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1 Now in the hundred and sixtieth year
Alexander the son of Antiochus, surnamed the Illustrious, came up and took Ptolemais, and they received him, and he reigned there.
2 And king Demetrius heard of it, and gathered
together an exceeding great army, and went forth against him to fight.
3 And Demetrius sent a letter to Jonathan
with peaceable words, to magnify him.
4 For he said: Let us first make a peace with
him, before he make one with Alexander against us.
5 For he will remember all the evils that we
have done against him, and against his brother, and against his nation.
6 And he gave him authority to gather
together an army, and to make arms, and that he should be his confederate:
and the hostages that were in the castle, he commanded to be delivered to
him.
7 And Jonathan came to Jerusalem, and read
the letters in the hearing of all the people, and of them that were in the
castle.
8 And they were struck with great fear,
because they heard that the king had given him authority to gather together
an army.
9 And the hostages were delivered to
Jonathan, and he restored them to their parents.
10 And Jonathan dwelt in Jerusalem, and began
to build, and to repair the city.
11 And he ordered workmen to build the walls,
and mount Sion round about with square stones for
fortification: and so they did.
12 And the strangers that were in the strong
holds, which Bacchides had built, fled away.
13 And every man left his place, and departed into
his own country:
14 Only in Bethsura
there remained some of them, that had forsaken the law, and the commandments
of God: for this was a place of refuge for them.
15 And king Alexander heard of the promises
that Demetrius had made Jonathan: and they told him of the battles, and the
worthy acts that he, and his brethren had done, and the labours
that they had endured.
16 And he said: Shall we find such another
man? now therefore we will make him our friend and
our confederate.
17 So he wrote a letter, and sent it to him
according to these words, saying:
18 King Alexander to his brother Jonathan,
greeting.
19 We have heard of thee, that thou art a man
of great power, and fit to be our friend:
20 Now therefore we make thee this day high
priest of thy nation, and that thou be called the king's friend, (and he sent
him a purple robe, and a crown of gold,) and that thou be of one mind with us
in our affairs, and keep friendship with us.
21 Then Jonathan put on the holy vestment in
the seventh month, in the year one hundred and threescore, at the feast day
of the tabernacles: and he gathered together an army, and made a great number
of arms.
22 And Demetrius heard these words, and was
exceeding sorry, and said:
23 What is this that we have done, that
Alexander hath prevented us to gain the friendship of the Jews to strengthen
himself?
24 I also will write to them words of
request, and offer dignities, and gifts: that they may be with me to aid me.
25 And he wrote to them in these words: King
Demetrius to the nation of the Jews, greeting.
26 Whereas you have kept covenant with us, and
have continued in our friendship, and have not joined with our enemies, we
have heard of it, and are glad.
27 Wherefore now continue still to keep fidelity
towards us, and we will reward you with good things, for what you have done
in our behalf.
28 And we will remit to you many charges, and
will give you gifts.
29 And now I free you, and all the Jews
from tributes, and I release you from the customs of salt, and remit the
crowns, and the thirds of the seed:
30 And the half of the fruit of trees,
which is my share, I leave to you from this day forward, so that it shall not
be taken of the land of Juda, and of the three
cities that are added thereto out of Samaria and Galilee, from this day forth
and for ever:
31 And let Jerusalem be holy and free, with
the borders thereof: and let the tenths, and tributes be for itself.
32 I yield up also the power of the castle
that is in Jerusalem, and I give it to the high priest, to place therein such
men as he shall choose to keep it.
33 And every soul of the Jews that hath been
carried captive from the land of Juda in all my kingdom,
I set at liberty freely, that all be discharged from tributes even of their
cattle.
34 And I will that all the feasts, and the sabbaths, and the new moons, and the days appointed, and
three days before the solemn day, and three days after the solemn day, be all
days of immunity and freedom, for all the Jews that are in my kingdom:
35 And no man shall have power to do any thing against them, or to molest any of them, in any
cause.
