The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Ionathas sendeth embassadoures to Rome and to the people of Sparta to renue their couenaunte of frendshyp. Ionathas putteth to flyght the pryn¦ces of Demetrius. Triphon taketh Ionathas by disceyte.

CAPI. XII.

IOnathas seinge that the tyme was mete for hym, chose certayne men and sente thē [ A] vnto Rome for to stablysshe and to renue the frendshyp with them. He sent letres also vnto Sparta,* 1.1 and to other places in lyke ma¦ner. So they went vnto Rome, and entred into the counsell, and sayde: Ionathas the hygh preste and the people of the Iewes sēt vs vnto you, for to renue the olde frendshyp and bond of loue. Vpon this the Romaynes gaue them fre pasportes, that men shuld lede them home into the lād of Iuda peaceably. And this is y^e copy of y^e letters that Ionathas wrote vnto the Sparcians.

Ionathas the hyghe prest with the elders, prestes, and the other people of the Iewes, sende gretyng vnto the Sparcyans theyr bre∣thren. There were letters sent long ago vnto Onias the hye preest, from Arius, whiche thē raygned among you: that ye are our brethren, as the wrytynge made thervpon specifyeth. And Onias entreated the embasadoure that was sent honorablye, and receyued the let∣ters: wherin there was mencyon made of the bonde of loue and frendshyp. But as for [ B] vs, we nede no such wrytynges: for why, we haue the holy bokes of scrypture in our han∣des to our comforte. Neuerthelesse, we had rather sende vnto you, for the renuyng of the brotherhode and frendshyp: leest we shoulde be straunge vnto you, for it is longe, sythens the tyme that ye sent wordes vnto vs. Wher¦fore in the sacryfices that we offre, and other ceremonyes vpon the hye solemne dayes and other, we alway remembre you without cea∣synge (lyke as reason is, and as it becommeth vs to thynke vpon oure brethren) yea and are ryght glad of your prosperous honour.

And though we haue had greate troubles and warres, so that the kynges aboute vs haue foughten agaynst vs: yet wolde we not be greuous vnto you, nor to other of our lo∣uers and frendes in these warres. For we haue had helpe from heauen, so that we are deleuered, and our ennemyes subdued. Wher¦fore we chose Numenius the sonne of Antio∣chus and Antipater the sonne of Iason, and sent them vnto the Romaynes, for to renue the olde bode of frendshyp and loue with them. We commaunded them also to come vnto you, to salute you, and to delyuer you oure letters, concernynge the renouocacyon of oure brotherhode. And nowe ye shall do ryght well, to gyue vs an answere therevn∣to.

And this is the copye of the wrytynge, [ C] which Arius the kynge of Sparta sent vnto Onias: Arius kynge of the Sparcians sēdeth gretyng vnto Onias the hye prest. It is foūd in wrytynge, that the Sparcians and Iewes are brethren, and come out of the generacyon of Abraham. And nowe for so moche as this is come to oure knowledge, ye shall do well, to wryte vnto vs of youre prosperitye. As for vs, we haue wryten oure mynde vnto you: Our catell and goodes are yours, and yours ours. These thynges haue we commaun∣ded to be shewed vnto you.

When Ionathas herde, that Demetrius prynces were come forthe to fyght agaynste him, with a greater hoost then afore, he went from Ierusalem, and met them in the lande of Hemath, for he gaue thē not space to come in to his owne countrey. And he sent spyes vnto theyr tentes, whiche came agayne and tolde him, that they were appoynted to come vpon him in the nyght seasō. Wherfore whē the sunne was gone downe, Ionathas com∣maunded his men to watch al the night and [ D] to be redye with weapons for to fyght: and set watchmen rounde aboute the hoost. But when the aduersaryes herde that Ionathas was readye with his men to the battayle, they feared, and were afrayde in theyr hertes and kyndled fyres in in theyr tētes brake vp, and gat them away. Neuertheles Ionathas and his companye, knewe it not tyll the mornynge, for they sawe the fyres bur∣nynge.

Then Ionathas foloweh vpon them, but he myght not ouertake them, for they were gone ouer the water Eleutherus. So Iona∣thas departed vnto the Arabiās (which were called Zabadei) slew them, and toke theyr goodes. He proceded further also, and came vnto Damascus, and went thorowe all that countrey. But Simon his brother toke his iourney and came to Ascalon and to the next stronge holdes: departynge vnto Ioppa, and wan it. For he herde that they wolde stande of Demetrius partye: wherfore he sent men of warre in the cytye, to kepe it. After this came Ionathas home agayne, and called the elders of the people togyther: and deuysed with them for to buylde vp the stronge hol∣des in Iewry, & the walles of Ierusalē, to set vp an hye wal betwyxt y^e castel & the city, for to seperate it from the citye, that it myght be alone, and that men shulde neyther bye nor sell in it.

Vpon this they came togither for to build vp the cyty: and for as moch as the wall vpō the broke of the west syde (called Caphethe∣rah) was fallen down, they repayred it. And Symon let vp Adiadah in Sephelah, & made it stronge settyng portes and lockes vpon it. Now when Tryphon purposed to raygne in [ E] Asia, to be crowned,* 1.2 and to slaye the kyng An¦tiochus: he was afrayed y^e Ionathas wolde not suffre him, but ryght against him. Wher¦fore he went about to take Ionathas & to kil hym.

So be departed, and came vnto Bethsan. Then went Ionathas forth agaynst hym to the battayle wyth fourty thousande chosen men and came vnto Bethsan also. But when Triphon sawe that Ionathas came with so greate an hoost to destroy hym, he was afray¦ed: and therfore he receyued hym honoura∣bly commended hym vnto all his frendes, & gaue hym rewardes, and commaunded his men of warre to be as obedyent vnto him, as to hym selfe.

And sayde vnto Ionathas: why hast thou caused this people to take suche trauayle, seynge there is no warre betwyxte vs? Ther¦fore sende them home agayne and, chose cer∣tayne men to wayt vpon the, and come thou with me to Ptolomais: for I wyll gyue it with the other stronge holdes, men of warre and theyr offycers.

As for me, I must departe, this is only the [ F] cause of my commynge. Ionathas beleued hym, and dyd as he sayde, puttynge awaye his hoost, whiche went into the lande of Iu¦da. He kepte but .iij.M. by hym, wherof he sent .ii.M .in to Galilee, and one thousande went with hym selfe.

Now as soone as Ionathas entred in to Ptolomais, the cytysyns sparred the gates

of the cytie, and toke him, and slew all them with the swerde, y^t came in with hym. Then sent Triphon an hoost of fotemen and horse∣men in to Galilee, and in to the great playne felde,* 1.3 to destroy all Ionathas company. But when they knew that Ionathas was taken, and al they slayne that waited vpō him: they toke counsell togyther, and came forthe redy to y^e battayle. So when they whiche folowed vpon them, saw that it was a matter of lyfe, they turned backe agayne. As for the other, they went in to the lande of Iuda peaceably, and bewayled Ionathas, and thē that were with hym ryght sore. And Israel made greate lamentacō. Then all the Heathen that were round about them, thought to destroy them. For they sayde: now haue they no capitayne, nor any man to helpe them. Therfore let vs ouercome them, and rote out theyr name frō amonge men.

Notes

• * 1.1

  i. Mat .vii. ••
• * 1.2

  i. Math •••• .c Iosep .ca .xix lib xiii.
• * 1.3

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉〈◊〉