1 Maccabees 14
1 Now in the hundred threescore and
twelfth year king Demetrius gathered his forces together, and went into Media,
to get him help to fight against Tryphon.
2 But when Arsaces, the king of Persia
and Media, heard that Demetrius was entered within his borders, he sent one of
his princes to take him alive: 3 who
went and smote the host of Demetrius, and took him, and brought him to
Arsaces, by whom he was put in ward.
4 As for the land
of Judea, that was quiet all the days of Simon; for
he sought the good of his nation in such wise, as that evermore his authority
and honour pleased them well. 5 And as
he was honourable in all his acts, so in this, that he took Joppe for an
haven, and made an entrance to the isles of the sea,
6 and enlarged the bounds of his
nation, and recovered the country,
7 and gathered together a great number
of captives, and had the dominion of Gazara, and Bethsura, and the tower, out
of the which he took all uncleanness, neither was there any that resisted him.
8 Then did they till their ground in
peace, and the earth gave her increase, and the trees of the field their
fruit. 9 The ancient men sat all in
the streets, communing together of good things, and the young men put on
glorious and warlike apparel. 10 He
provided victuals for the cities, and set in them all manner of munition, so
that his honourable name was renowned unto the end of the world.
11 He made peace in the land, and
Israel rejoiced with great joy:
12 for every man sat under his vine
and his fig tree, and there was none to fray them:
13 neither was there any left in the
land to fight against them: yea, the kings themselves were overthrown in those
days. 14 Moreover he strengthened all
those of his people that were brought low: the law he searched out; and every
contemner of the law and wicked person he took away.
15 He beautified the sanctuary, and
multiplied the vessels of the temple.
16 Now when it was heard at Rome, and
as far as Sparta, that Jonathan was dead, they were very sorry.
17 But as soon as they heard that his
brother Simon was made high priest in his stead, and ruled the country, and
the cities therein: 18 they wrote
unto him in tables of brass, to renew the friendship and league which they had
made with Judas and Jonathan his brethren:
19 which writings were read before
the congregation at Jerusalem.
20 And this is the copy of the
letters that the Lacedemonians sent; The rulers of the Lacedemonians, with the
city, unto Simon the high priest, and the elders, and priests, and residue of
the people of the Jews, our brethren, send greeting:
21 The ambassadors that were sent
unto our people certified us of your glory and honour: wherefore we were glad
of their coming, 22 and did register
the things that they spake in the council of the people in this manner;
Numenius son of Antiochus, and Antipater
son of Jason, the Jews' ambassadors, came unto us, to
renew the friendship they had with us.
23 And it pleased the people to
entertain the men honourably, and to put the copy of their ambassage in public
records, to the end the people of the Lacedemonians might have a memorial
thereof: furthermore we have written a copy thereof unto Simon the high
priest.
24 After this Simon sent Numenius to
Rome with a great shield of gold of a thousand pound weight, to confirm the
league with them. 25 Whereof when the
people heard, they said, What thanks shall we give to Simon and his sons?
26 For he and his brethren and the
house of his father have established Israel, and chased away in fight their
enemies from them, and confirmed their liberty.
27 So then they wrote
it in tables of brass, which they set upon pillars in
mount Sion: and this is the copy of the writing; The eighteenth day of
the month Elul, in the hundred threescore and twelfth
year, being the third year of Simon the high priest,
28 at Saramel in the great
congregation of the priests, and people, and rulers of the nation, and elders
of the country, were these things notified unto us.
29 Forasmuch as oftentimes there have
been wars in the country, wherein for the maintenance of their sanctuary, and
the law, Simon the son of Mattathias, of the posterity of Jarib, together with
his brethren, put themselves in jeopardy, and resisting the enemies of their
nation did their nation great honour:
30 (For after that Jonathan, having
gathered his nation together, and been their high priest, was added to his
people, 31 their enemies purposed to
invade their country, that they might destroy it, and lay hands on the
sanctuary: 32 at which time Simon
rose up, and fought for his nation, and spent much of his own substance, and
armed the valiant men of his nation, and gave them wages,
33 and fortified the cities of Judea,
together with Bethsura, that lieth upon the borders of Judea, where the armour
of the enemies had been before; but he set a garrison of Jews there:
34 moreover he fortified Joppe, which
lieth upon the sea, and Gazara, that bordereth upon Azotus, where the enemies
had dwelt before: but he placed Jews there, and furnished them with all things
convenient for the reparation thereof.)
35 The people therefore, seeing the
acts of Simon, and unto what glory he thought to bring his nation, made him
their governor and chief priest, because he had done all these things, and for
the justice and faith which he kept to his nation, and for that he sought by
all means to exalt his people.
36 For in his time things prospered
in his hands, so that the heathen were taken out of their country, and they
also that were in the city of David in Jerusalem, who had made themselves a
tower, out of which they issued, and polluted all about the sanctuary, and did
much hurt in the holy place: 37 but
he placed Jews therein, and fortified it for the safety of the country and the
city, and raised up the walls of Jerusalem.
38 King Demetrius also confirmed him
in the high priesthood according to those things,
39 and made him one of his friends,
and honoured him with great honour.
40 For he had heard say, that the
Romans had called the Jews their friends and confederates and brethren; and
that they had entertained the ambassadors of Simon honourably:
41 also that the Jews and priests
were well pleased that Simon should be their governor and high priest for
ever, until there should arise a faithful prophet;
42 moreover that he should be their
captain, and should take charge of the sanctuary, to set them over their
works, and over the country, and over the armour, and over the fortresses,
that, I say, he should take charge of the sanctuary;
43 beside this, that he should be
obeyed of every man, and that all the writings in the country should be made
in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple, and wear gold:
44 Also that it should be lawful for
none of the people or priests to break any of these things, or to gainsay his
words, or to gather an assembly in the country without him, or to be clothed
in purple, or wear a buckle of gold:
45 and whosoever should do otherwise,
or break any of these things, he should be punished.
46 Thus it liked all the people to
deal with Simon, and to do as hath been said.
47 Then Simon accepted hereof, and
was well pleased to be high priest, and captain and governor of the Jews and
priests, and to defend them all.
48 So they commanded that this
writing should be put in tables of brass, and that they should be set up
within the compass of the sanctuary in a conspicuous place;
49 also that the copies thereof
should be laid up in the treasury, to the end that Simon and his sons might
have them.