1 Machabees 8

¹And Judas heard of the name of the Romans, that they are mighty of power, and agree unto all things that are requested of them: and whosoever have come unto them, they have made amity with them, and that they are mighty of power.

²And they heard of their battles, and goodly acts, which they did in Galatia, that they overcame them, and brought them under tribute:

³and how great things they did in the country of Spain, & that they brought into their power the metals of silver and gold, that are there, and possessed every place by their counsel and patience:

⁴and destroyed the places that were very far off from them, and the kings that came upon them from the ends of the earth, and struck them with a great plague: and the rest give them tribute every year.

⁵And Philip and Perses the king of the Ceteans, & the rest that had borne weapon against them, they discomfited in battle, and overcame them:

⁶and that Antiochus the great king of Asia, who made battle against them, having an hundred and twenty elephants, and horsemen, and chariots and army exceeding great was discomfited by them:

⁷and that they took him alive, and appointed him that himself and they that should reign after him, should give a great tribute, and he should give hostages, and the thing appointed him.

⁸and the region of the Indes, and the Medes, and the Lydians of their best countries: and the same being taken of them, they gave to Eumenes the king.

⁹And that they which were in Hellada, would have gone to dispatch them: and the word was known to them,

¹⁰and they sent unto them one captain, and they fought against them, and many of them were slain, and they led away their wives captive, and their children, and spoiled them, and possessed their land, and destroyed their walls, and brought them into bondage even until this day:

¹¹and the residue of kingdoms, and isles that some time had resisted them, they spoiled, and brought under their power.

¹²But with their friends, and those that rested in them, they kept amity, and obtained the kingdoms, that were next, and that were far off: that whosoever heard their name, feared them.

¹³But such as they would help to reign, those reigned: and whom they would, they deposed from the kingdom: and they were exalted exceedingly.

¹⁴And in all these none bare a crown, nor was clothed with purple, to be magnified therein.

¹⁵And that they made themselves a court, and consulted daily three hundred and twenty, that sat in counsel always for the multitude, that they might do the things that were convenient:

¹⁶and they commit their government to one man every year to rule over all their land, and all they obey one, and there is no envy, nor emulation amongst them.

¹⁷And Judas chose Eupolemus the son of John, the son of Jacob, and Jason the son of Eleazar, & he sent them to Rome to make amity and society with them:

¹⁸and that they should take from them the yoke of the Greeks, because they saw that they pressed the kingdom of Israel unto bondage.

¹⁹And they went to Rome, a way exceeding great, and they entered into the court, and said:

²⁰Judas Machabeus, and his brethren, and the people of the Jews have sent us unto you to make society and peace with you, and to write us your fellows and friends.

²¹And the word was liked in their sight.

²²And this is the rescript that they wrote again in tables of brass, and sent into Jerusalem, that it might be with them there a memorial of peace and society.

²³BE IT Well to The Romans, and to the nation of the Jews by sea, and by land for ever: and sword and enemy be far from them.

²⁴But and if war be toward the Romans first, or all their fellows in all their dominion:

²⁵the nation of the Jews shall give aid, according as the time shall appoint, with full heart:

²⁶and to them fighting, they shall not give nor allow wheat, armour, money, ships, as it hath pleased the Romans: & they shall keep their charge, taking nothing of them.

²⁷In like manner also & if war shall happen first to the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help with all their heart, according as the time shall permit them:

²⁸& to them helping shall not be given wheat, armour, money, ships, as it hath pleased the Romans: and they shall keep their charge without guile.

²⁹According to these words did the Romans agree to the people of the Jews.

³⁰And if after these words these or they will add to these, or take away any thing, they shall do it at their pleasure: and whatsoever they shall add, or take away, shall be ratified.

³¹Yea and concerning the evils, that Demetrius the king hath done against them, we have written to him, saying: Why hast thou aggravated the yoke upon our friends and fellows the Jews?

³²If therefore they come again unto us against thee, we will do judgement for them, and will fight with thee by sea and land.