The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Maccabees 11
1 Then the king of Egypt gathered together
great forces, as the sand which is
by the sea shore, and many ships, and
sought to make himself master of Alexander’s
kingdom by deceit, and to add itto his
own kingdom.
2 He went out into Syria with words
of peace, and the people of the cities
opened their gates to him and met him;
for King Alexander’s command was that
they should meet him, because he was his
father-in-law.
3 Now as he entered into the cities of
Ptolemais, he set his forces for a garrison
in each city.
4 But when he came near to Azotus, they
showed him the temple of Dagon burned
with fire, and Azotus and its pasture lands
destroyed, and the bodies cast out, and
those who had been burned, whom he
burned in the war, for they had made
heaps of them in his way.
5 They told the king what Jonathan had
done, that they might cast blame on him;
but the king kept silent.
6 Jonathan met the king with pomp at
Joppa, and they greeted one another, and
they slept there.
7 Jonathan went with the king as far as
the river that is called Eleutherus, then
returned to Jerusalem.
8 But King Ptolemy took control of the
cities along the sea coast, to Selucia which
is by the sea, and he devised evil plans
concerning Alexander.
9 He sent ambassadors to King
Demetrius, saying, “Come! Let’s make
a covenant with one another, and I will
give you my daughter whom Alexander
has, and you shall reign over your father’s
kingdom;
10 for I regret that I gave my daughter to
him, for he tried to kill me.
11 He accused him, because he coveted
his kingdom.
12 Taking his daughter from him, he gave
her to Demetrius, and was estranged from
Alexander, and their enmity was openly seen.
13 Ptolemy entered into Antioch, and put
on himself the crown of Asia. He put two
crowns upon his head, the crown of Egypt
and that of Asia.
14 But King Alexander was in Cilicia at
thattime, because the people ofthat region
were in revolt.
15 When Alexander heard of it, he came
against him in war. Ptolemy marched out
and met him with a strong force, and put
him to flight.
16 Alexander fled into Arabia, that he
might be sheltered there; but King Ptolemy
was triumphant.
17 Zabdiel the Arabian took
off Alexander’s head, and sent it to Ptolemy.
18 King Ptolemy died the third day after,
and those who were in his strongholds
were slain by the inhabitants of the
strongholds.
19 Demetrius became king in the one
hundred sixty-seventh year.†
20 In those days Jonathan gathered together
the Judeans to take the citadel that
was at Jerusalem. He made many engines
of war to use against it.
21 Some lawless men who hated their
own nation went to the king and reported
to him that Jonathan was besieging the
citadel.
22 He heard, and was angry, but when he
heard it, he set out immediately, and came
to Ptolemais, and wrote to Jonathan, that
he should not besiege it, and that he should
meet him and speak with him at Ptolemais
with all speed.
23 But when Jonathan heard this, he gave
orders to continue the siege. He chose
some of the elders of Israel and of the
priests, and put himself in peril
24 by taking silver, gold, clothing, and
various other presents, and went to Ptolemais
to the king. Then he found favor in
his sight.
25 Some lawless men of those who were
of the nation made complaints against
him,
26 and the king did to him even as his
predecessors had done to him, and exalted
him in the sight of all his‡ friends,
27 and confirmed to him the high priesthood,
and all the other honors that he had
before, and gave him preeminence among
his§ chief friends.
28 And Jonathan requested of the king
that he would make Judea free from tribute,
along with the three† provinces and
the country of Samaria, and promised him
three hundred talents.
29 The king consented, and wrote letters
to Jonathan concerning all these things as
follows:
30 “King Demetrius to his brother
Jonathan, and to the nation of the Jews,
greetings.
31 The copy of the letter which we wrote
to Lasthenes our kinsman concerning you,
we have written also to you, that you may
see it.
32 ‘King Demetrius to Lasthenes his father, greetings.
33 We have determined to do good to the
nation of the Jews, who are our friends,
and observe what is just toward us, because
of their good will toward us.
34 We have confirmed therefore to them
the borders of Judea, and also the three
governments of Aphaerema, Lydda, and
Ramathaim (these were added to Judea
from the country of Samaria), and all their
territory to them, for all who do sacrifice
in Jerusalem, instead of the king’s dues
which the king received of them yearly
before from the produce of the earth and
the fruits of trees.
35 As for the other payments to us from
henceforth, of the tithes and the taxes that
pertain to us, and the salt pits, and the
crowntaxes due tous, allthese we will give
back to them.
36 Not one of these grants shall be annulled
from this time forth and forever.
37 Now therefore be careful to make a
copy of these things, and let it be given to
Jonathan, and let it be set up on the holy
mountain in a suitable and conspicuous
place.
