1 Maccabees 11

1 Then the king of Egypt gathered forces as countless as the sand on the seashore, and many ships, and he set out to seize Alexander’s kingdom by deceit and add it to his own kingdom. 2 He came into Syria with peaceable words, and the people of the cities opened their gates to him and came out to meet him — for King Alexander had ordered them to meet him, since Ptolemy was his father-in-law. [a] 3 But as Ptolemy entered the cities, he stationed a garrison of troops in every one.

4 When they came near Azotus, they showed him the burned temple of Dagon — Azotus and its outlying villages in ruins, corpses lying scattered, and the charred bodies of those Jonathan had burned in the war; for they had piled them in heaps along his route. 5 And they told the king all that Jonathan had done, hoping he would condemn him; but the king kept silent. 6 Jonathan met the king at Joppa with full honors; they greeted one another and spent the night there. 7 Then Jonathan went on with the king as far as the river called Eleutherus, and returned to Jerusalem.

8 But King Ptolemy made himself master of the coastal cities as far as Seleucia-by-the-sea, all the while devising evil schemes against Alexander. 9 He sent envoys to King Demetrius, saying, “Come, let us make a covenant with each other. I will give you my daughter, whom Alexander now has, and you shall reign over your father’s kingdom. 10 I regret that I ever gave him my daughter — for he has tried to kill me.” 11 He slandered Alexander because he had set his desire on Alexander’s kingdom. 12 And he took his daughter away from him and gave her to Demetrius. So he broke with Alexander, and their enmity came into the open.

13 Then Ptolemy entered Antioch and put on the crown of Asia — so he wore two crowns on his head, Egypt’s and Asia’s.

14 King Alexander was in Cilicia at that time, because the people of that region were in revolt; 15 but when Alexander heard, he came against him in war. Ptolemy led out his army, met him with a strong force, and put him to flight. 16 Alexander fled into Arabia to find shelter there, and King Ptolemy stood at the height of his power. 17 But Zabdiel the Arab cut off Alexander’s head and sent it to Ptolemy — 18 and on the third day King Ptolemy himself died, and his men in the strongholds were killed by the people of the strongholds. 19 So Demetrius became king in the 167th year. [b]

20 In those days Jonathan gathered the men of Judea to attack the citadel in Jerusalem, and he built many siege engines against it. 21 But certain lawless men who hated their own nation went to the king and reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the citadel. 22 When he heard it he was angry. He set out at once, came to Ptolemais, and wrote to Jonathan to lift the siege and to come meet him for a conference at Ptolemais with all speed. 23 When Jonathan heard this, he ordered the siege to continue. Then he chose some of the elders of Israel and some of the priests, and put himself in danger: 24 taking silver and gold and clothing and many other gifts, he went to the king at Ptolemais — and he won his favor.

25 Some lawless men of the nation brought charges against him, 26 but the king treated him just as his predecessors had treated him, and exalted him in the presence of all his friends. 27 He confirmed him in the chief priesthood and in all the other honors he held before, and gave him a place among his First Friends.

28 Then Jonathan asked the king to free Judea and the three districts, and the country of Samaria, from tribute, and promised him three hundred talents. [c] 29 The king consented, and wrote Jonathan a letter about all these things, in this form:

30 “King Demetrius to his brother Jonathan, and to the nation of the Jews, greetings. 31 We have written for you a copy of the letter we wrote about you to our kinsman Lasthenes, so that you may see it.”

32 “King Demetrius to Lasthenes his father, greetings. 33 We have determined to do good to the nation of the Jews, our friends, who keep what is just toward us, because of their good will toward us. 34 We have confirmed to them the territory of Judea, and the three districts of Aphairema, Lydda, and Ramathaim — these were added to Judea from the country of Samaria — with everything belonging to them, for all who sacrifice in Jerusalem, in place of the royal dues the king formerly collected from them each year out of the produce of the land and the fruit of the trees. [d] 35 And everything else that falls to us from now on — the tenths and the tolls that fall to us, the salt lakes, and the crown taxes due us — all of it we relinquish to them. 36 Not one of these grants shall be revoked, from now on and for all time. 37 Now take care to have a copy of this made and given to Jonathan, and let it be posted on the holy mountain in a conspicuous place.”

