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. Moreover Antiochus son of Demetrius the king sent letters from the isles of the sea unto Simon the priest and prince of the Jews, and to all the people;

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

2. The contents whereof were these: King Antiochus to Simon the high priest and prince of his nation, and to the people 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. Forasmuch as certain pestilent men have usurped the kingdom of our fathers, and my purpose is to challenge it again, that I may restore it to the old estate, and to that end have gathered a multitude of foreign soldiers together, and prepared ships of war;

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. My meaning also being to go through the country, that I may be avenged of them that have destroyed it, and made many cities in the kingdom desolate:

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 unto thee all the oblations which the kings before me granted thee, and whatsoever gifts besides they granted.

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

6. I give thee leave also to coin money for thy country with thine own stamp.

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 as concerning Jerusalem and the sanctuary, let them be free; and all the armour that thou hast made, and fortresses that thou hast built, and keepest in thine hands, let them remain unto thee.

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

8. And if anything be, or shall be, owing to the king, let it be forgiven thee from this time forth for evermore.

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. Furthermore, when we have obtained our kingdom, we will honour thee, and thy nation, and thy temple, with great honour, so that your honour shall be known throughout the world.

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 hundred threescore and fourteenth year went Antiochus into the land of his fathers: at which time all the forces came together unto him, so that few were left with Tryphon.

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

11. Wherefore being pursued by king Antiochus, he fled unto Dora, which lieth by the sea side:

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

12. For he saw that troubles came upon him all at once, and that his forces had forsaken him.

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

13. Then camped Antiochus against Dora, having with him an hundred and twenty thousand men of war, and eight thousand horsemen.

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. And when he had compassed the city round about, and joined ships close to the town on the sea side, he vexed the city by land and by sea, neither suffered he any to go out or in.

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

15. In the mean season came Numenius and his company from Rome, having letters to the kings and countries; wherein were written these things:

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

16. Lucius, consul of the Romans unto king Ptolemee, 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 Jews' ambassadors, our friends and confederates, came unto us to renew the old friendship and league, being sent from Simon the high priest, and from the people of the Jews:

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

18. And they brought a shield of gold of a thousand pound.

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 thought it good therefore to write unto the kings and countries, that they should do them no harm, nor fight against them, their cities, or countries, nor yet aid their enemies against them.

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

20. It seemed also good to us to receive the shield of 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. If therefore there be any pestilent fellows, that have fled from their country unto you, deliver them unto Simon the high priest, that he may punish them according to their own law.

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

22. The same things wrote he likewise unto Demetrius the king, and Attalus, to 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 the Lacedemonians, and to Delus, and Myndus, and Sicyon, and Caria, and Samos, and Pamphylia, and Lycia, and Halicarnassus, and Rhodus, and Aradus, and Cos, and Side, and Aradus, and Gortyna, and Cnidus, and Cyprus, and Cyrene.

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

24. And the copy hereof they wrote 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. So Antiochus the king camped against Dora the second day, assaulting it continually, and making engines, by which means he shut up Tryphon, that he could neither go out nor in.

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

26. At that time Simon sent him two thousand chosen men to aid him; silver also, and gold, and much armour.

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

27. Nevertheless he would not receive them, but brake all the covenants which he had made with him afore, and became strange unto 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. Furthermore he sent unto him Athenobius, one of his friends, to commune with him, and say, Ye withhold Joppa and Gazera; with the tower that is in Jerusalem, which are cities of my realm.

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. The borders thereof ye have wasted, and done great hurt in the land, and got the dominion of many places within 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 therefore deliver the cities which ye have taken, and the tributes of the places, whereof ye have gotten dominion without 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 harm that ye have done, and the tributes of the cities, other five hundred talents: if not, we will come and fight against 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 king's friend came to Jerusalem: and when he saw the glory of Simon, and the cupboard of gold and silver plate, and his great attendance, he was astonished, and told him the king's message.

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. Then answered Simon, and said unto him, We have neither taken other men's land, nor holden that which appertaineth to others, but the inheritance of our fathers, which our enemies had wrongfully in possession a certain time.

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

34. Wherefore we, having opportunity, hold 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. And whereas thou demandest Joppa and Gazera, albeit they did great harm unto the people in our country, yet will we give thee an hundred talents for them. Hereunto Athenobius answered him not 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 a rage to the king, and made report unto him of these speeches, and of the glory of Simon, and of all that he had seen: whereupon the king was exceeding wroth.

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

37. In the mean time fled Tryphon by ship unto Orthosias.

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 captain of the sea coast, and gave him an host of footmen and horsemen,

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. And commanded him to remove his host toward Judea; also he commanded him to build up Cedron, and to fortify the gates, and to war against the people; but as for the king himself, he pursued Tryphon.

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 to invade Judea, and to take the people prisoners, and slay 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. And when he had built up Cedrou, he set horsemen there, and an host of footmen, to the end that issuing out they might make outroads upon the ways of Judea, as the king had commanded him.