A Tribute to Simon
1 Maccabees 14, verse 1. Then in the one hundred and seventy-second year, King Demetrius gathered his troops and went into Media to enlist help for himself to wage war against Trypho. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 2. When Arsaces, king of Persia and Media, learned that Demetrius had entered his borders, he sent one of his officers to capture him alive. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 3. So he set out and attacked the camp of Demetrius, and captured him and brought him to Arsaces, who put him in prison. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 4. The land of Judah was peaceful all the days of Simon, And he sought the good of his nation, And his leadership and his glory pleased them all his days. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 5. Then in all his glory he took Joppa for a harbor And made an entrance to the islands of the sea. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 6. He enlarged his nation's borders And gained control of his country. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 7. He also gathered many captives And ruled Gazara and Beth-zur and the citadel. When he removed from it the uncleanness, No one opposed him. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 8. They farmed their land in peace, And the land gave forth its produce, And the trees of the plain their fruit. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 9. Elders sat in the streets, Talking together of good things; And the young men wore the glories and apparel of war. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 10. He supplied the cities with food And furnished them with weapons of defense, Until his fame spread to the ends of the earth. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 11. He established peace in the land, And Israel rejoiced with great delight. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 12. Each one sat under his vine and fig tree, And no one made them afraid. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 13. He caused war to cease in the land, And kings were defeated in those days. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 14. He fortified all the humble among his people; He demanded adherence to the law And removed all the lawless and evil men. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 15. He beautified the sanctuary And multiplied the vessels of the sanctuary.
Alliances Renewed with Rome and Sparta
1 Maccabees 14, verse 16. When it was heard in Rome and as far away as Sparta that Jonathan had died, they were in great sorrow. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 17. But when they heard that his brother Simon had been made high priest in his place and was ruling over the land and the cities in it, 1 Maccabees 14, verse 18. they wrote to him on bronze plaques to renew the friendship and alliance they had built with him and with his brothers Judas and Jonathan. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 19. These tablets were read before all the people gathered in Jerusalem. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 20. This is a copy of the letters the Spartans sent: “The leaders and the city of the Spartans, to Simon, the high priest, and the elders and the priests, and to all the Jewish people, our brothers, greetings. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 21. The ambassadors who were sent by you to our people told us about your glory and honor, and we were overjoyed at their coming. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 22. So we recorded what was said by them in our public decrees as follows: ‘Numenius, son of Antiochus, and Antipater, the son of Jason, ambassadors of the Jews, came to renew their friendship with us. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 23. Our citizens were pleased to receive them honorably and to place a copy of their words in the public archives, so the people of the Spartans might have a record of them. They also sent a copy of this to Simon the high priest.’” 1 Maccabees 14, verse 24. Later, Simon dispatched Numenius to Rome with a large gold shield that weighed a thousand minas, to verify the alliance with them.
A Bronze Plaque for Simon
1 Maccabees 14, verse 25. The people heard these words and they said, “How can we show our gratitude to Simon and his sons? 1 Maccabees 14, verse 26. For he, his brothers, and his father's house stood strong and waged war with the enemies of Israel by themselves, and secured her freedom.” So they wrote these words on bronze tablets and put them on the pillars on Mount Zion, 1 Maccabees 14, verse 27. and this is a copy of what they wrote: “On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the hundred and seventy-second year, which is the third year of the great high priest Simon in the court of God's people, 1 Maccabees 14, verse 28. at the large gathering of the priests and people and the rulers of the nation and the elders of the land, the following was made known to us: 1 Maccabees 14, verse 29. “Since there have often been wars in the country, Simon the son of Mattathias, priest of the sons of Joarib, with his brothers, placed themselves at risk and opposed their nation's adversaries, so their sanctuary and the law would be protected; and they honored their nation with great glory. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 30. Jonathan also rallied their nation, was made their high priest, and was brought before his people. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 31. When their adversaries chose to invade their country and seize their sanctuary, 1 Maccabees 14, verse 32. Simon set out to wage war for his country. He spent large amounts of his own money, and supplied weapons to the soldiers in his nation's army, and paid them wages. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 33. Thus he strengthened the cities of Judea, and Beth-zur on the boundary of Judea, where the weapons of the enemy were kept; and he established there a garrison of Jews. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 34. He also strengthened Joppa by the sea and Gazara on the boundary of Azotus, where the enemy had previously lived. He moved the Jews there and supplied them with whatever they needed for their welfare. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 35. “When the people saw Simon's dependability and the glory he was committed to bring to his nation, they chose him as their ruler and high priest, because he did all these things and because of the righteousness and good faith he kept toward his nation. In every way he tried to honor his people. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 36. Under his rule, everything he touched prospered, and he drove out the Gentiles from the land. The men in the city of David in Jerusalem had made a citadel for themselves, from which they went out and defiled the vicinity of the sanctuary and caused great harm to its purity. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 37. Then he settled Jews in it and strengthened it for the security of the country and the city, and built up the walls of Jerusalem to greater heights. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 38. “In light of these accomplishments, King Demetrius established him in the high priesthood. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 39. He also made him one of his friends and showed him great honor. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 40. For he heard the Jews were called friends, allies, and brothers by the Romans and that they had received Simon's ambassadors with honor. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 41. “Thus the Jews and the priests were pleased that Simon should be their ruler and high priest forever, until a faithful prophet should arise. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 42. They were also pleased that he should be their governor, and take responsibility for the sanctuary and choose workers to meet its needs, and to look after the country, the weapons and the fortresses. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 43. Indeed they decided he should look after the sanctuary and be obeyed by all, that all the contracts of the nation should be drafted with his signature, and that he should be vested in purple and gold. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 44. “None of the people or the priests were to be allowed to repeal any of these things, or say anything in opposition to him, or hold an assembly of the people without him, or be clothed in purple, or wear a gold buckle. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 45. Anyone who should do anything contrary to these decisions or nullify any of them was to be held liable. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 46. “All the people resolved that Simon should act according to these decisions. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 47. So Simon consented, agreeing to become high priest, and to be the governor and ethnarch of the Jews and priests and the guardian of all.” 1 Maccabees 14, verse 48. They commanded that this decree be inscribed on bronze tablets and be put in a public place near the sanctuary. 1 Maccabees 14, verse 49. Copies were also placed in the treasury, accessible to Simon and his sons.