Demetrius is taken by the king of Persia. Judea flourishes under the government of Simon.

 1 In the year one hundred and seventy-two, king Demetrius assembled his army, and went into Media to get him succours to fight against Tryphon.
Anno centesimo septuagesimo secundo, congregavit rex Demetrius exercitum suum, et abiit in Mediam ad contrahenda sibi auxilia, ut expugnaret Tryphonem.

 2 And Arsaces the king of Persia and Media heard that Demetrius was entered within his borders, and he sent one of his princes to take him alive, and bring him to him.
Et audivit Arsaces rex Persidis et Mediae, quia intravit Demetrius confines suos : et misit unum de principibus suis ut comprehenderet eum vivum, et adduceret eum ad se.

 3 And he went and defeated the army of Demetrius: and took him, and brought him to Arsaces, and he put him into custody.
Et abiit, et percussit castra Demetrii : et comprehendit eum, et duxit eum ad Arsacem, et posuit eum in custodiam.

 4 And all the land of Juda was at rest all the days of Simon, and he sought the good of his nation: and his power, and his glory pleased them well all his days.
Et siluit omnis terra Juda omnibus diebus Simonis, et quaesivit bona genti suae : et placuit illis potestas ejus et gloria ejus omnibus diebus.

 5 And with all his glory he took Joppe for a haven, and made an entrance to the isles of the sea.
Et cum omni gloria sua accepit Joppen in portum, et fecit introitum in insulis maris.

 6 And he enlarged the bounds of his nation, and made himself master of the country.
Et dilatavit fines gentis suae, et obtinuit regionem.

 7 And he gathered together a great number of captives, and had the dominion of Gazara, and of Bethsura, and of the castle: and took away all uncleanness out of it and there was none that resisted him.
Et congregavit captivitatem multam, et dominatus est Gazarae, et Bethsurae, et arci : et abstulit immunditias ex ea, et non erat qui resisteret ei.

 8 And every man tilled his land with peace: and the land of Juda yielded her increase, and the trees of the fields their fruit.
Et unusquisque colebat terram suam cum pace : et terra Juda dabat fructus suos, et ligna camporum fructum suum.

 9 The ancient men sat all in the streets, and treated together of the good things of the land, and the young men put on them glory, and the robes of war.
Seniores in plateis sedebant omnes, et de bonis terrae tractabant, et juvenes induebant se gloriam, et stolas belli.

 10 And he provided victuals for the cities, and he appointed that they should be furnished with ammunition, so that the fame of his glory was renowned even to the end of the earth.
Et civitatibus tribuebat alimonias, et constituebat eas ut essent vasa munitionis quoadusque nominatum est nomen gloriae ejus usque ad extremum terrae.

 11 He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy.
Fecit pacem super terram, et laetatus est Israel laetitia magna.

 12 And every man sat under his vine, and under his fig tree: and there was none to make them afraid.
Et sedit unusquisque sub vite sua, et sub ficulnea sua : et non erat qui eos terreret.

 13 There was none left in the land to fight against them: kings were discomfited in those days.
Defecit impugnans eos super terram : reges contriti sunt in diebus illis.

 14 And he strengthened all those of his people that were brought low, and he sought the law, and took away every unjust and wicked man.
Et confirmavit omnes humiles populi sui, et legem exquisivit, et abstulit omnem iniquum et malum :

 15 He glorified the sanctuary, and multiplied the vessels of the holy places.
sancta glorificavit, et multiplicavit vasa sanctorum.

 16 And it was heard at Rome, and as far as Sparta, that Jonathan was dead: and they were very sorry.
Et auditum est Romae quia defunctus esset Jonathas, et usque in Spartiatas : et contristati sunt valde.

 17 But when they heard that Simon his brother was made high priest in his place, and was possessed of all the country, and the cities therein:
Ut audierunt autem quod Simon frater ejus factus esset summus sacerdos loco ejus, et ipse obtineret omnem regionem, et civitates in ea,

 18 They wrote to him in tables of brass, to renew the friendship and alliance which they had made with Judas, and with Jonathan his brethren.
scripserunt ad eum in tabulis aereis, ut renovarent amicitias et societatem quam fecerant cum Juda et cum Jonatha, fratribus ejus.

