The Koine Bible

And the king of Egypt gathered many forces, as the sand that is beside the seashore, and many ships, and sought to seize the kingdom of Alexander by deceit and to add it to his own kingdom.

And he went out into Syria with peaceful words, and those from the cities were opening to him and meeting him, because it was the command of King Alexander to meet him, since he was his father-in-law.

And as he was entering into the cities, Ptolemy was assigning the forces as a garrison in each city.

And as they drew near Azotus, they showed him the temple of Dagon burned, and Azotus and her surrounding villages pulled down, and the bodies thrown down, and the burned ones whom he had burned in the war; for they made heaps of them on his way

And they reported to the king what Jonathan had done, so as to blame him, and the king was silent.

And Jonathan met the king in Joppa with glory, and they greeted one another, and they slept there.

And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river called Eleutherus, and he returned to Jerusalem.

And King Ptolemy took control of the cities of the coast as far as the seacoast Seleucia, and he was devising evil plans concerning Alexander.

And he sent envoys to King Demetrius, saying, Come, let us make a covenant with one another, and I will give you my daughter, whom Alexander had, and you shall rule over the kingdom of your father.

For I have regretted giving him my daughter, for he sought to kill me

And he reproached him for having desired his kingdom.

And taking away his daughter, he gave her to Demetrius, and he was estranged from Alexander, and their enmity became manifest.

And Ptolemy entered Antioch and put on the diadem of Asia, and he put two diadems around his head, that of Egypt and Asia

Now Alexander the king was in Cilicia in those times, because those from those places were revolting.

And Alexander heard, and came against him in war, and Ptolemy led out and met him with a strong hand, and he routed him

And Alexander fled into Arabia to be sheltered there, and King Ptolemy was exalted

And Zabdiel the Arab removed the head of Alexander and sent it to Ptolemy

And King Ptolemy died on the third day, and those who were in his fortresses perished by those in the fortresses.

And Demetrius reigned in the one hundred and sixty-seventh year.

In those days Jonathan gathered those from Judea to wage war against the Akra, the one in Jerusalem, and he made many engines against it.

And some men, lawless men, who hated their nation, went to the king and reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the Akra.

And when he heard, he was angry; and when he heard, immediately breaking camp he came to Ptolemais, and he wrote to Jonathan that he should not sit down around it and that he should meet him, to come together with him in Ptolemais as quickly as possible.

And when Jonathan heard, he ordered to sit down around and selected from the elders of Israel and from the priests, and he gave himself to the danger

And taking silver and gold and clothing and many other gifts, he went to the king at Ptolemais and found favor before him.

And some lawless men of those from the nation were petitioning against him.

And the king did for him as those before him had done for him, and he exalted him before all his friends.

And he established for him the high priesthood and whatever else he had held in honor before, and he made him to be leader of the first friends.

And Jonathan asked the king to make Judea free from tribute and the three toparchies and Samaria, and he promised him three hundred talents.

And the king was pleased and wrote to Jonathan letters concerning all these things, having this manner:

King Demetrius to Jonathan his brother, greeting, and to the nation of the Jews

The copy of the letter which we wrote to Lasthenes our kinsman concerning you we have written also to you, so that you may know

King Demetrius, to Lasthenes the father, greeting.

To the nation of the Jews, our friends, and those who maintain what is just toward us, we have judged it good to do good on account of the good will from them toward us.

We have confirmed to them the boundaries of Judea and the three districts of Aphairaema and Lod and Ramathaim were added to Judea from Samaria, and everything that belongs to them, for all those who sacrifice in Jerusalem, in place of the king’s taxes which the king was receiving from them formerly each year from the produce of the land and from the fruit of the trees.

and the other things belonging to us from now, from the tithes and the taxes that belong to us, and the salt lakes and the crowns belonging to us, we will exempt them all

and not one of these things shall be annulled from now for all time

Now therefore take care to make a copy of these things, and let it be given to Jonathan and let it be placed on the holy mountain in a conspicuous place.

