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1Jonathan saw that the time was right to confirm his friendship with the Romans, so he chose certain men and sent them to Rome with this mission.
2He also sent letters to the Spartans and to other places for the same purpose.
3When the men arrived in Rome, they entered the senate chamber and said, “Jonathan the high priest and the Jewish nation have sent us to renew our former friendship and alliance.”
4So the Romans provided these men with letters addressed to the authorities of each place, instructing them to provide safe conduct for them as they made their way back to Judea.[#12:4 Greek to the land of Judah; also in 12:46, 52.]
5This is a copy of the letter Jonathan wrote to the Spartans:
19Following is a copy of the letter the Spartans had previously sent to Onias:[#12:19 Greek they.]
24Jonathan then heard that Demetrius’s commanders had returned with an even larger army than before to wage war against him.
25So Jonathan marched out from Jerusalem and met them in the region of Hamath, for he did not want to give them a chance to invade his own country.
26He sent scouts into their camp, who returned and reported that the enemy was preparing to attack that night.
27When the sun set, Jonathan commanded his men to be on guard all night and to keep their weapons at hand, and he posted sentries around the camp.
28When the enemy learned that Jonathan and his men were ready for battle, they were filled with dread. They lit fires in their camp and then retreated.
29But Jonathan and his army did not know until morning that the enemy had retreated, because they had seen their campfires burning.
30Jonathan chased them but did not catch them because they had crossed the Eleutherus River.
31Jonathan then went after the Arabs called Zabadeans. He defeated them and carried away their possessions.
32He marched on and came to Damascus and passed through all that country.
33Simon also marched out and went as far as Ashkelon and the neighboring fortresses. Then he turned to Joppa and took possession of it,
34for he heard that the people were planning to hand their stronghold over to the supporters of Demetrius. Simon then stationed a garrison there to guard it.
35When Jonathan returned, he officially called together the high council and made plans with them to build fortresses in Judea.[#12:35 Greek the elders of the people.]
36They planned to heighten the walls of Jerusalem and erect a barrier to separate the citadel from the city, so that the soldiers in the citadel could neither buy nor sell.
37So the people worked together to rebuild the city. They repaired a collapsed section of the wall that bordered the Kidron Valley on the east side of the city. Jonathan also repaired the section called Chaphenatha.
38Simon built Adida in the western foothills; he fortified it and erected gates that locked with bars.[#12:38 Greek in the Shephelah.]
39Trypho was determined to make himself king of Asia and to assume the crown and overthrow King Antiochus.
40But he was afraid that Jonathan would prevent him and fight against him, so he marched out to Beth-shan looking for some way to capture Jonathan and kill him.
41Jonathan went with forty thousand select troops to meet Trypho in battle at Beth-shan.
42When Trypho saw that Jonathan had come with a large army, he was afraid to fight against him.
43So he received him with honor, commended him to all his favored leaders, and gave him presents. Trypho ordered his favored leaders and his troops to obey him as they would himself.
44He said to Jonathan, “Why have you troubled all these people when you and I are not at war?
45Choose a few men to stay with you and send the rest home, and then come with me to Ptolemais. I will give you that city and the rest of the fortresses, along with their garrisons and officials. Then I will go home, for that is why I came here.”
46Jonathan believed him and did as he had suggested. He sent most of his army back to Judea,
47keeping three thousand men with him. Then he sent two thousand of them into Galilee and kept only one thousand for himself.
48But as soon as Jonathan entered Ptolemais, the people of the city shut the gates and captured him; then they killed everyone who had entered with him.
49Trypho dispatched foot soldiers and horsemen to Galilee and the great plain of Esdraelon to destroy all of Jonathan’s soldiers.
50After Jonathan’s soldiers concluded that Jonathan and his troops had been captured and killed, they encouraged one another and marched in close formation, ready for battle.
51When Trypho’s troops realized that Jonathan’s men were ready to fight for their lives, they turned back.
52So Jonathan’s men returned safely to Judea. They mourned for Jonathan and those who died with him, and all Israel grieved deeply.
53Then all the nations surrounding them sought to destroy them. They said, “Israel has no leader and no one to help them. Now is the time to fight against them and blot out all memory of them from the world.”