1 Now in the hundred threescore and twelfth year king Demetrius gathered his forces together, and went into Media to get him help to fight against Tryphone.
2 But when Arsaces, the king of Persia and Media, heard that Demetrius was entered within his borders, he sent one of his princes to take him alive:
3 Who went and smote the host of Demetrius, and took him, and brought him to Arsaces, by whom he was put in ward.
4 As for the land of Judea, that was quiet all the days of Simon; for he sought the good of his nation in such wise, as that evermore his authority and honour pleased them well.
5 And as he was honourable in all his acts, so in this, that he took Joppa for an haven, and made an entrance to the isles of the sea,
6 And enlarged the bounds of his nation, and recovered the country,
7 And gathered together a great number of captives, and had the dominion of Gazera, and Bethsura, and the tower, out of the which he took all uncleaness, neither was there any that resisted him.
8 Then did they till their ground in peace, and the earth gave her increase, and the trees of the field their fruit.
9 The ancient men sat all in the streets, communing together of good things, and the young men put on glorious and warlike apparel.
10 He provided victuals for the cities, and set in them all manner of munition, so that his honourable name was renowned unto the end of the world.
11 He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy:
12 For every man sat under his vine and his fig tree, and there was none to fray them:
13 Neither was there any left in the land to fight against them: yea, the kings themselves were overthrown in those days.
14 Moreover he strengthened all those of his people that were brought low: the law he searched out; and every contemner of the law and wicked person he took away.
15 He beautified the sanctuary, and multiplied vessels of the temple.
16 Now when it was heard at Rome, and as far as Sparta, that Jonathan was dead, they were very sorry.
17 But as soon as they heard that his brother Simon was made high priest in his stead, and ruled the country, and the cities therein:
18 They wrote unto him in tables of brass, to renew the friendship and league which they had made with Judas and Jonathan his brethren:
19 Which writings were read before the congregation at Jerusalem.
20 And this is the copy of the letters that the Lacedemonians sent; The rulers of the Lacedemonians, with the city, unto Simon the high priest, and the elders, and priests, and residue of the people of the Jews, our brethren, send greeting:
21 The ambassadors that were sent unto our people certified us of your glory and honour: wherefore we were glad of their coming,
22 And did register the things that they spake in the council of the people in this manner; Numenius son of Antiochus, and Antipater son of Jason, the Jews’ ambassadors, came unto us to renew the friendship they had with us.
23 And it pleased the people to entertain the men honourably, and to put the copy of their ambassage in publick records, to the end the people of the Lacedemonians might have a memorial thereof: furthermore we have written a copy thereof unto Simon the high priest.
24 After this Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a great shield of gold of a thousand pound weight to confirm the league with them.
25 Whereof when the people heard, they said, What thanks shall we give to Simon and his sons?
26 For he and his brethren and the house of his father have established Israel, and chased away in fight their enemies from them, and confirmed their liberty.
27 So then they wrote it in tables of brass, which they set upon pillars in mount Sion: and this is the copy of the writing; The eighteenth day of the month Elul, in the hundred threescore and twelfth year, being the third year of Simon the high priest,
28 At Saramel in the great congregation of the priests, and people, and rulers of the nation, and elders of the country, were these things notified unto us.
29 Forasmuch as oftentimes there have been wars in the country, wherein for the maintenance of their sanctuary, and the law, Simon the son of Mattathias, of the posterity of Jarib, together with his brethren, put themselves in jeopardy, and resisting the enemies of their nation did their nation great honour:
30 (For after that Jonathan, having gathered his nation together, and been their high priest, was added to his people,
31 Their enemies prepared to invade their country, that they might destroy it, and lay hands on the sanctuary:
32 At which time Simon rose up, and fought for his nation, and spent much of his own substance, and armed the valiant men of his nation and gave them wages,
33 And fortified the cities of Judea, together with Bethsura, that lieth upon the borders of Judea, where the armour of the enemies had been before; but he set a garrison of Jews there:
34 Moreover he fortified Joppa, which lieth upon the sea, and Gazera, that bordereth upon Azotus, where the enemies had dwelt before: but he placed Jews there, and furnished them with all things convenient for the reparation thereof.)
35 The people therefore sang the acts of Simon, and unto what glory he thought to bring his nation, made him their governor and chief 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 exalt his people.
