Day 296: Mark 7 - 9

Chapter 7

The Things That Defile

1: Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 

2: they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 

3: (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 

4: and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles. ) 

5: So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" 

6: He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 

7: in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.' 

8: You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition." 

9: Then he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! 

10: For Moses said, "Honor your father and your mother'; and, "Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.' 

11: But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, "Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban' (that is, an offering to God )- 

12: then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, 

13: thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this." 

14: Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 

15: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." 

16, 17: When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. 

18: He said to them, "Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, 

19: since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 

20: And he said, "It is what comes out of a person that defiles. 

21: For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, 

22: adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 

23: All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith

24: From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 

25: but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 

26: Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 

27: He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 

28: But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 

29: Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go-the demon has left your daughter." 

30: So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf and Dumb Man

31: Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 

32: They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 

33: He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 

34: Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 

35: And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 

36: Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 

37: They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Chapter 8

The Feeding of the Four Thousand

1: In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, 

2: "I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 

3: If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way-and some of them have come from a great distance." 

4: His disciples replied, "How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?" 

5: He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." 

6: Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. 

7: They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. 

8: They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 

9: Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.

10: And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

The Demand for a Sign

11: The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. 

12: And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation." 

13: And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.

The Leaven of the Pharisees

14: Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 

15: And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out-beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod." 

16: They said to one another, "It is because we have no bread." 

17: And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 

18: Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? 

19: When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" They said to him, "Twelve."

20: "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" And they said to him, "Seven." 

21: Then he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida

22: They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 

23: He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Can you see anything?" 

24: And the man looked up and said, "I can see people, but they look like trees, walking." 

25: Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 

26: Then he sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not even go into the village."

Peter's Confession

27: Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" 

28: And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 

29: He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." 

30: And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death

31: Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

32: He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 

33: But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 

34: He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

35: For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 

36: For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 

37: Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 

38: Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Chapter 9

1: And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power."

The Transfiguration

2: Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 

3: and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 

4:  And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 

5: Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 

6: He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 

7: Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 

8: Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 

9: As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 

10: So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. 

11: Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 

12: He said to them, "Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? 

13: But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him."

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14: When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 

15: When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 

16: He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" 

17: Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 

18: and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so." 

19: He answered them, "You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me." 

20: And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 

21: Jesus asked the father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 

22: It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us." 

23: Jesus said to him, "If you are able!-All things can be done for the one who believes." 

24: Immediately the father of the child cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 

25: When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!" 

26: After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead." 

27: But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. 

28:  When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 

29: He said to them, "This kind can come out only through prayer."

Jesus Again Foretells His Death

30: They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 

31: for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." 

32: But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

33: Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" 

34: But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 

35: He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." 

36: Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 

37: "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

He That Is Not against Us Is for Us

38: John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." 

39: But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 

40: Whoever is not against us is for us.

41: For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

Temptations to Sin

42: "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.

43: If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 

44, 45: And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. , 

46, 47: And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 

48: where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. 

49: "For everyone will be salted with fire. 

50: Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Day 161: Psalms 19 - 26

Chapter 19

The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

To the choirmaster - A Psalm of David

1: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

2: Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

3: There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.

4: Their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,

5: which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

6: Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

8: the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;

9: the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10: More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.

11: Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

12: Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

13: Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

14: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Chapter 20

Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God

To the choirmaster - A Psalm of David

1: May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!

2: May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!

3: May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

4: May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!

5: May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

6: Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.

7: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

8: They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

9: O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call.

Chapter 21

The King Rejoices in the Lord’s Strength

To the choirmaster - A Psalm of David.

1: O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!

2: You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

3: For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.

4: He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever.

5: His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.

6: For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.

7: For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

8: Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.

9: You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.

10: You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man.

11: Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.

12: For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.

13: Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Chapter 22

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn - A Psalm of David.

1: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2: O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.

3: Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4: In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.

5: To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6: But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

7: All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

8: “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

9: Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.

10: On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11: Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.

12: Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

13: they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.

14: I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;

15: my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

16: For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet

17: I can count all my bones - they stare and gloat over me;

18: they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

19: But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!

20: Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog!

21: Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22: I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24: For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

25: From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

26: The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!

27: All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

28: For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.

29: All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.

30: Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

31: they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

Chapter 23

The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David

1: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2: He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3: He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever

Chapter 24

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David

1: The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof the world and those who dwell therein,

2: for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

3: Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?

4: He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.

5: He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6: Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob Selah

7: Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors,  that the King of glory may come in.

8: Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!

9: Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors that the King of glory may come in.

10: Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah

Chapter 25

Teach Me Your Paths

Of David

1: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2: O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.

