Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
Chapter the Tenth. Synopsis of the Chapter
Demetrius and Alexander, cousin kings, contending with each other for the kingdom of Asia, with great promises seek the friendship of Jonathan; but Alexander obtains it, who confirms to Jonathan the Pontificate, and adds the purple and a golden crown. Soon, ver. 48, Alexander, helped by Jonathan, engaging Demetrius, overcomes and kills him, and thence takes to wife Cleopatra, daughter of Ptolemy Philometor king of Egypt, and at the wedding honours Jonathan and makes him leader of his Principate. Finally, ver. 67, Demetrius, son of the slain Demetrius, sends Apollonius with an army, whom Jonathan routs, and therefore receives from Alexander as a gift the city Accaron and a golden brooch.
1. And in the hundred and sixtieth year, Alexander the son of Antiochus, surnamed the Noble, came up and took Ptolemais: and they received him, and he reigned there. 2. And king Demetrius heard of it, and gathered together an exceeding great army, and went out to meet him in battle. 3. And Demetrius sent a letter to Jonathan with peaceable words, to magnify him. 4. For he said: Let us first make peace with him, before he join with Alexander against us: 5. For he will remember all the evils that we have done against him, and against his brethren, and his nation. 6. And he gave him authority to gather together an army, and to make arms, and that he should be his confederate: and the hostages that were in the castle he commanded to be delivered to him. 7. And Jonathan came to Jerusalem, and read the letters in the hearing of all the people, and of them that were in the castle. 8. And they were struck with great fear, when they heard that the king had given him authority to gather together an army.
9. And the hostages were delivered to Jonathan, and he restored them to their parents: 10. And Jonathan dwelt in Jerusalem, and began to build and renew the city. 11. And he told them that did the work to build the walls, and mount Sion round about with square stones for fortification: and so they did. 12. And the strangers that were in the castles, which Bacchides had built, fled away. 13. And every man left his place, and departed into his own country. 14. Only in Bethsura there remained some of those that had forsaken the law and the commandments of God: for it was a place of refuge. 15. And king Alexander heard of the promises that Demetrius had made to Jonathan: and they told him of the battles and the worthy acts that he and his brethren had done, and of the labours that they had endured. 16. And he said: Shall we find such another man? Now therefore we will make him our friend and our ally. 17. And he wrote a letter, and sent it to him according to these words, saying: 18. King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greeting.
19. We have heard of thee, that thou art a man of great power, and fit to be our friend. 20. And now we ordain thee this day high priest of thy nation, and that thou be called the king’s friend, (and he sent him a purple robe and a crown of gold) and that thou be of one mind with us in our affairs, and keep friendship with us. 21. So Jonathan put on the holy vestment in the seventh month, in the hundred and sixtieth year, at the feast day of the tabernacles: and he gathered together an army, and provided great number of arms. 22. And when Demetrius heard these things, he was very sorry, and said: 23. What is this that we have done, that Alexander hath prevented us in gaining the friendship of the Jews to strengthen himself? 24. I also will write to them words of request, and offer dignities and gifts: that they may be with me to aid me. 25. And he wrote to them in these words: King Demetrius to the nation of the Jews, greeting. 26. Whereas you have kept covenant with us, and have continued in our friendship, not joining with our enemies, we have heard of it, and are glad.
27. And now continue still to keep fidelity towards us, and we will reward you with good things for what you do in our behalf: 28. And will remit you many charges, and give you gifts. 29. And now I free you, and all the Jews, from the tributes, and I forgive you the prices of salt, and pardon the crowns, and the third part of the seed: 30. And the half of the fruit of the trees, which is my portion, I leave to you from this day, and henceforward, that it be not taken of the land of Juda, and of the three cities that are added thereto out of Samaria and Galilee, from this day forth and for ever. 31. And let Jerusalem be holy and free with the borders thereof: and let the tenths and tributes be for itself. 32. I yield up also the power of the castle that is in Jerusalem, and I give it to the high priest, that he may place in it such men as he shall choose to keep it. 33. And every soul of the Jews, that was carried captive from the land of Juda in all my kingdom, I set at liberty freely, that all be discharged from tributes, even of their cattle.
