1 Maccabees, 13

1. Simon heard that Trypho had collected a large army to invade and devastate Judaea,

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

2. and when he saw how the people were quaking with fear, he went up to Jerusalem, called the people together,

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

3. and exhorted them thus, 'You know yourselves how much I and my brothers and my father's family have done for the laws and the sanctuary; you know what wars and hardships we have experienced.

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. That is why my brothers are all dead, for Israel's sake, and I am the only one left.

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

5. Far be it from me, then, to be sparing of my own life in any time of oppression, for I am not worth more than my brothers.

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. Rather will I avenge my nation and the sanctuary and your wives and children, now that the foreigners are all united in malice to destroy us.'

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. The people's spirit rekindled as they listened to his words,

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

8. and they shouted back at him, 'You are our leader in place of Judas and your brother Jonathan.

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

9. Fight our battles for us, and we will do whatever you tell us.'

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

10. So he assembled all the fighting men and hurried on with completing the walls of Jerusalem, fortifying the whole perimeter.

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

11. He sent a considerable force to Joppa under Jonathan son of Absalom who drove out the inhabitants and remained there in occupation.

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. Trypho now left Ptolemais with a large army to invade Judaea, taking Jonathan with him under guard.

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 pitched camp in Adida, facing the plain.

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

14. When Trypho learned that Simon had taken the place of his brother Jonathan and that he intended to join battle with him, he sent envoys to him with this message,

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. 'Your brother Jonathan was in debt to the royal exchequer for the offices he held; that is why we are detaining him.

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. If you send a hundred talents of silver and two of his sons as hostages, to make sure that on his release he does not revolt against us, we shall release him.'

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. Although Simon was aware that the message was a ruse, he sent for the money and the boys for fear of incurring great hostility from the people,

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. who would have said that Jonathan had died because Simon would not send Trypho the money and the children.

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

19. He therefore sent both the boys and the hundred talents, but Trypho broke his word and did not release Jonathan.

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

20. Next, Trypho set about the invasion and devastation of the country; he made a detour along the Adora road, but Simon and his army confronted him wherever he attempted to go.

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. The men in the Citadel kept sending messengers to Trypho, urging him to get through to them by way of the desert and send them supplies.

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. Trypho organised his entire cavalry to go, but that night it snowed so heavily that he could not get through for the snow, so he left there and moved off into Gilead.

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. As he approached Baskama he killed Jonathan, who was buried there.

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

24. Trypho turned back and regained his own country.

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

25. Simon sent and recovered the bones of his brother Jonathan, and buried him in Modein, the town of his ancestors.

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

26. All Israel kept solemn mourning for him and long bewailed him.

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

27. Over the tomb of his father and brothers, Simon raised a monument high enough to catch the eye, using dressed stone back and front.

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. He erected seven pyramids facing each other, for his father and mother and his four brothers,

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

29. surrounding them with a structure consisting of tall columns surmounted by trophies of arms to their everlasting memory and, beside the trophies of arms, ships sculpted on a scale to be seen by all who sail the sea.

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. Such was the monument he constructed at Modein, and it is still there today.

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

31. Now Trypho, betraying the trust of young King Antiochus, put him to death.

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

32. He usurped his throne, assuming the crown of Asia, and brought great havoc on the country.

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

33. Simon built up the fortresses of Judaea, surrounding them with high towers, great walls and gates with bolts, and stocked these fortresses with food.

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. He also sent a delegation to King Demetrius, to get him to grant the province a remission, since all Trypho did was to despoil.

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. King Demetrius replied to his request in a letter framed as follows:

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

36. 'King Demetrius to Simon, high priest and Friend of Kings, and to the elders and nation of the Jews, greetings.

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

37. 'It has pleased us to accept the golden crown and the palm you have sent us, and we are disposed to make a general peace with you, and to write to the officials to grant you remissions.

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. Everything that we have decreed concerning you remains in force, and the fortresses you have built may remain in your hands.

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

39. We pardon all offences, unwitting or intentional, hitherto committed, and remit the crown tax you now owe us; and whatever other taxes were levied in Jerusalem are no longer to be levied.

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. If any of you are suitable for enrolment in our bodyguard, let them be enrolled, and let there be peace between us.'

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. The gentile yoke was thus lifted from Israel in the year 170,

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

42. when our people began engrossing their documents and contracts: 'In the first year of Simon, eminent high priest, commander-in-chief and ethnarch of the Jews'.

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. About that time Simon laid siege to Gezer, surrounding it with his troops. He constructed a mobile tower, brought it up to the city, opened a breach in one of the bastions and took it.

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. The men in the mobile tower sprang out into the city, where great confusion ensued.

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

45. The citizens, accompanied by their wives and children, mounted the ramparts with their garments torn and loudly implored Simon to make peace with them:

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. 'Treat us', they said, 'not as our wickedness deserves, but as your mercy prompts you.'

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

47. Simon came to terms with them and stopped the fighting; but he expelled them from the city, purified the houses which contained idols, and then made his entry with songs of praise.

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. He banished all impurity from it, settled in it people who observed the Law, and having fortified it, built a residence there for himself.

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. The occupants of the Citadel in Jerusalem, prevented as they were from coming out and going into the countryside to buy and sell, were in desperate need of food, and numbers of them were being carried off by starvation.

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. They begged Simon to make peace with them, and he granted this, though he expelled them and purified the Citadel from its pollutions.

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. The Jews made their entry on the twenty-third day of the second month in the year 171, with acclamations and carrying palms, to the sound of lyres, cymbals and harps, chanting hymns and canticles, since a great enemy had been crushed and thrown out of Israel. Simon made it a day of annual rejoicing.

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. He fortified the Temple hill on the Citadel side, and took up residence there with his men.

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. Since his son John had come to manhood, Simon appointed him general-in-chief, with his residence in Gezer.

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.