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1 In the year one hundred and seventy-two,
king Demetrius assembled has army, and went into Media to get him succours to fight against Tryphon.
2 And Arsaces the king
of Persia and Media heard that Demetrius was entered within his borders, and
he sent one of his princes to take him alive, and bring him to him.
3 And he went and defeated the army of
Demetrius: and took him, and brought him to Arsaces,
and he put him into custody.
4 And all the land of Juda
was at rest all the days of Simon, and he sought the good of his nation: and
his power, and his glory pleased them well all his days.
5 And with all his glory he took Joppe for a haven, and made an entrance to the isles of
the sea.
6 And he enlarged the bounds of his nation,
and made himself master of the country.
7 And he gathered together a great number of
captives, and had the dominion of Gazara, and of Bethsura, and of the castle: and took away all
uncleanness out of it and there was none that resisted him.
8 And every man tilled his land with peace:
and the land of Juda yielded her increase, and the
trees of the fields their fruit.
9 The ancient men sat all in the streets, and
treated together of the good things of the land, and the young men put on
them glory, and the robes of war.
10 And he provided victuals for the cities,
and he appointed that they should be furnished with ammunition, so that the
fame of his glory was renowned even to the end of the earth.
11 He made peace in the land, and Israel
rejoiced with great joy.
12 And every man sat under his vine, and under
his fig tree: and there was none to make them afraid.
13 There was none left in the land to fight
against them: kings were discomfited in those days.
14 And he strengthened all those of his people
that were brought low, and he sought the law, and took away every unjust and
wicked man.
15 He glorified the sanctuary, and multiplied
the vessels of the holy places.
16 And it was heard at Rome, and as far as
Sparta, that Jonathan was dead: and they were very sorry.
17 But when they heard that Simon his
brother was made high priest in his place, and was possessed of all the
country, and the cities therein:
18 They wrote to him in tables of brass, to
renew the friendship and alliance which they had made with Judas, and with
Jonathan his brethren.
19 And they were read before the assembly in
Jerusalem. And this is the copy of the letters that the Spartans sent.
20 The princes and the cities of the Spartans
to Simon the high priest, and to the ancients, and the priests, and the rest
of the people of the Jews their brethren, greeting.
21 The ambassadors that were sent to our
people, have told us of your glory, and honour, and
joy: and we rejoice at their coming.
22 And we registered what was said by them in
the councils of the people in this manner: Numenius
the son of Antiochus, and Antipater the son of Jason, ambassadors of the
Jews, came to us to renew the former friendship with us.
23 And it pleased the people to receive the
men honourably, and to put a copy of their words in
the public records, to be a memorial to the people of the Spartans. And we
have written a copy of them to Simon the high priest.
24 And after this Simon sent Numenius to Rome, with a great shield of gold the weight
of a thousand pounds, to confirm the league with them. And when the people of
Rome had heard
25 These words, they said: What thanks shall we
give to Simon, and his sons?
26 For he hath
restored his brethren, and hath driven away in fight the enemies of Israel
from them: and they decreed him liberty, and registered it in tables of
brass, and set it upon pillars in mount Sion.
27 And this is a copy of the writing: The
eighteenth day of the month Elul, in the year one hundred and seventy-two,
being the third year under Simon the high priest at Asaramel,
28 In a great assembly of the priests, and
of the people, and the princes of the nation, and the ancients of the
country, these things were notified: Forasmuch as there have often been wars
in our country,
29 And Simon the son of Mathathias
of the children of Jarib, and his brethren have put
themselves in danger, and have resisted the enemies of their nation, for the
maintenance of their holy places, and the law: and have raised their nation
to great glory.
30 And Jonathan gathered together his nation,
and was made their high priest, and he was laid to his people.
31 And their enemies desired to tread down and
destroy their country, and to stretch forth their hands against their holy
places.
32 Then Simon resisted and fought for his
nation, and laid out much of his money, and armed the valiant men of his
nation, and gave them wages:
33 And he fortified the cities of Judea,
and Bethsura that lieth
in the borders of Judea, where the armour of the
enemies was before: and he placed there a garrison of Jews.
34 And he fortified Joppe
which lieth by the sea: and Gazara,
which bordereth upon Azotus,
wherein the enemies dwelt before, and he placed Jews here: and furnished them
with all things convenient for their reparation.
35 And the people seeing the acts of Simon,
and to what glory he meant to bring his nation, made him their prince, and
high priest, because he had done all these things, and for the justice, and
faith, which he kept to his nation, and for that he sought by all means to
advance his people.
36 And in his days things prospered in his
hands, so that the heathens were taken away out of their country, and they
also that were in the city of David in Jerusalem in the castle, out of which
they issued forth, and profaned all places round about the sanctuary, and did
much evil to its purity.
