Et planxerunt eum omnis Israel planctu magno et luxerunt eum dies multos.

26. All Israel bewailed him with great lamentation, and mourned for him many days.

27. Et aedificavit Simon super sepulcrum patris sui et fratrum suorum et exaltavit illud visu, lapide polito retro et ante;

27. And Simon built a monument over the tomb of his father and his brothers; he made it high that it might be seen, with polished stone at the front and back.

28. et statuit septem pyramidas, unam contra unam, patri et matri et quattuor fratribus.

28. He also erected seven pyramids, opposite one another, for his father and mother and four brothers.

29. Et his fecit machinamenta circumponens columnas magnas et super columnas arma ad memoriam aeternam et iuxta arma naves sculptas, quae viderentur ab omnibus navigantibus mare.

29. And for the pyramids he devised an elaborate setting, erecting about them great columns, and upon the columns he put suits of armor for a permanent memorial, and beside the suits of armor carved ships, so that they could be seen by all who sail the sea.

30. Hoc est sepulcrum, quod fecit in Modin, usque in hunc diem.

30. This is the tomb which he built in Modein; it remains to this day.

31. Tryphon autem iter faciebat dolo cum Antiocho rege adulescentiore et occidit eum

31. Trypho dealt treacherously with the young king Antiochus; he killed him

32. et regnavit loco eius et imposuit sibi diadema Asiae et fecit plagam magnam in terra.

32. and became king in his place, putting on the crown of Asia; and he brought great calamity upon the land.

33. Et aedificavit Simon praesidia Iudaeae muniens ea turribus excelsis et muris magnis et portis et seris; et posuit alimenta in munitionibus.

33. But Simon built up the strongholds of Judea and walled them all around, with high towers and great walls and gates and bolts, and he stored food in the strongholds.

34. Et elegit Simon viros et misit ad Demetrium regem, ut faceret remissionem regioni, quia actus omnes Tryphonis fuerant rapinae.

34. Simon also chose men and sent them to Demetrius the king with a request to grant relief to the country, for all that Trypho did was to plunder.

35. Et Demetrius rex ad verba ista respondit ei et scripsit epistulam talem:

35. Demetrius the king sent him a favorable reply to this request, and wrote him a letter as follows,

36. “Rex Demetrius Simoni summo sacerdoti et amico regum et senioribus et genti Iudaeorum salutem.

36. "King Demetrius to Simon, the high priest and friend of kings, and to the elders and nation of the Jews, greeting.

37. Coronam auream et baen, quam misistis, suscepimus; et parati sumus facere vobiscum pacem magnam et scribere praepositis regis remittere vobis, quae indulsimus.

37. We have received the gold crown and the palm branch which you sent, and we are ready to make a general peace with you and to write to our officials to grant you release from tribute.

38. Quaecumque enim constituimus vobis, constant; munitiones, quas aedificastis, vobis sint.

38. All the grants that we have made to you remain valid, and let the strongholds that you have built be your possession.

39. Remittimus quoque ignorantias et peccata usque in hodiernum diem et coronam, quam debebatis; et, si quid aliud erat tributarium in Ierusalem, iam non sit tributarium.

39. We pardon any errors and offenses committed to this day, and cancel the crown tax which you owe; and whatever other tax has been collected in Jerusalem shall be collected no longer.

40. Et, si qui ex vobis apti sunt conscribi inter nostros, conscribantur, et sit inter nos pax”.

40. And if any of you are qualified to be enrolled in our bodyguard, let them be enrolled, and let there be peace between us."

41. Anno centesimo septuagesimo ablatum est iugum gentium ab Israel.

41. In the one hundred and seventieth year the yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel,

42. Et coepit populus Israel scribere in conscriptionibus et commutationibus: “Anno primo sub Simone summo sacerdote magno duce et principe Iudaeorum”.

42. and the people began to write in their documents and contracts, "In the first year of Simon the great high priest and commander and leader of the Jews."

43. In diebus illis applicuit Simon ad Gazaram et circumdedit eam castris et fecit machinam et applicuit ad civitatem et percussit turrim unam et comprehendit.

43. In those days Simon encamped against Gazara and surrounded it with troops. He made a siege engine, brought it up to the city, and battered and captured one tower.

44. Et eruperant, qui erant intra machinam, in civitatem; et factus est motus magnus in civitate.

44. The men in the siege engine leaped out into the city, and a great tumult arose in the city.

45. Et ascenderunt, qui erant in civitate, cum uxoribus et filiis supra murum, scissis tunicis suis, et clamaverunt voce magna postulantes a Simone dextras sibi dari

45. The men in the city, with their wives and children, went up on the wall with their clothes rent, and they cried out with a loud voice, asking Simon to make peace with them;

46. et dixerunt: “Non nobis reddas secundum malitias nostras sed secundum misericordiam tuam”.

46. they said, "Do not treat us according to our wicked acts but according to your mercy."

47. Et consensit illis Simon et non debellavit eos; eiecit tamen eos de civitate et mundavit aedes, in quibus fuerant simulacra, et tunc intravit in eam canens et benedicens.

47. So Simon reached an agreement with them and stopped fighting against them. But he expelled them from the city and cleansed the houses in which the idols were, and then entered it with hymns and praise.

48. Et, eiecta ab ea omni immunditia, collocavit in ea viros, qui legem facerent, et munivit eam et aedificavit sibi habitationem.

48. He cast out of it all uncleanness, and settled in it men who observed the law. He also strengthened its fortifications and built in it a house for himself.

49. Qui autem erant in arce Ierusalem, prohibebantur egredi et ingredi regionem et emere ac vendere; et esurierunt valde, et multi ex eis fame perierunt.

49. The men in the citadel at Jerusalem were prevented from going out to the country and back to buy and sell. So they were very hungry, and many of them perished from famine.

50. Et clamaverunt ad Simonem, ut dextras acciperent, et dedit illis et eiecit eos inde et mundavit arcem a contaminationibus.

50. Then they cried to Simon to make peace with them, and he did so. But he expelled them from there and cleansed the citadel from its pollutions.

51. Et intraverunt in eam tertia et vicesima die secundi mensis, anno centesimo septuagesimo primo, cum laude et ramis palmarum et cinyris et cymbalis et nablis et hymnis et canticis, quia contritus est inimicus magnus ex Israel.

51. On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year, the Jews entered it with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel.

52. Et constituit, ut omnibus annis agerentur dies hi cum laetitia.

52. And Simon decreed that every year they should celebrate this day with rejoicing. He strengthened the fortifications of the temple hill alongside the citadel, and he and his men dwelt there.

53. Et munivit montem templi, qui erat secus arcem, et habitavit ibi ipse et qui cum eo erant.

53. And Simon saw that John his son had reached manhood, so he made him commander of all the forces, and he dwelt in Gazara.

54. Et vidit Simon Ioannem filium suum quod vir esset et posuit eum ducem virtutum universarum; et habitavit in Gazaris.

54.