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| [1]Then came Iohn vp from Gaza, and tolde Simon his father what Cendebeus had done [among their people.] |
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| [2]Upon this called Simon two of his eldest sonnes, Iudas and Iohn, and saide vnto them: I and my brethren and my fathers house haue euer from our youth vp vnto this day foughten against the enemies of Israel: and God gaue vs good fortune to deliuer Israel ofttimes. |
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| [3]And now forsomuch as I am olde, and ye by gods goodnesse are of a sufficient age, be ye in steade of me and my brother, to go foorth and fight for our people: and the helpe of God be with you. |
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| [4]So he chose twentie thousand fighting men of the countrey, with horsemen also, whiche went foorth against Cendebeus, and rested at Modin. |
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| [5]In the morning they arose and went into the playne fielde, and beholde a mightie great hoast came against them, both of footemen and horsemen: Nowe was there a water broke betwixt them, |
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| [6]And Iohn remoued the hoast towarde them: and when he saw that the people was afrayde to go ouer the water broke, he went ouer first him selfe: and the men seyng this, folowed him. |
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| [7]Then Iohn set his horsemen and footemen in order, the one by the other: for their enemies horseme were very many. |
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| [8]But when they blewe vp the priestes trumpettes, Cendebeus fled with his hoast: whereof many were slayne, and the remnaunt gat them to their strong holdes. |
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| [9]Iudas also Iohns brother was wounded at the same time, and Iohn folowed still vpon the enemies, till he came to Cedron, which Cendebeus had builded. |
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| [10]The [enemies] fled also vnto the towres that were in the fieldes of Azotus, and those dyd Iohn burne vp with fyre: Thus there were slayne two thousand men of them, and Iohn turned againe peaceably into Iurie. |
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| [11]And in the fielde of Iericho was Ptolomi the sonne of Abobus made captayne: which, because he had aboundaunce of siluer and golde |
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| [12](For he had maried the daughter of Simon the hye priest) |
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| [13]Waxed proude in his minde, & thought to conquer the land, imagining falshood against Simon and his sonnes, to destroy them. |
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| [14]Nowe as Simon was goyng about thorow the cities that were in the countrey of Iurie, and caring for them, he came downe to Iericho with Mathathias & Iudas his sonnes, in the hundred threescore & seuenteenth yere, in the eleuenth moneth, called Sabat. |
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| [15]Then [Ptolomi] the sonne of Abobus receaued them, but with disceyte, into a strong house of his, called Dochus, whiche he had buylded, where he made them a banket, and had hyd men there. |
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| [16]So when Simon and his sonnes were mery, and had drunken well, Ptolomi stoode vp with his men [whom he had hid there] and toke their weapons, entred into the banket house, and slue Simon with his two sonnes, and certayne of his seruauntes. |
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| [17]Such great vnfaythfulnesse dyd Ptolomi in Israel, and recompenced euyll for good. |
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| [18]Then wrote Ptolomi these thinges, & sent vnto king [Antiochus] requiring him that he shoulde sende hym an hoast to helpe him: and so should he deliuer him the lande, with the cities and tributes of the same. |
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| [19]He sent other men also vnto Gaza for to take Iohn, and wrote vnto the captaynes to come to him, and he shoulde geue them siluer, gold, and rewardes. |
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| [20]And to Hierusalem he sent other to take it, and the sanctuarie. |
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| [21]Then ran there one before, and tolde Iohn in Gaza, that his father and his brethren were slayne, & howe that Ptolomi had sent to slay him also. |
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| [22]When Iohn hearde this, he was sore abashed, and layed handes of them that were come to destroy hym, and slue them: for he knewe that they went about to kill hym |
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| [23]As for other thinges concerning Iohn, of his warres, of his noble actes wherin he behaued hym selfe manfully, of the buylding of walles which he made, and other of his deedes, |
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| [24]They are written in the cronicles of his priesthood, from the time foorth that he was made hye priest after his father. |
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