1   And the king of Egypt gathered an armie, ^note as the sand that is about the sea shore, and manie shippes: and he sought to winne the kingdom of Alexander by guile, and to adde it to his owne kingdom.

2   And he went out into Syria with peaceable wordes, and they opened to him the cities, and mette him: because Alexander the king had commanded them to goe forth to meete him, for that he was his father in law.

3   But when Ptolomee entered the cities, he put garrisons of souldiars in euerie citie.

4   And as he approched to Azotus, they shewed him the temple of dagon burnt with fyre, and Azotus, and the rest therof throwen downe, and the bodies cast forth, and the graues of them that were slaine in the battel, which they had made neere the way.

5   And they told the king that Ionathas did these thinges: to raise enuie against him: and the king held his peace.

6   And Ionathas came to meete the king into Ioppe with glorie, and they saluted one an other, and they slept there.

7   And Ionathas went with the king euen to the riuer, that was called Eleutherus: and he returned into Ierusalem.

8   And king Ptolomee obteyned the dominion of the cities euen to Seleucia by the sea side, and he purposed euil purposes against Alexander.

9   And sent legates to Demetrius, saying: Come, let vs make a league betwen vs, and I wil geue thee my daughter that Alexander hath, & thou shalt reigne in the kingdom of thy father.

10   For it repenteth me that I haue geuen him my daughter: for he hath sought to kil me.

11   And he disprased him, for that he coueted his kingdom,

12   and he tooke away his daughter, & gaue her to Demetrius, and alienated him self from Alexander, and his emnities were made manifest.

13   And Ptolomee entered into Antioch, & he put two crownes vpon his head, of Egypt, & of Asia.

14   But Alexander the king was in Cilicia at that time: because they rebelled that were in those places.

15   And Alexander heard it, and came to him into battel: and Ptolomee the king brought forth an armie, and mette him with a strong power, and put him to flight.

16   And Alexander fled into Arabia, there to be protected: and king Ptolomee was exalted.

17   And Zabdiel an Arabian tooke of Alexanders head, & sent it to Ptolomee.

18   And king Ptolomee died the third day: and they that were in the fortresses, perished by them that were within the campe.

19   And Demetrius reigned the yeare an hundreth sixtie seuen.

20   In those dayes Ionathas gathered together them, that were in

Iurie, to winne the castel in Ierusalem: and they made engins against it.

21   And certaine ^note that hated their owne nation wicked men, went to king Demetrius, and told him that Ionathas besieged the castel.

22   And as he heard it, he was wrath: and forth with he came to Ptolemais, and wrote to Ionathas, that he should not besiege the castel, but should meete him to talke together in hast.

23   But as Ionathas heard it, ^note he bade them besiege it: and he chose of the ancients of Israel, and of the priests, and put himself in hazard.

24   And he tooke gold, and siluer and rayments, and manie other presents, and went to the king to Ptolomais, and he found grace in his sight.

25   And certaine wicked men of his nation solicited against him.

26   And ^note the king did to him, as they had done to him which had bene before him: and he exalted him in the sight of al his freinds,

27   and he established to him the chiefe priesthood, and whatsoeuer other thinges he had before precious, and he made him the chiefe of his freindes.

28   And Ionathas requested of the king that he would make Iurie free, and the three ^note toparchies, & Samaria, & the confines therof: and he promised him three hundred talents.

29   And the king consented: and he wrote to Ionathas epistles of al these thinges, conteyning this tenure.

30   King Demetrius to his brother Ionathas greeting, & to the nation of the Iewes.

31   A copie of the epistle, which we haue writen to Lasthenes our parent concerning you, we haue sent to you that you might know it.

32   King Demetrius to Lasthenes his parent greeting.

33   We haue determined to do good to the nation of the Iewes our freinds, & that keepe the thinges that are iust with vs, for their gentlenes which they beare towards vs.

34   We haue ordayned therfore vnto them al the coasts of Iurei, & the three cities, Apherema, Lyda, & Ramatha, which are added to Iurie of Samaria, & al their confines, to be sequestred to al them that sacrifice in Ierusalem, for these thinges, which the king receiued of them euerie yeare, and for the fruits of the land, and of the trees.

35   And other thinges, that perteined to vs of the tithes, and of the tributes, from this time we remitte to them: and the salt floores, and the crownes, that were presented to vs,

36   we grant al to them, and nothing of these shal be broken from this time, and for euer.

37   Now therfore prouide to make a copie of these, and let it be geuen to Ionathas, and let it be layd in the holie mount, and in a solemne place.

38   And Demetrius the king seing that the land

was quiet in his sight, and nothing resisted him, he dismissed al his armie, euerie man to his place, except the forren armie, which he brought from the iles of the Gentils: and al the bandes of his fathers were enemies to him.

