‏ 1 Maccabees 14

1Now 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. 2But when Arsaces, the king of Persia and Media, heard that Demetrius was entered withinhis borders, he sent one of his princes to take him alive: 3Who went and struck the host of Demetrius, and took him, and brought him to Arsaces, bywhom he was put in ward. 4As for the land of Judea, that was quiet all the days of Simon; for he sought the goodof his nation in such wise, as that evermore his authority and honor pleased them well. 5And as he was honorable in all his acts, so in this, that he took Joppa for an haven,and made an entrance to the isles of the sea, 6And enlarged the bounds of his nation, and recovered the country, 7And gathered together a great number of captives, and had the dominion of Gazera, andBethsura, and the tower, out of the which he took all uncleanness, neither was there any that resistedhim. 8Then did they till their ground in peace, and the earth gave her increase, and the treesof the field their fruit. 9The ancient men sat all in the streets, communing together of good things, and the youngmen put on glorious and warlike apparel. 10He provided food for the cities, and set in them all manner of munition, so that hishonorable name was renowned to the end of the world. 11He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy: 12For every man sat under his vine and his fig tree, and there was none to fray them: 13Neither was there any left in the land to fight against them: yes, the kings themselveswere overthrown in those days. 14Moreover he strengthened all those of his people that were brought low: the law he searchedout; and every contemner of the law and wicked person he took away. 15He beautified the sanctuary, and multiplied vessels of the temple. 16Now when it was heard at Rome, and as far as Sparta, that Jonathan was dead, they werevery sorry. 17But as soon as they heard that his brother Simon was made high priest in his stead, andruled the country, and the cities therein: 18They wrote to him in tables of brass, to renew the friendship and league which they hadmade with Judas and Jonathan his brethren: 19Which writings were read before the congregation at Jerusalem. 20And this is the copy of the letters that the Lacedemonians sent; The rulers of the Lacedemonians,with the city, to Simon the high priest, and the elders, and priests, and residue of the people of theJews, our brethren, send greeting: 21The ambassadors that were sent to our people certified us of your glory and honor: whereforewe were glad of their coming, 22And did register the things that they spoke in the council of the people in this manner;Numenius son of Antiochus, and Antipater son of Jason, the Jews' ambassadors, came to us to renew thefriendship they had with us. 23And it pleased the people to entertain the men honorably, and to put the copy of theirambassage in publick records, to the end the people of the Lacedemonians might have a memorial thereof:furthermore we have written a copy thereof to Simon the high priest. 24After this Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a great shield of gold of a thousand poundweight to confirm the league with them. 25Whereof when the people heard, they said, What thanks shall we give to Simon and hissons? 26For he and his brethren and the house of his father have established Israel, and chasedaway in fight their enemies from them, and confirmed their liberty. 27So 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 andtwelfth year, being the third year of Simon the high priest, 28At Saramel in the great congregation of the priests, and people, and rulers of the nation,and elders of the country, were these things notified to us. 29Forasmuch as oftentimes there have been wars in the country, wherein for the maintenanceof their sanctuary, and the law, Simon the son of Mattathias, of the posterity of Jarib, together withhis brethren, put themselves in jeopardy, and resisting the enemies of their nation did their nation greathonor: 30(For after that Jonathan, having gathered his nation together, and been their high priest,was added to his people, 31Their enemies prepared to invade their country, that they might destroy it, and lay handson the sanctuary: 32At 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, 33And fortified the cities of Judea, together with Bethsura, that lies upon the bordersof Judea, where the armor of the enemies had been before; but he set a garrison of Jews there: 34Moreover he fortified Joppa, which lies upon the sea, and Gazera, that borders upon Azotus,where the enemies had lived before: but he placed Jews there, and furnished them with all things convenientfor the reparation thereof.) 35The people therefore sang the acts of Simon, and to what glory he thought to bring hisnation, made him their governor and chief priest, because he had done all these things, and for the justiceand faith which he kept to his nation, and for that he sought by all means to exalt his people. 36For in his time things prospered in his hands, so that the heathen were taken out oftheir 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: 37But he placed Jews therein. and fortified it for the safety of the country and the city,and raised up the walls of Jerusalem. 38King Demetrius also confirmed him in the high priesthood according to those things, 39And made him one of his friends, and honored him with great honor. 40For he had heard say, that the Romans had called the Jews their friends and confederatesand brethren; and that they had entertained the ambassadors of Simon honorably; 41Also that the Jews and priests were well pleased that Simon should be their governorand high priest for ever, until there should arise a faithful prophet; 42Moreover that he should be their captain, and should take charge of the sanctuary, toset them over their works, and over the country, and over the armor, and over the fortresses, that, Isay, he should take charge of the sanctuary; 43Beside this, that he should be obeyed of every man, and that all the writings in thecountry should be made in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple, and wear gold: 44Also that it should be lawful for none of the people or priests to break any of thesethings, or to gainsay his words, or to gather an assembly in the country without him, or to be clothedin purple, or wear a buckle of gold; 45And whoever should do otherwise, or break any of these things, he should be punished. 46Thus it liked all the people to deal with Simon, and to do as has been said. 47Then Simon accepted hereof, and was well pleased to be high priest, and captain and governorof the Jews and priests, and to defend them all. 48So they commanded that this writing should be put in tables of brass, and that they shouldbe set up within the compass of the sanctuary in a conspicuous place; 49Also that the copies thereof should be laid up in the treasury, to the end that Simonand his sons might have them.