Antiochus son of Demetrius honours Simon. The Romans write to divers
nations in favour of the Jews. Antiochus quarrels with Simon, and sends
troops to annoy him.
15:1. And king Antiochus, the son of Demetrius, sent letters from the
isles of the sea to Simon, the priest, and prince of the nation of the
Jews, and to all the people:
15:2. And the contents were these: King Antiochus to Simon, the high
priest, and to the nation of the Jews, greeting.
15:3. Forasmuch as certain pestilent men have usurped the kingdom of
our fathers, and my purpose is to challenge the kingdom, and to restore
it to its former estate; and I have chosen a great army, and have built
ships of war.
15:4. And I design to go through the country, that I may take revenge
of them that have destroyed our country, and that have made many cities
desolate in my realm.
15:5. Now, therefore, I confirm unto thee all the oblations which all
the kings before me remitted to thee, and what other gifts soever they
remitted to thee:
15:6. And I give thee leave to coin thy own money in thy country:
15:7. And let Jerusalem be holy and free, and all the armour that hath
been made, and the fortresses which thou hast built, and which thou
keepest in thy hands, let them remain to thee.
15:8. And all that is due to the king, and what should be the king’s
hereafter, from this present and for ever, is forgiven thee.
15:9. And when we shall have recovered our kingdom, we will glorify
thee, and thy nation, and the temple, with great glory, so that your
glory shall be made manifest in all the earth.
15:10. In the year one hundred and seventy-four, Antiochus entered into
the land of his fathers, and all the forces assembled to him, so that
few were left with Tryphon.
15:11. And king Antiochus pursued after him, and he fled along by the
sea coast and came to Dora.
15:12. For he perceived that evils were gathered together upon him, and
his troops had forsaken him.
15:13. And Antiochus camped above Dora with a hundred and twenty
thousand men of war, and eight thousand horsemen:
15:14. And he invested the city, and the ships drew near by sea: and
they annoyed the city by land, and by sea, and suffered none to come
in, or to go out.
15:15. And Numenius, and they that had been with him, came from the
city of Rome, having letters written to the kings, and countries, the
contents whereof were these:
15:16. Lucius, the consul of the Romans, to king Ptolemee, greeting.
Ptolemee.... Surnamed Physeon, brother and successor to Philometer.
15:17. The ambassadors of the Jews, our friends, came to us, to renew
the former friendship and alliance, being sent from Simon, the high
priest, and the people of the Jews.
15:18. And they brought also a shield of gold of a thousand pounds.
15:19. It hath seemed good therefore to us, to write to the kings and
countries, that they should do them no harm, nor fight against them,
their cities, or countries: and that they should give no aid to them
that fight against them.
15:20. And it hath seemed good to us to receive the shield of them.
15:21. If, therefore, any pestilent men are fled out of their country
to you, deliver them to Simon, the high priest, that he may punish them
according to their law.
15:22. These same things were written to king Demetrius, and to
Attalus, and to Ariarathes, and to Arsaces,
Attalus, etc.... Attalus was king of Pergamus; Ariarathes was king of
Cappadocia; and Arsaces was king of the Parthians.
15:23. And to all the countries: and to Lampsacus and to the Spartans,
and to Delus, and Myndus, and Sicyon, and Caria, and Samus, and
Pamphylia, and Lycia, and Alicarnassus, and Cos, and Side, and Aradus,
and Rhodes, and Phaselis, and Gortyna, and Gnidus, and Cyprus, and
Cyrene.
15:24. And they wrote a copy thereof to Simon, the high priest, and to
the people of the Jews.
15:25. But king Antiochus moved his camp to Dora the second time,
assaulting it continually, and making engines: and he shut up Tryphon,
that he could not go out.
15:26. And Simon sent to him two thousand chosen men to aid him, silver
also, and gold, and abundance of furniture.
15:27. And he would not receive them, but broke all the covenant that
he had made with him before, and alienated himself from him.
15:28. And he sent to him Athenobius, one of his friends, to treat with
him, saying: You hold Joppe and Gazara, and the castle that is in
Jerusalem, which are cities of my kingdom:
15:29. Their borders you have wasted, and you have made great havoc in
the land, and have got the dominion of many places in my kingdom.
15:30. Now, therefore, deliver up the cities that you have taken, and
the tributes of the places whereof you have gotten the dominion without
the borders of Judea.
15:31. But if not, give me for them five hundred talents of silver, and
for the havoc that you have made, and the tributes of the cities, other
five hundred talents: or else we will come and fight against you.
15:32. So Athenobius, the king’s friend came to Jerusalem, and saw the
glory of Simon and his magnificence in gold, and silver, and his great
equipage, and he was astonished, and told him the king’s words.
15:33. And Simon answered him, and said to him: We have neither taken
other men’s land, neither do we hold that which is other men’s, but the
inheritance of our fathers, which was for some time unjustly possessed
by our enemies.
15:34. But we having opportunity, claim the inheritance of our fathers.
15:35. And as to thy complaints concerning Joppe and Gazara, they did
great harm to the people, and to our country: yet for these we will
give a hundred talents. And Athenobius answered him not a word.
15:36. But returning in a rage to the king, made report to him of these
words, and of the glory of Simon, and of all that he had seen, and the
king was exceeding angry.
15:37. And Tryphon fled away by ship to Orthosias.
15:38. And the king appointed Cendebeus captain of the sea coast, and
gave him an army of footmen and horsemen.
15:39. And he commanded him to march with his army towards Judea: and
he commanded him to build up Gedor, and to fortify the gates of the
city, and to war against the people. But the king himself pursued after
Tryphon.
15:40. And Cendebeus came to Jamnia, and began to provoke the people,
and to ravage Judea, and to take the people prisoners, and to kill, and
to build Gedor.
15:41. And he placed there horsemen, and an army: that they might issue
forth, and make incursions upon the ways of Judea, as the king had
commanded him.