Anonymous (Septuagint) · a new plain-English translation from the original language
1| Now the king of Egypt gathered together great forces, as many as the sand on the seashore, and many ships, and sought to gain control of the kingdom of Alexander by deceit, and to add it to his own kingdom.
2| And he went out into Syria with words of peace, and the men of the cities opened their gates to him and met him, because it was Alexander the king's command to meet him, since he was his father-in-law.
3| But as he entered into the cities of Ptolemais, he stationed troops as a garrison in each city.
4| And when he drew near to Azotus, they showed him the temple of Dagon burned down, and Azotus and its surrounding villages demolished, and bodies flung about, and the burnt remains of those whom Jonathan had burned in the war, for they had made heaps of them along his way.
5| And they related to the king what Jonathan had done, in order to bring blame upon him; but the king kept silent.
6| And Jonathan met the king at Joppa with great honor, and they greeted one another, and they slept there.
7| And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river called Eleutherus, and then returned to Jerusalem.
8| So King Ptolemy took possession of the coastal cities as far as Seleucia by the sea, and he was plotting evil designs against Alexander.
9| And he sent ambassadors to Demetrius the king, saying, Come, let us make a covenant with one another, and I will give you my daughter whom Alexander now has, and you shall reign over your father's kingdom.
10| For I regret having given him my daughter, since he has sought to kill me.
11| And he brought blame on Alexander because he coveted his kingdom.
12| And taking his daughter away from him, he gave her to Demetrius, and Alexander's face was changed toward him, and their hostility became plain.
13| So Ptolemy entered Antioch and put on the diadem of Asia; he set two diadems on his head, that of Asia and of Egypt.
14| Meanwhile King Alexander was in Cilicia at that time, because the people of those regions were in revolt.
15| And when Alexander heard of it, he came against him in battle; and Ptolemy marched out and met him with a strong force, and put him to flight.
16| And Alexander fled into Arabia to find shelter there, while King Ptolemy was exalted.
17| And Zabdiel the Arab cut off Alexander's head and sent it to Ptolemy.
18| And King Ptolemy died on the third day, and those who were in his strongholds were destroyed by those in the strongholds.
19| So Demetrius became king in the hundred and sixty-seventh year.
20| In those days Jonathan gathered together the men of Judea to make war on the citadel in Jerusalem, and they set up many siege engines against it.
21| But some who hated their own nation, lawless men, went to the king and reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the citadel.
22| And when he heard it, he was enraged; and as soon as he heard, he set out at once and came to Ptolemais, and he wrote to Jonathan not to continue the siege but to meet him at once at Ptolemais, to confer with him.
23| But when Jonathan heard this, he ordered the siege to continue; and he chose some of the elders of Israel and of the priests, and gave himself over to the danger.
24| And taking silver and gold and clothing and many other gifts, he went to the king at Ptolemais, and found favor before him.
25| And some lawless men of the nation brought accusations against him.
26| But the king treated him as those before him had treated him, and exalted him before all his friends.
27| And he confirmed him in the high priesthood, and whatever other honors he had held before, and made him one of the chief friends.
28| And Jonathan asked the king to make Judea, and the three districts, and Samaria, free of tribute, and he promised him three hundred talents.
29| And the king consented, and wrote letters to Jonathan concerning all these things, in this manner:
30| King Demetrius to Jonathan his brother, greetings, and to the nation of the Jews.
31| The copy of the letter which we wrote to Lasthenes our kinsman concerning you, we have written also to you, that you may see it.
32| King Demetrius to Lasthenes his father, greetings.
33| To the nation of the Jews, our friends, who keep faith with what is just toward us, we have decided to do good, on account of their goodwill toward us.
34| We have therefore confirmed to them the territory of Judea and the three districts, Aphairema and Lydda and Rathamin — these were added to Judea from Samaria — together with everything belonging to them, for all who sacrifice at Jerusalem, in place of the royal dues which the king used to receive from them formerly, year by year, from the produce of the land and the fruit of the trees.
35| And as for the rest of what is due to us from now on, of the tithes and the tolls due to us, and the salt pools, and the crowns due to us, we release them all to them.
36| And not one of these things shall be revoked from now on for all time.
37| Now therefore see to it that a copy of this is made, and let it be given to Jonathan, and set up on the holy mountain in a conspicuous and fitting place.
