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1 Now Judas heard of the fame of the
Romans, that they are powerful and strong, and willingly agree to all things
that are requested of them: and that whosoever have come to them, they have
made amity with them, and that they are mighty in power.
2 And they heard of their battles, and
their noble acts, which they had done in Galatia, how they conquered them,
and brought them under tribute:
3 And how great things they had done in
the land of Spain, and that they had brought under their power the mines of
silver and of gold that are there, and had gotten possession of all the place
by their counsel and patience:
4 And had conquered places that were very
far off from them, and kings that came against them from the ends of the
earth, and had overthrown them with great slaughter: and the rest pay them
tribute every year.
5 And that they had defeated in battle
Philip, and Perses the king of the Ceteans, and the rest that had borne arms against them,
and had conquered them:
6 And how Antiochus the great king of
Asia, who went to fight against them, having a hundred and twenty elephants,
with horsemen, and chariots, and a very great army, was routed by them:
7 And how they took him alive, and
appointed to him, that both he and they that should reign
after him, should pay a great tribute, and that he should give hostages, and
that which was agreed upon,
8 And the country of the Indians, and of
the Medes, and of the Lydians, some of their best
provinces: and those which they had taken from them they gave to king Eumenes.
9 And that they who were in Greece had a mind
to go and to destroy them: and they had knowledge thereof,
10 And they sent a general against them,
and fought with them, and many of them were slain, and they carried away
their wives and their children captives, and spoiled them, and took
possession of their land, and threw down their walls, and brought them to be
their servants unto this day.
11 And the other kingdoms, and islands, that
at any time had resisted them, they had destroyed and brought under their
power.
12 But with their friends, and such as relied
upon them, they kept amity, and had conquered kingdoms that were near, and
that were far off: for all that heard their name, were afraid of them.
13 That whom they had a mind to help to a
kingdom, those reigned: and whom they would, they deposed from a kingdom: and
they were greatly exalted.
14 And none of all these wore a crown, or was
clothed in purple, to be magnified thereby.
15 And that they made themselves a senate
house, and consulted daily three hundred and twenty men, that sat in council
always for the people, that they might do the things that were right.
16 And that they committed their government to
one man every year, to rule over all their country, and they all obey one,
and there is no envy, nor jealousy amongst them.
17 So Judas chose Eupolemus
the son of John, the son of Jacob, and Jason the son of Eleazar,
and he sent them to Rome to make a league of amity and confederacy with them.
18 And that they might take off from them the
yoke of the Grecians, for they saw that they oppressed the kingdom of Israel
with servitude.
19 And they went to Rome, a very long journey,
and they entered into the senate house, and said:
20 Judas Machabeus,
and his brethren, and the people of the Jews have sent us to you, to make
alliance and peace with you, and that we may be registered your confederates
and friends.
21 And the proposal was pleasing in their sight.
22 And this is the copy of the writing that
they wrote back again, graven in tables of brass, and sent to Jerusalem, that
it might be with them there for a memorial of the peace and alliance.
23 GOOD SUCCESS BE TO THE ROMANS, and to the
people of the Jews, by sea and by land for ever: and far be the sword and
enemy from them.
24 But if there come first any war upon the
Romans, or any of their confederates, in all their dominions:
25 The nation of the Jews shall help them
according as the time shall direct, with all their heart:
26 Neither shall they give them, whilst
they are fighting, or furnish them with wheat, or arms, or money, or ships,
as it hath seemed good to the Romans: and they shall obey their orders,
without taking any thing of them.
27 In like manner also if war shall come
first upon the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help them with all their
heart, according as the time shall permit them.
28 And there shall not be given to them that
come to their aid, either wheat, or arms, or money, or ships, as it hath
seemed good to the Romans: and they shall observe their orders without
deceit.
29 According to these articles did the Romans
covenant with the people of the Jews.
30 And if after this one party or the other shall
have a mind to add to these articles, or take away anything, they may do it
at their pleasure: and whatsoever they shall add, or take away, shall be
ratified.
31 Moreover concerning the evils that Demetrius the
king hath done against them, we have written to him, saying: Why hast thou
made thy yoke heavy upon our friends, and allies, the Jews?
32 If therefore they come again to us
complaining of thee, we will do them justice, and will make war against thee
by sea and land.
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1- و سمع يهوذا باسم الرومانيين
انهم ذوو اقتدار عظيم و يعزون كل من ضوى اليهم و كل من جاءهم اثروه بمودتهم و
لهم شوكة شديدة.
2- و قصت عليه وقائعهم و ما ابدوا من الحماسة
في قتال الغاليين و انهم اخضعوهم و ضربوا عليهم الجزية.
3- و ما فعلوا في بلاد اسبانية و استيلاؤهم
على معادن الفضة و الذهب التي هناك و انهم اخضعوا كل مكان بمشورتهم و طول
اناتهم.