And Demetrius the king saw that the land was quiet before him and nothing opposed him, and he dismissed all his forces, each to his own place, except the foreign forces which he had hired from the islands of the nations, and all the forces from the fathers were estranged to him.

Now Tryphon was among those on Alexander’s side formerly, and he saw that all the forces were murmuring against Demetrius, and he went to Imalcue the Arab, who was bringing up Antiochus the child, the son of Alexander.

And he kept waiting on him in order to hand him over to him, so that he might reign in place of his father; and he reported to him all that Demetrius had accomplished and the hostility with which his forces were hostile to him, and he remained there many days.

And Jonathan sent to Demetrius the king, that he should cast out those from the Akra out of Jerusalem and those who were in the strongholds, for they were waging war against Israel.

And Demetrius sent to Jonathan, saying, Not only these things will I do to you and to your nation, but I will glorify you and your nation with glory, if I get an opportunity

Now therefore you will do well by sending me men who will ally with me, because all my forces have revolted from me.

And Jonathan sent three thousand strong men in might with him to Antioch, and they came to the king, and the king rejoiced at their arrival.

And those from the city were gathered together into the midst of the city, twelve myriads of men, and they were wanting to kill the king.

And the king fled into the palace, and those from the city seized the passages of the city, and they began to fight.

And the king called the Jews for help, and all gathered together to him at once, and they were scattered in the city, and they killed on that day ten myriads.

And they burned the city, and took many spoils in that day, and saved the king.

And those from the city saw that the Jews had taken control of the city as they wished, and they grew weak in their minds, and they cried out to the king with supplication, saying:

Give us right hands, and let the Jews cease warring against us and the city.

And they threw down the weapons and made peace, and the Jews were glorified before the king and before all those in his kingdom, and they returned to Jerusalem having many spoils

And Demetrius the king sat on the throne of his kingdom, and the land was at rest before him.

And he lied in everything that he said, and he became estranged to Jonathan, and he did not repay the favors which he had repaid to him, and he afflicted him greatly.

Then after these things Tryphon turned back, and Antiochus with him, a younger boy, and he became king and put on a diadem

And all the forces that Demetrius had scattered gathered themselves to him, and they fought against him, and he fled, and he was routed.

And Tryphon took the beasts and gained control of Antioch.

And Antiochus the younger wrote to Jonathan, saying: I establish for you the high priesthood and appoint you over the four districts, and that you be among the friends of the king.

And he sent him gold things and service, and he gave him authority to drink in gold things and to be in purple and to have a golden clasp.

And Simon his brother he appointed commander from the ascent of Tyre as far as the borders of Egypt

And Jonathan went out, and he passed beyond the river and through the cities, and all the force of Syria was gathered to him for alliance, and he came to Ashkelon, and those from the city met him honorably.

And he went away from there to Gaza, and those from Gaza shut themselves in, and he encamped around it and burned its outposts with fire and plundered them

And those from Gaza begged Jonathan, and he gave them pledges of peace and took the sons of their rulers as hostages and sent them to Jerusalem, and he passed through the land as far as Damascus

And Jonathan heard that the officers of Demetrius were present in Kedesh, which is in Galilee, with a great force, intending to remove him from his occupation.

And he met them, but he left his brother Simon in the country.

And Simon encamped against Bethsura and fought against it many days and shut it in

And they asked him to receive pledges of peace, and he gave them, and he drove them out from there, and he took the city, and he set a garrison over it

And Jonathan and his camp encamped by the water of Gennesar, and they rose early in the morning to the plain of Hazor.

And behold, the camp of the foreigners met him in the plain, and they set an ambush against him in the mountains, but they met from opposite sides.

But the ambushes rose up out of their places and joined battle

And all those with Jonathan fled, and not one of them was left except Mattathias son of Absalom and Judas son of Chalphi, leaders of the army of the forces.

And Jonathan tore his garments and put dust on his head and prayed

And he turned back against them in battle and put them to rout, and they fled

And those who were fleeing from him saw it and turned back against him and pursued with him as far as Kedesh, as far as their camp, and they encamped there

And there fell of the foreigners on that day about three thousand men, and Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.