1 Machabees 12

¹And Jonathas saw that the time helped him, he chose men & sent them to Rome, to establish and to renew amity with them:

²and to the Spartiates, & to other places he sent epistles according to the same tenure.

³And they went to Rome, and entered into the court, and said: Jonathas the high priest, and the nation of the Jews have sent us to renew the amity and society according as before.

⁴And they gave them epistles unto them by place and place, to conduct them into the land of Juda with peace.

⁵And this is a copy of the epistles which Jonathas wrote to the Spartiates:

⁶Jonathas the high Priest, and the ancients of the nation, and the Priests, and the rest of the people of the Jews, to the Spartiates their brethren greeting.

⁷Long ago were epistles sent to Onias the high-Priest from Arius who reigned with you, that you are our brethren, as the writing containeth, that here beneath followeth.

⁸And Onias received the man that was sent with honour: and he received the epistles, wherein there was signification of the society and amity.

⁹We whereas we needed none of these, having for our comfort the holy books, that are in our hands,

¹⁰chose rather to send unto you to renew the fraternity, lest perhaps we be made aliens from you: for much time is passed, since you sent to us.

¹¹We therefore at all time without intermission in the solemn days, and the rest wherein we should, are mindful of you in the sacrifices, that we offer, and in the observances, as it is meet, and becometh to remember brethren.

¹²We rejoice therefore of your glory.

¹³But many tribulations have compassed us, and many battles, and the kings that are round about us, have impugned us.

¹⁴We therefore would not be troublesome to you, nor to the rest our fellows & friends in these battles.

¹⁵For we have had aid from heaven, and we are delivered, and our enemies are humbled.

¹⁶We have chosen therefore Numenius the son of Antiochus, and Antipater the son of Jason, and have sent to the Romans to renew with them the old amity and society.

¹⁷We therefore have commanded them that they come unto you also, and salute you, and deliver you our epistles, concerning the renewing of our fraternity.

¹⁸And now you shall do well in answering us to these things.

¹⁹And this is the rescript of the epistles, which he had sent to Onias:

²⁰Arius the king of the Spartians to Onias the grand Priest greeting.

²¹It is found in scripture of the Spartians, and the Jews, that they are brethren, & that they are of the stock of Abraham.

²²And now since we understood these things, you do well in writing to us of your peace.

²³Yea and we have written again to you, Our cattle, and our possessions, are yours: and yours, ours. We therefore have commanded that these things be told you.

²⁴And Jonathas heard that the princes of Demetrius were come again with a great army more than before to fight against him.

²⁵And he went out from Jerusalem, & met them in the country of Amathis: for he gave them not space to enter into his country.

²⁶And he sent spies into their camp, and they returning reported that they appointed to come upon them in the night.

²⁷And when the sun was set, Jonathas commanded his men to watch, and to be in armour ready to fight all night, and he set watchmen round about the camp.

²⁸And the adversaries heard that Jonathas with his company was prepared to battle: & they feared & were afraid in their heart: and they kindled fires in their camp.

²⁹But Jonathas, & they that were with him, knew it not till the morning, and they saw light burning,

³⁰and Jonathas followed them, & overtook them not: for they had passed the river Eleutherus.

³¹And Jonathas turned aside to the Arabians, that were called Zabadeans, & he struck them, & took the spoils of them.

³²And he joined, & came to Damascus, & walked through all that country.

³³But Simon went forth, and came even to Ascalon, and to the next holds, and he declined into Joppe, and took it.

³⁴(For he heard that they would deliver the hold to Demetrius' part) and he put a garrison there to keep it.

³⁵And Jonathas returned, and called together the ancients of the people, & he consulted with them to build fortresses in Jurie,

³⁶& to build the walls in Jerusalem, and to rear a mount of a great height between the castle and the city, to separate it from the city, that it might be alone, and they might neither buy nor sell:

³⁷And they came together to build the city: and the wall fell that was upon the torrent toward the rising of the sun, and he repaired it, which is called Caphetetha:

³⁸and Simon built Adiada in Sephela, and fortified it, and hanged on gates & locks.

³⁹And when Tryphon had purposed to reign over Asia, and to take the crown, and to extend his hand against Antiochus the king:

⁴⁰fearing lest perhaps Jonathas would not permit him, but would fight against him, he sought to take him and to kill him. And rising up he went into Bethsan.

⁴¹And Jonathas went forth to meet him with forty thousand chosen men into battle, and came to Bethsan.

⁴²And Tryphon saw that Jonathas came with a great army, to extend his hands upon him: and he feared:

⁴³and received him with honour, & commanded him to all his friends, and gave him gifts: and he commanded his hosts to obey him, as himself.

⁴⁴And he said to Jonathas: Why hast thou troubled all the people, whereas we have no war?

⁴⁵And now send them back to their houses, but choose thee a few men, that may be with thee, and come with me to Ptolomais, and I will deliver it to thee, and the other holds, and the army, and all the overseers of the affairs, and returning I will depart: for therefore I came.

⁴⁶And Jonathas believed him, and did as he said: and dismissed his army, and they departed into the land of Juda:

⁴⁷but he retained with him three thousand men: of whom he sent back two thousand into Galilee, and a thousand came with him.

⁴⁸But as Jonathas entered into Ptolemais, they of Ptolemais shut the gates of the city, and they took him, and all that had entered with him they slew with the sword.

⁴⁹And Tryphon sent an army and horsemen into Galilee, and into the great plain to destroy all Jonathas' fellows.

⁵⁰But they when they understood that Jonathas was taken, & was perished, and all that were with him, they encouraged themselves, and went forth ready to battle.

⁵¹And these that had pursued, seeing that the matter stood upon their life, they returned.

⁵²But they came all with peace into the land of Juda. And they lamented Jonathas, & them that were with him exceedingly: and Israel mourned with great mourning.

⁵³And all the heathen that were round about them, sought to destroy them, for they said:

⁵⁴They have no prince, and helper: now therefore let us expugn them, and take away from men the memory of them.