1 Judas heard of the fame of the Romans,
that they are valiant men, and have pleasure
in all who join themselves to them,
and make friends with all who come to them,

2 and that they are valiant men. They
told him of their wars and exploits which
they do among the Gauls, and how they
conquered them, and forced them to pay tribute;

3 and what things they did in the land of
Spain, that they might take control of the
silver and gold mines which were there;

4 and how by their policy and persistence they
conquered allthe place (and the
place was exceedingly far from them), and
the kings who came against them from the
uttermost part of the earth, until they had
defeated them, and struck them severely;
and how the rest give them tribute year by year.

5 Philip, and Perseus, king of Chittim,
andthose who liftedupthemselves against
them, they defeated in battle, and conquered them.

6 Antiochus also, the great king of Asia,
came against them to battle, having one
hundred twenty elephants, with cavalry,
chariots, and an exceedingly great army,
and he was defeated by them.

7 They took him alive, and decreed that
both he and those who reigned after him
should give them a great tribute, and
should give hostages, and a parcel of land
from the best of their provinces:

8 the countries of India, Media, and Lydia.
They took them from him, and gave
them to King Eumenes.

9 Judas heard how the Greeks planned to
come and destroy them,

10 but this became known to them, and
they sent against them a general who
fought againstthem, and many ofthem fell
down wounded to death, and they made
captive their wives and their children,
and plundered them, and conquered their
land, and pulled down their strongholds,
and plundered them, and brought them
into bondage to this day.

11 The remaining kingdoms and islands,
as many as rose up against them at any
time, they destroyed and made them to be
their servants;

12 but with their friends and those who
relied on them they stayed friends. They
conquered the kingdoms that were near
and those that were far off, and all that
heard of their fame were afraid of them.

13 Moreover, whoever they desired to
help and to make kings, these they make
kings; and whoever they desired, they depose.
They are exalted exceedingly.

14 For all this, none of them ever put on a
crown, neither did they clothe themselves
with purple, as a display of grandeur.

15 Judas heard how they had made for
themselves a senate house, and day by day,
three hundred twenty men sat in council,
consulting always for the people, to the
end they might be well governed,

16 and how they commit their government to one
man year by year, that he shouldrule over them,
andcontrol alltheir country, and all are obedient to that one,
and there is neither envy nor emulation among them.