1 Maccabees 16

Then came up ^aJohn from ^abGazara, and told Simon his father ^cwhat Cendebeus had done. ²Wherefore Simon called his two eldest sons, Judas and ^aJohn, and said unto them, ^dI, and my brethren, and my father’s house, have ever from our youth unto this day fought against the enemies of Israel; and ^ethings have prospered so well in our hands, that we have delivered Israel oftentimes. ³But now I am old, and ye, by God’s mercy, are of a sufficient age: be ye instead of me and ^fmy brother, and go and fight for our nation, and the help from heaven be with you. ⁴So he chose out of the country twenty thousand men of war with horsemen, who went out against Cendebeus, and ^grested that night at ^hModin. ⁵And when as they rose in the morning, and went into the plain, behold, a mighty great host both of footmen and horsemen came against them: howbeit there was a water brook betwixt them. ⁶So he and his people pitched over against them: and when he saw that the people were afraid to go over the water brook, he went first over himself, and then the men seeing him passed through after him. ⁷That done, he divided his men, and set the horsemen in the midst of the footmen: for the enemies’ horsemen were very many. ⁸Then ⁱsounded they with the holy trumpets: whereupon Cendebeus and his host were put to flight, so that ^kmany of them were slain, and the remnant gat them to ^lthe strong hold. ⁹At that time was ^mJudas John’s brother wounded; but John still followed after them, until he came to ^lCedron, which Cendebeus had built. ¹⁰So they fled even unto the towers in the fields of ⁿAzotus: wherefore he burnt it with fire: so that there were slain of them about two thousand men. Afterward he returned into the land of Judea in peace.

¹¹Moreover in ^othe plain of Jericho was Ptolemeus the son of Abubus made captain, and he had abundance of silver and gold: ¹²for he was the high priest’s son in law. ¹³Wherefore his heart being lifted up, he thought to get the country to himself, and thereupon consulted deceitfully against Simon and his sons to destroy them. ¹⁴Now Simon was visiting the cities that were in the country, and taking care for the good ordering of them; at which time he came down himself to ^pJericho with his sons, Mattathias and Judas, in the hundred threescore and seventeenth year, in the eleventh month, called ^qSabat: ¹⁵where the son of Abubus receiving them deceitfully into a little hold, called Docus, which he had built, made them a great banquet: howbeit he had hid men there. ¹⁶So when Simon and his sons ^rhad drunk largely, Ptolemee and his men rose up, and took their weapons, and came upon Simon into the banqueting place, and slew him, and his two sons, and certain of his servants. ¹⁷In which doing he committed a great treachery, and recompensed evil for good.

¹⁸Then Ptolemee wrote these things, and sent to ^sthe king, that he should send him a host to aid him, and he would deliver him the country and cities. ¹⁹He sent others also to ^bGazara, to kill John: and unto the tribunes he sent letters to come unto him, that he might give them ^tsilver, and gold, and rewards. ²⁰And others he sent to take Jerusalem, and the mountain of the temple. ²¹Now one had run afore to ^bGazara, and told John that his father and brethren were slain, and ^uquoth he, Ptolemee hath sent to slay thee also. ²²Hereof when he heard, he was sore astonished: so he laid hands on them that were come to destroy him, and slew them; for he knew that they sought to make him away.

^23xAs concerning the rest of the acts of John, and his wars, and worthy deeds which he did, and the building of the walls which he made, and his doings, ²⁴behold, these are written in the chronicles of his priesthood, from the time he was made high priest after his father.