28/05/2026
MAY 29 - FIRST MACCABEES 13 - 14
Let us read the Bible in ONE YEAR from GENESIS to REVELATION. We commit to read at least three chapters a day and be nurtured by the word of God. We are now reading the FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES.
OPENING PRAYER:
Holy Spirit, come and teach me how to pray. Guide and inspire me that I may understand your word. Amen.
CHAPTER 13
IV. Leadership of Simon
Simon as Leader.
1 When Simon heard that Trypho was gathering a large army to invade and ravage the land of Judah, 2 and saw that the people were trembling with terror, he went up to Jerusalem. There he assembled the people 3 and exhorted them in these words: โYou know what I, my brothers, and my fatherโs house have done for the laws and the sanctuary; what battles and hardships we have seen. 4 For the sake of this, for the sake of Israel, all my brothers have perished, and I alone am left. 5 Far be it from me, then, to save my own life in any time of distress, for I am not better than my brothers. 6 But I will avenge my nation and the sanctuary, as well as your wives and children, for out of hatred all the Gentiles have united to crush us.โ
7 As the people heard these words, their spirit was rekindled. 8 They shouted in reply: โYou are our leader in place of your brothers Judas and Jonathan. 9 Fight our battles, and we will do everything that you tell us.โ 10 So Simon mustered all the men able to fight, and hastening to complete the walls of Jerusalem, fortified it on every side. 11 He sent Jonathan, son of Absalom, to Joppa with a strong force; Jonathan drove out the occupants and remained there.
Tryphoโs Deceit.
12 Then Trypho moved from Ptolemais with a large army to invade the land of Judah, bringing Jonathan with him as a prisoner. 13 Simon encamped at Adida, facing the plain. 14 When Trypho learned that Simon had succeeded his brother Jonathan, and that he intended to fight him, he sent ambassadors to him with this message: 15 โIt was on account of the money your brother Jonathan owed the royal treasury in connection with the offices that he held, that we have detained him. 16 Now send a hundred talents of silver, and two of his sons as hostages to guarantee that when he is set free he will not revolt against us, and we will release him.โ
17 Simon knew that they were speaking deceitfully to him. Nevertheless, for fear of provoking much hostility among the people, he sent for the money and the boys, 18 lest the people say โJonathan perished because I would not send Trypho the money and the boys.โ 19 So he sent the boys and the hundred talents; but Trypho broke his promise and would not release Jonathan.
20 Next Trypho moved to invade and ravage the country. His troops went around by the road that leads to Adora, but Simon and his army moved along opposite him everywhere he went. 21 The people in the citadel kept sending emissaries to Trypho, pressing him to come to them by way of the wilderness, and to send them provisions. 22 Although Trypho got all his cavalry ready to go, there was a very heavy snowfall that night, and he could not go on account of the snow. So he left for Gilead. 23 When he was approaching Baskama, he had Jonathan killed and buried him there. 24 Then Trypho returned to his own land.
Jonathanโs Tomb. 25 Simon sent for the remains of his brother Jonathan, and buried him in Modein, the city of his ancestors. 26 All Israel bewailed him with solemn lamentation, mourning over him for many days. 27 Then Simon erected over the tomb of his father and his brothers a monument of stones, polished front and back, and raised high enough to be seen at a distance. 28 He set up seven pyramids facing one another for his father and his mother and his four brothers. 29 For the pyramids he devised a setting of massive columns, which he adorned with suits of armor as a perpetual memorial, and next to the armor carved ships, which could be seen by all who sailed the sea. 30 This tomb which he built at Modein is there to the present day.
Alliance of Simon and Demetrius II.
31 Trypho dealt treacherously with the young King Antiochus. He killed him 32 and became king in his place, putting on the crown of Asia. Thus he brought much evil on the land. 33 Simon, for his part, built up the strongholds of Judea, fortifying them all around with high towers, thick walls, and gates with bars, and he stored up provisions in the strongholds. 34 Simon also chose men and sent them to King Demetrius to obtain for the land an exemption from taxation, since Trypho did nothing but plunder. 35 King Demetrius replied favorably and sent him the following letter:
36 โKing Demetrius sends greetings to Simon, high priest and friend of kings, and to the elders and the Jewish people. 37 We have received the gold crown and the palm branch that you sent. We are ready to make a lasting peace with you and to write to our officials to grant you exemption. 38 Whatever decrees we have made in your regard remain in force, and the strongholds that you have built you may keep. 39 We pardon any oversights and offenses committed up to now, as well as the crown tax that you owe. Any other tax that used to be collected in Jerusalem shall no longer be collected there. 40 Any of you qualified for enrollment in our service may be enrolled. Let there be peace between us.โ
41 Thus in the one hundred and seventieth year, the yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel, 42 and the people began to write in their records and contracts, โIn the first year of Simon, great high priest, governor, and leader of the Jews.โ
Simon Captures Gazara.
