1 Maccabees 11 — Greek text and reception

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The king of Egypt gathered many forces, like the sand beside the seashore, and many ships. He sought to gain control of Alexander's kingdom by deceit and add it to his own kingdom.

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He went out to Syria with peaceful words. The people of the cities opened to him and met him, because King Alexander had commanded them to meet him, since he was his father-in-law.

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As Ptolemy entered the cities, he stationed forces as a garrison in each city.

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When they approached Azotus, they showed him the burned temple of Dagon, Azotus and its surrounding towns demolished, the bodies thrown out, and those whom Jonathan had burned in the war. They had piled them in heaps along his route.

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They recounted to the king what Jonathan had done, to bring blame upon him. But the king remained silent.

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Jonathan met the king at Joppa with honor. They greeted one another and lodged there.

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Jonathan accompanied the king as far as the river called Eleutherus, then returned to Jerusalem.

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King Ptolemy gained control of the coastal cities as far as Seleucia by the sea, and devised evil plans concerning Alexander.

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He sent envoys to King Demetrius, saying, “Come, let us make a covenant with one another, and I will give you my daughter whom Alexander had, and you shall reign over your father's kingdom.

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For I regret giving him my daughter, because he sought to kill me.”

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He accused him because he desired his kingdom.

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He took his daughter away from him, gave her to Demetrius, and became estranged from Alexander; their hostility became evident.

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Ptolemy entered Antioch and put on the diadem of Asia. He placed two diadems on his head, that of Egypt and that of Asia.

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King Alexander was in Cilicia at that time, because the people of those places were in revolt.

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Alexander heard and came against him in battle. Ptolemy led out his forces, met him with a strong force, and routed him.

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Alexander fled into Arabia to find shelter there, and King Ptolemy was exalted.

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Zabdiel the Arab cut off Alexander's head and sent it to Ptolemy.

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King Ptolemy died on the third day, and his men in the strongholds were destroyed by those in the strongholds.

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Demetrius became king in the one hundred and sixty-seventh year.

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In those days Jonathan gathered the men of Judea to make war on the citadel in Jerusalem, and he made many siege engines against it.

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Some lawless men who hated their own nation went to the king and reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the citadel.

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When he heard, he became angry. Immediately on hearing it he set out and came to Ptolemais. He wrote to Jonathan to stop the siege and to come as quickly as possible to confer with him at Ptolemais.

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When Jonathan heard, he ordered the siege to continue, selected some elders of Israel and priests, and exposed himself to danger.

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He took silver, gold, clothing, and many other gifts, went to the king at Ptolemais, and found favor before him.

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Some lawless men from the nation were petitioning against him.

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The king treated him as those before him had done and exalted him before all his Friends.

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He confirmed him in the high priesthood and all the other honors he had held before, and made him rank among the First Friends.

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Jonathan asked the king to make Judea, the three districts, and Samaria free from tribute, and promised him three hundred talents.

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The king consented and wrote letters to Jonathan concerning all these things in the following form:

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“King Demetrius to Jonathan his brother and to the nation of the Jews, greetings.

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We have also written to you a copy of the letter we wrote about you to Lasthenes our Kinsman, so that you may know it.

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‘King Demetrius to Lasthenes his father, greetings.

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We have judged it good to benefit the nation of the Jews, our friends who keep their obligations toward us, because of their goodwill toward us.

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We have confirmed to them the territory of Judea and the three districts of Aphairema, Lydda, and Rathamin, added to Judea from Samaria, with everything belonging to them, for all who sacrifice in Jerusalem, in place of the royal dues that the king formerly received from them each year from the produce of the land and the fruit trees.

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The other things belonging to us from now on—the tithes and dues belonging to us, the salt lakes, and the crown payments belonging to us—we grant all these to them.

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Not one of these provisions shall be annulled from now and for all time.

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Now, therefore, take care to make a copy of these things. Let it be given to Jonathan and placed on the holy mountain in a conspicuous place.’”

