The First Book of Maccabees, Chapter 15ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ ΙΕ′

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ἀντίοχος υἱὸς Δημητρίου τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιστολὰς ἀπὸ τῶν νήσων τῆς θαλάσσης Σιμωνι ἱερεῖ καὶ ἐθνάρχῃ τῶν Ιουδαίων καὶ παντὶ τῷ ἔθνει

And Antiochus, son of King Demetrius, sent letters from the islands of the sea to Simon, priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to all the nation.

καὶ ἦσαν περιέχουσαι τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον βασιλεὺς Ἀντίοχος Σίμωνι ἱερεῖ μεγάλῳ καὶ ἐθνάρχῃ καὶ ἔθνει Ιουδαίων χαίρειν

And they contained wording like this: 'King Antiochus to Simon the high priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the Jews, greetings.'

ἐπεί τινες λοιμοὶ κατεκράτησαν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν βούλομαι δὲ ἀντιποιήσασθαι τῆς βασιλείας ὅπως ἀποκαταστήσω αὐτὴν ὡς ἦν τὸ πρότερον ἐξενολόγησα δὲ πλῆθος δυνάμεων καὶ κατεσκεύασα πλοῖα πολεμικά

Since certain pestilent men gained control of the kingdom of our fathers, and I wish to reclaim the kingdom in order to restore it as it was formerly, I have enlisted a large force and prepared warships.

βούλομαι δὲ ἐκβῆναι κατὰ τὴν χώραν ὅπως μετέλθω τοὺς κατεφθαρκότας τὴν χώραν ἡμῶν καὶ τοὺς ἠρημωκότας πόλεις πολλὰς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου

And I wish to land in the country so that I may punish those who have ravaged our country and laid waste many cities in my kingdom.

νῦν οὖν ἵστημί σοι πάντα τὰ ἀφέματα ἃ ἀφῆκάν σοι οἱ πρὸ ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα δόματα ἀφῆκάν σοι

Now therefore I confirm for you all the remissions that the kings before me granted to you, and whatever other gifts they granted to you.

καὶ ἐπέτρεψά σοι ποιῆσαι κόμμα ἴδιον νόμισμα τῇ χώρᾳ σου

And I have permitted you to make your own coinage for your country.

Ιερουσαλημ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἅγια εἶναι ἐλεύθερα καὶ πάντα τὰ ὅπλα ὅσα κατεσκεύασας καὶ τὰ ὀχυρώματα ἃ ᾠκοδόμησας ὧν κρατεῖς μενέτω σοι

But let Jerusalem and the sanctuary be free, and let all the weapons that you have prepared and the strongholds that you have built, of which you are in control, remain yours.

καὶ πᾶν ὀφείλημα βασιλικὸν καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα βασιλικὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἀφιέσθω σοι

And every royal debt, and the royal dues that will come due from now on and for all future time, let them be remitted to you.

ὡς δ' ἂν κρατήσωμεν τῆς βασιλείας ἡμῶν δοξάσομέν σε καὶ τὸ ἔθνος σου καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν δόξῃ μεγάλῃ ὥστε φανερὰν γενέσθαι τὴν δόξαν ὑμῶν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ

And whenever we gain possession of our kingdom, we will honor you and your nation and the sanctuary with great honor, so that your glory may become manifest in all the earth.

ἔτους τετάρτου καὶ ἑβδομηκοστοῦ καὶ ἑκατοστοῦ ἐξῆλθεν Ἀντίοχος εἰς τὴν γῆν τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ καὶ συνῆλθον πρὸς αὐτὸν πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις ὥστε ὀλίγους εἶναι σὺν Τρύφωνι

In the one hundred seventy-fourth year Antiochus went out into the land of his fathers, and all the forces gathered to him, so that only a few remained with Tryphon.

καὶ ἐδίωξεν αὐτὸν Ἀντίοχος καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Δωρα φεύγων τὴν ἐπὶ θαλάσσης

And Antiochus pursued him, and he came to Dora by the sea while fleeing.

ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι ἐπισυνῆκται ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὰ κακά καὶ ἀφῆκαν αὐτὸν αἱ δυνάμεις

For he knew that troubles had closed in upon him, and the forces had abandoned him.

καὶ παρενέβαλεν Ἀντίοχος ἐπὶ Δωρα καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ δώδεκα μυριάδες ἀνδρῶν πολεμιστῶν καὶ ὀκτακισχιλία ἵππος

And Antiochus encamped against Dora, with him twelve myriads of fighting men and eight thousand cavalry.

καὶ ἐκύκλωσεν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰ πλοῖα ἀπὸ θαλάσσης συνῆψαν καὶ ἔθλιβε τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ οὐκ εἴασεν οὐδένα ἐκπορεύεσθαι οὐδὲ εἰσπορεύεσθαι

And he surrounded the city, and the ships closed in from the sea, and he was pressing the city from the land and the sea and allowed no one either to go out or to go in.

