Simon is made captain general in the room of his brother. Jonathan is slain by Tryphon. Simon is favoured by Demetrius: he takes Gaza, and the castle of Jerusalem.
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And Simon heard that Trypho had gathered together an immense army to come to the land of Judah and to lay waste to it.
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Seeing that the people were fearful and trembling, he went up to Jerusalem, and he gathered together the people.
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And exhorting them, he said: “You know what great battles I, and my brothers, and the house of my father, have fought for the laws and for the holy places, and the anguish that we have seen.
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As a result of these things, all my brothers have perished for the sake of Israel, and I have been left alone.
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And now, it is not necessary for me to spare my life in any time of tribulation. For I am not better than my brothers.
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And so, I will vindicate my people and the sanctuary, and likewise our children and wives. For all the Gentiles have gathered together to crush us, solely out of malice.”
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And the spirit of the people was immediately enkindled, when they heard these words.
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And they responded with a loud voice, saying: “You are our leader in place of Judas and of Jonathan, your brother.
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Fight our battles, and we will do whatever you tell us to do.”
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And so, gathering together all the men of war, he accelerated the completion of all the walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it all around.
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And he sent Jonathan, the son of Absalom, and with him a new army, into Joppa, and he cast out those who were in it, and he himself remained there.
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And Trypho moved from Ptolemais, with a great army, to come into the land of Judah, and Jonathan was with him in custody.
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But Simon took up a position at Addus, opposite the face of the plains.
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And when Trypho realized that Simon rose up in the place of his brother, Jonathan, and that he would be joining in battle with him, he sent messengers to him,
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saying: “We have detained your brother, Jonathan, because of the money that he owed to the king’s account, because of the matters for which he was responsible.
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And now, send a hundred talents of silver, and two of his sons for hostages, so that when he is dismissed, he may not flee from us. And then we will release him.”
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And Simon knew that he was speaking deceitfully to him. Yet he ordered the money and the boys to be given, lest he should bring upon himself a great hostility from the people of Israel, who might have said,
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“It is because he did not send the money and the boys that he perished.”
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So he sent the boys and one hundred talents. And he was lying and did not dismiss Jonathan.
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And after this, Trypho came into the country, to crush it. And they circled around by the way that leads to Adora. And Simon and his camp marched into every place, wherever they went.(a)
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But those who were in the stronghold sent messengers to Trypho, so that he would hurry to come through the desert, and to send them provisions.
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And Trypho prepared all his horsemen to arrive on that night. But there was a very great snowfall, and he did not come into Gilead.
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And when he approached toward Baskama, he killed Jonathan and his sons there.
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And Trypho turned back and went into his own land.
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And Simon sent and took the bones of Jonathan, his brother, and he buried them in Modin, the city of his fathers.
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And all Israel bewailed him with great lamentation. And they mourned him for many days.
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And Simon built, over the sepulcher of his father and of his brothers, a building, lofty to see, of polished stone, front and back.
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And he set up seven pyramids, one against another, for his father, and his mother, and his four brothers.
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And around these he placed great columns; and upon the columns, weapons, as a continual memorial; and beside the weapons, carvings of ships, which might be seen by all those who sail the sea.
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This is the sepulcher that he made in Modin, even to this day.
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But Trypho, when he was on a journey with the young king, Antiochus, killed him by deceit.
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And he reigned in his place, and he put on the diadem of Asia, and he caused great scourges upon the land.
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And Simon built up the strongholds of Judea, fortifying them with high towers, and great walls, and gates and bars. And he placed provisions in the fortresses.
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And Simon chose men, and he sent to king Demetrius, so that he would grant a remission to the region, for all that Trypho did was to carry out plundering.
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And king Demetrius responded to this word, and he wrote a letter in this manner:
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“King Demetrius to Simon, the high priest and friend of kings, and to the elders, and to the people of the Jews: greetings.
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The golden crown and the bahem that you sent, we have received. And we are prepared to make a great peace with you, and to write to the officers of the king to remit to you the things that we have released.
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For whatever we have established remains in force for you. The strongholds that you have built, let them be yours.
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Likewise, any oversight or fault, even to this day, we forgive it, along with the crown that you owed. And if anything else was taxed in Jerusalem, now let it not be taxed.
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And if any of you is fit to be enrolled among our own, let them be enrolled. And let there be peace between us.”
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In the one hundred and seventieth year, the yoke of the Gentiles was taken away from Israel.
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And the people of Israel began to write in the tablets and the public records, in the first year under Simon: high priest, great commander, and leader of the Jews.
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In those days, Simon took up a position at Gaza, and he encamped around it, and he made machines of war, and he applied them to the city, and he struck one tower and captured it.
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And those who were within the machine broke forth into the city. And a great commotion occurred in the city.
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And those who were in the city ascended upon the wall, with their wives and children, having torn their tunics. And they cried out with a loud voice, asking Simon to grant them a pledge.
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And they said, “Do not repay us according to our malice, but according to your mercy.”
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And weeping, Simon did not destroy them. Yet he cast them out of the city, and he cleansed the buildings, in which there had been idols. And then he entered into it with hymns, blessing the Lord.
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And, having cast out of it all uncleanness, he placed in it men who would observe the law. And he fortified it and made it his dwelling place.
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But those who were in the stronghold of Jerusalem were prohibited from going out and entering the region, and from buying and selling. And they were very hungry, and many of them perished through famine.
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And they cried out to Simon, that they might receive a pledge, and he granted it to them. And he cast them out of there, and he cleansed the stronghold from contaminations.
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And they entered into it on the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year, with thanksgiving, and palm branches, and lyres, and cymbals, and psalteries, and hymns, and canticles, because a great enemy had been crushed out of Israel.
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And he established that these days should be kept every year with rejoicing.
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And he fortified the mountain of the temple, which was near the stronghold, and he lived there himself, along with those who were with him.
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And Simon saw that John, his son, was a valiant man in battle. And so he appointed him as commander of all the forces. And he lived in Gazara.
Footnotes