3: Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

4: Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.

5: Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

6: Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.

7: Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

8: Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

9: He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

10: All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

11: For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.

12: Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

13: His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.

14: The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.

15: My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

16: Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

17: The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.

18: Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

19: Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.

20: Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

21: May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

22: Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

Chapter 26

I Will Bless the Lord

Of David

1: Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

2: Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

3: For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.

4: I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.

5: I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

6: I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord,

7: proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.

8: O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.

9: Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

10: in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.

11: But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.

12: My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

Day 144: 1 Maccabaeus 14 - 16

Chapter 14



1 In the one hundred seventy-second year King Demetrius assembled his forces and marched into Media to obtain help, so that he could make war against Trypho.
2 When King Arsaces of Persia and Media heard that Demetrius had invaded his territory, he sent one of his generals to take him alive.
3 The general went and defeated the army of Demetrius, and seized him and took him to Arsaces, who put him under guard.
4 The land had rest all the days of Simon. He sought the good of his nation; his rule was pleasing to them, as was the honor shown him, all his days.
5 To crown all his honors he took Joppa for a harbor, and opened a way to the isles of the sea.
6 He extended the borders of his nation, and gained full control of the country.
7 He gathered a host of captives; he ruled over Gazara and Beth-zur and the citadel, and he removed its uncleanness from it; and there was none to oppose him.
8 They tilled their land in peace; the ground gave its increase, and the trees of the plains their fruit.
9 Old men sat in the streets; they all talked together of good things, and the youths put on splendid military attire.
10 He supplied the towns with food, and furnished them with the means of defense, until his renown spread to the ends of the earth.
11 He established peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy.
12 All the people sat under their own vines and fig trees, and there was none to make them afraid.
13 No one was left in the land to fight them, and the kings were crushed in those days.
14 He gave help to all the humble among his people; he sought out the law, and did away with all the renegades and outlaws.
15 He made the sanctuary glorious, and added to the vessels of the sanctuary.
16 It was heard in Rome, and as far away as Sparta, that Jonathan had died, and they were deeply grieved.
17 When they heard that his brother Simon had become high priest in his stead, and that he was ruling over the country and the towns in it,
18 they wrote to him on bronze tablets to renew with him the friendship and alliance that they had established with his brothers Judas and Jonathan.
19 And these were read before the assembly in Jerusalem.
20 This is a copy of the letter that the Spartans sent: "The rulers and the city of the Spartans to the high priest Simon and to the elders and the priests and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers, greetings.
21 The envoys who were sent to our people have told us about your glory and honor, and we rejoiced at their coming.
22 We have recorded what they said in our public decrees, as follows, "Numenius son of Antiochus and Antipater son of Jason, envoys of the Jews, have come to us to renew their friendship with us.
23 It has pleased our people to receive these men with honor and to put a copy of their words in the public archives, so that the people of the Spartans may have a record of them. And they have sent a copy of this to the high priest Simon.' "
24 After this Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a large gold shield weighing one thousand minas, to confirm the alliance with the Romans.
25 When the people heard these things they said, "How shall we thank Simon and his sons?
26 For he and his brothers and the house of his father have stood firm; they have fought and repulsed Israel's enemies and established its freedom."
27 So they made a record on bronze tablets and put it on pillars on Mount Zion. This is a copy of what they wrote: "On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the one hundred seventy-second year, which is the third year of the great high priest Simon,
28 in Asaramel, in the great assembly of the priests and the people and the rulers of the nation and the elders of the country, the following was proclaimed to us:
29 "Since wars often occurred in the country, Simon son of Mattathias, a priest of the sons of Joarib, and his brothers, exposed themselves to danger and resisted the enemies of their nation, in order that their sanctuary and the law might be preserved; and they brought great glory to their nation.
30 Jonathan rallied the nation, became their high priest, and was gathered to his people.
31 When their enemies decided to invade their country and lay hands on their sanctuary,
32 then Simon rose up and fought for his nation. He spent great sums of his own money; he armed the soldiers of his nation and paid them wages.
33 He fortified the towns of Judea, and Beth-zur on the borders of Judea, where formerly the arms of the enemy had been stored, and he placed there a garrison of Jews.
34 He also fortified Joppa, which is by the sea, and Gazara, which is on the borders of Azotus, where the enemy formerly lived. He settled Jews there, and provided in those towns whatever was necessary for their restoration.
35 "The people saw Simon's faithfulness and the glory that he had resolved to win for his nation, and they made him their leader and high priest, because he had done all these things and because of the justice and loyalty that he had maintained toward his nation. He sought in every way to exalt his people.
36 In his days things prospered in his hands, so that the Gentiles were put out of the country, as were also those in the city of David in Jerusalem, who had built themselves a citadel from which they used to sally forth and defile the environs of the sanctuary, doing great damage to its purity.
37 He settled Jews in it and fortified it for the safety of the country and of the city, and built the walls of Jerusalem higher.
38 "In view of these things King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood,
39 made him one of his Friends, and paid him high honors.
40 For he had heard that the Jews were addressed by the Romans as friends and allies and brothers, and that the Romans had received the envoys of Simon with honor.
41 "The Jews and their priests have resolved that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise,
42 and that he should be governor over them and that he should take charge of the sanctuary and appoint officials over its tasks and over the country and the weapons and the strongholds, and that he should take charge of the sanctuary,
43 and that he should be obeyed by all, and that all contracts in the country should be written in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple and wear gold.
44 "None of the people or priests shall be permitted to nullify any of these decisions or to oppose what he says, or to convene an assembly in the country without his permission, or to be clothed in purple or put on a gold buckle.
45 Whoever acts contrary to these decisions or rejects any of them shall be liable to punishment."
46 All the people agreed to grant Simon the right to act in accordance with these decisions.
47 So Simon accepted and agreed to be high priest, to be commander and ethnarch of the Jews and priests, and to be protector of them all.
48 And they gave orders to inscribe this decree on bronze tablets, to put them up in a conspicuous place in the precincts of the sanctuary,
49 and to deposit copies of them in the treasury, so that Simon and his sons might have them.