καὶ ἦλθεν Νουμήνιος καὶ οἱ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐκ Ῥώμης ἔχοντες ἐπιστολὰς τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν καὶ ταῖς χώραις ἐν αἷς ἐγέγραπτο τάδε

And Numenius and those with him came from Rome bringing letters to the kings and the countries, in which these things had been written.

Λεύκιος ὕπατος Ῥωμαίων Πτολεμαίῳ βασιλεῖ χαίρειν

Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greetings.

οἱ πρεσβευταὶ τῶν Ιουδαίων ἦλθον πρὸς ἡμᾶς φίλοι ἡμῶν καὶ σύμμαχοι ἀνανεούμενοι τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς φιλίαν καὶ συμμαχίαν ἀπεσταλμένοι ἀπὸ Σιμωνος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως καὶ τοῦ δήμου τῶν Ιουδαίων

The envoys of the Jews came to us as our friends and allies, renewing the friendship and alliance from the beginning, having been sent by Simon the high priest and by the people of the Jews.

ἤνεγκαν δὲ ἀσπίδα χρυσῆν ἀπὸ μνῶν χιλίων

And they brought a golden shield worth a thousand minas.

ἤρεσεν οὖν ἡμῖν γράψαι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν καὶ ταῖς χώραις ὅπως μὴ ἐκζητήσωσιν αὐτοῖς κακὰ καὶ μὴ πολεμήσωσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν καὶ ἵνα μὴ συμμαχῶσιν τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν πρὸς αὐτούς

It seemed good to us, therefore, to write to the kings and to the countries that they should not seek harm for them, nor make war against them and their cities and their country, and that they should not ally themselves with those warring against them.

ἔδοξεν δὲ ἡμῖν δέξασθαι τὴν ἀσπίδα παρ' αὐτῶν

And it seemed good to us to accept the shield from them.

εἴ τινες οὖν λοιμοὶ διαπεφεύγασιν ἐκ τῆς χώρας αὐτῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς παράδοτε αὐτοὺς Σιμωνι τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ ὅπως ἐκδικήσῃ αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὸν νόμον αὐτῶν

If, then, any pestilent men have fled from their country to you, hand them over to Simon the high priest, so that he may punish them according to their law.

καὶ ταὐτὰ ἔγραψεν Δημητρίῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ Ἀττάλῳ καὶ Ἀριαράθῃ καὶ Ἀρσάκῃ

And he wrote the same things to King Demetrius and to Attalus and to Ariarathes and to Arsaces.

καὶ εἰς πάσας τὰς χώρας καὶ Σαμψάμῃ καὶ Σπαρτιάταις καὶ εἰς Δῆλον καὶ εἰς Μύνδον καὶ εἰς Σικυῶνα καὶ εἰς τὴν Καρίαν καὶ εἰς Σάμον καὶ εἰς τὴν Παμφυλίαν καὶ εἰς Λυκίαν καὶ εἰς Ἁλικαρνασσὸν καὶ εἰς Ῥόδον καὶ εἰς Φασηλίδα καὶ εἰς Κῶ καὶ εἰς Σίδην καὶ εἰς Ἄραδον καὶ Γόρτυναν καὶ Κνίδον καὶ Κύπρον καὶ Κυρήνην

And to all the countries, and to Sampsames and to the Spartans and to Delos and to Myndus and to Sicyon and to Caria and to Samos and to Pamphylia and to Lycia and to Halicarnassus and to Rhodes and to Phaselis and to Cos and to Side and to Aradus and to Gortyna and to Cnidus and to Cyprus and to Cyrene.

τὸ δὲ ἀντίγραφον τούτων ἔγραψαν Σιμωνι τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ

And they wrote a copy of these things to Simon the high priest.

ἀντίοχος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς παρενέβαλεν ἐπὶ Δωρα ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ προσάγων διὰ παντὸς αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ μηχανὰς ποιούμενος καὶ συνέκλεισεν τὸν Τρύφωνα τοῦ ἐκπορεύεσθαι καὶ εἰσπορεύεσθαι

But King Antiochus encamped against Dora on the second day, continually pressing it with assaults and constructing siege engines, and he shut Tryphon in so that he could neither go out nor come in.

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῷ Σιμων δισχιλίους ἄνδρας ἐκλεκτοὺς συμμαχῆσαι αὐτῷ καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ σκεύη ἱκανά

And Simon sent him two thousand chosen men to fight alongside him, and silver and gold and enough equipment.

καὶ οὐκ ἠβούλετο αὐτὰ δέξασθαι ἀλλὰ ἠθέτησεν πάντα ὅσα συνέθετο αὐτῷ τὸ πρότερον καὶ ἠλλοτριοῦτο αὐτῷ

And he did not wish to accept them, but repudiated everything that he had previously agreed with him and became estranged from him.

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἀθηνόβιον ἕνα τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ κοινολογησόμενον αὐτῷ λέγων ὑμεῖς κατακρατεῖτε τῆς Ιοππης καὶ Γαζαρων καὶ τῆς ἄκρας τῆς ἐν Ιερουσαλημ πόλεις τῆς βασιλείας μου

And he sent to him Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with him, saying, "You hold Joppa and Gazara and the citadel in Jerusalem, cities of my kingdom."