36 And let there be enrolled in the king's
army to the number of thirty thousand of the Jews: and allowance shall be
made them as is due to all the king's forces, and certain of them shall be
appointed to be in the fortresses of the great king:
37 And some of them shall be set over the
affairs of the kingdom, that are of trust, and let the governors be taken
from among themselves, and let them walk in their own laws, as the king hath
commanded in the land of Juda.
38 And the three cities that are added to
Judea, out of the country of Samaria, let them be accounted with Judea: that
they may be under one, and obey no other authority but that of the high
priest:
39 Ptolemais, and the confines thereof, I give as a
free gift to the holy places, that are in Jerusalem, for the necessary
charges of the holy things.
40 And I give every year fifteen thousand sicles of silver out of the king's accounts, of what
belongs to me:
41 And all that is above, which they that
were over the affairs the years before, had not paid, from this time they
shall give it to the works of the house.
42 Moreover the five thousand sicles
of silver which they received from the account of the holy places, every
year, shall also belong to the priests that execute the ministry.
43 And whosoever shall flee into the temple
that is in Jerusalem, and in all the borders thereof, being indebted to the
king for any matter, let them be set at liberty, and all that they have in my
kingdom, let them have it free.
44 For the building also, or repairing the
works of the holy places, the charges shall be given out of the king's
revenues:
45 For the building also of the walls of
Jerusalem, and the fortifying thereof round about, the charges shall be given
out of the king's account, as also for the building of the walls in Judea.
46 Now when Jonathan, and the people heard
these words, they gave no credit to them nor received them: because they
remembered the great evil that he had done in Israel, for he had afflicted
them exceedingly.
47 And their inclinations were towards
Alexander, because he had been the chief promoter of peace in their regard,
and him they always helped.
48 And king Alexander gathered together a
great army, and moved his camp near to Demetrius.
49 And the two kings joined battle, and the
army of Demetrius fled away, and Alexander pursued after him, and pressed
them close.
50 And the battle was hard fought till the sun
went down: and Demetrius was slain that day.
51 And Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemee king of Egypt, with words to this effect,
saying:
52 Forasmuch as I am returned into my
kingdom, and am set in the throne of my ancestors and have gotten the
dominion, and have overthrown Demetrius, and possessed our country,
53 And have joined battle with him, and
both he and his army have been destroyed by us, and we are placed in the
throne of his kingdom:
54 Now therefore let us make friendship one
with another: and give me now thy daughter to wife, and I will be thy son in
law, and I will give both thee and her gifts worthy of thee.
55 And king Ptolemee
answered, saying: Happy is the day wherein thou didst return to the land of
thy fathers, and sattest in the throne of their
kingdom.
56 And now I will do to thee as thou hast
written: but meet me at Ptolemais, that we may see
one another, and I may give her to thee as thou hast said.
57 So Ptolemee went
out of Egypt, with Cleopatra his daughter, and he came to Ptolemais
in the hundred and sixty-second year.
58 And king Alexander met him, and he gave him
his daughter Cleopatra: and he celebrated her marriage at Ptolemais,
with great glory, after the manner of kings.
59 And king Alexander wrote to Jonathan, that
he should come and meet him.
60 And he went honourably
to Ptolemais, and he met there the two kings, and
he gave them much silver, and gold, and presents: and he found favour in their sight.
61 And some pestilent men of Israel, men of a
wicked life, assembled themselves against him to accuse him: and the king
gave no heed to them.
62 And he commanded that Jonathan's garments
should be taken off, and that he should be clothed with purple: and they did
so. And the king made him sit by himself.
63 And he said to his princes: Go out with him
into the midst of the city, and make proclamation, that no man complain
against him of any matter, and that no man trouble him for any manner of
cause.
64 So when his accusers saw his glory
proclaimed, and him clothed with purple, they all fled away.
65 And the king magnified him, and enrolled
him amongst his chief friends, and made him governor and partaker of his
dominion.
