History of the Maccabees

...into his own personal company, and he appointed his son Jonathan as commander of the army.

28. Demetrius crossed into Media and Parthia to seek support and fight against Tryphon; he was captured by the Parthians and cast into prison. And in the days of Simon, the nation of the Jews lived in great peace and glorious renown.

29. On bronze tablets, the Romans wrote to Simon. He dispatched ambassadors and a gold shield, for this was the third time a covenant of peace was established between them. The Romans praised Simon for his expansion, confirming his sovereignty.

30. Antiochus, son of Demetrius, who is called Sidetes Antiochus VII Sidetes, the last great Seleucid king, honored Simon greatly with glory and exemption from taxes. He pursued Tryphon, driving him as a fugitive to the coastal city of Dora, and besieged him there.

31. Decrees arrived from the Romans addressed to King Ptolemy Euergetes Ptolemy VIII of Egypt and to other kings—of the Asians, Persians, and various lands and nations—stating that the Jews should be honored and no one should wrong them.

32. Antiochus turned back with hostility against Simon. After Tryphon escaped from him, he placed troops under the command of Cendebeus to attack the Jews. Against them, Simon gathered his forces and his sons, who struck many with the sword; they burned the fugitives in the towers of Azotus Ashdod with fire and returned in victory.

33. Alexander Ptolemy, son of Abubus, Simon's son-in-law, having set his eyes on the leadership, treacherously brought Simon and his sons into a banquet in their honor. When they had drunk wine, he murdered Simon and the sons who were with him in the city of Dok original: "Dovra", likely the fortress of Dok near Jericho. His son John John Hyrcanus, when he heard of the murder of his father and brothers, looked to his own safety; he became high priest and held the authority after his father. From him, power passed from father to son until Herod, in whose days Christ was born.

Now, the times of this history in these books, from the beginning of the reign of Antiochus the Illustrious Antiochus IV Epiphanes until the death of Simon, are forty-five years; and from there until Herod, ninety-six years. But the Book of Maccabees does not count from the death of Alexander, but ten years later, in the third year of Cassander—who reigned over the Macedonians after Philip Arrhidaeus—beginning to count the time of the Greeks.

THE FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES

1 And after the victories of Alexander the Macedonian, son of Philip, who came out of the land of Kittim original: "K'etimats'vots'", referring to Macedonia or Greece at the time when he defeated Darius, king of the Persians and Medes. He became king in his stead, first over the Greek world and the Romans. ² He gathered a mighty army and fought wars, capturing strongholds and putting many kings to the edge of his sword. ³ He took spoils from many nations of the Gentiles, and the whole earth was silent before him. ⁴ He gathered a vast host of troops and advanced over the earth, over all principalities and powers, ⁵ and he brought the whole world under tribute. ⁶ And after this, he fell upon his bed and realized that death was approaching. ⁷ He called his honored servants, his childhood companions original: "aknkordis", referring to his 'syntrophoi' or peers raised with him, the four who were glorified by him, and he divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. ⁸ So Alexander reigned twelve years and then died. ⁹ After him, his companions took control, each established in his own dominion. ¹⁰ Each put on a crown after his death, as did their sons after them for many years; they multiplied wickedness and filled the earth with their evils.

A

¹¹ From them sprouted a root of evil, a bitter branch, the lawless Antiochus, son of King Antiochus, who had been a hostage in the city of Rome. He began to reign in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks. ¹² In those days, lawless men came forth from the children of Israel and persuaded many with deceptive words, saying, "Come, let us go and make a covenant and a treaty with all the Gentile nations that are around us; for since the time we separated from them, many grievous evils have come upon us." ¹³ This proposal seemed good in the minds of many. ¹⁴ Some of the people were eager to go and present themselves before the king. And the king gave them authority to practice all the ordinances of the Gentiles. ¹⁵ And they built a place of exercise a gymnasium in Jerusalem according to the laws of the Gentiles. ¹⁶ They established for themselves the law of uncircumcision and rebelled against the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil. ¹⁷ And when the kingdom was established before Antiochus, he took it into his mind to reign over the land of Egypt as well, to unite the two kingdoms. ¹⁸ He advanced against the land of Egypt with a vast host, with chariots, elephants, and many ships, ¹⁹ to give battle against Ptolemy, king of Egypt. Ptolemy was defeated before him and fled. In that battle, many fell wounded. ²⁰ Antiochus spread his raids throughout the entire land; they arrived quickly, gathered spoils in haste, and seized all the strongholds in the land of Egypt. ²¹ And after the defeat of the Egyptians, Antiochus returned. In the one hundred and forty-third year, ²² he came against the city of Jerusalem with a massive army. ²³ And he entered into the sanctuary with great arrogance; he took the golden altar, the lampstand of light, and all its vessels; the table of offerings, the cups, the bowls, the censers, and all the curtains; the crowns and the golden ornament. ²⁴ He stripped away everything from the face of the temple; he peeled and melted it all. He took the silver and the gold, the bronze and the ornaments, and all the vessels of war. He took the hidden treasures that he found and every precious vessel, and he departed to his own land. ²⁵ He shed much blood and committed countless murders; he spoke with great arrogance and pride. ²⁶ And there was great mourning over Israel in all their places. ²⁷ Rulers and elders groaned; virgins and young men grew weak; the beauty of women faded. ²⁸ Every bridegroom's mouth was full of lamentation and weeping, and every bride sat in her chamber in mourning. ²⁹ The earth was shaken for its inhabitants, and the whole house of Jacob was clothed with shame and disgrace.

B

³⁰ After two years' time, King Antiochus sent a chief collector of tribute to the cities of Judea, and he came to Jerusalem with a vast host. ³¹ He began to speak words of peace with treachery, and they believed him. ³² Then he fell upon the city suddenly and struck them with a great blow, and he destroyed many people of Israel. ³³ He took the spoils of the city and burned all its wooden structures and palaces; he tore down and destroyed the walls around the city and all the walls of its built palaces. ³⁴ They led the women and children into captivity and took all their livestock as their own inheritance. ³⁵ And they fortified the "City of David" with strong walls and mighty towers, and it became for them a citadel original: "berd", referring to the Acra, a fortress within the fortified city. ³⁶ There they stationed a sinful nation, lawless men, and they fortified it and filled it with weapons. They prepared it and filled it with provisions, and they gathered all the spoils of Jerusalem inside. It became a great snare, ³⁸ a continuous threat to the sanctuary and an evil adversary to the house of Israel. ³⁹ They shed innocent blood around the sanctuary and defiled the holy place. ⁴⁰ They fled...

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1.1 Some: He went from the land of the Kittim... who also reigned... and Romans. 3 Some: He took many spoils. 6 Some: And the illness of death... that he was dying. 7 Some: His foster-brothers. 9 Missing in many: After him, having been bound and established. 11 Some: A root of evil, a branch... who was sown as a hostage.