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King Demetrius saw that the land was quiet before him and that nothing resisted him. He dismissed all his forces, each to his own place, except the foreign forces he had recruited from the islands of the nations. All the forces inherited from his fathers became hostile to him.

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Tryphon had formerly been one of Alexander's men. He saw that all the forces were grumbling against Demetrius and went to Imalcue the Arab, who was bringing up Alexander's young son Antiochus.

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He stayed with him, urging him to hand the boy over so that he might reign in his father's place. He reported everything Demetrius had done and the hostility his forces felt toward him, and remained there many days.

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Jonathan sent to King Demetrius, asking him to remove the men of the citadel from Jerusalem and those in the strongholds, because they were fighting Israel.

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Demetrius sent to Jonathan, saying, “I will do not only these things for you and your nation, but I will greatly honor you and your nation if I find an opportunity.

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Now, therefore, you will do well to send me men who will fight alongside me, because all my forces have revolted.”

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Jonathan sent three thousand men mighty in strength to him at Antioch. They came to the king, and the king rejoiced at their arrival.

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The people of the city gathered in its midst, about a hundred and twenty thousand men, intending to kill the king.

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The king fled into the palace. The people of the city seized its passageways and began fighting.

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The king called the Jews to help. They all gathered to him together, spread through the city, and killed about a hundred thousand that day.

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They burned the city, took many spoils that day, and saved the king.

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The people of the city saw that the Jews controlled the city as they wished. They lost courage and cried to the king with a plea, saying,

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“Give us your right hand, and let the Jews stop fighting us and the city.”

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They threw down their weapons and made peace. The Jews were honored before the king and before everyone in his kingdom, and returned to Jerusalem with many spoils.

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King Demetrius sat upon the throne of his kingdom, and the land was quiet before him.

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He proved false in everything he had said, became estranged from Jonathan, did not repay the goodwill shown to him, and oppressed him greatly.

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After this Tryphon returned, and with him Antiochus, a young boy. Antiochus became king and put on a diadem.

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All the forces Demetrius had dismissed gathered to him. They fought Demetrius, and he fled and was routed.

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Tryphon took the elephants and gained control of Antioch.

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The young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan, saying, “I confirm you in the high priesthood, appoint you over the four districts, and make you one of the king's Friends.”

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He sent him gold vessels and a table service, and granted him authority to drink from gold vessels, wear purple, and have a golden clasp.

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He appointed Simon his brother general from the Ladder of Tyre to the borders of Egypt.

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Jonathan went out and traveled through Beyond the River and its cities. All the Syrian forces gathered to him as allies. He came to Ascalon, and the people of the city met him with honor.

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He went from there to Gaza, but the people of Gaza shut him out. He besieged it, burned its surrounding towns with fire, and plundered them.

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The people of Gaza appealed to Jonathan. He gave them his right hand, took their rulers' sons as hostages, and sent them to Jerusalem. He passed through the country as far as Damascus.

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Jonathan heard that Demetrius's commanders had arrived at Kedesh in Galilee with a large force, intending to remove him from his office.

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He went to meet them, leaving Simon his brother in the country.

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Simon encamped against Beth-zur, attacked it for many days, and blockaded it.

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They asked him to receive a pledge of peace, and he gave it to them. He expelled them from there, seized the city, and placed a garrison over it.

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Jonathan and his army encamped by the water of Gennesar. Early in the morning they went to the plain of Hazor.

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The army of foreigners met him in the plain, having sent out an ambush against him in the mountains, while they themselves met him from the front.

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The men in ambush rose from their positions and joined battle.

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All Jonathan's men fled. Not one remained except Mattathias son of Absalom and Judas son of Chalphi, commanders of the army's forces.

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Jonathan tore his garments, put earth on his head, and prayed.

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He turned back against them in battle and routed them, and they fled.

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Those who had fled from him saw it and returned to him. They pursued with him as far as Kedesh, to their camp, and encamped there.

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About three thousand men of the foreigners fell that day. Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.