Judas hears of the great character of the Romans: he makes a league with them.
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And Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they are powerful and strong, and that they willingly agree to all things that are asked of them; and that, whoever was agreeable to them, they established a friendship with them, and so they are powerful and resourceful.
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And they heard of their battles, and the successful works that they had accomplished in Galatia, how they had subdued them and brought them under tribute,(a)
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and what great things they had accomplished in the region of Spain, and that they had driven under their power the mines of silver and gold which are there, and that they had obtained possession of the entire place by their counsel and patience,
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and that they had overcome places that were very far from them, and kings, who came against them from the ends of the earth, and had crushed them and struck them with a great scourging, while the rest pay tribute to them every year,
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and that they had defeated in battle Philip, and Perses the king of the Ceteans, and the others who had taken up arms against them, and had crushed them in warfare and subdued them,(b)
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and how Antiochus, the great king of Asia, who brought a fight against them, having one hundred and twenty elephants, with horsemen, and swift chariots, and a very great army, was crushed by them,
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and how they had captured him alive and had decreed to him that both he and those who would reign after him would pay a great tribute, and that he should provide hostages bound to an agreement,
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and that regions from the Indians, and from the Medes, and from the Lydians, from among their best regions, with those whom they had taken from them, they gave to king Eumenes.(c)
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And those who were in Greece wanted to go out and defeat them, but they became aware of this plan.
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And so they sent one general to them, and he fought against them, and many of them fell, and they led into captivity their wives, and their sons, and they despoiled them and took possession of their land, and they destroyed their walls and drove them into servitude, even to this day.
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And the remaining kingdoms and islands, which at any time had resisted them, they destroyed and drove under their power.
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But with their friends, and with those who remained at peace with them, they maintained friendship and conquered kingdoms: those that were near, and those that were far off. For all those who heard of their name were afraid of them.
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In fact, whomever they wanted to help become ruler, these reigned, but whomever they wanted, they deposed from the kingdom. And they were greatly exalted.
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And of all these, none wore a diadem or was clothed in purple, to be magnified in this.
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And also, they had made themselves a senate house, and they consulted daily with three hundred and twenty men, continually acting as a counsel for the multitude, so that they would do the things that were right.
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And they commit their government to one man each year, to rule over their entire land, and they all obey this one, and there is no envy or jealousy among them.(d) (e)
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And 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 an agreement of friendship and an alliance with them,
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and so that they would take away from them the yoke of the Grecians, for they saw that they oppressed the kingdom of Israel with servitude.
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And they went to Rome, a very long journey, and they entered the senate house, and they said,
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“Judas Maccabeus, and his brothers, and the people of the Jews, have sent us to you to establish with you an alliance and peace, and so that we may be registered among your associates and friends.”
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And the word was pleasing in their sight.
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And this is a copy of the writing, which they rewrote on tablets of brass and sent to Jerusalem, so that it would be with them in that place as a memorial of the peace and alliance:
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“May all be well with the Romans and with the nation of the Jews, at sea and on land, forever, and may sword and enemy be far away from them.
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But if a war is instituted against the Romans first, or against any of their allies in all their dominions,
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the nation of the Jews will bring help to them, just as the situation shall direct, whole-heartedly.
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And those who do battle, they need not provide with supplies of wheat, or arms, or money, or ships, just as it seems good to the Romans, and they shall obey their orders, while taking nothing from them.
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But in like manner also, if war will have fallen upon the nation of the Jews first, the Romans shall help them willingly, just as the situation permits them.(f)
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And those who give assistance will not be provided with wheat, or arms, or money, or ships, just as it seems good to the Romans. And they shall obey their orders without deceit.
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According to these words, the Romans have made an agreement with the people of the Jews.
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And, if after these words, one or another would want to add anything to, or take anything from these, they may do as they propose. And whatever they add or take away, it shall be ratified.
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Moreover, concerning the evils that king Demetrius did to them, we have written to him, saying, ‘Why have you made your yoke heavy upon our friends and allies, the Jews?
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If, therefore, they come again to us against you, we will render judgment for them, and we will make war against you by sea and by land.’ ”
Footnotes