1   And Ionathas saw that the time helped him, he chose men and sent them to Rome, to establish and to renew amitie with them:

2   and to ^note the Spartiats, and to other places he sent epistles according to the same tenure.

3   And they went to Rome, and entered into the court, and sayd: Ionathas the hight priest, and the nation of the Iewes haue sent vs to renew the amitie, and societie according as before.

4   And they gaue them epistles vnto them by place and place, to conduct them into the land of Iuda with peace.

5   And this is a copie of the epistles which Ionathas wrote to the Spartiats:

6   Ionathas the high priest, and the ancients of the nation, and the priests, and the rest of the people of the Iewes, to the Spartiats ^note their bretheren greeting.

7   Long agoe were epistles sent to Onias the high priest from Arius who reigned with you, that you are our bretheren, as the writing conteyneth, that here beneath foloweth.

8   And Onias receiued the man, that was sent, with honour: and he receiued the epistles, where in there was signification of the societie, and amitie.

9   We wheras we neded none of these hauing for our comfort the holie bookes, that are in our handes,

10   chose rather to send vnto you to renew the fraternitie, lest perhaps we be made aliens from you: for much time is passed, since you sent to vs.

11   We therfore at al time without intermission in the solenne dayes, and the rest where in we should, are mindful of you in the sacrifices, that we offer, and in the obseruances, as it is meete, and becometh to remember bretheren.

12   We reioyce therfore of your glorie.

13   But manie tribulations haue compassed vs, and manie battels, and the kinges that are round about vs, haue impugned

vs.

14   We therfore would not be trublesome to you, nor to the rest our felowes and freindes in these battels.

15   For we haue had ayde from heauen, and we are deliuered, and our enemies are humbled.

16   We haue chosen therfore Numenius the sonne of Antiochus, and Autipater the sonne of Iason, and haue sent to the Romanes to renew with them the old amitie and societie.

17   We therfore haue commanded them that they come vnto you also, & salute you, and deliuer you our epistles, concerning the renewing of our fraternitie.

18   And now you shal doe wel in answering vs to these thinges.

19   And this is ^notethe rescript of the epistles, which he had sent to Onias:

20   Arivs the king of the Spartians to Onias the grandpriest greeting.

21   It is found ^note in scripture of the Spartians, and the Iewes that they are bretheren, & that they are of the stocke of Abraham.

22   And now since we vnderstood these thinges, you doe wel in writing to vs of your peace.

23   Yea and we haue writen agayne to you, Our cattel, & our possessions, are yours: and yours, ours. We therfore haue commanded that these thinges be told you.

24   And Ionathas heard that the princes of Demetrius were come agayne with a great armie more then before to fight against him.

25   And he went out from Ierusalem, aud mette them in the countrie of Amathis: for he gaue them not space to enter into his countrie.

26   And he sent spies into their campe, & they returning reported that they appointed to come vpon them in the night.

27   And when the sunne was set, Ionathas cammanded his men to watch, and to be in armour readie to fight al night, & he set watchmen round about the campe.

28   And the aduersaries heard that Ionathas with his companie was prepared to battel: & they feared, and were afrayd in their hart: and they kindled fyres in their campe.

29   But Ionathas, and they that were with him, knew it not til the morning: and they saw light burning,

30   and Ionathas folowed them, and ouertooke them not: for they had passed the riuer Eleutherus.

31   And Ionathas turned aside to the Arabians, that were called Zabadeans: and he stroke them, and tooke the spoiles of them.

32   And he ioyned, and came to Damascus, and walked through al that countrie.

33   But Simon went forth, and came euen to Ascalon, and to the next holdes, and he declined into Ioppe, and tooke it.

34   (For he heard that they would deliuer the hold to Demetrius part) and he put a garrison there to keepe it.

35   And Ionathas returned, &

called together the ancients of the people, and he consulted with them to build fortresses in Iurie,

36   and to build the walles in Ierusalem, and to reare a mount of a great height betwen the castel and the citie, to separate it from the citie, that it might be alone, and they might neither bye nor sel:

37   And they came together to build the citie: and the wal fel that was vpon the torrent toward the rising of the sunne, and he repayred it, which is called Caphetetha:

38   and Simon built Adiada in Sephela, and fortified it, & hanged on gates aud lockes.

39   And when ^note Tryphon had purposed to reigne ouer Asia, and to take the crowne, & to extend his hand against Antiochus the king:

40   fearing lest perhaps Ionathas would not permit him, but would fight against him: he sought to take him: & to kil him. And rising vp he went into Bethsan.

41   And Ionathas went forth to meete him with fourtie thousand chosen men into battel, and came to Bethsan.

42   And Tryphon saw that Ionathas came with a great armie, to extend his handes vpon him: and he feared:

43   and receiued him with honour, and commended him to al his freindes, and gaue him gifts: and he commanded his hosts to obey him, as him self.

44   And he sayd to Ionathas: Why hast thou trubled al the people: wheras we haue no warre?

45   And now send them backe to their houses, but choose thee a few men, that may be with thee, and come with me to Ptolemais, and I wil deliuer it to thee, and the other holdes, and the armie, and al the ouerseers of the affayres, and returning I wil depart: for therfore I came.

46   And Ionathas beleued him, and did as he sayd: and dismissed his armie, and they departed into the land of Iuda:

47   but he reteyned with him three thousand men: of whom he sent backe two thousand into Galilee, and a thousand came with him.

48   But as Ionathas entered into Ptolemais, they of Ptolemais shut the gates of the citie: and they tooke him, and al that had entered with him they flew with the sword.

49   And Tryphon sent an armie and horsemen into Galilee, and into the great playne to destroy al Ionathas felowes.

50   But they when they vnderstood that Ionathas was taken, and was perished, and al that were with him, they encouraged them selues, & went forth readie to battel.

51   And these that had pursewed, seing that the matter stood vpon their life, they returned.

52   But they came al with peace into the land of Iuda. And they lamented Ionathas, and them that were with him excedingly:

and Israel mourned with great mourning.

53   And al the heathen that were round about them, sought to destroy them. for they sayd:

54   They haue no prince, and helper: now therfore let vs expugne them, and take away from men the memorie of them

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