1 Mac 10:17 Upon this he wrote a letter, and sent it unto him, according to these words, saying,

1 Mac 10:18 King Alexander to his brother Jonathan sendeth greeting:

1 Mac 10:19 We have heard of thee, that thou art a man of great power, and meet to be our friend.

1 Mac 10:20 Wherefore now this day we ordain thee to be the high priest of thy nation, and to be called the king's friend; (and therewithal he sent him a purple robe and a crown of gold:) and require thee to take our part, and keep friendship with us.

1 Mac 10:21 So in the seventh month of the hundred and sixtieth year, at the feast of the tabernacles, Jonathan put on the holy robe, and gathered together forces, and provided much armour.

1 Mac 10:22 Whereof when Demetrius heard, he was very sorry, and said,

1 Mac 10:23 What have we done, that Alexander hath prevented us in making amity with the Jews to strengthen himself?

1 Mac 10:24 I also will write unto them words of encouragement, and promise them dignities and gifts, that I may have their aid.

1 Mac 10:25 He sent unto them therefore to this effect: King Demetrius unto the people of the Jews sendeth greeting:

1 Mac 10:26 Whereas ye have kept covenants with us, and continued in our friendship, not joining yourselves with our enemies, we have heard hereof, and are glad.

1 Mac 10:27 Wherefore now continue ye still to be faithful unto us, and we will well recompense you for the things ye do in our behalf,

1 Mac 10:28 And will grant you many immunities, and give you rewards.

1 Mac 10:29 And now do I free you, and for your sake I release all the Jews, from tributes, and from the customs of salt, and from crown taxes,

1 Mac 10:30 And from that which appertaineth unto me to receive for the third part or the seed, and the half of the fruit of the trees, I release it from this day forth, so that they shall not be taken of the land of Judea, nor of the three governments which are added thereunto out of the country of Samaria and Galilee, from this day forth for evermore.

1 Mac 10:31 Let Jerusalem also be holy and free, with the borders thereof, both from tenths and tributes.

1 Mac 10:32 And as for the tower which is at Jerusalem, I yield up authority over it, and give the high priest, that he may set in it such men as he shall choose to keep it.

1 Mac 10:33 Moreover I freely set at liberty every one of the Jews, that were carried captives out of the land of Judea into any part of my kingdom, and I will that all my officers remit the tributes even of their cattle.

1 Mac 10:34 Furthermore I will that all the feasts, and sabbaths, and new moons, and solemn days, and the three days before the feast, and the three days after the feast shall be all of immunity and freedom for all the Jews in my realm.

1 Mac 10:35 Also no man shall have authority to meddle with or to molest any of them in any matter.

1 Mac 10:36 I will further, that there be enrolled among the king's forces about thirty thousand men of the Jews, unto whom pay shall be given, as belongeth to all king's forces.

1 Mac 10:37 And of them some shall be placed in the king's strong holds, of whom also some shall be set over the affairs of the kingdom, which are of trust: and I will that their overseers and governors be of themselves, and that they live after their own laws, even as the king hath commanded in the land of Judea.

1 Mac 10:38 And concerning the three governments that are added to Judea from the country of Samaria, let them be joined with Judea, that they may be reckoned to be under one, nor bound to obey other authority than the high priest's.

1 Mac 10:39 As for Ptolemais, and the land pertaining thereto, I give it as a free gift to the sanctuary at Jerusalem for the necessary expences of the sanctuary.

1 Mac 10:40 Moreover I give every year fifteen thousand shekels of silver out of the king's accounts from the places appertaining.

1 Mac 10:41 And all the overplus, which the officers payed not in as in former time, from henceforth shall be given toward the works of the temple.

1 Mac 10:42 And beside this, the five thousand shekels of silver, which they took from the uses of the temple out of the accounts year by year, even those things shall be released, because they appertain to the priests that minister.

1 Mac 10:43 And whosoever they be that flee unto the temple at Jerusalem, or be within the liberties hereof, being indebted unto the king, or for any other matter, let them be at liberty, and all that they have in my realm.

1 Mac 10:44 For the building also and repairing of the works of the sanctuary expences shall be given of the king's accounts.

1 Mac 10:45 Yea, and for the building of the walls of Jerusalem, and the fortifying thereof round about, expences shall be given out of the king's accounts, as also for the building of the walls in Judea.

1 Mac 10:46 Now when Jonathan and the people heard these words, they gave no credit unto them, nor received them, because they remembered the great evil that he had done in Israel; for he had afflicted them very sore.

1 Mac 10:47 But with Alexander they were well pleased, because he was the first that entreated of true peace with them, and they were confederate with him always.

1 Mac 10:48 Then gathered king Alexander great forces, and camped over against Demetrius.

1 Mac 10:49 And after the two kings had joined battle, Demetrius' host fled: but Alexander followed after him, and prevailed against them.

1 Mac 10:50 And he continued the battle very sore until the sun went down: and that day was Demetrius slain.

1 Mac 10:51 Afterward Alexander sent amba.s.sadors to Ptolemee king of Egypt with a message to this effect:

1 Mac 10:52 Forasmuch as I am come again to my realm, and am set in the throne of my progenitors, and have gotten the dominion, and overthrown Demetrius, and recovered our country;

1 Mac 10:53 For after I had joined battle with him, both he and his host was discomfited by us, so that we sit in the throne of his kingdom:

1 Mac 10:54 Now therefore let us make a league of amity together, and give me now thy daughter to wife: and I will be thy son in law, and will give both thee and her as according to thy dignity.

1 Mac 10:55 Then Ptolemee the king gave answer, saying, Happy be the day wherein thou didst return into the land of thy fathers, and satest in the throne of their kingdom.

1 Mac 10:56 And now will I do to thee, as thou hast written: meet me therefore at Ptolemais, that we may see one another; for I will marry my daughter to thee according to thy desire.

1 Mac 10:57 So Ptolemee went out of Egypt with his daughter Cleopatra, and they came unto Ptolemais in the hundred threescore and second year:

1 Mac 10:58 Where king Alexander meeting him, he gave unto him his daughter Cleopatra, and celebrated her marriage at Ptolemais with great glory, as the manner of kings is.

1 Mac 10:59 Now king Alexander had written unto Jonathan, that he should come and meet him.

1 Mac 10:60 Who thereupon went honourably to Ptolemais, where he met the two kings, and gave them and their friends silver and gold, and many presents, and found favour in their sight.

1 Mac 10:61 At that time certain pestilent fellows of Israel, men of a wicked life, a.s.sembled themselves against him, to accuse him: but the king would not hear them.

1 Mac 10:62 Yea more than that, the king commanded to take off his garments, and clothe him in purple: and they did so.

1 Mac 10:63 And he made him sit by himself, and said into his princes, Go with him into the midst of the city, and make proclamation, that no man complain against him of any matter, and that no man trouble him for any manner of cause.

1 Mac 10:64 Now when his accusers saw that he was honored according to the proclamation, and clothed in purple, they fled all away.

1 Mac 10:65 So the king honoured him, and wrote him among his chief friends, and made him a duke, and partaker of his dominion.

1 Mac 10:66 Afterward Jonathan returned to Jerusalem with peace and gladness.