The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Maccabees 10
1 In the one hundred sixtieth year,†
Alexander Epiphanes, the son of Antiochus,
went up and took possession of
Ptolemais. They received him, and he
reigned there.
2 King Demetrius heard about this, and
he gathered together exceedingly great
forces, and went out to meet him in battle.
3 Demetrius sent a letter to Jonathan
with words of peace, so as to honor him.
4 For he said, “Let’s go beforehand to
make peace with them, before he makes
peace with Alexander against us;
5 for he will remember all the evils that
we have done against him, and to his
kindred and to his nation.”
6 So he gave him authority to gather
together forces, and to provide weapons,
and that he should be his ally. He also
commanded that they should release the
hostages that were in the citadel to him.
7 Jonathan came to Jerusalem, and read
the letter in the hearing of all the people,
and of those who were in the citadel.
8 They were very afraid whenthey heard
that the king had given him authority to
gather together an army.
9 Those in the citadel released the
hostages to Jonathan, and he restored
them to their parents.
10 Jonathan live din Jerusalemandbegan
to build and renew the city.
11 He commanded those who did the
work to build the walls and encircle Mount
Zion with‡ square stones for defense; and
they did so.
12 The foreigners who were in the
strongholds which Bacchides had built
fled away.
13 Each man left his place and departed
into his own land.
14 Only at Bethsura, there were left some
of those who had forsaken the law and
the commandments, for it was a place of
refuge to them.
15 King Alexander heard allthe promises
which Demetrius had sent to Jonathan.
They told him ofthe battles and the valiant
deeds which he and his kindred had done,
and of the troubles which they had endured.
16 So he said, “Could we find another
man like him? Now we will make him our§
friend and ally.”
17 He wrote a letter and sent it to him, in
these words, saying,
18 “King Alexander to his brother
Jonathan, greetings.
19 We have heard of you, that you are a
mighty man of valour, and worthy to be
our† friend.
20 Now we have appointed you this day
to be high priest of your nation, and to be
called the king’s‡ friend, and to take our
side, and to keep friendship with us.” He
also sent to him a purple robe and a golden crown.
21 And Jonathan put on the holy garments in
the seventh month of the one
hundred sixtieth year,§ at the feast of
tabernacles; and he gathered together
forces and provided weapons in abundance.
22 When Demetrius heard these things,
he was grieved and said,
23 “What is this that we have done,
that Alexander has gotten ahead of us in
establishing friendship with the Jews to
strengthen himself?
24 I also will write to them words of
encouragement and of honor and of gifts,
that they may be with me to aid me.”
25 So he sent to them this message:
“King Demetrius to the nation of the
Jews, greetings.
26 Since as you have kept your covenants
with us, and continued in our friendship,
and have not joined yourselves to our enemies,
we have heard of this, and are glad.
27 Now continue still to keep faith with
us, and we will repay you with good in
return for your dealings with us.
28 We will grant you many immunities
and give you gifts.
29 “Now I free you and release all the
Jews from the tributes, from the salt tax,
and from the crown levies.
30 Instead of the third part of the seed,
and instead of half of the fruit of the trees,
which falls to me to receive, I release it
from this day and henceforth, so that I will
nottake itfromthe land ofJudah, and from the
three districts which are added to it
from the country of Samaria and Galilee,
from this day forth and for all time.
31 Let Jerusalem be holy and free, with
her borders, tithes, and taxes.
32 I yield up also my authority over the
citadel which is at Jerusalem, and give it to
the high priest, that he may appoint in it
men whom he chooses to keep it.
33 Every soul of the Jews who has been
carried captive from the land ofJudah into
any part of my kingdom, I set at liberty
without payment. Let all officials also
cancel the taxes on their livestock.
34 “All the feasts, the Sabbaths, new
moons, appointed days, three days before
a feast, and three days after a feast, let
them all be days of immunity and release
for all the Jews who are in my kingdom.
35 No man shall have authority to exact
anything from any of them, or to trouble
them concerning any matter.
36 “Let there be enrolled among the
king’s forces about thirty thousand men of
the Jews, and pay shall be given to them, as
is due to all the king’s forces.
37 Of them, some shall be placed in the
king’s great strongholds, and some ofthem
shall be placed over the affairs of the kingdom,
which are positions of trust. Let
those who are over them and their rulers
be of themselves, and let them walk after
their own laws, even as the king has
commanded in the land of Judah.
38 “The three districts that have been
added to Judea from the country of
Samaria, let them be annexed to Judea,
that they may be reckoned to be under one
ruler, that they may not obey any other
authority than the high priest’s.
39 As for Ptolemais and its land, I have
given it as a gift to the sanctuary that is at
Jerusalem, for the expenses of the sanctuary.
40 I also give every year fifteen thousand
shekels of silver from the king’s revenues
from the places that are appropriate.
41 And all the additional funds which
those who manage the king’s affairs didn’t
pay as in the first years, they shall give
from now on toward the works of the temple.
42 Besides this, the five thousand shekels
of silver which they received from the uses
of the sanctuary from the revenue year by
year is also released, because it belongs to
the priests who minister there.
43 Whoever flees to the temple that is at
Jerusalem, and within all of its borders,
whether one owemoney to the king, or any
other matter, let them go free, along with
all that they have in my kingdom.
44 For the building and renewing of the
structures of the sanctuary, the expense
shall also be given out of the king’s revenue.
