1 Then in the one hundred and sixtieth year, Alexander, the son of Antiochus Epiphanes, went forth and conquered Ptolemais. They made him welcome, and he reigned there.
2 But when Demetrius the king learned this, he gathered a huge army and went out to battle him.
3 Demetrius also sent a letter to Jonathan with peaceful words to flatter him.
4 For he said, “Let us act with foresight to make peace with him before he sides with Alexander against us.
5 For he will recall the evils we carried out against him, and against his brothers and his nation.”
6 So the king gave authority to Jonathan to assemble an army, prepare weapons, and be his ally. He also ordered the hostages in the citadel to be released to him.
7 Then Jonathan entered Jerusalem and read the letter in the presence of all the people and those in the citadel.
8 They were very frightened when they heard the king had given Jonathan authorization to assemble an army.
9 So the men in the citadel returned the hostages to Jonathan, and he brought them back to their parents.
10 Soon, Jonathan settled in Jerusalem and began to reconstruct the city.
11 He also told the workers to build the walls to surround Mount Zion with square-cut stones for fortification, which they did.
12 Then the foreigners who had been in their fortresses built by Bacchides fled.
13 Each one left his place and departed into his own land.
14 Only some in Beth-zur who had forsaken the law and the commandments remained, for it was a place of refuge.
15 When King Alexander heard about the proposals Demetrius had sent to Jonathan, and was told about the battles and the courageous deeds done by Jonathan and his brothers (as well as what they had suffered),
16 he said, “Where will we find another like this man? Let us make him our friend and our ally.”
17 So he wrote a letter and sent it to him, saying:
18 “Alexander the king to Jonathan his brother, greetings.
19 We have heard you are a mighty warrior and suitable to be our friend.
20 So now we appoint you today as high priest of your people and command that you be called a friend of the king (he also sent him a purple robe and a golden crown). We ask you to agree with our interests and maintain friendship with us.”
21 So Jonathan, in the seventh month of the one hundred and sixtieth year, put on the holy robe at the Feast of Tabernacles. Then he gathered an army and stockpiled many weapons.
22 When Demetrius heard these reports, he was disturbed and said,
23 “What is this that we have done? Alexander has upstaged us by forming a friendship with the Jews for support!
24 I also will write them words of encouragement and promise them glory and gifts, that they may be my support.”
25 So he sent them the following message: “King Demetrius to the nation of the Jews, greetings.
26 Since you have kept your agreements with us and maintained our friendship, and have not sided with our enemies, we have learned of this and rejoice.
27 Even now, do continue to keep faith with us, and we will repay you good things for your deeds.
28 We will grant you many prerogatives and give you gifts.
29 “At this time I am releasing and exempting all Jews from tribute and salt taxes and from crown levies.
30 Furthermore, instead of handing over to me a third of the harvest and half of the fruit of the trees, which I am due, I cancel them from this day forward and beyond. I will not extract them from those of Judah, nor from the three provinces annexed to them from Samaria and Galilee from now on.
31 In addition, let Jerusalem and her vicinities be set apart and released from tithes and taxes.
32 I am also releasing my control of the citadel in Jerusalem, and I give it to the high priest, that he may place men in it whom he himself chooses to guard it.
33 So every soul of the Jews taken captive from the land of Judah into all my kingdom I release freely without payment. Let all officials also cancel the duties on their livestock.
34 “Moreover, all the feasts, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed days, as well as the three days prior to the feast and three after the feast, let all these days be established as exempt and released for the Jews in my kingdom.
35 No one will have the power to exact anything from them or to trouble any of them about anything.
36 “Let the number of Jews in the army of the king be limited to thirty thousand men, and let the stipend that is due to all the troops of the king be paid to them.
37 Some of them are to be established in the great fortresses of the king, and some are to be set in positions of trust wherever the kingdom has need. Let their officers and leaders be taken from them, and let them live by their own laws, as the king commanded in the land of Judah.
38 “As for the three provinces added to Judea from the country of Samaria, let them be considered as one, so it may not be subject to any other authority than the high priest.
39 I have given Ptolemais and the land adjoining it as gifts to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, for regular expenses in the sanctuary.
40 I also grant fifteen thousand silver shekels yearly out of the king's revenues from the appropriate places.
41 Even all the surplus the officials did not pay as in the first years, from now on they will give for the works of the temple.
42 Moreover, the five thousand shekels of silver which the officials received every year from the incomes of the sanctuary, these are also cancelled, because they belong to the priests who minister there.
43 Further, whoever takes refuge at the temple in Jerusalem or in any of its vicinities because he owes a royal payment or any debt, let him be released and receive back all his property in my kingdom.
44 “The expense of rebuilding and restoring the structures of the sanctuary is also to be paid from the king's revenue.
45 Then too, the expenses of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and the fortifications around it are to be paid from the king's revenue, and also the rebuilding of the walls in Judea.”
