FIRST MACCABEES

11.63–12.36

Galad took those who were before him and handed them over, giving the sons of their leaders as hostages; he then took them to Jerusalem. He himself then passed through the land toward the regions of Damascus. ^63 Now Jonathan heard that the officers of Demetrius had arrived at Kadesh in the regions of Galilee with a vast army, intending to remove him from his office. ^64 He left his brother Simon in the country, and he himself went out to meet them. ^65 Simon then laid siege to Beth-zur and fought against it for many days, shutting them in. ^66 They began to plead with him to make a treaty with them; he granted their request but removed them from there, and instead placed a garrison of his own in the city. ^67 Meanwhile, Jonathan and his army camped by the waters of Gennesaret The Sea of Galilee, and early in the morning they went to the plain of Hazor. ^68 And behold, a troop of foreigners original: "aylazgeats," referring to the Seleucid forces met him there in the plain. They had set an ambush for him; while half of them waited in ambush, the other half attacked him head-on. ^69 The men in ambush rose up from their places and pursued them, surrounding Jonathan and all his troops. ^70 Jonathan's army fled, and not one of them remained except for Mattathias the son of Absalom and Judas the son of Chalphi, the captains of the army. ^71 Jonathan tore his clothes, put dust upon his head, and prayed. ^72 Then he turned back toward them with great anger and put them to flight. ^73 At that time, all those who had fled returned to him and joined in the pursuit of the enemy until they reached their camp at Kadesh; there they halted. ^74 About three thousand of the foreign cavalry were slaughtered that day. Then Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.

12 When Jonathan saw that the time was favorable for him, he chose select men and sent them to the city of the Romans to renew the treaty of friendship with them. ^2 He also sent letters to the Spartans and to other places according to the same pattern. ^3 The messengers departed and arrived in the city of the Romans; they entered the senate chamber and said: “Jonathan the High Priest and the Jewish nation have sent us to you to renew the former friendship and alliance, as it was before.” ^4 The Romans accepted this and gave them letters to the various regions, so that they might be escorted back to the land of Judea in peace. ^5 And this is the copy of the letters that Jonathan wrote to the Spartans, their leaders and governors: ^6 “Jonathan the High Priest, the council of elders, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people, to the Spartans our brothers, greetings. ^7 In former times, letters were sent to Onias the High Priest from King Arius The Armenian text reads "Darius," likely a scribal error for the Spartan King Arius I, who then reigned over you, stating that you are our brothers and friends, as the attached copies show. ^8 Onias received the man who was sent with great honor, and accepted the letter in which the alliance and friendship were clearly stated. ^9 Therefore, though we have no need of these things, having the comfort of the holy books which are in our hands, ^10 we have attempted to send to you to renew the brotherhood and friendship, so that we should not become strangers to you; for much time has passed since you last sent word to us. ^11 We, therefore, at all times—both during our annual festivals and on other appropriate days—remember you in the sacrifices

that we offer. We remember you in our prayers, as it is right and proper to remember one's brothers. ^12 And we rejoice in your glory. ^13 But as for us, many troubles and wars have surrounded us, and the kings around us have fought against us. ^14 However, we did not wish to trouble you, or our other allies and friends, during these wars. ^15 For we have help from Heaven, and so we have been delivered from our enemies, and our enemies have been humbled before us. ^16 We have now chosen Numenius The Armenian text reads "Antemios" the son of Antiochus, and Antipater the son of Jason, and have sent them to the Romans to renew our former friendship and alliance. ^17 We also commanded them to go to you and greet you, and to deliver our letters concerning the renewal of our brotherhood and love. ^18 And now, please give us an answer regarding this.” ^19 And this is the copy of the letter which they had sent back to Onias the priest: ^20 “The King of the Spartans to Onias the High Priest, greetings. ^21 It has been found in ancient writings concerning the Spartans and the Jews that they are brothers, and that they are of the family of Abraham. ^22 And now that we have learned this, you would do well to write to us concerning your welfare. ^23 We, in turn, write to you: your livestock and property are ours, and ours are yours. We have therefore commanded that this be reported to you.”

^24 Jonathan heard that the officers of Demetrius had returned with a larger army than before to fight against him. ^25 He set out from Jerusalem and met them in the region of Hamath; for he did not give them the opportunity to enter his own land. ^26 He sent spies into their camp, and they returned and told him that the enemy was preparing to fall upon them by night. ^27 When the sun set, Jonathan commanded his men to stay awake and keep their weapons ready for battle all night; he placed sentinels around the camp. ^28 When the enemy heard that Jonathan and his men were prepared for battle, they were struck with fear and their hearts failed them. They lit fires throughout their camp to hide their retreat and fled during the night. ^29 Jonathan and his army did not realize they had fled until morning, for they saw the fires burning and thought the enemy was still there. ^30 Jonathan pursued them, but could not overtake them, for they had already crossed the river Azat likely the Eleutherus river.

^31 Then Jonathan turned aside against the Arabs who are called Zabadeans; he defeated them, destroyed them, and took their spoils. ^32 He then turned toward the regions of Damascus. ^33 Meanwhile, Simon went as far as Ashkelon and the neighboring fortresses; he then turned toward Joppa and took it by force, ^34 for he had heard that they intended to hand the fortress over to Demetrius's men. He placed a garrison there to guard it. ^35 When Jonathan returned, he called the elders of the people together. He decided to build fortresses in Judea, ^36 and to increase the height of the walls in Jerusalem, specifically raising a great barrier between the citadel The Acra, a fortress held by the pro-Seleucid faction and the city, to isolate it so that they could neither buy nor sell.