1 And the sovereign of Mitsrayim gathered together a great army, like the sand that lies upon the sea shore, and many ships, and through deceit attempted to gain the reign of Alexandras, and join it to his own.
2 So he departed to Spania in a peaceable manner, so that those of the cities opened to him, and met him; for Sovereign Alexandras had commanded them to do so, because he was his brother-in-law.
3 Now as Ptolemaeus entered into the cities, he positioned a garrison of soldiers in every one of them to guard it.
4 And when he came near to Ashdoḏ, they showed him the temple of Daḡon that was burned, and Ashdoḏ and the suburbs of there that were destroyed, and the bodies that were thrown about and those that he had burned in the battle; for they had made heaps of them by the way where he should pass.
5 They also told the sovereign all Yahonathan had done, to the intent he might blame him, but the sovereign held his peace.
6 Then Yahonathan met the sovereign with great ceremony at Yapho, where they greeted one another, and stayed.
7 Afterward, when Yahonathan had gone with the sovereign to the river called Eleutherus, he returned again to Yerushalayim.
8 Therefore Sovereign Ptolemaeus, having gained the reign of the cities by the sea to Seleukeia on the sea coast, devised wicked plans against Alexandras.
9 So he sent ambassadors to Sovereign Dĕmĕtrios, saying, “Come, let us make an alliance between us, and I will give you my daughter whom Alexandras has, and you shall reign in your father’s reign.
10 “For I regret that I gave my daughter to him, for he sought to slay me.”
11 So he slandered him, because he desired his reign.
12 Therefore he took his daughter from him, and gave her to Dĕmĕtrios, and forsook Alexandras, so that their hatred was openly known.
13 Then Ptolemaeus came to Antioḵeia, where he placed two crowns upon his head: the crown of Asia, and of Mitsrayim.
14 In the winter, Sovereign Alexandras was in Kilikia, because those that dwelt in those parts had revolted against him.
15 But when Alexandras heard of this, he came to fight against him; so Sovereign Ptolemaeus brought forth his army, and met him with a mighty strength, and put him to flight.
16 So Alexandras fled to Arabia to take defence there, but Sovereign Ptolemaeus was exalted.
17 For Zaḇdi’ĕl the Araḇian took off Alexandras’ head, and sent it to Ptolemaeus.
18 Sovereign Ptolemaeus also died after the third day, and those that were in the strongholds were slain, one after another.
19 Because of this, Dĕmĕtrios reigned in the hundred and sixty-seventh year.
20 At the same time Yahonathan gathered together those that were in Yahuḏah to take the tower that was in Yerushalayim, and he built many siege engines against it.
21 Then wicked men, who hated their own people, went to the sovereign, and told him that Yahonathan besieged the tower.
22 When he heard of this, he was wroth, and moving immediately, he came to Ptolemais and wrote to Yahonathan, that he should not lay siege to the tower, but come quickly and speak with him at Ptolemais.
23 Nevertheless, when Yahonathan heard this, he commanded to continue the siege, and he chose some of the elders of Yisra’ĕl and the kohenim, and put himself at risk,
24 and took silver and gold and garments, and also various presents, and went to Ptolemais to the sovereign, where he found favour in his sight.
25 And though some wicked men of the people had made complaints against him,
26 the sovereign still treated him as his predecessors had done before, and promoted him in the sight of all his friends,
27 and confirmed him in the high kehunnah, and in all the honours that he had before, and made him first among his chief friends.
28 Then Yahonathan requested from the sovereign, that he would make Yahuḏah free from tribute, as also the three governments, with the country of Shomeron; and he promised him three hundred talanton.
29 So the sovereign agreed, and wrote letters for Yahonathan of all these matters after this manner:
30 “Sovereign Dĕmĕtrios to his brother Yahonathan, and to the nation of the Yahuḏim, greetings.
31 “We send you here a copy of the letter which we wrote to our cousin Lasthĕnĕs concerning you, that you might see it.
32 ‘Sovereign Dĕmĕtrios to his father Lasthĕnĕss ends greeting.
33 ‘We are determined to do good to the people of the Yahuḏim, who are our friends, and guard covenants with us, because of their favour toward us.
34 ‘Therefore we have assigned to them the borders of Yahuḏah, with the three governments of Ephrayim and Loḏ and Ramathayim, that are added to Yahuḏah from the country of Shomeron, and all pertaining to them, for all those who offer in Yerushalayim, instead of the payments which the sovereign received from them yearly previously out of the fruits of the earth and of trees.
35 ‘And as for other matters that relate to us, of the tithes and customs pertaining to us, and also the salt-pits and the crown taxes which are due to us, we release them all for their aid.
36 ‘And none of this shall be revoked from this time on forever.