46 But when Jonathan and the people heard these words, they did not believe or accept them, because they remembered the great wrongs Demetrius had done in Israel and how badly he had afflicted them.
47 So they favored Alexander, because he was the first to offer peaceable words to them; therefore, they remained allied with him all his days.
48 Now King Alexander assembled a large army and took position opposite Demetrius.
49 The two kings met in battle, and the army of Demetrius fled. Alexander took pursuit and defeated them. 50He fought very hard until sunset, and Demetrius fell on that day.
51 Then Alexander sent envoys to Ptolemy the king of Egypt with the following message:
52 “Since I returned to my kingdom and have taken the throne of my fathers and established my rule (for I defeated Demetrius and secured control of my country;
53 I faced him in war and he and his forces were destroyed by us; and we indeed have sat down upon the throne of his kingdom),
54 now let us build a friendship with each other. Give me your daughter in marriage, and I will become your son-in-law. I will give you gifts worthy of both you and her.”
55 Then Ptolemy the king answered, saying: “It was a good day when you went back to your fathers’ homeland and occupied the throne of their kingdom.
56 Now I will do for you what you requested, so meet me at Ptolemais, that we might see each other; and I will be your father-in-law, as you asked.”
57 Then Ptolemy left Egypt along with his daughter Cleopatra, and reached Ptolemais in the one hundred and sixty-second year.
58 King Alexander met him there, and Ptolemy gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage. He celebrated her wedding in Ptolemais with great pageantry, in royal manner.
59 Then King Alexander wrote for Jonathan to meet him.
60 So he journeyed with splendor to Ptolemais and there met the two monarchs. He offered them silver and gold, and gave their friends numerous gifts. Thus he found favor with them.
61 Then some troublemakers from Israel, lawless men, also gathered against Jonathan to accuse him, but the king paid no attention to them.
62 The king then gave command to remove Jonathan's clothes and robe him in purple; and they did.
63 Then the king seated him with himself and said to his leaders, “Go out with him into the midst of the city and proclaim that no one should accuse him concerning any matter; and let no one trouble him for any cause.”
64 So it was that when his accusers saw the honor given him according to the proclamation, and saw him robed in purple, they fled.
65 Thus the king honored him and inscribed him among his close friends. He also appointed him general and provincial governor.
66 Then Jonathan departed to Jerusalem with peace and gladness of heart.
67 Now in the one hundred and sixty-fifth year, Demetrius, the son of Demetrius, traveled from Crete to the land of his fathers.
68 When King Alexander heard it, he was very distressed and went back to Antioch.
69 Then Demetrius appointed Apollonius governor of Coele-Syria. Apollonius gathered a large army and marched against Jamnia. He sent word to Jonathan the high priest, saying:
70 “You alone rose up against us, but I was ridiculed and disgraced because of you. Why do you maintain authority over us in the hill country?
71 Now therefore, if you trust in your army, come down against us in the plain, and let us judge together for ourselves there, for I have an army of the cities.
72 Inquire and learn who I am, and the others who help us. They tell us there is no place for your foot to stand before us, because your fathers were put to flight twice in their land.
73 Even now, you shall not be able to withstand such a cavalry and army in the plain, where there is neither stone nor pebble nor any place to flee.”
74 But when Jonathan heard the words of Apollonius, he was moved to action. He chose ten thousand men and departed from Jerusalem, and his brother Simon joined to help him.
75 He took up a position at Joppa, but the men of that city shut its gates; for Apollonius had a band of soldiers in Joppa. So Jonathan attacked them.
76 Then the men of Joppa became fearful and opened the gates; and Jonathan captured Joppa.
77 When Apollonius got word of it, he gathered three thousand cavalry and a sizable army and marched into Azotus, as though he were going beyond. But he went ahead into the plain, since he had a large cavalry and trusted in it.
78 Jonathan chased him to Azotus, and there the armies joined in battle.
79 But Apollonius secretly had left a thousand cavalry behind.
80 Jonathan discovered there was an ambush behind him, for they encircled his army and shot arrows at his troops from morning till sundown.
81 But his army stood their ground, as Jonathan had ordered, and their cavalry grew tired.
82 Then Simon brought in his army and confronted the phalanx in battle (for the cavalry had grown tired); and they were crushed by him and fled.
83 When the cavalry was scattered on the plain, they retreated to Azotus, entering Beth-dagon, their pagan temple, to hide.
84 Then Jonathan set Azotus and the surrounding cities on fire and took spoils from them. The temple of Dagon and those who took refuge in it were burned up in the fire.
85 So eight thousand men fell by the sword along with those who were killed by the fire.
86 Then Jonathan left there and camped opposite Ashkelon, and the men of the city came out with great ceremony to meet him.
87 Jonathan and the men with him later went back to Jerusalem with many spoils.
88 Thus when King Alexander heard these reports, he proceeded to honor Jonathan again.
89 So he sent him a golden buckle, as was customary to give to the relatives of kings. He also gave to him Ekron and all its regions as his possession.