Friendship Renewed with Rome and Sparta
1 Maccabees 12, verse 1. When Jonathan saw the time was right, he chose envoys and sent them to Rome to validate and renew friendship with them. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 2. Also, he sent letters to Sparta and other localities for the same reasons. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 3. So they left for Rome, entered the senate chamber, and said, “Jonathan, the high priest, and the nation of the Jews sent us here to renew the former friendship and alliance between ourselves.” 1 Maccabees 12, verse 4. Then the Romans wrote letters to the citizens in every place, so they might send forth the ambassadors to the land of Judah in peace. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 5. This is the copy of the letters which Jonathan wrote to the Spartans: 1 Maccabees 12, verse 6. “Jonathan the high priest, the elders of the nation, the priests, and the Jewish people to their brothers the Spartans, greetings. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 7. Some time earlier, letters were sent to Onias the high priest by Arius, who ruled over you, that you are our brothers, as the attached copy indicates. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 8. Onias received the envoy with honor, and he accepted the letters, which plainly showed the alliance and friendship. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 9. Therefore, although we do not need these things, since we have the holy books in our hands, 1 Maccabees 12, verse 10. we have decided to send and renew our brotherhood and friendship, so we would not be estranged from you. For significant time has elapsed since you sent word to us. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 11. Therefore at every opportunity, both on feast days and ordinary days, we remember you unceasingly in the sacrifices we offer and in our prayers, as it is right and proper to remember brothers; 1 Maccabees 12, verse 12. for we rejoice in your glory. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 13. But many troubles and many wars have surrounded us, and the kings around us have fought against us. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 14. We did not wish to trouble you and our other allies and friends with these wars. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 15. For we have had help from heaven assisting us, for we were freed from our enemies, and they were humbled. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 16. Therefore we chose Numenius son of Antiochus and Antipater son of Jason, and sent them to Rome to renew our former friendship and alliance with them. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 17. We also ordered them to go to you, to greet you and give you these letters from us concerning the renewal of our brotherhood. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 18. Now then, please send us a reply.” 1 Maccabees 12, verse 19. This is the copy of the letters they sent to Onias: 1 Maccabees 12, verse 20. “King Arius of the Spartans to Onias the high priest, greetings. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 21. It has been put in writing regarding both the Spartans and the Jews that they are brothers, and are both of the family of Abraham. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 22. So now that we know this, please write us concerning your welfare. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 23. Thus we are writing to you that your cattle and possessions are ours, and ours are yours. Therefore we order our ambassadors to report to you accordingly.”
Campaigns of Jonathan and Simon
1 Maccabees 12, verse 24. Then Jonathan heard the officers of Demetrius had come back with a larger army than before to make war against him. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 25. So he marched out of Jerusalem and engaged them in the area around Hamath, giving them no chance to invade his country. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 26. So he sent out spies to their encampment. They later returned and told him the army of Demetrius planned to attack the Jews at night. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 27. At sunset, Jonathan ordered those with him to stay awake and to be ready with their weapons for a fight during the night. Then he sent out an advance guard to surround the camp. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 28. When the enemy got word that Jonathan and his soldiers were ready for battle, they were terrified at heart. So they lit fires in their camp and fled. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 29. But Jonathan and his men did not know this until it was morning, for they saw the firelight. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 30. So Jonathan chased after them, but could not overtake them, because they crossed over the Eleutherus River. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 31. Then Jonathan turned aside against the Arabs, called Zabadeans, and struck them and took their spoils. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 32. He then broke camp and marched to Damascus and throughout all that country. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 33. Meanwhile, Simon went out and marched as far as Askelon and the fortresses nearby, and turned aside to Joppa and captured it. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 34. For he heard they wished to hand over the fortress to the men sent by Demetrius. So he established a garrison there to guard it. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 35. When Jonathan returned, he assembled the elders of the people. Together, they decided to build fortresses in Judea, 1 Maccabees 12, verse 36. and to make the walls of Jerusalem even higher, and raise a great high wall between the citadel and the city to separate it from the city, so it would be isolated and its garrison could not buy nor sell goods. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 37. So they assembled to rebuild the city and part of the wall on the valley to the east that had fallen; thus he repaired the wall that is called Chaphenatha. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 38. Simon also built Adida in the Shephelah. They fortified it and set up bolted gates.
Jonathan Captured, Troops Killed
1 Maccabees 12, verse 39. Then Trypho sought to rule Asia, to wear the crown, and to stretch forth his hand against King Antiochus. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 40. He also took precautions lest Jonathan would not permit it, but wage war against him. So seeking to capture and destroy him, he marched forth to Beth-shan. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 41. Then Jonathan went out to meet him with forty thousand soldiers chosen for battle, and he came to Beth-shan. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 42. When Trypho saw that he came with a large army, he was afraid to stretch forth his hand against him. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 43. So he received him honorably and met him with all his friends. He gave gifts to Jonathan, and ordered his friends and his own troops to obey him as himself. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 44. Then he said to Jonathan, “Why have you troubled all these men? We are not at war! 1 Maccabees 12, verse 45. Now send them home; but choose a few soldiers for yourself to be with you. Then come with me to Ptolemais, and I will give it over to you along with the rest of the fortresses and the remaining troops and officers. Then I will turn around and go home, for that is why I came here.” 1 Maccabees 12, verse 46. So Jonathan believed Trypho, and did as he had said and sent away the troops, who departed for the region of Judah. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 47. But he kept three thousand soldiers with him, two thousand of which he left in Galilee, and a thousand who went with him. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 48. But when Jonathan entered Ptolemais, the men of the city shut the gates and captured him, and they slew with the sword all who entered with him. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 49. Then Trypho sent soldiers and cavalry into Galilee and the Great Plain, to kill all Jonathan's men. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 50. But when the soldiers learned that Jonathan and those with him had been captured and killed, they encouraged each other to keep marching in close formation, ready for attack. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 51. But when the pursuers saw them ready to fight for their lives, they retreated. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 52. So they all came safely to the land of Judah and cried out for Jonathan and his men. They were exceedingly afraid, and all Israel mourned greatly. 1 Maccabees 12, verse 53. Then all the nations surrounding them tried to defeat them, saying, “There is none to lead them or to help them. Now then, let us wage war against them and erase them from memory.”