45 For the building of the walls of
Jerusalem and fortifying it all around, the
expense shall also be givenout ofthe king’s
revenue, also for the building of the walls
in Judea.”
46 Now when Jonathan and the people
heard these words, they gave no credence
to them, and didn’t accept them, because
they remembered the great evil which he
had done in Israel, and that he had afflicted
them very severely.
47 They were well pleased with Alexander,
because he was the first who spoke
words of peace to them, and they were
allies with him always.
48 King Alexander gathered together
great forces and encamped near
Demetrius.
49 The two kings joined battle, and the
army of Alexander fled; and Demetrius
followed after him, and prevailed against them.
50 He strengthened the battle exceedingly
until the sun went down; and
Demetrius fell that day.
51 Alexander sent ambassadors to
Ptolemy king of Egypt with this message:
52 “Since I have returned to my kingdom, and
am seated on the throne of my fathers, and
have established my dominion, and have
overthrown Demetrius, and have taken
possession of our country
53 yes, I joined the battle with him, and
he and his army were defeated by us, and
we sat on the throne of his kingdom
54 now also let’s make friends with one
another. Give me now your daughter as my wife.
I will be joined with you, and will
give both you and her gifts worthy of you.
55 Ptolemy the king answered, saying,
Happy is the day you returned to the land
of your ancestors and sat on the throne of
their kingdom.
56 Now I will do to you as you have written,
but meet me at Ptolemais, that we may
see one another; and I will join with you,
even as you have said.
57 So Ptolemy went out of Egypt, himself
and Cleopatra his daughter, and came to
Ptolemais in the one hundred sixty-second year.
58 King Alexander met him, and he
gave him his daughter Cleopatra, and
celebrated her wedding at Ptolemais with
great pomp, as kings do.
59 King Alexander wrote to Jonathan,
that he should come to meet him.
60 He went with pomp to Ptolemais, and
met the two kings. He gave them and their
friends‡ silver and gold, and many gifts,
and found favor in their sight.
61 Some malcontents out of Israel, men
who were transgressors of the law, gathered
together against him to complain
against him; but the king paid no attention
to them.
62 The king commanded that they take
off Jonathan’s garments and clothe him in
purple, and they did so.
63 The king made him sit with him, and
said to his princes, “Go out with him into
the midst of the city, and proclaim that
no man may complain against him of any
matter, and let no man trouble him for any
reason.”
64 It came to pass, when those who complained
against him saw his honor according to the
proclamation, and saw him clothed in purple,
they all fled away.
65 The king gave him honor, and enrolled
him among his chief friends,§ and made
him a captain and governor of a province.
66 Then Jonathan returned to Jerusalem
with peace and gladness.
67 In the one hundred sixty-fifth year,†
Demetrius, son of Demetrius, came out of
Crete into the land of his ancestors.
68 When King Alexander heard of it, he
grieved exceedingly and returned to Antioch.
69 Demetrius appointed Apollonius, who
was over Coelesyria, and he gathered
together a great army, and encamped
against Jamnia, and sent to Jonathan the
high priest, saying,
70 “You alone lift up yourself against us,
butI am ridiculed and inreproachbecause
of you. Why do you assume authority
against us in the mountains?
71 Now therefore, if you trust in your
forces, come down to us into the plain, and
let’s match strength with each other there;
for the power of the cities is with me.
72 Ask and learn who I am, and the rest
who help us. They say, ‘Your foot can’t
stand before our face; for your ancestors
have been put to flight twice in their own
land.’
73 Now you won’t be able to withstand
the cavalry and such an army as this in the
plain, where is there is no stone or pebble,
or place to flee.”
74 Now when Jonathan heard the words
of Apollonius, he was moved in his mind,
and he chose ten thousand men, and went
outfromJerusalem; and Simonh is brother
met him to help him.
75 Then he encamped against Joppa. The
people of the city shut him out, because
Apollonius had a garrison in Joppa.
76 So they fought against it. The people
of the city were afraid, and opened to him;
and Jonathan became master of Joppa.
77 Apollonius heard about that, and he
gathered an army of three thousand cavalry,
and a great army, and went to Azotus
as though he were on a journey, and at
the same time advanced onward into the
plain, because he had a multitude of
cavalry which he trusted.
78 He pursued him to Azotus, and the
armies joined battle.‡
79 Apollonius had secretly left a thousand
cavalry behind them.
80 Jonathan learned that there was an
ambush behind him. They surrounded his
army, and shot their arrows at the people,
from morning until evening;
81 but the people stood fast, as Jonathan
commanded them; and the enemy’s horses
grew tired.
82 Then Simon brought forward is army
and joined battle with the phalanx (for the
cavalry were exhausted), and they were
defeated by him and fled.
83 The cavalry were scattered in the
plain. They fled to Azotus and entered into
Beth-dagon, their idol’s temple, to save
themselves.
84 Jonathan burned Azotus and the cities
around it and took their spoils. He burned
the temple of Dagon and those who fled
into it with fire.
85 Those who had fallen by the sword
plus those who were burned were about
eight thousand men.
86 From there, Jonathan left and encamped
against Ascalon. The people of the
city came out to meet him with greatpomp.
87 Jonathan, with those who were on his
side, returned to Jerusalem, having many
spoils.
88 It came to pass, when King Alexander
heard these things, he honored Jonathan
even more.
89 He sent him a gold buckle, as the customis
to give to the king’s kindred. He gave
him Ekron and all its land for a possession.