66 And Jonathan returned into Jerusalem with
peace and joy.
67 In the year one hundred and sixty-five
Demetrius the son of Demetrius came from Crete into the land of his fathers.
68 And king Alexander heard of it, and was
much troubled, and returned to Antioch.
69 And king Demetrius made Apollonius his
general, who was governor of Celesyria: and he
gathered together a great army, and came to Jamnia:
and he sent to Jonathan the high priest,
70 Saying: Thou alone standest
against us, and I am laughed at, and reproached, because thou shewest thy power against us in the mountains.
71 Now therefore if thou trustest
in thy forces, come down to us into the plain, and there let us try one
another: for with me is the strength of war.
72 Ask, and learn who I am, and the rest that
help me, who also say that your foot cannot stand before our face, for thy
fathers have twice been put to flight in their own land:
73 And now how wilt thou be able to abide
the horsemen, and so great an army in the plain, where there is no stone, nor
rock, nor place to flee to?
74 Now when Jonathan heard the words of
Apollonius, he was moved in his mind: and he chose ten thousand men, and went
out of Jerusalem, and Simon his brother met him to help him.
75 And they pitched their tents near Joppe, but they shut him out of the city: because a
garrison of Apollonius was in Joppe, and he laid
siege to it.
76 And they that were in the city being
affrighted, opened the gates to him: so Jonathan took Joppe.
77 And Apollonius heard of it, and he took
three thousand horsemen, and a great army.
78 And he went to Azotus
as one that was making a journey, and immediately he went forth into the
plain: because he had a great number of horsemen, and he trusted in them. And
Jonathan followed after him to Azotus, and they
joined battle.
79 And Apollonius left privately in the camp a
thousand horsemen behind them.
80 And Jonathan knew that there was an ambush behind
him, and they surrounded his army, and cast darts at the people from morning
till evening.
81 But the people stood still, as Jonathan had
commanded them: and so their horses were fatigued.
82 Then Simon drew forth his army, and attacked
the legion: for the horsemen were wearied: and they were discomfited by him,
and fled.
83 And they that were scattered about the
plain, fled into Azotus, and went into Bethdagon their idol's temple, there to save themselves.
84 But Jonathan set fire to Azotus, and the cities that were around it, and took the
spoils of them, and the temple of Dagon: and all them that were fled into it,
he burnt with fire.
85 So they that were slain by the sword, with
them that were burnt, were almost eight thousand men.
86 And Jonathan removed his army from thence,
and camped against Ascalon: and they went out of
the city to meet him with great honour.
87 And Jonathan returned into Jerusalem with
his people, having many spoils.
88 And it came to pass: When Alexander the
king heard these words, that he honoured Jonathan
yet more.
89 And he sent him a buckle of gold, as the
custom is, to be given to such as are of the royal blood. And he gave him Accaron and all the borders thereof in possession.
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1- و في السنة المئة و الستين
صعد الاسكندر الشهير ابن انطيوكس و فتح بطلمايس فقبلوه فملك هناك.
2- فسمع ديمتريوس الملك فجمع
جيوشا كثيرة جدا و خرج لملاقاته في الحرب.
3- و انفذ ديمتريوس الى يوناتان
كتبا في معنى السلم متقربا اليه بالاطراء.
4- لانه قال لنسبق الى مسالمته
قبل ان يسالم الاسكندر علينا.
5- فانه سيذكر كل ما انزلنا به و
باخوته و امته من المساوئ.
6- و اذن له ان يجمع جيوشا و
يتجهز بالاسلحة و يكون مناصرا له و امر له برد الرهائن الذين في القلعة.
7- فجاء يوناتان الى اورشليم و
تلا الكتب على مسامع الشعب كله و اهل القلعة.
8- فلما سمع ان الملك اذن له في
جمع الجيوش جزعوا جزعا شديدا.