37 And he placed therein Jews for the defence of the country, and of the city, and he raised up
the walls of Jerusalem.
38 And king Demetrius confirmed him in the
high priesthood.
39 According to these things he made him his friend,
and glorified him with great glory.
40 For he had heard that the Romans had
called the Jews their friends, and confederates, and brethren, and that they
had received Simon's ambassadors with honour:
41 And that the Jews, and their priests,
had consented that he should be their prince, and high priest for ever, till there should arise a faithful prophet:
42 And that he should be chief over them,
and that he should have the charge of the sanctuary, and that he should
appoint rulers over their works, and over the country, and over the armour, and over the strong holds.
43 And that he should have care of the holy
places: and that he should be obeyed by all, and that all the writings in the
country should be made in his name: and that he should be clothed with
purple, and gold:
44 And that it should not be lawful for any
of the people, or of the priests, to disannul any of these things, or to
gainsay his words, or to call together an assembly in the country without
him: or to be clothed with purple, or to wear a buckle of gold:
45 And whosoever shall do otherwise, or
shall make void any of these things shall be punished.
46 And it pleased all the people to establish
Simon, and to do according to these words.
47 And Simon accepted thereof, and was well
pleased to execute the office of the high priesthood, and to be captain, and
prince of the nation of the Jews, and of the priests, and to be chief over
all.
48 And they commanded that this writing should
be put in tables of brass, and that they should be set up within the compass
of the sanctuary, in a conspicuous place:
49 And that a copy thereof should be put in
the treasury, that Simon and his sons may have it.
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1- و في السنة المئة و الثانية و
السبعين جمع ديمتريوس الملك جيوشه و سار الى ماداي يستمد نجدة لمحاربة تريفون.
2- و بلغ ارساكيس ملك فارس و
ماداي ان ديمتريوس قد دخل تخومه فارسل بعض رؤسائه ليقبض عليه حيا.
3- فذهب و ضرب جيش ديمتريوس و
قبض عليه و اتى به ارساكيس فجعله في السجن.
4- فهدات ارض يهوذا كل ايام سمعان و جعل همه مصلحة امته فكانوا مبتهجين
بسلطانه و مجده كل الايام.
5- و فضلا عن ذلك المجد كله جعل
يافا مرسى و فتح مجازا لجزائر البحر.
6- و وسع تخوم امته و استحوذ على
البلاد.
7- و جمع اسرى كثيرين و امتلك
جازر و بيت صور و القلعة و اخرج منها النجاسات و لم يكن من يقاومه.
8- و كانوا يفلحون ارضهم بسلام و
الارض تعطي اتاءها و اشجار الحقول اثمارها.
9- و كان الشيوخ يجلسون في
الساحات يتفاوضون جميعا في مصالح الامة و الشبان متسربلين بالبهاء و عليهم حلل
الحرب.
10- و كان سمعان يمير المدن
بالطعام و يهيئ فيها اسباب التحصين حتى صار ذكر مجده الى اقاصي الارض.
11- و قرر السلم في ارضه فلبث اسرائيل في فرح
عظيم.
12- و جلس كل واحد تحت كرمته و تينته و لم يكن
من يذعرهم.
13- و لم يبق في الارض من
يحاربهم و قد انكسرت الملوك في تلك الايام.
14- و قوى كل من كان ضعيفا في
شعبه و غار على الشريعة و استاصل كل اثيم و شرير.
15- و عظم الاقداس و اكثر من
الانية المقدسة.
16- و بلغ خبر وفاة يوناتان الى
رومية و اسبرطة فاسفوا اسفا شديدا.
17- و اذ بلغهم ان سمعان اخاه قد
تقلد الكهنوت الاعظم مكانه و صارت البلاد و ما بها من المدن تحت سلطانه.
18- كتبوا اليه على الواح من نحاس يجددون معه
ما كانوا قد قرروه مع يهوذا و يوناتان اخويه من الموالاة و المناصرة.
19- فقرئت الالواح بمشهد الجماعة
في اورشليم و هذه صورة الكتب التي انفذها الاسبرطيون.
20- من رؤساء الاسبرطيين و من
المدينة الى سمعان الكاهن الاعظم و الى الشيوخ و الكهنة و سائر شعب اليهود
اخوتنا سلام.
21- لقد اخبرنا الرسل الذين
انفذتموهم الى شعبنا بما انتم فيه من العزة و الكرامة فسررنا بوفدهم.
22- و دونا ما قالوه في دواوين الشعب هكذا قد
قدم علينا نومانيوس بن انطيوكس و انتيباتير ابن ياسون رسولا اليهود ليجددا ما
بيننا من الموالاة.