4- و ان كان ذلك المكان عنهم بمسافة بعيدة و
كسروا الذين اغاروا عليهم من الملوك من اقاصي الارض و ضربوهم ضربة عظيمة و ان
سائر الملوك يحملون اليهم الجزية كل سنة.
5- و قد قهروا فيلبس و فرساوس ملك كتيم في
الحرب و كل من قاتلهم و اخضعوهم.
6- و كسروا انطيوكس الكبير ملك اسية الذي زحف
لقتالهم و معه مئة و عشرون فيلا و فرسان و عجلات و جيش كثير جدا.
7- و قبضوا عليه حيا و ضربوا عليه و على الذين
يملكون بعده جزية عظيمة و رهائن و وضائع معلومة.
8- و ان يتركوا بلاد الهند و ماداي و لود و
خيار بلادهم و اخذوها منه و اعطوها لاومينيس الملك.
9- و لما هم اليونان ان يسيروا لمقاتلتهم
بلغهم ذلك.
10- فارسلوا اليهم قائدا واحدا و حاربوهم فسقط
منهم قتلى كثيرون و سبوا نساءهم و اولادهم و نهبوهم و استولوا على ارضهم و هدموا
حصونهم و استعبدوهم الى هذا اليوم.
11- و دمروا سائر الممالك و الجزائر التي
قاومتهم و استعبدوا سكانها.
12- و انهم حفظوا المودة
لاوليائهم و الذين اعتمدوا عليهم و تسلطوا على الممالك قريبها و بعيدها و كل من
سمع باسمهم خافهم.
13- و من ارادوا مؤازرته و تمليكه ملكوه و من
ارادوا خلعه خلعوه فعلا شانهم جدا.
14- و مع ذلك كله لم يلبس احد منهم التاج و لا
تردى الارجوان مباهاة به.
15- و انما وضعوا لهم شورى ياتمر فيها كل يوم
ثلاث مئة و عشرون رجلا لاصلاح شؤونهم.
16- و هم يفوضون سلطانهم و سياسة ارضهم
بجملتها كل سنة الى رجل واحد و جميعهم يطيعون هذا الواحد و ليس فيهم حسد و لا
منافسة.
17- فاختار يهوذا اوبولمس بن يوحنا بن اكوس و
ياسون بن العازار و ارسلهما الى رومية ليعقدا معهم عهد الموالاة و المناصرة.
18- و يرفعا عنهم النير لانهم راوا ان دولة
اليونان قد استعبدت اسرائيل استعبادا.
19- فانطلقا الى رومية في سفر بعيد جدا و دخلا
الشورى و تكلما و قالا.
20- انا مرسلان اليكم من قبل يهوذا المكابي و
اخوته و جمهور اليهود لنعقد معكم عهد المناصرة و المسالمة و ان تثبتونا في جملة مناصريكم
و اوليائكم.
21- فحسن الكلام لديهم.
22- و هذه نسخة الكتاب الذي
دونوه على الواح من نحاس و ارسلوه الى اورشليم حتى يكون عندهم تذكار للمسالمة و
المناصرة.
23- الفلاح للرومانيين و لامة اليهود في البحر
و البر الى الابد و ليبعد عنهم السيف و العدو.
24- اذا قامت حرب في رومية اولا او عند اي كان
من مناصريهم في جميع سلطانهم.
25- فامة اليهود تناصر بكل عزمها كما تقتضيه
الحال.
26- و ليس على الرومانيين ان يؤدوا الى
المحاربين معهم او يجهروا لهم طعاما و لا اسلحة و لا فضة و لا سفنا كذلك حسن عند
الرومانيين لكن يحافظون على اوامر الرومانيين بغير ان ياخذوا شيئا.
27- و كذلك امة اليهود اذا حدثت لها حرب اولا
فالرومانيون ينتدبون للمناصرة كما تقتضيه الحال.
28- و ليس على اليهود ان يؤدوا الى المناصرين
طعاما و لا اسلحة و لا فضة و لاسفنا كذلك حسن عند الرومانيين لكن يحافظون على
اوامر اليهود دون غش.
29- على هذا الكلام عاهد الرومانيون شعب
اليهود.
30- و اذا شاء هؤلاء او اولئك ان يزيدوا على
هذا الكلام او يسقطوا منه فيفعلون برضى الفريقين و كل ما زادوا او اسقطوا يكون
مقررا.
31- اما الشرور التي انزلها بهم الملك
ديمتريوس فقد كتبنا اليه قائلين لم ثقلت النير على اوليائنا و مناصرينا اليهود.
32- فان عادوا يتظلمون منك فسنجري لهم الحكم و
نقاتلك بحرا و برا
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