1   And ^note Iohn went vp from Gazara, and told Simon his father what Cendebaeus did amongst their people.

2   And Simon called his two elder sonnes, Iudas & Iohn, and he sayd to them: I and my bretheren, and the house of my father, haue expugned the enemies of Israel from our youth euen to this day: and it hath prospered in our handes to deliuer Israel oftentimes.

3   And now I am old, but be you in place of me, and my brerheren, & going forth fight for our nation: & the helpe from heauen be with you.

4   And he chose out of the countrie twentie thousand fighting men, and horsemen, and they went forth to Cendebaeus: and they slept in Modin.

5   And they arose in the morning, and went into the plaine filde: and loe a mightie great armie coming to meete them of foote men, and horsemen, & there was a running riuer betwen them.

6   And he camped agaynst the face of them, him self and his people, and he saw the people fearful to passe through the torrent, and he passed through first: and the men saw him, and they passed ouer after him.

7   And he diuided the people, and the horsemen in the middes of the footemen: and the horsemen of the aduersaries were exceding manie.

8   And they sounded with the holie trompets: and Cendebaeus was put to flight, and his campe: and there fel manie of them wounded, and the rest fled into the hold.

9   Then was Iudas Iohns brother wounded: But Iohn pursewed them, til he came to Cedron. which he built:

10   and they fled euen to the towres, that were in the fildes of Azotus, and he burnt them with fyre. And there fel of them two thousand men, and he returned into Iurie in peace.

11   And Ptolomee the sonne of Abobus was appointed captayne in the plaine of Iericho, and he had much siluer, and gold.

12   For he was the sonne in law of the high priest.

13   And his hart was exalted, and he would gayne the countrie, and he purposed treacherie against Simon, and his sonnes to dispatch them.

14   And Simon walking through the cities, that were in in the countrie of Iurie, and being careful of them, went downe into Iericho, he and Mathathias his sonne, and Iudas ^notethe yeare an hundreth seuentie seuen, the eleuenth moneth: this is the moneth Sabath.

15   And the sonne of Abobus receiued them with guile into a litle fortresse, that is called Doch which he built: and he made them a great feast, and hid men there.

16   And when Simon was ^note inebriated and his sonnes, Ptolomee arose with his companie, and they tooke their weapons, and

entered into the feast, and slew him, and his two sonnes, and certain of his seruants.

17   And he did great deceite in Israel, & rendered euil for good.

18   And Ptolomee wrote these thinges, and sent to the king that he should send him an armie for ayde, and he would deliuer him the countrie, and their cities, and tributes.

19   And he sent others into Gazara to dispatch Iohn: and to the tribunes he sent epistles, that they should come to him, & he would geue them siluer, & gold, and gifts.

20   And he sent others to take Ierusalem, & the mount of the temple.

21   And one running before, told Iohn in Gazara, that his father was perished, and his bretheren, & that he hath sent that thou also mayst be slayne.

22   But as he heard it, he was excedingly afrayd: and he apprehended the men, that came to destroy him, & he slew them: for he knew that they sought to destroy him.

23   And the rest concerning the wordes of Iohn, & his battels, and the valient actes, which he did manfully, and the building of the walles, which he built, & the thinges that he did:

24   loe these are writen in ^note the booke of the dayes of his priesthood, from the time that he was made prince of the priests after his father. ^note

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