‏ 1 Maccabees 14

1In the hundrid and two and seuenti yeer kyng Demetrie gaderide his oost, and wente to Medei, for to drawe togidere helpis to hym, for to ouercome Trifon. 2And as Arsases, kyng of Persis and Medei, herde that Demetrie entride in to his niy coostis, he sente oon of hise princes, for to take hym quyk, and that he schulde brynge hym to hym silf. 3And he wente, and smoot tentis, `ether oost, of Demetrie, and took hym, and ledde hym to Arsaces, and he puttide hym in to kepyng. 4And the lond of Juda was pesible in alle daies of Symount, and he souyte goode thingis of his folc; and his power and his glorie pleside to hem in alle daies. 5And with al his glorie he took Joppe in to hauene, and made entre in to ilis of the see; 6and alargide the coostis of his puple, and weldide the cuntre. 7And he gaderide myche caitifte, and was lord in Gasara, and Bethsura, and the hiy tour; and dide awei vnclennessis of it, and ther was not that ayenstood hym. 8And ech man tilide his owne lond with pees, and the lond of Juda yaf hise fruitis, and trees of feeldis her fruitis. 9Eldere men saten alle in stretis, and tretiden of goodis of the lond; and yonge men clothiden hem in glorie, and in stoolis of batel. 10And to the citees he yaf foodis, and ordeynede tho, that tho weren vessels of strengthing, til that the name of his glorie was named til to the laste of erthe. 11He made pees on the lond, and Israel was glad with greet gladnesse; 12and ech man sat vndur his vyne, and vndur his fige tree, nether ther was that feeride hem. 13The fiytynge man ayens hem failide on erthe; kyngis weren al to-brokun in tho daies. 14And he confermyde alle meke men of his puple, and he souyte out the lawe, and dide awei al yuel and wickidnesse; 15and he glorifiede hooli thingis, and multipliede vessels of hooli thingis. 16And it was herd at Rome, that Jonathas was deed, and til in to Sparciatis, and thei weren ful soreuful. 17Forsothe as thei herden, that Symount, his brother, was maad hiyeste preest in his stide, and he weldide the cuntre, and citees in it, 18thei writiden to hym in brasun tablis, for to renule frenschip, and felouschip, that thei maden with Judas and Jonathas, his britheren; 19and thei weren rad in the siyt of the chirche in Jerusalem. And this is ensaumple of pistlis, that Sparciatis senten. 20The prince and citees of Sparciatis to Symount, greet prest, and to the eldere men, and prestis, and to othere puple of Jewis, britheren, heelthe. 21Legatis that weren sente to oure puple, telden to vs of youre glorie, and onour, and gladnesse, and we ioieden in the entree of hem. 22And we han write what thingis weren seid of hem in councels of puple, thus. Numenyus, the sone of Antiok, and Antipater, the sone of Jason, legatis of Jewis, camen to vs, and renulide with vs the formere frendschip. 23And it pleside to the puple, for to resseyue the men gloriousli, and to putte ensaumple of her wordis in departid bookis of the puple, that it be to mynde to the puple of Sparciatis; forsothe we han write ensaumple of these thingis to Symount, the greet preest. 24Forsothe aftir these thingis Symount sente Numenyus to Rome, hauynge a greet goldun scheeld, in weiyte of a thousynde besauntis, for to ordeyne felouschip with hem. Sotheli whanne the puple of Rome herde these wordis, 25thei seiden, What doyng of thankyngis schulen we yelde to Symount, and his sones? 26For he restoride his britheren, and ouercam the enemyes of Israel fro hem. And thei ordeyneden to hym liberte, and writiden in brasun tablis, and Jewis puttiden in titlis, in the mount of Sion. 27And this is ensaumple of writyng. In the eiytenthe dai of the monethe Ebul, in the hundrid and two and seuenti yeer, the thridde yeer vndur Symount, greet preest, in Asaramael, 28in the greet comyng togidere of prestis, of the puple, and princis, and folc, and `eldere men of the cuntre, these thingis weren maad knowun; for many tymes batels weren don in youre cuntre. 29Forsothe Symount, the sone of Matatias, of the sones of Jarib, and his britheren, yauen hem silf to perel, and ayenstoden aduersaries of her folc, that her hooli thingis and lawe schulde stonde; and bi greet glorye thei glorifieden her folc. 30And Jonathas gaderide his folc, and was maad to hem a greet preest, and is put to his puple. 31And the enemyes of hem wolden defoule holi thingis, and distrie the cuntre of hem, and stretche forth hond in to hooli thingis `of hem. 32Thanne Symount ayenstood, and fauyt for his puple, and yaf many richessis, and armyd men of vertu of his folc, and yaf to hem sowdis; 33and strengthide the citees of Juda, and Bethsura, that was in the endis of Judee, where bifor weren armeris of enemyes, and he puttide there help, men of Jewis. 34And he strengthide Joppe, that was at the see, and Gasara, that was in coostis of Asotus, in which enemyes dwelten bifore; and he settide there Jewis, and what euere thingis weren able to amendyng of hem, he puttede in hem. 35And the puple siy the doyng of Symount, and glorie that he thouyte `for to do to his folc, and thei maden hym her duyk, and prince of preestis, for that he hadde don alle these thingis, and riytwisnesse, and feith that he kepte to his folc; and he souyte out in al maner for to raise hys puple. 36And in hise daies it hadde prosperite in his hondis, that hethene men weren takun awei fro the cuntre of hem, whiche weren in the citee of Dauid in Jerusalem, in the hiy tour; fro which thei camen out, and defouliden alle thingis that weren in cumpas of hooli thingis, and yauen greet wounde to chastite. 37And he settide ther ynne men Jewis, to defendyng of the cuntre and citee, and reiside the wallis in Jerusalem. 38And kyng Demetrie ordeynede to hym the hiyeste presthod; 39bi this he made him his frend, and glorifiede hym in greet glorie. 40For he herde, that Jewis weren clepid of Romayns frendis, and felowis, and britheren, and that thei resseyueden legatis of Symount gloriousli; 41and that Jewis, and prestis of hem, consentiden, him for to be her duyk, and hiyeste preest with outen ende, til ther rise a feithful profete; 42and that he be duyk on hem, and cure were to him for hooli thingis; and that he schulde ordeyne gouernouris on the werkis of hem, and on the cuntre, and on armeris, and on strengthis; 43and cure be to hym of hooli thingis; and that he be herd of men, and alle writyngis in the cuntre be writun togidere vndur name of hym; and that he be keuered with purpur and gold; 44and that it be not leueful to ony of the puple, and to prestis, for to make ony thing of these voide, and ayenseie to these thingis that ben seid of hym, ether for to clepe togidere couent in the cuntre with outen hym; and for to be clothid in purpur, and for to vse a goldun lace, `ether noche. 45Sotheli he that schal do with out this, ether schal make voide ony of these, schal be gilti. 46And it pleside togidere to al the puple, for to ordeyne Symount, and do bi these wordis. 47And Symount resseyuede, and it pleside hym, that he schulde vse hiyeste preesthod, and be duyk and prince of the folc of Jewis, and prestis, and be souereyn of alle men. 48And thei ordeyneden for to put this writyng in brasun tablis, and put hem in the wal aboute the cumpassyng of hooli thingis, in solempne place; 49forsothe for to putte ensaumple of these in the tresorie, that Symount haue and hise sones.
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