9- و رد اهل القلعة الرهائن الى
يوناتان فردهم الى ذوي قرابتهم.
10- و اقام يوناتان باورشليم و
طفق يبني و يجدد المدينة.
11- و امر صناع العمل ان يبنوا
الاسوار حول جبل صهيون بحجارة منحوتة للتحصين ففعلوا.
12- فهرب الغرباء الذين في
الحصون التي بناها بكيديس.
13- و ترك كل واحد مكانه و ذهب
الى ارضه.
14- غير انه بقي في بيت صور قوم
من المرتدين عن الشريعة و الرسوم فانها كانت ملجا لهم.
15- و سمع الاسكندر الملك
بالمواعيد التي عرضها ديمتريوس على يوناتان و حدث بما صنع هو و اخوته من الحروب
و اعمال الباس و ما كابدوه من النصب.
16- فقال انا لا نجد من رجل يماثله فلنتخذه
لنا وليا و مناصرا.
17- و كتب كتبا و بعث اليه بها في هذا المعنى
قائلا.
18- من الملك الاسكندر الى اخيه
يوناتان سلام.
19- لقد بلغنا عنك انك رجل شديد الجبروت و
خليق بان تكون لنا وليا.
20- فنحن نقيمك اليوم كاهنا اعظم
في امتك و تسمى ولي الملك و تهتم بما لنا و تبقى في مودتنا و ارسل اليه ارجوانا
و تاجا من ذهب.
21- فلبس يوناتان الحلة المقدسة
في الشهر السابع من السنة المئة و الستين في عيد المظال و جمع الجيوش و تجهز
باسلحة كثيرة.
22- و ذكر ذلك لديمتريوس فشق
عليه و قال.
23- كيف تركنا الاسكندر يسبقنا
الى مصافاة اليهود و التعزز بهم.
24- فاكتب انا ايضا اليهم بكلام
ملاطفة و تعظيم و اعدهم بعطايا ليكونوا من مناصري.
25- و كاتبهم بقوله من الملك
ديمتريوس الى امة اليهود سلام.
26- لقد بلغنا انكم محافظون على
عهودكم لنا ثابتون في مودتنا و لم تتقربوا الى اعدائنا فسرنا ذلك.
27- فاثبتوا في المحافظة على
وفائكم لنا فنحسن ثوابكم على ما تفعلون في حقنا.
28- و نحط عنكم كثيرا مما لنا عليكم و نصلكم
بالعطايا.
29- و الان فاني اعفيكم و احط عن جميع اليهود
كل جزية و مكس الملح و الاكاليل و ثلث الزرع.
30- و نصف اتاء الشجر الذي يحق
لي اخذه اعفيكم من هذه الاشياء من اليوم فصاعد في ارض يهوذا و في المدن الثلاث
الملحقة بها من ارض السامرة و الجليل من هذا اليوم على طول الزمان.
31- و لتكن اورشليم مقدسة و حرة
هي و تخومها و احط عنها العشور و الضرائب.
32- و اتخلى عن القلعة التي
باورشليم و اعطيها للكاهن الاعظم يقيم فيها من يختاره من الرجال لحراستها.
33- و جميع النفوس التي سبيت من
اليهود من ارض يهوذا في مملكتي باسرها اطلقها حرة بلا ثمن و ليكن الجميع معفين
من اتاوة المواشي.
34- و لتكن الاعياد كلها و
السبوت و رؤوس الشهور و الايام المخصصة و الايام الثلاثة التي قبل العيد و
الايام الثلاثة التي بعد العيد ايام ابراء و عفو لجميع اليهود الذين في مملكتي.
35- فلا يكون لاحد ان يرافع احدا منهم او يثقل
عليه في اي امر كان.
36- و ليكتتب من اليهود في جيوش
الملك الى ثلاثين الف رجل تعطى لهم وظائف كما يحق لسائر جنود الملك.
