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1In the year 172 King Demetrius the Second gathered his army and went to Media to seek additional help for his war against Trypho.[#14.1: This corresponds to 140 b.c.]
2When King Arsaces the Sixth of Persia and Media heard that Demetrius had entered his territory, he sent one of his commanders with some troops to capture Demetrius alive.
3They attacked and defeated the army of Demetrius, took him captive, and brought him back to King Arsaces, who threw him in prison.
4The land of Judea was at peace as long as Simon lived. During his entire reign, he used his position of power and influence to do what was good for his people, and they were always pleased with him as their ruler.
5He added to his reputation when he captured the port of Joppa and opened up the route to the Greek islands.
6He not only enlarged the territory of his nation and gained control of the whole country,
7but he brought back many prisoners of war and captured Gezer, Bethzur, and the fort in Jerusalem. He purified the fort, and there was no one to oppose him.
8The Jews farmed their land in peace; the land produced its crops and the trees bore fruit.
9The young men showed off their splendid military uniforms, while the old men sat around the city squares and talked about the great things that had happened.
10Simon supplied the cities with food and provided them with weapons of defense. His fame spread everywhere.
11He brought peace to the country, and Israel's joy knew no bounds.
12Everyone lived in peace among his own grapevines and fig trees, and no one made them afraid.
13In those days all the enemy kings had been defeated, and there was no one left in the land to fight the Jews.
14Simon provided help for all the poor among his people, and guided by the Law of Moses, he eliminated all wicked and lawless men.
15He provided the Temple with splendid furnishings and added a large number of utensils for use in worship.
16When the news that Jonathan had died reached Rome and Sparta, it brought great sorrow.
17But when the Spartans heard that Simon had succeeded his brother as High Priest and that he was in control of the country and its towns,
18they engraved on bronze tablets a renewal of the treaty of friendship which they had made with his brothers Judas and Jonathan and sent the tablets to him.[#1 Macc 8.22]
19These were read to the assembly in Jerusalem.
20What follows is a copy of the letter sent by the Spartans:
24Later, Simon sent Numenius to Rome with the gift of a large gold shield weighing half a ton, to confirm the Jews' alliance with the Romans.
25When the people of Israel heard about all this, they asked themselves, “How can we express our thanks to Simon and his sons?
26He, his brothers, and his father's whole family have been towers of strength for our nation. They have fought off our enemies and set the nation free.”
So they recorded this on bronze tablets and set them up on columns on Mount Zion.
27The inscription read as follows:
48It was decided that this declaration should be engraved on bronze tablets and set up in a prominent place within the Temple area
49and that copies should be placed in the Temple treasury, where Simon and his sons would have access to them.