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.

¶ After Ionathas was taken, Symon is chosen capitayne, of whom Triphon takynge his children and money for the redemption of Ionathas, kyl∣leth him and his chyldren. The graue of Ionathas. Triphon killeth Antiochus, & possesseth the realme. Demetrius taketh truce with Symon. Symon wynneth Gaza. He possesseth the tower of Syon. He maketh his sonne Iohn̄ Capitayne.

CAPI. XIII.

NOw when Symon herde that Triphō [ A] gathered a great hoost, to come in to y^e lande of Iuda, and to destroye it: and sawe that the people was in greate fearful∣nesse and care: He came vp to Ierusalem, and gathered the people togyther, and gaue them exhortacyon, sayinge: Ye know what greate battayles I and my brethren and my fathers house haue strycken for the law and the Sā∣ctuary,* 1.1 and what maner of troubles we haue sene: thorow occasyon wherof, al my brethrē are slayne for Israels sake, & I am left alone. And now let not me spare myne owne lyfe in any maner of trouble, for I am no better then my brethren: but wyll auenge my people and the Sanctuary, our chyldren and our wyues: for all the Heathen are gathered togyther to destroye vs of very malyce.

At these wordes, the hertes of the people were kynled togither, so that they cryed with a loude voyce, sayinge: Thou shalte be oure capitayne in stede of Iudas and Ionathas thy brethren, ordre thou oure battayle, and whatsoeuer thou commaundest vs, we shall do it. So he gathered all the men of war ma∣kynge haste to finyssh all the walles of Ieru∣salem, which he made stronge rounde about.

[ B] Then sent he Ionathas the sonne of Abso∣lomus with a fresh host vnto Ioppa, whiche droue them out that were in the castell, and remayned there him selfe. Triphon also re∣moued from Ptolomais with a great army, to come in to the lande of Iuda, & Ionathas with him inwarde. And Symon pytched his tentes at Addus, before the playne felde.

But when Triphon knewe that Simon stode vp in stede of his brother Ionathas, & that he wolde warre agaynst hym: he sente messengers vnto hym, saying: Where as we haue kept Ionathas thy brother, it is for mo¦ney that he is a wyng in the kynges accompt concernynge the busynes that he had in hād. Wherfore sende now an .C. talentes of syl∣uer & his two sonnes for suertye, that when he is letten forth he shall not forsake vs: & we shall sende him agayne. Neuertheles Sy¦mon knewe, that he dyssembled in his wor∣des yet commaunded he the money and chyl∣dren to be delyuered vnto hym: lest he shuld be the greater ennemye agaynste the people of Israel, and saye: because he sent hym not the money and the chyldren, therfore is Io∣nathas deed.

So Symon sent him the chyldren and an hundreth talentes, but he dyssembled, and [ C] wolde not let Ionathas go. Afterward came Triphon in to the lande, to destroye it, & wēt r••unde aboute by the waye that ledeth vnto Ador. But where so euer they went thyther went Simon and his hoost also. Now they y^t were in y^e castel sent messengers vnto Try∣phon, that he shulde make hast to come by y^e wyldernes and to sende the vyttayles: And Triphon made ready al his horsmen to come that same nyght. Neuertheles it was a very greate snowe, so that he came not in Galaa∣dithim. And when he drewe nyghe Bascha∣ma,* 1.2 he slewe Ionathas and his sonnes there and then turned for ••o goo home in to his owne lande.