38 When King Demetrius saw that the land lay quiet before him and nothing resisted him, he dismissed his whole army, every man to his own home — except the foreign troops he had recruited from the islands of the nations. And all the forces that had served his fathers hated him. 39 Now Trypho had formerly been of Alexander’s party. When he saw that all the troops were grumbling against Demetrius, he went to Imalkue the Arab, who was raising Antiochus, Alexander’s young son, [e] 40 and kept pressing him to hand the boy over to him, to make him king in his father’s place. He told him all that Demetrius had done, and the hatred his own armies bore him. And he stayed there a long time.

41 Meanwhile Jonathan sent to King Demetrius to expel the men of the citadel from Jerusalem, and the men in the strongholds, for they kept making war on Israel. 42 Demetrius sent word to Jonathan: “Not only will I do this for you and your nation — I will load you and your nation with honor, the moment I find the opportunity. 43 For now, you would do well to send me men to fight for me, for all my forces have deserted.” 44 So Jonathan sent three thousand men mighty in strength to him at Antioch; and when they came to the king, the king was glad at their arrival.

45 Then the people of the city massed in the center of the city, a hundred and twenty thousand of them, meaning to kill the king. 46 The king fled into the palace, and the people of the city seized the streets and began to fight. 47 So the king called on the Jews for help, and they all rallied to him at once. Fanning out through the city, they killed that day as many as a hundred thousand; 48 they set the city on fire, took a great quantity of plunder that day, and saved the king.

49 When the people of the city saw that the Jews held the city at their pleasure, their courage failed, and they cried out to the king in appeal: 50 “Give us your hand in peace, and let the Jews stop fighting against us and the city!” 51 And they threw down their weapons and made peace. So the Jews stood high in the eyes of the king and of everyone in his kingdom, and they returned to Jerusalem with a great quantity of plunder.

52 So King Demetrius sat on the throne of his kingdom, and the land lay quiet before him. 53 But he broke his word in everything he had said. He turned cold toward Jonathan, and never repaid the loyalty Jonathan had shown him, and he pressed him very hard.

54 After this Trypho returned, and with him Antiochus, still a very young boy; and the boy became king and put on the crown. 55 All the troops that Demetrius had turned away in contempt rallied to him, and they fought against Demetrius, and he fled and was routed. 56 And Trypho captured the elephants and took Antioch.

57 Then the young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan: “I confirm you in the chief priesthood, and I set you over the four districts, and you are to be one of the king’s friends.” 58 And he sent him gold plate and a table service, and gave him the right to drink from gold cups, to dress in purple, and to wear a gold clasp; 59 and he made Jonathan’s brother Simon commander from the Ladder of Tyre to the border of Egypt.

60 Then Jonathan went out and moved through the country beyond the River and among its cities, and all the armed forces of Syria rallied to him as allies. He came to Ascalon, and the people of the city met him with honors. 61 From there he went on to Gaza, but the people of Gaza shut him out; so he laid siege to it, and burned its outlying villages, and plundered them. 62 Then the people of Gaza appealed to Jonathan, and he gave them his hand in peace; but he took the sons of their leading men as hostages and sent them off to Jerusalem. And he passed on through the country as far as Damascus.

63 Now Jonathan heard that Demetrius’s officers had arrived at Kedesh in Galilee with a large army, meaning to remove him from office, 64 and he went to meet them, leaving his brother Simon in the home country. 65 Simon camped against Beth-zur, fought it for many days, and shut it in. 66 They asked him for his hand in peace, and he gave it; but he expelled them from the place, took the city, and set a garrison in it.

67 Jonathan and his army camped by the water of Gennesaret, and early in the morning they pushed on to the plain of Hazor. [f] 68 And there was the army of the foreigners, advancing to meet him on the plain. They had posted an ambush against him in the mountains, while they themselves came straight on. 69 Then the men in ambush rose from their places and joined the battle. 70 And all Jonathan’s men fled; not one of them was left, except Mattathias son of Absalom and Judas son of Chalphi, commanders of the army.

71 Then Jonathan tore his clothes, threw earth on his head, and prayed. 72 And he turned back to the fight and routed them, and they fled. 73 When his own men who were fleeing saw it, they returned to him, and joined him in the pursuit as far as Kedesh, where the enemy camp stood; and there they made camp. 74 As many as three thousand of the foreigners fell that day. And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.