Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible Part 41

1 Mac 10:67 Furthermore in the hundred threescore and fifth year came Demetrius son of Demetrius out of Crete into the land of his fathers:

1 Mac 10:68 Whereof when king Alexander heard tell, he was right sorry, and returned into Antioch.

1 Mac 10:69 Then Demetrius made Apollonius the governor of Celosyria his general, who gathered together a great host, and camped in Jamnia, and sent unto Jonathan the high priest, saying,

1 Mac 10:70 Thou alone liftest up thyself against us, and I am laughed to scorn for thy sake, and reproached: and why dost thou vaunt thy power against us in the mountains?

1 Mac 10:71 Now therefore, if thou trustest in thine own strength, come down to us into the plain field, and there let us try the matter together: for with me is the power of the cities.

1 Mac 10:72 Ask and learn who I am, and the rest that take our part, and they shall tell thee that thy foot is not able to to flight in their own land.

1 Mac 10:73 Wherefore now thou shalt not be able to abide the hors.e.m.e.n and so great a power in the plain, where is neither stone nor flint, nor place to flee unto.

1 Mac 10:74 So when Jonathan heard these words of Apollonius, he was moved in his mind, and choosing ten thousand men he went out of Jerusalem, where Simon his brother met him for to help him.

1 Mac 10:75 And he pitched his tents against Joppa: but; they of Joppa shut him out of the city, because Apollonius had a garrison there.

1 Mac 10:76 Then Jonathan laid siege unto it: whereupon they of the city let him in for fear: and so Jonathan won Joppa.

1 Mac 10:77 Whereof when Apollonius heard, he took three thousand hors.e.m.e.n, with a great host of footmen, and went to Azotus as one that journeyed, and therewithal drew him forth into the plain, because he had a great number of hors.e.m.e.n, in whom he put his trust.

1 Mac 10:78 Then Jonathan followed after him to Azotus, where the armies joined battle.

1 Mac 10:79 Now Apollonius had left a thousand hors.e.m.e.n in ambush.

1 Mac 10:80 And Jonathan knew that there was an ambushment behind him; for they had compa.s.sed in his host, and cast darts at the people, from morning till evening.

1 Mac 10:81 But the people stood still, as Jonathan had commanded them: and so the enemies' horses were tired.

1 Mac 10:82 Then brought Simon forth his host, and set them against the footmen, (for the hors.e.m.e.n were spent) who were discomfited by him, and fled.

1 Mac 10:83 The hors.e.m.e.n also, being scattered in the field, fled to Azotus, and went into Bethdagon, their idol's temple, for safety.

1 Mac 10:84 But Jonathan set fire on Azotus, and the cities round about it, and took their spoils; and the temple of Dagon, with them that were fled into it, he burned with fire.

1 Mac 10:85 Thus there were burned and slain with the sword well nigh eight thousand men.

1 Mac 10:86 And from thence Jonathan removed his host, and camped against Ascalon, where the men of the city came forth, and met him with great pomp.

1 Mac 10:87 After this returned Jonathan and his host unto Jerusalem, having any spoils.

1 Mac 10:88 Now when king ALexander heard these things, he honoured Jonathan yet more.

1 Mac 10:89 And sent him a buckle of gold, as the use is to be given to such as are of the king's blood: he gave him also Accaron with the borders thereof in possession.

1 Mac 11:1 And the king of Egypt gathered together a great host, like the sand that lieth upon the sea sh.o.r.e, and many s.h.i.+ps, and went about through deceit to get Alexander's kingdom, and join it to his own.

1 Mac 11:2 Whereupon he took his journey into Spain in peaceable manner, so as they of the cities opened unto him, and met him: for king Alexander had commanded them so to do, because he was his brother in law.

1 Mac 11:3 Now as Ptolemee entered into the cities, he set in every one of them a garrison of soldiers to keep it.

1 Mac 11:4 And when he came near to Azotus, they shewed him the temple of Dagon that was burnt, and Azotus and the suburbs thereof that were destroyed, and the bodies that were cast abroad and them that he had burnt in the battle; for they had made heaps of them by the way where he should pa.s.s.

1 Mac 11:5 Also they told the king whatsoever Jonathan had done, to the intent he might blame him: but the king held his peace.

1 Mac 11:6 Then Jonathan met the king with great pomp at Joppa, where they saluted one another, and lodged.

1 Mac 11:7 Afterward Jonathan, when he had gone with the king to the river called Eleutherus, returned again to Jerusalem.

1 Mac 11:8 King Ptolemee therefore, having gotten the dominion of the cities by the sea unto Seleucia upon the sea coast, imagined wicked counsels against Alexander.

1 Mac 11:9 Whereupon he sent ambasadors unto king Demetrius, saying, Come, let us make a league betwixt us, and I will give thee my daughter whom Alexander hath, and thou shalt reign in thy father's kingdom:

1 Mac 11:10 For I repent that I gave my daughter unto him, for he sought to slay me.

1 Mac 11:11 Thus did he slander him, because he was desirous of his kingdom.

1 Mac 11:12 Wherefore he took his daughter from him, and gave her to Demetrius, and forsook Alexander, so that their hatred was openly known.

1 Mac 11:13 Then Ptolemee entered into Antioch, where he set two crowns upon his head, the crown of Asia, and of Egypt.

1 Mac 11:14 In the mean season was king Alexander in Cilicia, because those that dwelt in those parts had revolted from him.

1 Mac 11:15 But when Alexander heard of this, he came to war against him: whereupon king Ptolemee brought forth his host, and met him with a mighty power, and put him to flight.

1 Mac 11:16 So Alexander fled into Arabia there to be defended; but king Ptolemee was exalted:

1 Mac 11:17 For Zabdiel the Arabian took off Alexander's head, and sent it unto Ptolemee.

1 Mac 11:18 King Ptolemee also died the third day after, and they that were in the strong holds were slain one of another.

1 Mac 11:19 By this means Demetrius reigned in the hundred threescore and seventh year.

1 Mac 11:20 At the same time Jonathan gathered together them that were in Judea to take the tower that was in Jerusalem: and he made many engines of war against it.

1 Mac 11:21 Then came unG.o.dly persons, who hated their own people, went unto the king, and told him that Jonathan besieged the tower,

1 Mac 11:22 Whereof when he heard, he was angry, and immediately removing, he came to Ptolemais, and wrote unto Jonathan, that he should not lay siege to the tower, but come and speak with him at Ptolemais in great haste.

1 Mac 11:23 Nevertheless Jonathan, when he heard this, commanded to besiege it still: and he chose certain of the elders of Israel and the priests, and put himself in peril;

1 Mac 11:24 And took silver and gold, and raiment, and divers presents besides, and went to Ptolemais unto the king, where he found favour in his sight.

1 Mac 11:25 And though certain unG.o.dly men of the people had made complaints against him,

1 Mac 11:26 Yet the king entreated him as his predecessors had done before, and promoted him in the sight of all his friends,

1 Mac 11:27 And confirmed him in the high priesthood, and in all the honours that he had before, and gave him preeminence among his chief friends.