34. And I will that all the festival days, and the sabbaths, and the new moons, and the days appointed, and the three days before the solemn day, and the three days after the solemn day, be all days of immunity and freedom for all the Jews that are in my kingdom: 35. And no one shall have power to do any thing against them, or to molest any of them in any cause. 36. And there shall be enrolled in the king’s army about thirty thousand men of the Jews: and their pay shall be given them as is due to all the king’s forces. 37. And of them some shall be placed in the king’s strong holds, and some shall be set over the affairs of the kingdom, which are of trust: and let their leaders and governors be of themselves, and let them walk in their own laws, as the king hath commanded in the land of Juda. 38. And the three cities that are added to Judea out of the country of Samaria, let them be accounted with Judea: that they may be under one, and obey no other authority but the high priest. 39. Ptolemais, and the confines thereof, I give as a free gift to the sanctuary that is in Jerusalem, for the necessary charges of the holy things.
40. And I give every year fifteen thousand sicles of silver out of the king’s accounts, out of the places that belong to me. 41. And all that is above, which they that were over the affairs paid not as in former years, from henceforth they shall give it to the works of the house. 42. And moreover the five thousand sicles of silver, which they received from the account of the holy places every year, this also shall be released, because it appertaineth to the priests that execute the ministry. 43. And whosoever shall flee to the temple that is at Jerusalem, and in all the borders thereof, being indebted for the king’s money, or for any other matter, let them be set at liberty, and all that they have in my kingdom. 44. For the building also and repairing of the works of the sanctuary, the expense shall be given out of the king’s revenues. 45. And for the building of the walls of Jerusalem, and the fortifying thereof round about, the expenses shall be given out of the king’s revenues, as also for the building of the walls in Judea.
46. Now when Jonathan and the people heard these words, they gave no credit to them, nor received them: because they remembered the great wickedness that he had done in Israel, and that he had afflicted them exceedingly. 47. And they were well pleased with Alexander, because he had been the first that spoke to them words of peace, and they took part with him always. 48. And king Alexander gathered together a great army, and moved his camp near to Demetrius. 49. And the two kings joined battle, and the army of Demetrius fled: and Alexander pursued after him, and pressed upon them. 50. And the battle was exceeding hard fought until the sun went down: and Demetrius was slain that day. 51. And Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemee king of Egypt, with this message, saying: 52. Forasmuch as I am returned to my kingdom, and am set in the throne of my fathers, and have gotten the dominion, and have overthrown Demetrius, and possessed our country: 53. And have joined battle with him, and both he and his army have been destroyed by us, and we sit on the throne of his kingdom: 54. Now therefore let us make friendship one with another, and give me now thy daughter to wife: and I will be thy son in law, and will give both thee and her gifts worthy of thee.
55. And king Ptolemee answered, saying: Happy is the day on which thou didst return to the land of thy fathers, and satest on the throne of their kingdom. 56. And now I will do to thee as thou hast written: but meet me at Ptolemais, that we may see one another, and I may marry my daughter to thee according to thy desire. 57. So Ptolemee went out of Egypt, with his daughter Cleopatra, and came to Ptolemais in the hundred and sixty-second year: 58. And king Alexander met him, and he gave him his daughter Cleopatra: and the marriage was celebrated at Ptolemais with great pomp, as the manner of kings is. 59. And king Alexander wrote to Jonathan, that he should come to meet him. 60. And he went honourably to Ptolemais, and there he met the two kings, and he gave them and their friends silver and gold, and many presents, and found favour in their sight. 61. And certain pestilent men of Israel, men of a wicked life, assembled themselves together against him to accuse him: and the king gave no heed to them.