NOW in the hundred threescore and twelfth year King Demetrius gathered his forces together, and went into Madai to get him help to fight against Tryphon.
But when Arsakes, the king of Persia and Madai, heard that Demetrius was entered within his borders, he sent one of his princes to take him alive:
Who went and smote the host of Demetrius, and took him, and brought him to Arsakes, by whom he was put in ward.
As for the land of Yahudah, that was quiet all the days of Shim`on; for he sought the good of his nation in such wise, as that evermore his authority and honor pleased them well.
And as he was honorable in all his acts, so in this, that he took Yapho for a haven, and made an entrance to the isles of the sea,
And enlarged the bounds of his nation, and recovered the country,
And gathered together a great number of captives, and had the dominion of Gazzam, and Beyt Sura, and the tower, out of the which he took all uncleaness, neither was there any that resisted him.
Then did they till their ground in peace, and the earth gave her increase, and the trees of the field their fruit.
The ancient men sat all in the streets, communing together of good things, and the young men put on glorious and warlike apparel.
He provided victuals for the cities, and set in them all manner of munition, so that his honorable name was renowned unto the end of the world.
He made peace in the land, and Yashar'el rejoiced with great joy:
For every man sat under his vine and his fig tree, and there was none to fray them:
Neither was there any left in the land to fight against them: yea, the kings themselves were overthrown in those days.
Moreover he strengthened all those of his people that were brought low: the Torah he searched out; and every contemner of the Torah and wicked person he took away.
He beautified the sanctuary, and multiplied vessels of the Temple.
Now when it was heard at Rome, and as far as Sparta, that Yonathan was dead, they were very sorry.
But as soon as they heard that his brother Shim`on was made high priest in his stead, and ruled the country, and the cities therein:
They wrote unto him in tables of brass, to renew the friendship and league which they had made with Yahudah and Yonathan his brethren:
Which writings were read before the assembly at Yerushalayim.
And this is the copy of the cepheriym that the Lacedaemonians sent; The rulers of the Lacedaemonians, with the city, unto Shim`on the high priest, and the elders, and priests, and remnant of the people of the Yahudiym, our brethren, send greeting:
The ambassadors that were sent unto our people certified us of your glory and honor: wherefore we were glad of their coming,
And did register the things that they spoke in the council of the people in this manner; Numenius son of Antiochus, and Antipater son of Yacon, the Yahudiym's ambassadors, came unto us to renew the friendship they had with us.
And it pleased the people to entertain the men honorably, and to put the copy of their ambassage in public records, to the end the people of the Lacedaemonians might have a memorial thereof: furthermore we have written a copy thereof unto Shim`on the high priest.
After this Shim`on sent Numenius to Rome with a great shield of gold of a thousand pound weight to confirm the league with them.
Whereof when the people heard, they said, What thanks shall we give to Shim`on and his sons?
For he and his brethren and the house of his father have established Yashar'el, and chased away in fight their enemies from them, and confirmed their liberty.
So then they wrote it in tables of brass, which they set upon pillars in Mount Tsiyon: and this is the copy of the writing; The eighteenth day of the month Elul, in the hundred threescore and twelfth year, being the third year of Shim`on the high priest,
At Saram'el in the great assembly of the priests, and people, and rulers of the nation, and elders of the country, were these things notified unto us.
Forasmuch as oftentimes there have been wars in the country, wherein for the maintenance of their sanctuary, and the Torah, Shim`on the son of Mattithyahu, of the posterity of Yariyv, together with his brethren, put themselves in jeopardy, and resisting the enemies of their nation did their nation great honor:
(For after that Yonathan, having gathered his nation together, and been their high priest, was added to his people,
Their enemies prepared to invade their country, that they might destroy it, and lay hands on the sanctuary:
At which time Shim'on rose up, and fought for his nation, and spent much of his own substance, and armed the valiant men of his nation and gave them wages,
And fortified the cities of Yahudah, together with Beyt Sura, that lies upon the borders of Yahudah, where the armor of the enemies had been before; but he set a garrison of Yahudiym there:
Moreover he fortified Yapho, which lies upon the sea, and Gazzam, that borders upon Ashdod, where the enemies had dwelt before: but he placed Yahudiym there, and furnished them with all things convenient for the reparation thereof.
The people therefore sang the acts of Shim`on, and unto what glory he thought to bring his nation, made him their governor and chief 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 exalt his people.
For in his time things prospered in his hands, so that the heathen were taken out of their country, and they also that were in the city of David in Yerushalayim, who had made themselves a tower, out of which they issued, and polluted all about the sanctuary, and did much hurt in the holy place:
But he placed Yahudiym therein. and fortified it for the safety of the country and the city, and raised up the walls of Yerushalayim.
King Demetrius also confirmed him in the high priesthood according to those things,
And made him one of his friends, and honored him with great honor.
For he had heard say, that the Romaiym had called the Yahudiym their friends and confederates and brethren; and that they had entertained the ambassadors of Shim`on honorably;
Also that the Yahudiym and priests were well pleased that Shim`on should be their governor and high priest forever, until there should arise a faithful prophet;
Moreover that he should be their captain, and should take charge of the sanctuary, to set them over their works, and over the country, and over the armor, and over the fortresses, that, I say, he should take charge of the sanctuary;
Beside this, that he should be obeyed of every man, and that all the writings in the country should be made in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple, and wear gold:
Also that it should be Lawful for none of the people or priests to break any of these things, or to gainsay his words, or to gather an assembly in the country without him, or to be clothed in purple, or wear a buckle of gold;
And whosoever should do otherwise, or break any of these things, he should be punished.
Thus it liked all the people to deal with Shim`on, and to do as has been said.
Then Shim`on accepted hereof, and was well pleased to be high priest, and captain and governor of the Yahudiym and priests, and to defend them all.
So 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;
Also that the copies thereof should be laid up in the treasury, to the end that Shim`on and his sons might have them.