39   And there was one Tryphon of Alexanders part before: and he saw that al the armie murmured against Demetrius, & he went to Emalchuel the Arabian, that brought vp Antiochus the sonne of Alexander:

40   And he lay vpon him, to deliuer this Antiochus vnto him, to reigne in his fathers place: and he declared vnto him what great thinges Demetrius did, & the emnities of his hosts against him. And he taried there manie dayes.

41   And Ionathas sent to Demetrius the king, that he would cast out them, that were in the castel in Ierusalem, and that were in the holdes: because they impugned Israel.

42   And Demetrius sent to Ionathas, saying: I wil not onlie doe these thinges for thee, and for thy nation, but with glorie I wil honour thee, and thy nation, when it shal be time conuenient.

43   Now therfore thou shalt doe wel if thou wilt send men to helpe me: because al mine armie is departed.

44   And Ionathas sent him ^note three thousand valient men to Antioch: and they came to the king, and the king was delighted at their coming.

45   And there assembled they that were of the citie, an hundred twentie thousand men, and they would haue slaine the king.

46   And the king fled into the court: and they that were of the citie kept the wayes of the citie, and began to fight.

47   And the king called the Iewes for ayde: and they came together to him al at once, and they were al dispersed through the citie.

48   And they slew in that day an hundred thousand men, and they burnt the citie, and tooke manie spoiles in that day, and deliuered the king.

49   And they that were of the citie saw, that the Iewes had obteyned the citie as they would: and they were discomfited in their minde, and cried to the king with petitions, saying:

50   Geue vs the right hand, and let the Iewes cease to oppugne vs, and the citie.

51   And they threw away their weapons, & made peace, and the Iewes were glorified in the kings sight, & were renowned in the sight of al that were in his kingdom, & returned into Ierusalem with manie spoiles.

52   And king Demetrius sate in the seat of his kingdom: & the land was at rest in his sight.

53   And he feaned al thinges whatsoeuer he sayd, and alienated himself from Ionathas, and he requited him not according to the benefites, that he had geuen him, and he vexed him excedingly.

54   And

after these thinges Tryphon returned, and with him Antiochus the yong boy, who reigned, and put the crowne vpon him.

55   And there gathered vnto him al the bandes, which Demetrius had dispersed, and they fought agaynst him: and he fled, and turned the backe.

56   And Tryphon tooke the beastes, and wanne Antioch.

57   And Antiochus the yong man wrote to Ionathas, saying: I appoynt to thee the priesthood, and I place thee ouer the foure cities, that thou mayst be of the kings freinds.

58   And he sent him vessels of gold for his seruice, and he gaue him leaue ^note to drinke in gold, and to be in purple, and to haue a cheyne of gold:

59   And he appointed Simon his brother gouerner from the borders of Tyre euen to the coasts of Ægypt.

60   And Ionathas went forth, and walked through the cities beyond the riuer: and al the band of Syria gathered vnto him to helpe him, and he came to Ascalon, & they mette him honorably out of the citie.

61   And he went from thence to Gaza: and they that were in Gaza, shut in them selues: and he besieged it, & burnt the thinges that were round about the citie, and he spoiled it.

62   And the men of Gaza besought Ionathas, and he gaue them the right hand: and he tooke their sonnes for hostages, and sent them into Ierusalem: and he walked through the countrie euen to Damascus.

63   And Ionathas heard that the princes of Demetrius preuaricated in Cades, which is in Galilee, with a great armie meaning to remoue him from the affayres of the kingdom:

64   and he went against them: but his brother Simon he left within the prouince.

65   And Simon approched to Bethsura, and expugned it manie dayes, and inclosed them.

66   And they requested of him ^note to take the right handes, and he gaue it them: and he cast them out from thence, and tooke the citie, and placed therin a garrison.

67   And Ionathas, and his campe approched to the water of Genesar, and before it was light they watched in the plaine Asor.

68   And loe the campe of the aliens mette him in the playne, & they layd embushments for him in the mountaines: but he went against them.

69   And the embushments rose out of their places, and they ioyned battel.

70   And al fled that were on Ionathas part, and ^note none was left of them, but Mathathias the sonne of Absolom, and Iudas the sonne of Calphi, chiefe captayne of the chiualrie of the host.

71   And Ionathas rent his garments, and put earth vpon his head, and prayed.

72   And Ionathas returned to them into battel, & he put them to flight,

and they fought.

73   And they of his part that fled, saw, and returned to him, and Pursewed with him euen to Cades to their campe, and they came euen thither.

74   And there fel of the aliens in that day three thousand men: and Ionathas returned into Ierusalem.

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