38| And when King Demetrius perceived that his realm had settled into calm and no one opposed him any longer, he released all his troops, sending each man home, except for the foreign soldiers he had enlisted from the islands of the nations; and all his father's former forces turned against him.
39| Now Trypho had formerly been one of Alexander's followers, and he saw that all the forces were murmuring against Demetrius, so he went to Simalcue the Arab, who was raising the boy Antiochus, son of Alexander;
40| and he pressed him to hand the boy over to him, so that he might become king in his father's place; and he told him all that Demetrius had done, and the hatred which his forces bore toward him; and he remained there many days.
41| Meanwhile Jonathan sent to King Demetrius, asking him to expel those in the citadel of Jerusalem and those in the strongholds, for they were making war on Israel.
42| And Demetrius replied to Jonathan, promising, Not only shall I grant this to you and your people, but I will bestow great honor on you and your nation as soon as circumstances allow.
43| Now therefore you would do well to send me men who will fight for me, since all my forces have deserted me.
44| So Jonathan sent three thousand men, mighty in strength, to Antioch, and they came to the king, and the king rejoiced at their arrival.
45| And the people of the city gathered together into the middle of the city, a hundred and twenty thousand men, and they intended to kill the king.
46| And the king fled to the courtyard, but the people of the city seized the streets of the city and began to fight.
47| Then the king called on the Jews for help, and they all gathered to him at once and scattered through the city, and killed on that day about a hundred thousand.
48| And they set the city on fire, and took much spoil that day, and saved the king.
49| And when the people of the city realized the Jews now held the city just as they intended, their nerve broke, and they called out to the king in supplication, saying,
50| Give us your right hand, and let the Jews stop fighting against us and the city.
51| And they laid down their arms and struck a truce; so the Jews gained honor before the king and before everyone in his realm, and they went back to Jerusalem with a great deal of plunder.
52| Thus Demetrius took his seat as king over his realm once more, and his domain rested undisturbed under his rule.
53| But he broke every promise he had made, and became estranged from Jonathan, and did not repay the kindnesses Jonathan had shown him, but oppressed him greatly.
54| After this Trypho returned, and with him Antiochus, a very young boy; and he became king and put on the diadem.
55| And all the forces which Demetrius had cast off gathered to him, and they fought against Demetrius, and he fled and was routed.
56| And Trypho captured the war elephants and took possession of Antioch.
57| And the young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan, saying, I confirm you in the high priesthood, and I appoint you over the four districts, and I make you one of the king's friends.
58| And he sent him vessels of gold and a set of table service, and gave him authority to drink from gold vessels, to wear purple, and to have a golden buckle.
59| And he appointed his brother Simon as governor from the Ladder of Tyre to the borders of Egypt.
60| Then Jonathan went out and traveled through the region beyond the river and among the cities, and all the forces of Syria gathered to him as allies; and he came to Ascalon, and the people of the city met him with honor.
61| And from there he went on to Gaza, but the people of Gaza shut him out; so he laid siege to it, and burned its surrounding villages with fire, and plundered them.
62| Then the people of Gaza pleaded with Jonathan, and he gave them his right hand; and he took the sons of their rulers as hostages, and sent them off to Jerusalem, and he passed through the country as far as Damascus.
63| And Jonathan heard that the officers of Demetrius were at Kedesh in Galilee with a large force, intending to remove him from his position.
64| And he went to meet them, but left his brother Simon in the country.
65| And Simon encamped before Bethsura, and fought against it for many days, and shut it in.
66| And they asked him for his right hand, and he gave it to them; and he drove them out from there and took possession of the city, and set a garrison over it.
67| Meanwhile Jonathan and his camp encamped by the waters of Gennesaret, and they rose early in the morning to the plain of Hazor.
68| And there, behold, a camp of foreigners met him in the plain, and they had set an ambush against him in the hills, while they themselves advanced to meet him from the front.
69| Then the ambush rose up out of their places, and they joined battle; and all who were with Jonathan fled.
70| Not one of them was left, except Mattathias son of Absalom and Judas son of Chalphi, commanders of the army's forces.
71| And Jonathan tore his garments, and put dust on his head, and prayed.
72| Then he turned back to fight against them, and routed them, and they fled.
73| And when those who had fled from him saw this, they returned to him, and they pursued together with him as far as Kedesh, to their camp, and there they encamped.
74| And on that day about three thousand of the foreigners fell; and Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.