 19 And they were read before the assembly in Jerusalem. And this is the copy of the letters that the Spartans sent.
Et lectae sunt in conspectu ecclesiae in Jerusalem. Et hoc exemplum epistolarum, quas Spartiatae miserunt :

 20 The princes and the cities of the Spartans to Simon the high priest, and to the ancients, and the priests, and the rest of the people of the Jews their brethren, greeting.
Spartianorum principes et civitates, Simoni sacerdoti magno, et senioribus, et sacerdotibus, et reliquo populo Judaeorum, fratribus, salutem.

 21 The ambassadors that were sent to our people, have told us of your glory, and honour, and joy: and we rejoice at their coming.
Legati, qui missi sunt ad populum nostrum, nuntiaverunt nobis de vestra gloria, et honore, ac laetitia : et gavisi sumus in introitu eorum.

 22 And we registered what was said by them in the councils of the people in this manner: Numenius the son of Antiochus, and Antipater the son of Jason, ambassadors of the Jews, came to us to renew the former friendship with us.
Et scripsimus quae ab eis erant dicta in conciliis populi, sic : Numenius Antiochi, et Antipater Jasonis filius, legati Judaeorum, venerunt ad nos, renovantes nobiscum amicitiam pristinam.

 23 And it pleased the people to receive the men honourably, and to put a copy of their words in the public records, to be a memorial to the people of the Spartans. And we have written a copy of them to Simon the high priest.
Et placuit populo excipere viros gloriose, et ponere exemplum sermonum eorum in segregatis populi libris, ut sit ad memoriam populo Spartiatarum. Exemplum autem horum scripsimus Simoni magno sacerdoti.

 24 And after this Simon sent Numenius to Rome, with a great shield of gold the weight of a thousand pounds, to confirm the league with them. And when the people of Rome had heard
Post haec autem misit Simon Numenium Romam, habentem clypeum aureum magnum, pondo mnarum mille, ad statuendam cum eis societatem. Cum autem audisset populus Romanus

 25 These words, they said: What thanks shall we give to Simon, and his sons?
sermones istos, dixerunt : Quam gratiarum actionem reddemus Simoni, et filiis ejus?

 26 For he hath restored his brethren, and hath driven away in fight the enemies of Israel from them: and they decreed him liberty, and registered it in tables of brass, and set it upon pillars in mount Sion.
restituit enim ipse fratres suos, et expugnavit inimicos Israel ab eis, et statuerunt ei libertatem, et descripserunt in tabulis aereis, et posuerunt in titulis in monte Sion.

 27 And this is a copy of the writing: The eighteenth day of the month Elul, in the year one hundred and seventy-two, being the third year under Simon the high priest at Asaramel,
Et hoc est exemplum scripturae : Octavadecima die mensis Elul, anno centesimo septuagesimo secundo, anno tertio sub Simone sacerdote magno in Asaramel,

 28 In a great assembly of the priests, and of the people, and the princes of the nation, and the ancients of the country, these things were notified: Forasmuch as there have often been wars in our country,
in conventu magno sacerdotum, et populi, et principum gentis, et seniorum regionis, nota facta sunt haec : quoniam frequenter facta sunt praelia in regione nostra,

 29 And Simon the son of Mathathias of the children of Jarib, and his brethren have put themselves in danger, and have resisted the enemies of their nation, for the maintenance of their holy places, and the law: and have raised their nation to great glory.
Simon autem Mathathiae filius, ex filiis Jarib, et fratres ejus, dederunt se periculo, et restiterunt adversariis gentis suae, ut starent sancta ipsorum, et lex : et gloria magna glorificaverunt gentem suam.

 30 And Jonathan gathered together his nation, and was made their high priest, and he was laid to his people.
Et congregavit Jonathas gentem suam, et factus est illis sacerdos magnus, et appositus est ad populum suum.

 31 And their enemies desired to tread down and destroy their country, and to stretch forth their hands against their holy places.
Et voluerunt inimici eorum calcare et atterere regionem ipsorum, et extendere manus in sancta eorum.

 32 Then Simon resisted and fought for his nation, and laid out much of his money, and armed the valiant men of his nation, and gave them wages:
Tunc restitit Simon, et pugnavit pro gente sua, et erogavit pecunias multas, et armavit viros virtutis gentis suae, et dedit illis stipendia :

 33 And he fortified the cities of Judea, and Bethsura that lieth in the borders of Judea, where the armour of the enemies was before: and he placed there a garrison of Jews.
et munivit civitates Judaeae, et Bethsuram, quae erat in finibus Judaeae, ubi erant arma hostium antea : et posuit illic praesidium viros Judaeos.