23- فحسن لدى الشعب ان يلتقي الرجلين باكرام و
يثبت صورة كلامهما في سجلات الشعب المخصصة لتكون تذكارا عند شعب الاسبرطيين و قد
كتبنا بنسختها الى سمعان الكاهن الاعظم.
24- و بعد ذلك ارسل سمعان
نومانيوس الى رومية و معه ترس عظيم من الذهب وزنه الف منا ليقرر المناصرة بينه و
بينهم.
25- فلما سمع الشعب ذلك الكلام
قالوا بماذا نكافئ سمعان و بنيه.
26- على ثباته هو و اخوته و بيت
ابيه و دفعه عن اسرائيل اعداءه و تمتيعه له بالحرية و كتب في الواح من نحاس
جعلوها على انصاب في جبل صهيون.
27- ما صورته في اليوم العاشر من
شهر ايلول في السنة المئة و الثانية و السبعين و هي السنة الثالثة لسمعان الكاهن
الاعظم في سرمال.
28- في مجمع عظيم من الكهنة و
الشعب و رؤساء الامة و شيوخ البلاد ثبت عندنا ان قد وقعت حروب كثيرة في البلاد.
29- و ان سمعان بن متتيا من بني
ياريب و اخوته قد القوا بانفسهم في المخاطر و ناهضوا اعداء امتهم صيانة لاقداسهم
و الشريعة و اولوا امتهم مجدا كبيرا.
30- و ان يوناتان جمع شمل امته و
تقلد فيهم الكهنوت الاعظم ثم انضم الى قومه.
31- فهم اعداؤهم بالغارة على ارضهم ليدمروا
بلادهم و يلقوا ايديهم على اقداسهم.
32- حينئذ نهض سمعان و قاتل عن
امته و انفق كثيرا من امواله و سلح رجال الباس من امته و اجرى عليهم الارزاق.
33- و حصن مدن اليهودية و بيت
صور التي عند حدود اليهودية حيث كانت اسلحة الاعداء من قبل و جعل هناك حرسا من
رجال اليهود.
34- و حصن يافا التي على البحر و
جازر التي عند حدود اشدود حيث كان الاعداء مقيمين من قبل و اسكن هناك يهودا و
جعل فيهما كل ما ياول الى اعزاز شانهما.
35- فلما راى الشعب ما فعل سمعان و المجد الذي
شرع في انشائه لامته اقاموه قائدا لهم و كاهنا اعظم لما صنعه من ذلك كله و لاجل
عدله و الوفاء الذي حفظه لامته و التماسه اعزاز شعبه بجميع الوجوه.
36- و في ايامه تم النجح على يديه باجلاء
الامم عن البلاد و طرد الذين في مدينة داود باورشليم و كانوا قد بنوا لانفسهم
قلعة يخرجون منها و ينجسون ما حول الاقداس و يفسدون الطهارة افسادا عظيما.
37- و اسكن فيها رجالا من اليهود و حصنها
لصيانة البلاد و المدينة و رفع اسوار اورشليم.
38- و اقره الملك ديمتريوس في
الكهنوت الاعظم.
39- و جعله من اصدقائه و عظمه جدا.
40- اذ بلغه ان الرومانيين يسمون
اليهود اولياء لهم و مناصرين و اخوة و قد تلقوا رسل سمعان باكرام.
41- و ان اليهود و كهنتهم قد حسن
لديهم ان يكون سمعان رئيسا و كاهنا اعظم مدى الدهر الى ان يقوم نبي امين.
42- و يكون قائدا لهم و يهتم
بالاقداس و يقيم منهم اناسا على الاعمال و البلاد و الاسلحة و الحصون.
43- و يتولى امر الاقداس و ان يطيعه الجميع و
تكتب باسمه جميع الصكوك في البلاد و يلبس الارجوان و الذهب.
44- و لا يحل لاحد من الشعب و الكهنة ان ينقض شيئا
من ذلك او يخالف شيئا مما يامر به او يجمع مجمعا بدونه في البلاد او يلبس
الارجوان و عروة الذهب.
45- و من فعل خلاف ذلك و نقض شيئا منه فهو
مجرم.
46- و قد رضي الشعب كله بان يقلد سمعان جميع
ما ذكر.
47- و قبل سمعان و رضي ان يكون
كاهنا اعظم و قائدا و رئيسا لامة اليهود و للكهنة و حاكما على الجميع.
48- و رسموا بان تدون هذه
الكتابة في الواح من نحاس توضع في رواق الاقداس في موضع مشهود.
49- و توضع صورها في الخزانة حتى
تبقى لسمعان و بنيه
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