Then sent Symon for to fet his brothers deed corse, and buryed it in Modin his fa∣thers cytye. So all Israel bewayled hym w^t greate lamentacyon, and mourned for hym very longe. And Symon made vpon the se∣pulcre of his father and his brethren a buyl∣dynge hygh to loke vnto of fre stone behynde and before: and set vp seuen pyllers one a∣gaynst an other, for his father, his mother & foure brethren, and set great pyllers rounde about, with armes vpon them for a perpetu∣al memory, and carued shyppes besyde the ar¦mes: that they myghte be sene of mē sayling in the see. This sepulcre whiche he made at Modin standeth yet vnto this daye. [ D]

Now as Triphon went forth to walke w^t y^e yonge kynge Antiochus,* 1.3 he slewe him tray¦terouslye, and raygned in his stede, crowned hym self kyng of Asia, and dyd moch euell in the lande. Symon also buylt vp the castels in Iewry, makynge them strong with hyghe towres, greate walles, portes and lockes, & layd vp vyttayles in the strong holdes. And Symon chose certayne men and sent theym to kynge Demetrius: to desyre hym, that he wolde discharge the land from all bondage, for Triphon had spoyled it very sore. Where vpon Demetrius the kynge answered hym, and wrote vnto hym after this maner.

Demetrius the kynge sendeth gretynge vnto Symon the hyghe preste his frend with the elders & people of the Iewes. The goldē crowne and precyous stone that ye sent vnto

vs, haue we receyued: and are ready to make a stedfaste peace with you, yea and to wryte vnto oure offycers, for to release you, concer∣nynge the thynges wherin we made you fre: and the appoyntmente that we make with you, shall be fyrme and stable. The stronge holdes which ye haue buylded, shall be youre owne. As for any ouer syghte or faute com∣mytted vnto this daye, we forgyue it, and the crowne tax that ye ought vs also. And where as was anye other trybute in Ierusalem, it shall nowe be no trybute: and loke who are mete amonge you to be in our courte, let thē be wrytten vp, that there maye be peace be∣twyxte vs.

Thus the yoke of the Heathen was taken [ E] frō Israel, in the hundreth thre score and ten yere. And the people of the Iewes began to wryte in theyr letters and actes on this ma∣ner.* 1.4 In the fyrst yere of Symon the hye prest, and prynce of the Iewes.

In those dayes went Symon vnto Gaza, and besieged it round about, where he set vp ordinaunce of warre. And wan a towre which he toke. So they that gat in to the towre leapte in the cytie, whiche was in a greate feare: In so moche that the people of the cy∣tye rente theyr clothes, and clymed vp vpon the walles with theyr wyues and chyldren, besechynge Symon to be at one with them: sayinge.

[ F] O rewarde vs not after oure wyckednesse, but be gracious vnto vs, and we shall do the seruyce. Then Symon for very pytye, wolde fyght no more agaynste them, but put them out of the cytie, and caused the houses (wher∣in the Images were) to be clensed: and so en∣tred the cytye with Psalmes of prayse, gy∣uynge thankes vnto the Lorde. So when he had cast all abhominacyons oute of the cytye, he set such men in it as kepte the law of God and made the cytye stronge, and buylded a dwellynge place for hym selfe.

Now when they in the castell of Ierusa∣lem were kepte so straytlye, that they coulde not come forth ne in to the countrey, & might neither bye ne sell: they were verye hungrye, and many of them famysshed to death: In so moch that they besought Symō to be at one with them, whiche he graunted them. So he put them out from thence, and clēsed the ca∣stell from fylthynesse. And vpon the .xxiii. day of the seconde moneth in the hundreth .lxxi. yeare, they entred into it with thankes gy∣uynge and braunches of palme trees, with harpes, crowdes, cimbales, and lutes singing Psalmes, and songes or prayse vnto God, for that the great enemy of Israel was ouer∣come.

And Symon ordeyned that the same daye shoulde be kepte euerye yere in gladnesse, and made stronge the hyl of the temple that was besyde the castell, where he dwelte him selfe with his company. Symon also perceyuinge that Iohn his sonne was a myghtye man of armes, made him capitayne of all the hostes, and caused him to dwell at Gaza.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 .lx. 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.2

  Ionathas & his sonnes are slayne.
• * 1.3

  Triphon. Iosep .capi .x .libro .xiii.
• * 1.4

  i. Mat, xiiii. d