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1 Then John came up from Gazara,
and told Simon his father what Cendebeus had done
against their people.
2 And Simon called his two eldest sons, Judas
and John, and said to them: I and my brethren, and my father's house, have
fought against the enemies of Israel from our youth even to this day: and
things have prospered so well in our hands that we have delivered Israel
oftentimes.
3 And now I am old, but be you instead of me,
and my brethren, and go out, and fight for our nation: and the help from
heaven be with you.
4 Then he chose out of the country twenty
thousand fighting men, and horsemen, and they went forth against Cendebeus: and they rested in Modin.
5 And they arose in the morning, and went
into the plain: and behold a very great army of footmen and horsemen came
against them, and there was a running river between them.
6 And he and his people pitched their camp
over against them, and he saw that the people were afraid to go over the
river, so he went over first: then the men seeing him, passed over after him.
7 And he divided the people, and set the
horsemen in the midst of the footmen: but the horsemen of the enemies were
very numerous.
8 And they sounded the holy trumpets: and Cendebeus and his army were put to flight: and there fell
many of them wounded, and the rest fled into the strong hold.
9 At that time Judas John's brother was
wounded: but John pursued after them, till he came to Cedron,
which he had built:
10 And they fled even to the towers that
were in the fields of Azotus, and he burnt them
with fire. And there fell of them two thousand men, and he returned into
Judea in peace.
11 Now Ptolemee the
son of Abobus was appointed captain in the plain of
Jericho, and he had abundance of silver and gold,
12 For he was son in law of the high
priest.
13 And his heart was lifted up, and he
designed to make himself master of the country, and he purposed treachery
against Simon, and his sons, to destroy them.
14 Now Simon, as he was going through the
cities that were in the country of Judea, and taking care for the good
ordering of them, went down to Jericho, he and Mathathias
and Judas his sons, in the year one hundred and seventy-seven, the eleventh
month: the same is the month Sabath.
15 And the son of Abobus
received them deceitfully into a little fortress, that is called Doch which he had built: and he made them a great feast,
and hid men there.
16 And when Simon and his sons had drunk
plentifully, Ptolemee and his men rose up and took
their weapons, and entered into the banqueting place, and slew him, and his
two sons, and some of his servants.
17 And he committed a great treachery in
Israel, and rendered evil for good.
18 And Ptolemee
wrote these things and sent to the king that he should send him an army to
aid him, and he would deliver him the country, and their cities, and
tributes.
19 And he sent others to Gazara
to kill John: and to the tribunes he sent letters to come to him, and that he
would give them silver, and gold, and gifts.
20 And he sent others to take Jerusalem, and
the mountain of the temple.
21 Now one running before, told John in Gazara, that his father and his brethren were slain, and
that he hath sent men to kill thee also.
22 But when he heard it he was exceedingly
afraid: and he apprehended the men that came to kill him, and he put them to
death: for he knew that they sought to make him away.
23 And as concerning the rest of the acts of
John, and his wars, and the worthy deeds, which he bravely achieved, and the
building of the walls, which he made, and the things that he did:
24 Behold these are written in the book of
the days of his priesthood, from the time he was made high priest after his
father.
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1- فصعد يوحنا من جازر و اخبر
سمعان اباه بما صنع كندباوس.
2- فدعا سمعان ابنيه الاكبرين يهوذا و يوحنا و
قال لهما انا لم نزل انا و اخوتي و بيت ابي نحارب حروب اسرائيل منذ صغرنا الى
هذا اليوم و قد انجح على ايدينا خلاص اسرائيل مرارا كثيرة.
3- و الان فاني قد شخت و انتما برحمة الله قد
بلغتما اشدكما فقوما مقامي و مقام اخي و اخرجا و قاتلا عن امتكما و ليؤازركما
النصر من السماء.
4- و انتخب من البلاد عشرين الفا
من رجال الحرب و الفرسان فزحفوا على كندباوس و باتوا بمودين.
5- ثم قاموا في الغد و انطلقوا الى السهل فاذا
تلقائهم جيش عظيم من الرجالة و الفرسان و كان بين الفريقين واد.
6- فنزل يوحنا بازائهم هو و شعبه و اذ راى
الشعب خائفا من عبور الوادي عبر هو اولا فلما راه الرجال عبروه وراءه.
7- ففرق الشعب و جعل الفرسان في وسط الرجالة و
كانت فرسان العدو كثيرة جدا.
8- ثم نفخوا في الابواق المقدسة فانكسر
كندباوس و جيشه و سقط منهم قتلى كثيرين و فر الباقون الى الحصن.
9- حينئذ جرح يهوذا اخو يوحنا و تعقبهم يوحنا
حتى بلغ كندباوس الى قدرون التي بناها.
10- ففروا الى البروج التي بارض اشدود فاحرقها
بالنار فسقط منهم الفا رجل ثم رجع الى ارض يهوذا بسلام.
11- و كان بطلماوس بن ابوبس قد
اقيم قائدا في بقعة اريحا و كان عنده من الفضة و الذهب شيء كثير.
12- و كان صهر الكاهن الاعظم.
13- فتشامخ في قلبه و طلب ان
يستولي على البلاد و قد نوى الغدر بسمعان و بنيه حتى يهلكهم.
14- و كان سمعان يجول في مدن البلاد ينظر في
مهماتها فنزل الى اريحا هو و متتيا و يهوذا ابناه في السنة المئة و السابعة و
السبعين في شهر شباط.
15- فانزلهم ابن ابوبس بحصين كان قد بناه يقال
له دوق و هو يضمر لهم الغدر و صنع لهم مادبة عظيمة و اخفى هناك رجالا.
16- فلما سكر سمعان و بنوه قام بطلماوس و من
معه و اخذوا سلاحهم و وثبوا على سمعان في المادبة و قتلوه هو و ابنيه و بعضا من
غلمانه.
17- و خان خيانة فظيعة و كافا الخير بالشر.
18- ثم كتب بطلماوس بذلك و ارسل الى الملك ان
يوجه اليه جيشا لنصرته فيسلم اليه البلاد و المدن.
19- و وجه قوما الى جازر لاهلاك يوحنا و انفذ
كتبا الى رؤساء الالوف ان ياتوه حتى يعطيهم فضة و ذهبا و هدايا.
20- و ارسل اخرين ليستولوا على اورشليم و جبل
الهيكل.
21- فسبق واحد و اخبر يوحنا في جازر بهلاك
ابيه و اخويه و ان بطلماوس قد بعث من يقتله.
22- فلما سمع ذلك بهت جدا و
قبض على الرجال الذين اتوا ليقتلوه و قتلهم لعلمه انهم يريدون اهلاكه.
23- و بقية اخبار يوحنا و حروبه و ما ابداه من
الحماسة و بناؤه الاسوار التي بناها و اعماله.
24- مكتوبة في كتاب ايام كهنوته الاعظم منذ
تقلد الكهنوت الاعظم بعد ابيه
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