36 For in his time things prospered in his hands, so that the heathen were taken out of their country, and they also that were in the city of David in Jerusalem, who had made themselves a tower, out of which they issued, and polluted all about the sanctuary, and did much hurt in the holy place:
37 But he placed Jews therein. and fortified it for the safety of the country and the city, and raised up the walls of Jerusalem.
38 King Demetrius also confirmed him in the high priesthood according to those things,
39 And made him one of his friends, and honoured him with great honour.
40 For he had heard say, that the Romans had called the Jews their friends and confederates and brethren; and that they had entertained the ambassadors of Simon honourably;
41 Also that the Jews and priests were well pleased that Simon should be their governor and high priest for ever, until there should arise a faithful prophet;
42 Moreover that he should be their captain, and should take charge of the sanctuary, to set them over their works, and over the country, and over the armour, and over the fortresses, that, I say, he should take charge of the sanctuary;
43 Beside this, that he should be obeyed of every man, and that all the writings in the country should be made in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple, and wear gold:
44 Also that it should be lawful for none of the people or priests to break any of these things, or to gainsay his words, or to gather an assembly in the country without him, or to be clothed in purple, or wear a buckle of gold;
45 And whosoever should do otherwise, or break any of these things, he should be punished.
46 Thus it liked all the people to deal with Simon, and to do as hath been said.
47 Then Simon accepted hereof, and was well pleased to be high priest, and captain and governor of the Jews and priests, and to defend them all.
48 So 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 Also that the copies thereof should be laid up in the treasury, to the end that Simon and his sons might have them.
1 anno centesimo septuagesimo secundo
et congregavit rex Demetrius exercitus suos
et abiit Mediam ad contrahenda sibi auxilia
et expugnare Tryfonem
2 et audivit Arsaces rex Persidis et Mediae
quia intravit Demetrius confines suos
et misit unum de principibus suis
ut conprehenderent eum vivum
et adducerent eum ad se
3 et abiit et percussit castra Demetrii
et conprehendit eum et duxit eum ad Arsacen
et posuit eum in custodiam
4 et siluit terra Iuda omnibus diebus Simonis
et quaesivit bona genti suae
et placuit illis potestas eius et gloria eius omnibus diebus
5 et cum omni gloria sua accepit Ioppen in portum
et fecit introitum in insulis maris
6 et dilatavit fines gentis suae et obtinuit regionem
7 et congregavit captivitatem multam
et dominatus est Gazarae et Bethsurae et arci
et abstulit inmunditias ex ea
et non erat qui resisteret ei
8 et unusquisque colebat terram suam cum pace
et terra dabat fructus suos
et ligna camporum fructum suum
9 seniores in plateis sedebant omnes et de bonis terrae tractabant
et iuvenes induebant se gloriam et stolas belli
10 civitatibus tribuebat alimonias
et constituebat eas ut essent vasa munitionis
quoadusque nominatum est nomen gloriae eius usque ad extremum terrae
11 fecit pacem super terram et laetatus est Israhel laetitia magna
12 et sedit unusquisque sub vite sua et sub ficulnea
nec erat qui eos terreret
13 defecit inpugnans eos super terram
reges contriti sunt in diebus illis
14 et confirmavit omnes humiles populi sui
et legem exquisivit et abstulit omnem iniquum et malum
15 sancta glorificavit et multiplicavit vasa sanctorum
16 et auditum est Romae quia defunctus est Ionathas
et usque in Sparta
et contristati sunt valde
17 ut audierunt autem
quod Simon frater eius factus esset summus sacerdos loco eius
et ipse obtineret regionem et civitates in ea
18 scripserunt ad eum tabulis aereis
ut renovaret amicitias et societatem
quam fecerunt cum Iuda et Ionatha fratribus
eius
19 et lectae sunt in conspectu ecclesiae in Hierusalem
et hoc exemplum epistularum quas miserunt Spartiatae
20 Spartianorum princeps et civitatis
