The Koine Bible

And Antiochus son of Demetrius the king sent letters from the islands of the sea to Simon the priest and ethnarch of the Jews and to all the nation

And they were containing this manner: King Antiochus to Simon the great priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the Jews, greetings

Since certain pests have taken control of the kingdom of our fathers, but I wish to reclaim the kingdom, so that I may restore it as it was before; and I have enlisted a multitude of forces and have equipped warships.

But I wish to go through the country, in order that I may punish those who have destroyed our country and those who have laid waste many cities in my kingdom.

Now therefore I establish for you all the remissions which the kings before me granted you, and whatever other gifts they granted you

and I have permitted you to make your own coinage for your country

But Jerusalem and the holy things are to be free, and all the weapons that you have made, and the fortresses that you have built, of which you have possession, let them remain yours.

And let every royal debt and the royal dues that are to be from now on and for all time be remitted to you.

And whenever we gain mastery over our kingdom, we will glorify you and your nation and the sanctuary with great glory, so that your glory may become manifest in all the land.

In the one hundred and seventy-fourth year, Antiochus went out into the land of his fathers, and all the forces came together to him, so that they were few with Tryphon.

And Antiochus pursued him, and he came to Dora, fleeing toward the sea.

For he knew that the evils had gathered upon him, and the forces had abandoned him.

And Antiochus encamped against Dora, and with him were twelve myriads of warrior men and eight thousand horsemen.

And he surrounded the city, and the ships joined from the sea, and he pressed the city from the land and from the sea, and he did not allow anyone to go out or to go in.

And Numenius came, and those with him from Rome, having letters to the kings and to the countries in which these things had been written:

Lucius, the consul of the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greeting.

The ambassadors of the Jews came to us, our friends and allies, renewing the friendship and alliance from the beginning, sent from Simon the high priest and from the people of the Jews.

And they brought a golden shield, weighing one thousand minas.

So it pleased us to write to the kings and the countries, that they might not seek evils for them and might not wage war against them and their cities and their country, and that they might not ally themselves with those who are waging war against them.

And it seemed good to us to receive the shield from them

If therefore any pestilent men have escaped from their country to you, hand them over to Simon the high priest, so that he may punish them according to their law.

And the same things he wrote to King Demetrius and to Attalus and to Ariarathes and to Arsaces

and to all the countries and to Sampsame and to the Spartans and to Delos and to Myndus and to Sicyon and to Caria and to Samos and to Pamphylia and to Lycia and to Halicarnassus and to Rhodes and to Phaselis and to Cos and to Side and to Aradus and Gortyna and Cnidus and Cyprus and Cyrene

And they wrote the copy of these things to Simon the high priest

And King Antiochus encamped against Dora, in the second, always bringing up against it the hands and making engines, and he shut in Tryphon from going out and going in.

And Simon sent to him two thousand chosen men to help him, and silver and gold and sufficient vessels.

And he was not willing to receive them, but he nullified all that he had agreed with him previously, and he was estranged from him.

And he sent to him Athenobius, one of his friends, to speak with him, saying, You hold Joppa and Gazara and the citadel in Jerusalem, cities of my kingdom.

You devastated their borders and brought a great blow upon the land, and you took control of many places in my kingdom

Now therefore hand over the cities that you have seized and the taxes of the places over which you have ruled, outside the borders of Judea.

But if not, give instead five hundred talents of silver for them, and for the devastation which you have devastated, and for the taxes of the cities, another five hundred talents; but if not, we shall come and make war against you.

And Athenobius the friend of the king came into Jerusalem and saw the glory of Simon and a drinking vessel with goldwork and silverwork and sufficient furnishings, and he was astonished and reported to him the words of the king.

And Simon answered and said to him: We have neither taken another’s land nor held dominion over others’ possessions, but over the inheritance of our fathers; but by our enemies, at some time, it was unjustly ruled.

But we, having a time, hold fast to the inheritance of our fathers

But concerning Joppa and Gazara, which you ask for, these were inflicting a great blow on the people, and our land of these we will give one hundred talents.

And he did not answer him a word, but he returned with anger to the king and reported to him these words and the glory of Simon and all that he had seen, and the king was greatly angered.

And Tryphon, having gone aboard a ship, fled to Orthosia.

And the king appointed Cendebaeus commander of the coastland, and he gave him infantry and cavalry forces.

And he ordered him to encamp opposite Judea, and he ordered him to build Kedron and to fortify the gates, and that he should make war against the people; and the king was pursuing Tryphon.

And Cendebaeus came to Jamnia and began to provoke the people and to invade into Judea and to take the people captive and to kill.

And he built Kedron and stationed there horsemen and forces, so that going out they might ravage the roads of Judea, as the king commanded him.