Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Simon Leads the Jews
1 Simon learned that Trypho
had assembled a large army
and that he had plans to invade Judea
and devastate it.
2 He realized
that this news had brought panic
and fear to the people, so he went to
Jerusalem, called the people together,
3 and tried to encourage
them by saying, “You know how
much my father's family, my brothers,
and I have done for the sake of
the Law of Moses and the Temple.
You also know about the wars we
have fought and the troubles we
have had.
4 All my brothers have
been killed fighting for our Law, our
Temple, and our nation, and I am the
only one left.
5 But never let it be
said that I tried to save my own life
in a time of danger; I do not consider
myself better than my brothers.
6 Not in the least! It is true that in
their hatred all the Gentile nations
have gathered together to destroy
us, but I will fight to defend my nation,
the Temple, and your loved
ones.”
7 These words immediately revived
the morale of the people,
8 and
they answered with a loud shout,
“You are now our leader in place of
your brothers Judas and Jonathan.
9 Fight our wars, and we will do
whatever you ask.”
10 So Simon
gathered together all the soldiers
and hurried to complete the walls of
-- --
Jerusalem and to strengthen all its
defenses.
11 He sent Jonathan son of
Absalom to Joppa with a large army.
This Jonathan drove out the people
who were there and occupied the
town.
12 Trypho left Ptolemais with a
large army to invade Judea, taking
Simon's brother Jonathan along
with him as a prisoner.
13 Simon set
up camp at Adida at the edge of the
plain.
14 When Trypho learned that
Simon had succeeded his brother
Jonathan and that he was ready to
meet him in battle, he sent this message
to him:
15 “I am holding your
brother Jonathan under arrest because
while he was in office he did
not pay his debts to the royal treasury.
16 However, I will release him if
you will pay me 6,000 pounds of silver
and send two of his sons as hostages
to guarantee that he will not
revolt against us when he is released.”
17 Although Simon knew that they
were deceiving him, he sent for the
money and the two sons because he
did not want to arouse the hostility
of the Jews.
18 He was afraid that
they might later say that Jonathan
was put to death because Simon
would not send the money and the
boys.
19 So he did as Trypho had demanded,
but Trypho broke his promise
and did not release Jonathan.
20 Then Trypho made his move to
invade the land and destroy it, circling
around by the road to Adora.
But Simon and his army moved
along facing him wherever he went.
21 The enemy soldiers in the fort in
Jerusalem kept sending messengers
to Trypho urging him to come to
them quickly by way of the desert
and to send them supplies.
22 Trypho
got all his cavalry ready for the invasion,
but that night there was a
heavy snowstorm, and he was not
able to move up into the hills. So he
withdrew and went into Gilead.
23 When he was near Baskama, he
had Jonathan put to death and his
body buried there.
24 Then Trypho
turned and went back to his own
country.
25 Simon had some men bring the
body of his brother Jonathan to Modein,
to be buried in the town of
their ancestors.
26 Everyone in Israel
was in deep sorrow at the loss of
Jonathan, and they mourned for him
a long time.
27 Over the tomb of his
father and his brothers Simon built a
high monument that could be seen
from a great distance. It was covered
front and back with polished
stone.
28 He constructed seven pyramids
side by side for his father, his
mother, and his four brothers.
29 For
the pyramids he created a setting of
tall columns on which there were
carvings. Some of these carvings
were of suits of armor and some
were of ships. It was a monument to
their victories, which travelers from
overseas could visit. note
30 The tomb
which he built in Modein is still
there today.
31 Meanwhile, Trypho assassinated
the young king, Antiochus the Sixth,
32 and took over his kingdom in Syria.
He brought that country great
troubles.
33 Simon rebuilt the fortresses of
Judea with high towers, strong
walls, and barred gates; then he
placed stores of supplies there.
34 He
sent ambassadors to King Demetrius
the Second to ask for tax relief
for the land, since Trypho was doing
nothing but robbing them.
35 King
Demetrius sent the following letter
in reply:
36 “King Demetrius to the
High Priest Simon, the friend of
kings, to the Jewish nation, and
to their leaders, greetings.
37 I
have received the gold crown
and the gold palm branch which
you sent, and I am prepared to
make a peace treaty with you
and to instruct our tax officials
to grant you exemptions.
38 Our
previous agreements with you
are confirmed, and the fortresses
which you have built are
to remain yours.
39 I grant you
pardon for treaty violations
committed up to the present
date, and I release you from payment
of the special tax still due
-- --
and any other taxes that have
been collected up to this time in
Jerusalem.
40 All Jews who are
qualified may enroll in the royal
service. Let us have peace.”
41 So in the year 170 note the yoke of
the Gentile oppressors was removed
from the Jews.
42 People began to
date their documents and contracts
with these words: “In the first year
of Simon, the great High Priest,
commander and leader of the Jews.”
43 At that time Simon laid siege to
Gezer and surrounded it with his
army. He built a movable siege platform,
brought it up to the town wall,
attacked one of the towers, and captured
it. note
44 The men who had been on
the siege platform then moved rapidly
into the town, and this created
great confusion.
45 The men of the
town, their wives, and their children
tore their clothes in distress and
climbed up on the top of the town
wall. They pleaded loudly with Simon
for a truce.
46 “Have mercy on
us,” they begged. “Don't punish us
as we deserve!”
47 So Simon came to terms with
them and ended the fighting. He
made the people leave the town;
then he purified the houses in which
there had been idols. When that was
done, he and his men entered the
town singing hymns and songs of
praise.
48 He eliminated everything
that would make the town ritually
unclean and settled it with men who
would obey every command contained
in the Law of Moses. He
strengthened the defenses of the
town and built himself a palace
there.
49 The men in the fort in Jerusalem
were now prevented from leaving to
buy or sell anything. They were suffering
from severe hunger and many
of them had died of starvation.
50 Finally
they appealed to Simon for a
truce. He agreed, removed them
from the fort, and purified it.
51 On
the twenty-third day of the second
month, in the year 171, note there was a
great celebration in the city because
this terrible threat to the security of
Israel had come to an end. Simon
and his men entered the fort singing
hymns of praise and thanksgiving,
while carrying palm branches and
playing harps, cymbals, and lyres.
52 Simon issued a decree that the day
should be joyfully celebrated every
year. He strengthened the defenses
of the Temple hill on the side facing
the fort, and he and his men made
their headquarters there.
53 Simon's
son John was now a grown man, so
Simon made him commander of the
whole army, and John set up headquarters
at Gezer.
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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