Et ascendit Joannes de Gazaris, et nuntiavit Simoni patri suo quæ fecit Cendebæus in populo ipsorum.

It was not long before John came up from Gazara, to tell his father Simon how ill Cendebaeus was using their fellow-countrymen.

Then John came up from Gazara, and told Simon his father what Cendebeus had done against their people.

Et vocavit Simon duos filios seniores, Judam et Joannem, et ait illis: Ego, et fratres mei, et domus patris mei expugnavimus hostes Israël ab adolescentia usque in hunc diem: et prosperatum est in manibus nostris liberare Israël aliquoties.

And at that, Simon must have his two elder sons present, Judas and John both, and made the command over to them. Still young we were, he said, I and my brothers and my father’s kin, when we began that war on Israel’s enemies which is being fought yet; under our banners once and again came victory, and the day was saved for Israel.

And Simon called his two eldest sons, Judas and John, and said to them: I and my brethren, and my father’s house, have fought against the enemies of Israel from our youth even to this day: and things have prospered so well in our hands that we have delivered Israel oftentimes.

Nunc autem senui: sed estote loco meo, et fratres mei, et egressi pugnate pro gente nostra: auxilium vero de cælo vobiscum sit.

I am an old man now, and it is yours to do what I and brother of mine did; march out, fight in our people’s cause, and heaven’s aid be with you!

And now I am old, but be you instead of me, and my brethren, and go out, and fight for our nation: and the help from heaven be with you.

Et elegit de regione viginti millia virorum belligeratorum, et equites: et profecti sunt ad Cendebæum, et dormierunt in Modin.

Twenty thousand warriors John chose out from the rest, and cavalry to support them, and away they went to fight Cendebaeus. That night they spent at Modin,

Then he chose out of the country twenty thousand fighting men, and horsemen, and they went forth against Cendebeus: and they rested in Modin.

Et surrexerunt mane, et abierunt in campum: et ecce exercitus copiosus in obviam illis peditum et equitum: et fluvius torrens erat inter medium ipsorum.

and on the morrow, when they left it for the valley, what a huge array was this, both of horse and foot, encountering them! And a mountain torrent flowed in between.

And they arose in the morning, and went into the plain: and behold a very great army of footmen and horsemen came against them, and there was a running river between them.

Et admovit castra contra faciem eorum ipse et populus ejus, et vidit populum trepidantem ad transfretandum torrentem: et transfretavit primus, et viderunt eum viri, et transierunt post eum.

When John brought his army to the opposite bank, and found his men had little stomach for the crossing, he made the passage first, leaving the rest to follow at his heels;

And he and his people pitched their camp over against them, and he saw that the people were afraid to go over the river, so he went over first: then the men seeing him, passed over after him.

Et divisit populum et equites in medio peditum: erat autem equitatus adversariorum copiosus nimis.

then drew them up by companies, with the cavalry in between, so greatly did the enemy’s cavalry outnumber them.

And he divided the people, and set the horsemen in the midst of the footmen: but the horsemen of the enemies were very numerous.

Et exclamaverunt sacris tubis, et in fugam conversus est Cendebæus et castra ejus: et ceciderunt ex eis multi vulnerati: residui autem in munitionem fugerunt.

And now the sacred trumpets sounded the charge; fled Cendebaeus, fled his army at their onslaught, and many were left dead on the field; for the rest, they were fain to take refuge behind their walls again.

And they sounded the holy trumpets: and Cendebeus and his army were put to flight: and there fell many of them wounded, and the rest fled into the strong hold.

Tunc vulneratus est Judas frater Joannis: Joannes autem insecutus est eos, donec venit Cedronem, quam ædificavit:

John went in pursuit, for all his brother Judas had been wounded in the battle, and chased them as far as the walls of Cedron … which he had fortified.

At that time Judas John’s brother was wounded: but John pursued after them, till he came to Cedron, which he had built:

et fugerunt usque ad turres, quæ erant in agris Azoti, et succendit eas igni. Et ceciderunt ex illis duo millia virorum, et reversus est in Judæam in pace.

Nor might they find shelter in the strongholds of the Azotus territory; he burnt these to the ground; a toll of two thousand men he had taken before he returned victorious to Judaea.

And they fled even to the towers that were in the fields of Azotus, and he burnt them with fire. And there fell of them two thousand men, and he returned into Judea in peace.

Et Ptolemæus filius Abobi constitutus erat dux in campo Jericho, et habebat argentum et aurum multum:

Turn we now to Ptolemy, son of Abobus, that was in charge of all Jericho plain, and had a purse well lined with silver and gold;

Now Ptolemee the son of Abobus was appointed captain in the plain of Jericho, and he had abundance of silver and gold,

erat enim gener summi sacerdotis.

was he not the son-in-law of a high priest?

For he was son in law of the high priest.