 34 And he fortified Joppe which lieth by the sea: and Gazara, which bordereth upon Azotus, wherein the enemies dwelt before, and he placed Jews here: and furnished them with all things convenient for their reparation.
Et Joppen munivit, quae erat ad mare, et Gazaram, quae est in finibus Azoti, in qua hostes antea habitabant : et collocavit illic Judaeos, et quaecumque apta erant ad correptionem eorum, posuit in eis.

 35 And the people seeing the acts of Simon, and to what glory he meant to bring his nation, made him their prince, and high priest, because he had done all these things, and for the justice, and faith, which he kept to his nation, and for that he sought by all means to advance his people.
Et vidit populus actum Simonis, et gloriam quam cogitabat facere genti suae, et posuerunt eum ducem suum, et principem sacerdotum, eo quod ipse fecerat haec omnia, et justitiam, et fidem, quam conservavit genti suae, et exquisivit omni modo exaltare populum suum.

 36 And in his days things prospered in his hands, so that the heathens were taken away out of their country, and they also that were in the city of David in Jerusalem in the castle, out of which they issued forth, and profaned all places round about the sanctuary, and did much evil to its purity.
Et in diebus ejus prosperatum est in manibus ejus, ut tollerentur gentes de regione ipsorum, et qui in civitate David erant, in Jerusalem in arce, de qua procedebant, et contaminabant omnia quae in circuitu sanctorum sunt, et inferebant plagam magnam castitati :

 37 And he placed therein Jews for the defence of the country, and of the city, and he raised up the walls of Jerusalem.
et collocavit in ea viros Judaeos ad tutamentum regionis, et civitatis, et exaltavit muros Jerusalem.

 38 And king Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood.
Et rex Demetrius statuit illi summum sacerdotium.

 39 According to these things he made him his friend, and glorified him with great glory.
Secundum haec fecit eum amicum suum, et glorificavit eum gloria magna.

 40 For he had heard that the Romans had called the Jews their friends, and confederates, and brethren, and that they had received Simon's ambassadors with honour:
Audivit enim quod appellati sunt Judaei a Romanis amici, et socii, et fratres, et quia susceperunt legatos Simonis gloriose,

 41 And that the Jews, and their priests, had consented that he should be their prince, and high priest for ever, till there should arise a faithful prophet:
et quia Judaei et sacerdotes eorum consenserunt eum esse ducem suum, et summum sacerdotem in aeternum, donec surgat propheta fidelis :

 42 And that he should be chief over them, and that he should have the charge of the sanctuary, and that he should appoint rulers over their works, and over the country, and over the armour, and over the strong holds.
et ut sit super eos dux, et ut cura esset illi pro sanctis, et ut constitueret praepositos super opera eorum, et super regionem, et super arma, et super praesidia :

 43 And that he should have care of the holy places: and that he should be obeyed by all, and that all the writings in the country should be made in his name: and that he should be clothed with purple, and gold:
et cura sit illi de sanctis : et ut audiatur ab omnibus, et scribantur in nomine ejus omnes conscriptiones in regione : et ut operiatur purpura et auro :

 44 And that it should not be lawful for any of the people, or of the priests, to disannul any of these things, or to gainsay his words, or to call together an assembly in the country without him: or to be clothed with purple, or to wear a buckle of gold:
et ne liceat ulli ex populo et ex sacerdotibus irritum facere aliquid horum, et contradicere his quae ab eo dicuntur, aut convocare conventum in regione sine ipso, et vestiri purpura, et uti fibula aurea :

 45 And whosoever shall do otherwise, or shall make void any of these things shall be punished.
qui autem fecerit extra haec, aut irritum fecerit aliquid horum, reus erit.

 46 And it pleased all the people to establish Simon, and to do according to these words.
Et complacuit omni populo statuere Simonem, et facere secundum verba ista.

 47 And Simon accepted thereof, and was well pleased to execute the office of the high priesthood, and to be captain, and prince of the nation of the Jews, and of the priests, and to be chief over all.
Et suscepit Simon, et placuit ei ut summo sacerdotio fungeretur, et esset dux et princeps gentis Judaeorum, et sacerdotum, et praeesset omnibus.

 48 And they commanded that this writing should be put in tables of brass, and that they should be set up within the compass of the sanctuary, in a conspicuous place:
Et scripturam istam dixerunt ponere in tabulis aereis, et ponere eas in peribolo sanctorum, in loco celebri :

 49 And that a copy thereof should be put in the treasury, that Simon and his sons may have it.
exemplum autem eorum ponere in aerario, ut habeat Simon, et filii ejus.