38 When King Demetrius saw that the
land was quiet before him, and that no
resistance was made to him, he sent away
all his troops, each man to his own place,
except the foreign troops, which he had
raised from the islands of the Gentiles. So
all the troops of his fathers hated him.
39 Now Tryphon was one of those who
previously had been on Alexander’s side,
and he saw that all the forces murmured
against Demetrius. So he went to Imalcue
the Arabian, who was raisingup Antiochus
the young child of Alexander,
40 and urgently insisted to him that he
should deliver him to him, that he might
reign in his father’s place. He told him all
that Demetrius had done, and the hatred with
which his forces hated him; and he
stayed there many days.
41 Now Jonathan sent to King Demetrius,
that he should remove the troops of the
citadel from Jerusalem, and the troops
who were in the strongholds; for they
fought against Israel continually.
42 Demetrius sent to Jonathan, saying,
“I will not only do this for you and your
nation, but I will greatly honor you and
your nation, if I find an opportunity.
43 Now therefore you shall do well if you
send me men who will fight for me; for all
my forces have revolted.”
44 So Jonathan sent him three thousand
valiant men to Antioch. They came to the
king, andthe king was gladattheir coming.
45 The people of the city gathered themselves
together into the midst of the city,
to the number of one hundred and twenty
thousand men, and they wanted to kill the king.
46 The king fled into the court of the
palace, and the people ofthe city seized the
main streets of the city and began to fight.
47 The king called the Jews to help him,
and they were gathered together to him
all at once, and they dispersed themselves
in the city, and killed that day about one
hundred thousand.
48 They set the city on fire, and seized
many spoils that day, and saved the king.
49 The people of the city saw that the
Jews had taken control of the city as they
pleased, and they became faint in their
hearts, and they cried out to the king with
supplication, saying,
50 “Give us your right hand, and let the
Jews cease from fighting against us and the
city.”
51 They threw away their weapons and
made peace. The Jews were glorified in
the sight of the king, and before all who
were in his kingdom. Then they returned
to Jerusalem, having much plunder.
52 So King Demetrius sat on the throne of
his kingdom, andthe land wasquietbefore
him.
53 He lied in all that he spoke, and estranged
himself from Jonathan, and didn’t
repay him according to the benefits with
which he had repaid him, and treated him
very harshly.
54 Now after this, Tryphon returned, and
with him the young child Antiochus, who
reigned and put on a crown.
55 All the forces which Demetrius had
sent away with disgrace were gathered to
him, and they fought against him, and he
fled and was routed.
56 Tryphon took the elephants, and took
control of Antioch.
57 The young Antiochus wrote to
Jonathan, saying, “I confirm to you the
high priesthood, and appoint you over the
four districts, and to be one of the king’s‡
friends.”
58 He sent to him golden vessels and
furniture for the table, and gave him permission
to drink in golden vessels, and to
be clothed in purple, and to have a golden
buckle.
59 He made his brother Simon governor
from the Ladder of Tyre to the borders of
Egypt.
60 Jonathan went out and took his journey beyond
the river and through the
cities. All the forces of Syria gathered
themselves to him to be his allies. He came
to Ascalon, and the people of the city met
him honorably.
61 He departed from there to Gaza, and
the people of Gaza shut him out. So he
besieged it and burned its pasture lands
with fire, and plundered them.
62 The people of Gaza pleaded with
Jonathan, and he gave them his right
hand, and took the sons of their princes
for hostages, and sent them away to
Jerusalem. Then he passed through the
country as far as Damascus.
63 Then Jonathan heard that Demetrius’
princes had come to Kedesh, which is in
Galilee, with a great army, intending to
remove him from his office.
64 He went to meet them, but he left
Simon his brother in the country.
65 Simon encamped against Bethsura,
and fought against it many days, and
hemmed it in.
66 They asked him to give them his right
hand, and he gave it to them. He removed
them from there, took possession of the
city, and set a garrison over it.
67 Jonathan and his army encamped at
the water of Gennesareth, and early in
the morning they marched to the plain of
Hazor.
68 Behold, an army offoreigners met him
in the plain. They laid an ambush for him
in the mountains, but they themselves met
him face to face.
69 But those who lay in ambush rose out
of their places and joined battle. All those
who were on Jonathan’s side fled.
70 Not one of them was left, except Mattathias
the son of Absalom, and Judas the
son of Chalphi, captains of the forces.
71 Jonathan tore his clothes, put dirt on
his head, and prayed.
72 He turned again to them in battle, and
routed them, and they fled.
73 When the men on his side who had
fled saw this, they returned to him and
pursued with him to Kedesh to their camp,
and they encamped there.
74 About three thousand men of the foreigners
fell on that day. Then Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.