Chapter 15



1 Antiochus, son of King Demetrius, sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to all the nation;
2 its contents were as follows: "King Antiochus to Simon the high priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the Jews, greetings.
3 Whereas certain scoundrels have gained control of the kingdom of our ancestors, and I intend to lay claim to the kingdom so that I may restore it as it formerly was, and have recruited a host of mercenary troops and have equipped warships,
4 and intend to make a landing in the country so that I may proceed against those who have destroyed our country and those who have devastated many cities in my kingdom,
5 now therefore I confirm to you all the tax remissions that the kings before me have granted you, and a release from all the other payments from which they have released you.
6 I permit you to mint your own coinage as money for your country,
7 and I grant freedom to Jerusalem and the sanctuary. All the weapons that you have prepared and the strongholds that you have built and now hold shall remain yours.
8 Every debt you owe to the royal treasury and any such future debts shall be canceled for you from henceforth and for all time.
9 When we gain control of our kingdom, we will bestow great honor on you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will become manifest in all the earth."
10 In the one hundred seventy-fourth year Antiochus set out and invaded the land of his ancestors. All the troops rallied to him, so that there were only a few with Trypho.
11 Antiochus pursued him, and Trypho came in his flight to Dor, which is by the sea;
12 for he knew that troubles had converged on him, and his troops had deserted him.
13 So Antiochus encamped against Dor, and with him were one hundred twenty thousand warriors and eight thousand cavalry.
14 He surrounded the town, and the ships joined battle from the sea; he pressed the town hard from land and sea, and permitted no one to leave or enter it.
15 Then Numenius and his companions arrived from Rome, with letters to the kings and countries, in which the following was written:
16 "Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greetings.
17 The envoys of the Jews have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our ancient friendship and alliance. They had been sent by the high priest Simon and by the Jewish people
18 and have brought a gold shield weighing one thousand minas.
19 We therefore have decided to write to the kings and countries that they should not seek their harm or make war against them and their cities and their country, or make alliance with those who war against them.
20 And it has seemed good to us to accept the shield from them.
21 Therefore if any scoundrels have fled to you from their country, hand them over to the high priest Simon, so that he may punish them according to their law."
22 The consul wrote the same thing to King Demetrius and to Attalus and Ariarathes and Arsaces,
23 and to all the countries, and to Sampsames, and to the Spartans, and to Delos, and to Myndos, 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 Gortyna and Cnidus and Cyprus and Cyrene.
24 They also sent a copy of these things to the high priest Simon.
25 King Antiochus besieged Dor for the second time, continually throwing his forces against it and making engines of war; and he shut Trypho up and kept him from going out or in.
26 And Simon sent to Antiochus two thousand picked troops, to fight for him, and silver and gold and a large amount of military equipment.
27 But he refused to receive them, and broke all the agreements he formerly had made with Simon, and became estranged from him.
28 He sent to him Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with him, saying, "You hold control of Joppa and Gazara and the citadel in Jerusalem; they are cities of my kingdom.
29 You have devastated their territory, you have done great damage in the land, and you have taken possession of many places in my kingdom.
30 Now then, hand over the cities that you have seized and the tribute money of the places that you have conquered outside the borders of Judea;
31 or else pay me five hundred talents of silver for the destruction that you have caused and five hundred talents more for the tribute money of the cities. Otherwise we will come and make war on you."
32 So Athenobius, the king's Friend, came to Jerusalem, and when he saw the splendor of Simon, and the sideboard with its gold and silver plate, and his great magnificence, he was amazed. When he reported to him the king's message,
33 Simon said to him in reply: "We have neither taken foreign land nor seized foreign property, but only the inheritance of our ancestors, which at one time had been unjustly taken by our enemies.
34 Now that we have the opportunity, we are firmly holding the inheritance of our ancestors.
35 As for Joppa and Gazara, which you demand, they were causing great damage among the people and to our land; for them we will give you one hundred talents." Athenobius did not answer him a word,
36 but returned in wrath to the king and reported to him these words, and also the splendor of Simon and all that he had seen. And the king was very angry.
37 Meanwhile Trypho embarked on a ship and escaped to Orthosia.
38 Then the king made Cendebeus commander-in-chief of the coastal country, and gave him troops of infantry and cavalry.
39 He commanded him to encamp against Judea, to build up Kedron and fortify its gates, and to make war on the people; but the king pursued Trypho.
40 So Cendebeus came to Jamnia and began to provoke the people and invade Judea and take the people captive and kill them.
41 He built up Kedron and stationed horsemen and troops there, so that they might go out and make raids along the highways of Judea, as the king had ordered him.