37- فيجعل منهم في حصون الملك العظيمة و يفوض
الى البعض منهم النظر في مهام المملكة التي تقتضي الامانة و رؤساؤهم و مدبروهم
يكونون من جملتهم و يسلكون بحسب سننهم كما امر الملك لارض يهوذا.
38- و اما المدن الثلاث الملحقة
باليهودية من بلاد السامرة فلتبق ملحقة باليهودية فتكون معها خاضعة لواحد و لا
تطيع سلطانا اخر الا سلطان الكاهن الاعظم.
39- و قد وهبت بطلمايس و ما
يتبعها للمقدس الذي باورشليم لاجل نفقة الاقداس.
40- و زدت عليها خمسة عشر الف مثقال فضة كل
سنة من دخل الملك من الاماكن التي تختص به.
41- و كل ما بقي مما لم يدفعه وكلاء المال عن
السنين السالفة يؤدونه من الان لاعمال البيت.
42- و ما عدا ذلك فخمسة الاف مثقال الفضة التي
كانت تؤخذ من دخل المقدس في كل سنة تترك رزقا للكهنة القائمين بالخدمة.
43- و اي من لاذ بالمقدس في
اورشليم في جميع حدوده و للملك عليه مال او اي حق كان فليعف و ليبق له كل ما ملك
في مملكتي.
44- و نفقة البناء و اعمال الترميم في المقادس
تعطى من حساب الملك.
45- و بناء اسوار اورشليم و
تحصينها على محيطها و بناء الاسوار في سائر اليهودية تعطى نفقته من حساب الملك.
46- فلما سمع يوناتان و الشعب
هذا الكلام لم يثقوا به و لا قبلوه لانهم تذكروا ما انزله ديمتريوس باسرائيل من
الشر العظيم و الضغط الشديد.
47- فاثروا الاسكندر لانه بداهم
بكلام السلام و بقوا على مناصرته كل الايام.
48- و جمع الاسكندر الملك جيوشا عظيمة نزل
تجاه ديمتريوس.
49- فانتشب القتال بين الملكين
فانهزم جيش ديمتريوس فتعقبه الاسكندر و هجم عليهم.
50- و اشتد القتال جدا الى ان غابت الشمس و
سقط ديمتريوس في ذلك اليوم.
51- ثم بعث الاسكندر رسلا الى
بطلماوس ملك مصر بهذا الكلام قائلا.
52- اذ قد رجعت الى ارض مملكتي و
جلست على عرش ابائي و استتب لي السلطان و كسرت ديمتريوس و استوليت على بلادنا.
53- اذ الحمت عليه القتال فانكسر
امامنا هو و جيشه و جلست على عرش ملكه.
54- فهلم الان نوال بعضنا بعضا و
هب لي ابنتك زوجة فاصاهرك و اهدي اليك هدايا تليق بك.
55- فاجاب بطلماوس الملك قائلا
ما اسعد اليوم الذي رجعت فيه الى ارض ابائك و جلست على عرش ملكهم.
56- و اني صانع ما كتبت الى به
فهلم الى بطلمايس فنتواجه و اصاهرك كما قلت.
57- و خرج بطلماوس من مصر هو و
كلوبطرة ابنته و دخلا بطلمايس في السنة المئة و الثانية و الستين.
58- فلاقاه الاسكندر الملك
فاعطاه كلوبطرة ابنته و اقام عرسها في بطلمايس على عادة الملوك باحتفال عظيم.
59- و كتب الاسكندر الملك الى
يوناتان ان يقدم لملاقاته.
60- فانطلق الى بطلمايس في موكب
مجيد و لقى الملكين و اهدى لهما و لاصحابهما فضة و ذهبا و هدايا كثيرة فنال حظوة
لديهما.
61- و اجتمع عليه رجال مفسدون من
اسرائيل رجال منافقون و وشوا به فلم يصغ الملك اليهم.
62- و امر الملك ان ينزعوا ثياب يوناتان و
يلبسوه ارجوانا ففعلوا و اجلسه الملك بجانبه.