37 ‘Now therefore, see that you make a copy of these matters, and let it be delivered to Yahonathan, and put on the qodesh mountain in a conspicuous place.’ ”
38 After this, when Sovereign Dĕmĕtrios saw that the land was at peace before him, and that no resistance was made against him, he sent away all his armies, every one to his own place, except some bands of foreigners, whom he had gathered from the islands of the gentiles; therefore all the armies of his fathers hated him.
39 Now there was one Truphon, that had been of Alexandras’ group before, who, seeing that all the army grumbled against Dĕmĕtrios, went to Imalkuĕ the Araḇian that brought up Antioḵos the young son of Alexandras,
40 and pressured him to deliver him this young Antioḵos, that he might reign in his father’s place. So he told him of all that Dĕmĕtrios had done, and how his soldiers were at enmity with him, and he remained there a long time.
41 In the meantime, Yahonathan sent to Sovereign Dĕmĕtrios, that he would throw those of the tower out of Yerushalayim, and also those in the fortresses; for they fought against Yisra’ĕl.
42 So Dĕmĕtrios sent to Yahonathan saying, “I will not only do this for you and your people, but I will greatly honour you and your nation, if opportunity arises.
43 “Now therefore you shall do well if you send me men to help me; for all my forces are gone from me.”
44 Upon this Yahonathan sent him three thousand strong men to Antioḵeia; and when they came to the sovereign, the sovereign was very glad of their arrival.
45 However those that were from the city gathered themselves together into the midst of the city, numbering a hundred and twenty thousand men, and would have slain the sovereign.
46 So the sovereign fled into the court, but those of the city guarded the passages of the city, and began to fight.
47 Then the sovereign called to the Yahuḏim for help, who came to him all at once, and dispersing themselves throughout the city slew that day in the city to the number of a hundred thousand.
48 They also lit the city on fire, and gathered many spoils that day, and delivered the sovereign.
49 So when those of the city saw that the Yahuḏim had taken the city as they would, their courage decreased, therefore they made supplication to the sovereign, and cried, saying,
50 “Grant us peace, and let the Yahuḏim cease from assaulting us and the city!”
51 With that, they threw down their weapons, and made peace; and the Yahuḏim were honoured in the sight of the sovereign and in the sight of all that were in his reign; and they returned to Yerushalayim, having great spoils.
52 So Sovereign Dĕmĕtrios sat on the throne of his reign, and the land was at rest before him.
53 However, he deceived in all that he spoke, and estranged himself from Yahonathan, neither rewarded him according to the good which he had received from him, but troubled him deeply.
54 After this, Truphon returned, and the young child Antioḵos with him, who was crowned and reigned.
55 Then all the men of battle gathered to him, whom Dĕmĕtrios had put away, and they fought against Dĕmĕtrios, who turned his back and fled.
56 Then Truphon took the elephants, and won Antioḵeia.
57 At that time young Antioḵos wrote to Yahonathan, saying, “I confirm you in the high kehunnah and appoint you ruler over the four governments and to be one of the sovereign’s friends.”
58 Then he sent him golden vessels to be served in, allowed him to drink in gold, and to be clothed in purple, and to wear a golden buckle.
59 He also made Shim’on his brother captain of the place called ‘The ladder of Tsor’ to the borders of Mitsrayim.
60 Then Yahonathan went out, and passed through the cities beyond the waters, and all the forces of Suria gathered themselves to him to assist him. And when he came to Ashqelon, those of the city met him honourably.
61 From there he went to Azzah, but those of Azzah shut him out, so he laid siege to it, and burned the open lands with fire, and plundered them.
62 Afterward, when those of Azzah made supplication to Yahonathan, he made peace with them, and took the sons of their chief men for hostages, and sent them to Yerushalayim, and passed through the country to Dammeseq.
63 Now when Yahonathan heard that the princes of Dĕmĕtrios had come to Qaḏĕsh, which is in Galil, with a great force, with the purpose of removing him out of the land,
64 he went to meet them, and left Shim’on his brother in the land.
65 Then Shim’on encamped against Bĕyth Tsur and fought against it a long time, and shut it up.
66 But they desired for peace with him, which he granted them, and then put them out from there, and took the city, and positioned a garrison in it.
67 As for Yahonathan and his army, they encamped at the lake of Gennĕsar, and early in the morning they went from there to the plain of Ḥatsor.
68 And see, the army of foreigners met them in the plain, who, having laid men in ambush for him in the mountains, they came opposite him.
69 So when those that lay in ambush rose out of their places and joined battle, all that were of Yahonathan’s side fled;
70 so that there was not one of them left, except Mattithyahu the son of Aḇshalom, and Yahuḏah the son of Ḥalphi, the captains of the army.
71 Then Yahonathan tore his garments, and threw dust upon his head, and prayed.
72 After turning again to battle, he put them to flight, and so they ran away.
73 Now when his own men that had fled saw this, they turned again toward him, and with him, pursued them to Qaḏĕsh, even to their own tents, and there they encamped.
74 So there were slain that day about three thousand men of the gentiles, but Yahonathan returned to Yerushalayim.