Et exaltatum est cor ejus, et volebat obtinere regionem, et cogitabat dolum adversus Simonem et filios ejus, ut tolleret eos.

But higher still his ambition ran; he would make himself master of the whole country; murder he plotted for Simon and his sons together.

And his heart was lifted up, and he designed to make himself master of the country, and he purposed treachery against Simon, and his sons, to destroy them.

Simon autem, perambulans civitates quæ erant in regione Judææ, et sollicitudinem gerens earum, descendit in Jericho ipse, et Mathathias filius ejus, et Judas, anno centesimo septuagesimo septimo, mense undecimo: hic est mensis Sabath.

It was in Sabath, the eleventh month, of the hundred and seventy-seventh year, that Simon came down to Jericho, as ever he visited all the cities of Judaea in his great care for them; and his sons Mattathias and Judas went with him.

Now Simon, as he was going through the cities that were in the country of Judea, and taking care for the good ordering of them, went down to Jericho, he and Mathathias and Judas his sons, in the year one hundred and seventy-seven, the eleventh month: the same is the month Sabath.

Et suscepit eos filius Abobi in munitiunculam, quæ vocatur Doch, cum dolo, quam ædificavit: et fecit eis convivium magnum, et abscondit illic viros.

And there, in a castle he had built for himself, Doch is the name of it, the son of Abobus gave them treacherous welcome. A great feast he made, but he had men waiting in readiness,

And the son of Abobus received them deceitfully into a little fortress, that is called Doch which he had built: and he made them a great feast, and hid men there.

Et cum inebriatus esset Simon et filii ejus, surrexit Ptolemæus cum suis, et sumpserunt arma sua, et intraverunt in convivium: et occiderunt eum, et duos filios ejus, et quosdam pueros ejus:

and with these, when Simon and his sons had drunk deep, he took arms, broke into the banqueting-chamber, and slew both father and sons, with certain of their retinue.

And when Simon and his sons had drunk plentifully, Ptolemee and his men rose up and took their weapons, and entered into the banqueting place, and slew him, and his two sons, and some of his servants.

et fecit deceptionem magnam in Israël, et reddidit mala pro bonis.

Never saw Israel so treacherous a deed, or good service so ill rewarded.

And he committed a great treachery in Israel, and rendered evil for good.

Et scripsit hæc Ptolemæus, et misit regi ut mitteret ei exercitum in auxilium, et traderet ei regionem, et civitates eorum, et tributa.

News of all this was sent by Ptolemy to the king, and in writing; his plea was, an army should be sent out in support of him, and the country, with all its cities and all the tribute that came from them, given into his charge.

And Ptolemee wrote these things and sent to the king that he should send him an army to aid him, and he would deliver him the country, and their cities, and tributes.

Et misit alios in Gazaram tollere Joannem: et tribunis misit epistolas, ut venirent ad se, et daret eis argentum, et aurum, et dona.

Others of his men he despatched to Gazara; John must be put to death, he wrote, and for the captains, they should have silver and gold and good recompense, would they but rally to his side;

And he sent others to Gazara to kill John: and to the tribunes he sent letters to come to him, and that he would give them silver, and gold, and gifts.

Et alios misit occupare Jerusalem et montem templi.

others again were to take possession of Jerusalem, and of the temple hill.

And he sent others to take Jerusalem, and the mountain of the temple.

Et præcurrens quidam, nuntiavit Joanni in Gazara quia periit pater ejus et fratres ejus, et quia misit te quoque interfici.

But too late; a messenger had reached John at Gazara, telling him his father and brothers were dead, and himself too marked down for slaughter;

Now one running before, told John in Gazara, that his father and his brethren were slain, and that he hath sent men to kill thee also.

Ut audivit autem, vehementer expavit: et comprehendit viros, qui venerant perdere eum, et occidit eos: cognovit enim quia quærebant eum perdere.

whereupon he took alarm in good earnest; their murderous errand known, he seized his executioners and made an end of them.

But when he heard it he was exceedingly afraid: and he apprehended the men that came to kill him, and he put them to death: for he knew that they sought to make him away.

Et cetera sermonum Joannis, et bellorum ejus, et bonarum virtutum, quibus fortiter gessit, et ædificii murorum, quos exstruxit, et rerum gestarum ejus:

What else John did, and how fought he, brave deeds done, and strong walls built, and all his history,

And as concerning the rest of the acts of John, and his wars, and the worthy deeds, which he bravely achieved, and the building of the walls, which he made, and the things that he did:

ecce hæc scripta sunt in libro dierum sacerdotii ejus, ex quo factus est princeps sacerdotum post patrem suum.

you may read in the annals of his time, that were kept faithfully since the day when he succeeded his father as high priest.

Behold these are written in the book of the days of his priesthood, from the time that he was made high priest after his father.