The Koine Bible

And John went up from Gazara and reported to Simon his father what Cendebaeus had accomplished.

And Simon called his two elder sons, Judas and John, and said to them, I and my brothers and the house of my father have fought the battles of Israel from youth until this day, and it has prospered in our hands to deliver Israel many times

But now I have grown old, and you also, in the mercy, are sufficient in years; become in my place and in place of my brother, and going out, fight for our nation, and may the help from heaven be with you.

And he chose out of the country twenty thousand men of war and horsemen, and they marched against Kendebaeus and slept in Modein.

And they rose up early in the morning and went into the plain, and behold, a great force was coming to meet them, infantry and horsemen, and torrents were between them.

And he encamped opposite them, he and his people, and he saw the people being afraid to cross the brook, and he crossed over first, and the men saw him and crossed over behind him.

And he divided the people and the horsemen in the midst of the foot soldiers; and there was very much horse of the opponents.

And they sounded the trumpets, and Kendebaios and his camp were routed, and many wounded fell from them, but those left behind fled into the fortress.

Then Judas, the brother of John, was wounded, and John pursued them until he came to Kedron, which he had built.

And they fled into the towers that were in the fields of Azotus, and he burned it with fire, and about two thousand men from them fell, and he returned to Judea with peace.

And Ptolemy, the son of Abubus, had been appointed general over the plain of Jericho, and he had much silver and gold.

For he was the high priest’s son-in-law.

And his heart was exalted, and he planned to gain control of the land, and he was plotting by deceit against Simon and his sons to remove them

And Simon was visiting the cities that were in the country and taking care of their oversight, and he went down into Jericho himself and Mattathias and Judas, his sons, in the one hundred and seventy-seventh year, in the eleventh month, this month is Shebat.

And the son of Abobus received them into the stronghold called Dok with deceit, which he had built, and made for them a great drinking-feast, and hid men there

And when Simon and his sons were made drunk, Ptolemy and those with him rose up and took their weapons and went in upon Simon into the banquet and killed him and his two sons and some of his servants

And he committed a great lawless deed and rendered evils in return for good things.

And Ptolemy wrote these things and sent to the king, so that he might send him forces for help and might give over their country and the cities

And he sent others to Gazara to take John, and to the chiliarchs he sent letters to come to him, so that he might give them silver and gold and gifts.

And he sent others to seize Jerusalem and the mountain of the sanctuary

And one who ran ahead reported to John in Gazara that his father and his brothers had perished, and that he had also been sent to kill you.

And hearing it, he was exceedingly astonished and seized the men who had come to destroy him, and he killed them, for he knew that they were seeking to destroy him.

And the rest of the words of John and of his wars and of his acts of valor, which he performed, and of the building of the walls which he built, and of his deeds

Behold, these things are written in the book of the days of his high priesthood, from the time when he became high priest after his father.