63- و قال لعظمائه اخرجوا معه الى وسط المدينة
و نادوا ان لا يتعرض له احد في امر من الامور و لا يسوءه بشيء من المكروه.
64- فلما راى الذين وشوا به ما
هو فيه من المجد و كيف نودي له و البس الارجون هربوا جميعهم.
65- و اعزه الملك و جعله من
اصدقائه الخواص و اقامه قائدا و شريكا في الملك.
66- فعاد يوناتان الى اورشليم
سالما مسرورا.
67- و في السنة المئة و الخامسة و الستين جاء
ديمتريوس بن ديمتريوس الى ارض ابائه.
68- فسمع بذلك الاسكندر الملك
فاغتم جدا و رجع الى انطاكية.
69- و فوض ديمتريوس قيادة الجيش
الى ابلونيوس والى بقاع سورية فحشد جيشا عظيما و نزل بيمنيا و راسل يوناتان
الكاهن الاعظم قائلا.
70- انه ليس لنا من مقاوم الا
انت و بسببك قد اصبحت عرضة للسخرية و التعيير فعلام انت تناهضنا في الجبال.
71- فالان ان كنت واثقا بجيوشك
فانزل الينا في السهل فنتبارز هناك فان معي قوة الامصار.
72- سل و اعلم من انا و من الذين يؤازرونني
فانه يقال انكم لا تستطيعون الثبات امامنا لان ابائك قد انكسروا في ارضهم مرتين.
73- فلست تطيق الثبات امام
الفرسان و جيش في كثرة جيشي في سهل لا حجر فيه و لا حصاة و لا ملجا تهربون اليه.
74- فلما سمع يوناتان كلام
ابلونيوس اضطرب غيظا و اختار عشرة الاف رجل و خرج من اورشليم و لحق به سمعان
اخوه لمظاهرته.
75- و نزل تجاه يافا فاغلقوا في
وجهه ابواب المدينة لان حرس ابلونيوس كان فيها فحاصرها.
76- فخاف الذين في المدينة و فتحوا له فاستولى
يوناتان على يافا.
77- و سمع ابلونيوس فتقدم في
ثلاثة الاف فارس و جيش كثير.
78- و سار نحو اشدود كانه عابر
سبيل ثم عطف بغتة الى السهل اذ كان معه كثيرون من الفرسان الذين يعتمد عليهم
فتعقبه يوناتان الى اشدود و التحم القتال بين الفريقين.
79- و كان ابلونيوس قد خلف الف فارس وراءهم في
خفية.
80- الا ان يوناتان كان عالما ان وراءه كمينا
و لم يلبثوا ان احدقوا بجيشه يرمون الشعب بالسهام من الصبح الى المساء.
81- اما الشعب فبقي في مواقفه
كما امر يوناتان حتى اعيت خيل اولئك.
82- حينئذ برز سمعان بجيشه و
الحم القتال على الفرقة لان الخيل كانت قد وهنت فكسرهم فهربوا.
83- و تبددت الخيل في السهل و فروا الى اشدود
و دخلوا بيت داجون معبد صنمهم لينجوا بنفوسهم.
84- فاحرق يوناتان اشدود و المدن
التي حولها و سلب غنائمهم و احرق هيكل داجون و الذين انهزموا اليه بالنار.
85- و كان الذين قتلوا بالسيف مع
الذين احرقوا ثمانية الاف رجل.
86- ثم سار يوناتان من هناك و
نزل تجاه اشقلون فخرج اهل المدينة للقائه باجلال عظيم.
87- و رجع يوناتان بمن معه الى
اورشليم و معهم غنائم كثيرة.
88- و لمل سمع الاسكندر الملك
بهذه الحوادث زاد يوناتان مجدا.
89- و بعث اليه بعروة من ذهب كما
كان يعطى لانسباء الملوك و وهب له عقرون و تخومها ملكا
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