τὰ ὅρια αὐτῶν ἠρημώσατε καὶ ἐποιήσατε πληγὴν μεγάλην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐκυριεύσατε τόπων πολλῶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου

You have laid waste their territories and inflicted great damage on the land and gained control of many places in my kingdom.

νῦν οὖν παράδοτε τὰς πόλεις ἃς κατελάβεσθε καὶ τοὺς φόρους τῶν τόπων ὧν κατεκυριεύσατε ἐκτὸς τῶν ὁρίων τῆς Ιουδαίας

Now therefore hand over the cities that you have taken and the revenues of the places over which you have gained control outside the borders of Judea.

εἰ δὲ μή δότε ἀντ' αὐτῶν πεντακόσια τάλαντα ἀργυρίου καὶ τῆς καταφθορᾶς ἧς κατεφθάρκατε καὶ τῶν φόρων τῶν πόλεων ἄλλα τάλαντα πεντακόσια εἰ δὲ μή παραγενόμενοι ἐκπολεμήσομεν ὑμᾶς

But if not, give in place of them five hundred talents of silver, and for the destruction that you have caused and for the revenues of the cities another five hundred talents; but if not, we will come and make war against you.

καὶ ἦλθεν Ἀθηνόβιος ὁ φίλος τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς Ιερουσαλημ καὶ εἶδεν τὴν δόξαν Σιμωνος καὶ κυλικεῖον μετὰ χρυσωμάτων καὶ ἀργυρωμάτων καὶ παράστασιν ἱκανὴν καὶ ἐξίστατο καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῷ τοὺς λόγους τοῦ βασιλέως

And Athenobius, the king's Friend, came to Jerusalem and saw the splendor of Simon and a sideboard with gold and silver vessels and an impressive display, and he was astonished and reported to him the king's words.

καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Σιμων εἶπεν αὐτῷ οὔτε γῆν ἀλλοτρίαν εἰλήφαμεν οὔτε ἀλλοτρίων κεκρατήκαμεν ἀλλὰ τῆς κληρονομίας τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ὑπὸ δὲ ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν ἀκρίτως ἔν τινι καιρῷ κατεκρατήθη

And Simon answered and said to him, "We have taken neither foreign land nor seized the property of others, but only the inheritance of our fathers, which at some time had been unjustly seized by our enemies."

ἡμεῖς δὲ καιρὸν ἔχοντες ἀντεχόμεθα τῆς κληρονομίας τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν

But we, having had the opportunity, have held fast the inheritance of our fathers.

περὶ δὲ Ιοππης καὶ Γαζαρων ὧν αἰτεῖς αὗται ἐποίουν ἐν τῷ λαῷ πληγὴν μεγάλην καὶ τὴν χώραν ἡμῶν τούτων δώσομεν τάλαντα ἑκατόν

But concerning Joppa and Gazara, which you demand, they were inflicting great harm on the people and on our country; for these we will give one hundred talents.

καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ λόγον ἀπέστρεψεν δὲ μετὰ θυμοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῷ τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ τὴν δόξαν Σιμωνος καὶ πάντα ὅσα εἶδεν καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ βασιλεὺς ὀργὴν μεγάλην

And he did not answer him a word, but returned in anger to the king and reported to him these words and the splendor of Simon and everything that he had seen, and the king was enraged with great anger.

τρύφων δὲ ἐμβὰς εἰς πλοῖον ἔφυγεν εἰς Ὀρθωσίαν

But Tryphon boarded a ship and fled to Orthosia.

καὶ κατέστησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Κενδεβαῖον ἐπιστράτηγον τῆς παραλίας καὶ δυνάμεις πεζικὰς καὶ ἱππικὰς ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ

And the king appointed Cendebeus commander of the coast and gave him infantry and cavalry forces.

καὶ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ παρεμβάλλειν κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς Ιουδαίας καὶ ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὴν Κεδρων καὶ ὀχυρῶσαι τὰς πύλας καὶ ὅπως πολεμῇ τὸν λαόν ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐδίωκε τὸν Τρύφωνα

And he ordered him to encamp opposite Judea, and he ordered him to build Kedron and to fortify its gates so that he might wage war against the people, while the king was pursuing Tryphon.

καὶ παρεγενήθη Κενδεβαῖος εἰς Ιάμνειαν καὶ ἤρξατο τοῦ ἐρεθίζειν τὸν λαὸν καὶ ἐμβατεύειν εἰς τὴν Ιουδαίαν καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζειν τὸν λαὸν καὶ φονεύειν

And Cendebeus arrived at Jamnia and began to provoke the people and to invade Judea and to take the people captive and to kill them.

καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν τὴν Κεδρων καὶ ἀπέταξεν ἐκεῖ ἱππεῖς καὶ δυνάμεις ὅπως ἐκπορευόμενοι ἐξοδεύωσιν τὰς ὁδοὺς τῆς Ιουδαίας καθὰ συνέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεύς

And he built Kedron and stationed there cavalry and forces so that, going out, they might patrol the roads of Judea, just as the king had commanded him.