Chapter 16



1 John went up from Gazara and reported to his father Simon what Cendebeus had done.
2 And Simon called in his two eldest sons Judas and John, and said to them: "My brothers and I and my father's house have fought the wars of Israel from our youth until this day, and things have prospered in our hands so that we have delivered Israel many times.
3 But now I have grown old, and you by Heaven's mercy are mature in years. Take my place and my brother's, and go out and fight for our nation, and may the help that comes from Heaven be with you."
4 So John chose out of the country twenty thousand warriors and cavalry, and they marched against Cendebeus and camped for the night in Modein.
5 Early in the morning they started out and marched into the plain, where a large force of infantry and cavalry was coming to meet them; and a stream lay between them.
6 Then he and his army lined up against them. He saw that the soldiers were afraid to cross the stream, so he crossed over first; and when his troops saw him, they crossed over after him.
7 Then he divided the army and placed the cavalry in the center of the infantry, for the cavalry of the enemy were very numerous.
8 They sounded the trumpets, and Cendebeus and his army were put to flight; many of them fell wounded and the rest fled into the stronghold.
9 At that time Judas the brother of John was wounded, but John pursued them until Cendebeus reached Kedron, which he had built.
10 They also fled into the towers that were in the fields of Azotus, and John burned it with fire, and about two thousand of them fell. He then returned to Judea safely.
11 Now Ptolemy son of Abubus had been appointed governor over the plain of Jericho; he had a large store of silver and gold,
12 for he was son-in-law of the high priest.
13 His heart was lifted up; he determined to get control of the country, and made treacherous plans against Simon and his sons, to do away with them.
14 Now Simon was visiting the towns of the country and attending to their needs, and he went down to Jericho with his sons Mattathias and Judas, in the one hundred seventy-seventh year, in the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat.
15 The son of Abubus received them treacherously in the little stronghold called Dok, which he had built; he gave them a great banquet, and hid men there.
16 When Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men rose up, took their weapons, rushed in against Simon in the banquet hall and killed him and his two sons, as well as some of his servants.
17 So he committed an act of great treachery and returned evil for good.
18 Then Ptolemy wrote a report about these things and sent it to the king, asking him to send troops to aid him and to turn over to him the towns and the country.
19 He sent other troops to Gazara to do away with John; he sent letters to the captains asking them to come to him so that he might give them silver and gold and gifts;
20 and he sent other troops to take possession of Jerusalem and the temple hill.
21 But someone ran ahead and reported to John at Gazara that his father and brothers had perished, and that "he has sent men to kill you also."
22 When he heard this, he was greatly shocked; he seized the men who came to destroy him and killed them, for he had found out that they were seeking to destroy him.
23 The rest of the acts of John and his wars and the brave deeds that he did, and the building of the walls that he completed, and his achievements,
24 are written in the annals of his high priesthood, from the time that he became high priest after his father.