1st Maccabees 15

CHAPTER 15

¹And king Antiochus, the son of Demetrius, sent epistles from isles of the sea to Simon, the priest, and prince of the folk of Jews, and to all the folk;

²and those were containing this manner. King Antiochus to Simon, great priest, and to the folk of Jews, health.

³For some men bearing pestilence wielded the realm of our fathers, forsooth I will challenge the realm, and restore it, as it was before; I made a chosen multitude of host, and I made ships of war.

⁴Forsooth I will go forth by countries, that I do vengeance on them that destroyed our country, and that made many cities desolate in my realm.

⁵Now therefore I ordain, either confirm , to thee all offerings, that kings before me forgave to thee, and what-ever other gifts they forgave to thee;

⁶and I suffer thee for to make print, or smiting, of thine own money, in thy region, or country .

⁷Soothly I suffer Jerusalem for to be holy and free, and all arms, that be made, and strengths, that thou hast made out, and that thou holdest, dwell to thee;

⁸and all debt of the king, and those that be to coming of king’s things, from this time and into all-time [or from this into all-time] be forgiven to thee.

⁹Soothly when we shall wield our realm, we shall glorify thee, and thy folk, and temple, with great glory, so that your glory be showed in all earth.

¹⁰In the hundred year and four and seventieth year Antiochus went out into the land of his fathers, and all hosts came together to him, so that few were left with Tryphon.

¹¹And king Antiochus pursued him, and Tryphon came into Dora, and fled [or fleeing] by the sea coast;

¹²for he knew, that evils were gathered on him, and the host forsook him.

¹³And Antiochus applied on or pitched at Dora, with sixscore thousand [or with an hundred and twenty thousand] of fighting men, and eight thousand of horsemen;

¹⁴and he compassed the city, and ships came from the sea; and they travailed the city by land and sea, and suffered no man for to enter, either go out.

¹⁵Forsooth Numenius came, and they that were with him, from Rome, and had epistles written to kings and countries, in which these things were contained.

¹⁶Lucius, consul, or chief governor , of Romans, to king Ptolemy, health.

¹⁷Legates, either messengers , of Jews came to us, our friends, renewing the former friendship and fellowship, sent of Simon, prince of priests, and [of the] people of Jews.

¹⁸Soothly they brought also a golden shield of a thousand bezants.

¹⁹Therefore it pleased to us for to write to kings and countries, that they do not evils to them, neither impugn them, and their cities, and their countries, and that they bear not help to men fighting against them.

²⁰Forsooth it is seen to us, for to receive of them the shield.

²¹Therefore if any men of pestilence shall flee from the country of them to you, betake ye them to Simon, prince of priests, that he do vengeance on them by [or after] his law.

²²These same things be written to king Demetrius, and Attalus, and Ariarathes, and Arsaces,

²³and into all countries, and Sampsames, and Spartans, and Delos, and Myndos, and Sicyon, and Caria, and Samos, and Pamphylia, and Lycia, and Halicarnassus, and Rhodes, and Aradus or Phaselis, and Cos, and Side, and Aradus, and Gortyna, and Cnidus, and Cyprus, and Cyrene.

²⁴Forsooth they have written ensample of these to Simon, prince of priests, and to the people of Jews.

²⁵Forsooth Antiochus, the king, applied or pitched tents in Dora the second time, moving to it evermore hands, and making engines; and he enclosed altogether Tryphon, lest he went out.

²⁶And Simon sent to him two thousand of chosen men, into help, and silver, and gold, and plenteous vessels;

²⁷and he would not take those. But he brake all things that he covenanted with him before, and alienated himself from him.

²⁸And he sent to him Athenobius, one of his friends, for to treat with him, and said, Ye hold Joppa, and Gazara, and the high tower that is in Jerusalem, cities of my realm;

²⁹ye have wasted the coasts of them, and have done great destroying [or vengeance] in the land, and without the coasts of Judea ye be lords [or ye lordship] by many places in my realm.

³⁰Now therefore give ye the cities, which ye occupied, and tributes of places, of which ye be lords [or which ye lordship] , out of [the] ends of Judea.

³¹Either else give ye for them five hundred talents of silver, and of destroying that ye have destroyed, and of tributes of cities, another five hundred talents; either else we shall come, and overcome you.

³²And Athenobius, friend of the king, came into Jerusalem, and saw the glory of Simon, and clearness, in gold, and silver, and plenteous apparel, and was astonied; and [he] told to him the words of the king.

³³And Simon answered, and said to him, Neither we took alien land, neither withheld other men’s things, but heritage of our fathers, that was wielded sometime unjustly of our enemies.

³⁴Soothly we have time, and challenge the heritage of our fathers.

³⁵For why of Joppa and Gazara that thou askest, they did great vengeance in our people, and [in our] country; of these we give an hundred talents. And Athenobius answered not a word.

³⁶Soothly he turned again with wrath to the king, and told again to him these words, and the glory of Simon, and all things that he saw. And the king was wroth with great wrath.

³⁷Forsooth Tryphon flew by ship into Orthosia.

³⁸And the king ordained Cendebeus, duke of the sea coast, and gave to him host of footmen and horsemen;

³⁹and commanded him for to move tents against the face of Judah; and commanded him for to build Kedron, and stop the gates of the city, and overcome the people; forsooth the king pursued Tryphon.

⁴⁰And Cendebeus came to Jamnia, and began for to stir the people to wrath, and for to defoul Judea, and make the people captive, and slay,

⁴¹and build Kedron. And he setted there horsemen and host, that they should go out, and should walk the byways of Judea, as the king ordained to him.