Simoni sacerdoti magno et senioribus et sacerdotibus
et reliquo populo Iudaeorum fratribus salutem
21 legati qui missi sunt ad populum nostrum nuntiaverunt nobis
de vestra gloria et honore ac laetitia
et gavisi sumus in introitu eorum
22 et scripsimus quae ab ipsis erant dicta in conciliis populi sic
Numenius Antiochi et Antipater Iasonis filius
legati Iudaeorum venerunt ad nos
renovantes nobiscum amicitiam
23 et placuit populo excipere viros gloriose
et ponere exemplum sermonum eorum in segregatis populi libris
ut sit ad memoriam populo Spartiarum
exemplum autem horum scripsimus Simoni magno sacerdoti
24 post haec autem misit Simon Numenium Romam
habentem clypeum aureum magnum
pondus minarum mille
ad statuendam cum eis societatem
cum audisset autem populus romanus
25 sermones istos dixerunt
quam gratiarum actionem reddemus Simoni et filiis eius
26 restituit enim ipse fratres suos
et expugnavit inimicos Israhel
et statuerunt ei libertatem et descripserunt in tabulis aereis
et posuerunt in titulis in montem Sion
27 octava decima die mensis elul
anno centesimo septuagesimo secundo
anno tertio sub Simone sacerdote magno in Asaramel
28 in conventu magno sacerdotum et populi
et principum gentis et seniorum regis
nota facta sunt haec
quoniam frequenter facta sunt proelia in regione nostra
29 Simon autem Matthathiae filius ex filiis Iarib et fratres eius
dederunt se periculo et restiterunt adversariis gentis suae
ut starent sancta ipsorum et lex
et gloria magna glorificaverunt gentem suam
30 et congregavit Ionathas gentem suam
et factus est illis sacerdos magnus
et adpositus est ad populum suum
31 et voluerunt inimici eorum calcare et adterere regionem ipsorum
et extendere manus in sancta eorum
32 tunc restitit Simon et pugnavit pro gente sua
et erogavit multas pecunias
et armavit viros virtutis gentis suae et dedit eis stipendia
33 et munivit civitates Iudaeae
et Bethsuram quae erat in finibus Iudaeae
ubi erant arma hostium antea
et posuit illic praesidium viros iudaeos
34 et Ioppen munivit quae erat ad mare
et Gazaram quae est in finibus Azoti
in qua hostes antea habitabant
et conlocavit illic Iudaeos
et quaecumque apta erant ad correptionem eorum posuit in eis
35 et vidit populus actum Simonis
et gloriam quam cogitabat facere genti suae
et posuerunt ducem suum et principem sacerdotum
eo quod ipse fecerat haec omnia
et iustitiam et fidem quam conservavit genti suae
et exquisivit omni modo exaltare populum suum
36 et in diebus eius prosperatum est in manibus eius
ut tollerentur gentes de regione ipsorum
qui in civitate David erant in Hierusalem
in arce de qua procedebant et contaminabant omnia
quae in circuitu sanctorum sunt
et inferebant plagam magnam castitati
37 et conlocavit in ea viros iudaeos
tutamentum regionis et civitatis
et exaltavit muros Hierusalem
38 et rex Demetrius statuit illi summum sacerdotium
39 secundum haec fecit eum amicum suum
et glorificavit eum gloria magna
40 audivit enim quod appellati sunt Iudaei a Romanis amici et socii et
fratres
et quia susceperunt legatos Simonis gloriose
41 et quia Iudaei et sacerdotes eorum consenserunt esse eum ducem suum
et summum sacerdotem in aeternum donec surgat propheta fidelis
42 et ut sit super eos dux et ut cura esset illi pro sanctis
et ut constitueret praepositos super opera eorum
et super regionem et super arma et super praesidia
43 et cura sit illi de sanctis et ut audiatur ab omnibus
et ut scribantur in nomine eius omnes conscriptiones in
regione
et ut operiatur purpura et auro
44 et ne liceat ulli ex populo et ex sacerdotibus
irritum facere aliquid horum
et contradicere his quae ab eo dicuntur
aut convocare conventum in regione sine ipso
et vestiri purpura et uti fibula aurea
45 qui autem fecerit extra haec
aut irritum fecerit aliquid horum reus erit
46 et conplacuit omni populo statuere Simonem
et facere secundum verba ista
47 et suscepit Simon et placuit ut summo sacerdotio fungeretur
et esset dux et princeps gentis Iudaeorum et sacerdotum
et praeesset omnibus
48 et scripturam istam dixerunt ponere in tabulis aereis
et ponere eas in peribolo sanctorum in loco celebri
49 exemplum autem eorum ponere in aerario
ut habeat Simon et filii eius