Part 625 (1/2)

15:1. And king Antiochus, the son of Demetrius, sent letters from the isles of the sea to Simon, the priest, and prince of the nation of the Jews, and to all the people:

15:2. And the contents were these: King Antiochus to Simon, the high priest, and to the nation of the Jews, greeting.

15:3. Forasmuch as certain pestilent men have usurped the kingdom of our fathers, and my purpose is to challenge the kingdom, and to restore it to its former estate; and I have chosen a great army, and have built s.h.i.+ps of war.

15:4. And I design to go through the country, that I may take revenge of them that have destroyed our country, and that have made many cities desolate in my realm.

15:5. Now, therefore, I confirm unto thee all the oblations which all the kings before me remitted to thee, and what other gifts soever they remitted to thee:

15:6. And I give thee leave to coin thy own money in thy country:

15:7. And let Jerusalem be holy and free, and all the armour that hath been made, and the fortresses which thou hast built, and which thou keepest in thy hands, let them remain to thee.

15:8. And all that is due to the king, and what should be the king's hereafter, from this present and for ever, is forgiven thee.

15:9. And when we shall have recovered our kingdom, we will glorify thee, and thy nation, and the temple, with great glory, so that your glory shall be made manifest in all the earth.

15:10. In the year one hundred and seventy-four, Antiochus entered into the land of his fathers, and all the forces a.s.sembled to him, so that few were left with Tryphon.

15:11. And king Antiochus pursued after him, and he fled along by the sea coast and came to Dora.

15:12. For he perceived that evils were gathered together upon him, and his troops had forsaken him.

15:13. And Antiochus camped above Dora with a hundred and twenty thousand men of war, and eight thousand hors.e.m.e.n:

15:14. And he invested the city, and the s.h.i.+ps drew near by sea: and they annoyed the city by land, and by sea, and suffered none to come in, or to go out.

15:15. And Numenius, and they that had been with him, came from the city of Rome, having letters written to the kings, and countries, the contents whereof were these:

15:16. Lucius, the consul of the Romans, to king Ptolemee, greeting.

Ptolemee... Surnamed Physeon, brother and successor to Philometer.

15:17. The amba.s.sadors of the Jews, our friends, came to us, to renew the former friends.h.i.+p and alliance, being sent from Simon, the high priest, and the people of the Jews.

15:18. And they brought also a s.h.i.+eld of gold of a thousand pounds.

15:19. It hath seemed good therefore to us, to write to the kings and countries, that they should do them no harm, nor fight against them, their cities, or countries: and that they should give no aid to them that fight against them.

15:20. And it hath seemed good to us to receive the s.h.i.+eld of them.

15:21. If, therefore, any pestilent men are fled out of their country to you, deliver them to Simon, the high priest, that he may punish them according to their law.

15:22. These same things were written to king Demetrius, and to Attalus, and to Ariarathes, and to Arsaces,

Attalus, etc... Attalus was king of Pergamus; Ariarathes was king of Cappadocia; and Arsaces was king of the Parthians.

15:23. And to all the countries: and to Lampsacus and to the Spartans, and to Delus, and Myndus, and Sicyon, and Caria, and Samus, and Pamphylia, and Lycia, and Alicarna.s.sus, and Cos, and Side, and Aradus, and Rhodes, and Phaselis, and Gortyna, and Gnidus, and Cyprus, and Cyrene.

15:24. And they wrote a copy thereof to Simon, the high priest, and to the people of the Jews.