43 In those days Simon besieged Gazara and surrounded it with troops. He made a siege machine, brought it up against the city, and attacked and captured one of the towers. 44 Those in the siege machine leaped down into the city and a great tumult arose there. 45 Those in the city, together with their wives and children, went up on the wall, with their garments rent, and cried out in loud voices, begging Simon to grant them terms of peace. 46 They said, โTreat us not according to our evil deeds but according to your mercy.โ 47 So Simon came to terms with them and did not attack them. He expelled them from the city, however, and he purified the houses in which there were idols. Then he entered the city with hymns and songs of praise. 48 After removing from it everything that was impure, he settled there people who observed the law. He improved its fortifications and built himself a residence.
Simon Captures the Citadel.
49 The people in the citadel in Jerusalem were prevented from going out into the country and back to buy or sell; they suffered greatly from hunger, and many of them died of starvation. 50 They finally cried out to Simon, and he gave them terms of peace. He expelled them from the citadel and cleansed it of impurities. 51 On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year, the Jews entered the citadel with shouts of praise, the waving of palm branches, the playing of harps and cymbals and lyres, and the singing of hymns and canticles, because a great enemy of Israel had been crushed. 52 Simon decreed that this day should be celebrated every year with rejoicing. He also strengthened the fortifications of the temple mount alongside the citadel, and he and his people dwelt there. 53 Seeing that his son John was now a grown man, Simon made him commander of all his soldiers, and he dwelt in Gazara.
CHAPTER 14
Capture of Demetrius II.
1 In the one hundred and seventy-second year, King Demetrius assembled his army and marched into Media to obtain help so that he could fight Trypho. 2 When Arsaces, king of Persia and Media, heard that Demetrius had entered his territory, he sent one of his generals to take him alive. 3 The general went forth and attacked the army of Demetrius; he captured him and brought him to Arsaces, who put him under guard.
Praise of Simon
4 The land was at rest all the days of Simon,
who sought the good of his nation.
His rule delighted his people
and his glory all his days.
5 As his crowning glory he took Joppa for a port
and made it a gateway to the isles of the sea.
6 He enlarged the borders of his nation
and gained control of the country.
7 He took many prisoners of war
and made himself master of Gazara, Beth-zur, and the citadel.
He cleansed the citadel of its impurities;
there was no one to withstand him.
8 The people cultivated their land in peace;
the land yielded its produce,
the trees of the field their fruit.
9 Old men sat in the squares,
all talking about the good times,
while the young men put on the glorious raiment of war.
10 He supplied the cities with food
and equipped them with means of defense,
till his glorious name reached the ends of the earth.
11 He brought peace to the land,
and Israel was filled with great joy.
12 Every one sat under his vine and fig tree,
with no one to disturb them.
13 No attacker was left in the land;
the kings in those days were crushed.
14 He strengthened all the lowly among his people
and was zealous for the law;
he destroyed the lawless and the wicked.
15 The sanctuary he made splendid
and multiplied its furnishings.
Alliance with Rome and Sparta.
16 When people in Rome and even in Sparta heard that Jonathan had died, they were deeply grieved. 17 But when they heard that his brother Simon had become high priest in his place and was master of the territory and its cities, 18 they sent him inscribed tablets of bronze to renew with him the friendship and alliance that they had established with his brothers Judas and Jonathan. 19 These were read before the assembly in Jerusalem.
20 This is a copy of the letter that the Spartans sent: โThe rulers and the city of the Spartans send greetings to Simon the high priest, the elders, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers. 21 The ambassadors sent to our people have informed us of your glory and renown, and we rejoiced at their coming. 22 In accordance with what they said we have recorded the following in the public decrees: Numenius, son of Antiochus, and Antipater, son of Jason, ambassadors of the Jews, have come to us to renew their friendship with us. 23 The people have resolved to receive these men with honor, and to deposit a copy of their words in the public archives, so that the people of Sparta may have a record of them. A copy of this decree has been made for Simon the high priest.โ
24 After this, Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a large gold shield weighing a thousand minas, to confirm the alliance with the Romans.
Official Honors for Simon.
25 When the people heard of these things, they said, โHow shall we thank Simon and his sons? 26 He and his brothers and his fatherโs house have stood firm and repulsed Israelโs enemies, and so have established its freedom.โ So they made an inscription on bronze tablets, which they affixed to pillars on Mount Zion.
27 The following is a copy of the inscription: โOn the eighteenth day of Elul, in the one hundred and seventy-second year, that is, the third year under Simon the great high priest in Asaramel, 28 in a great assembly of priests, people, rulers of the nation, and elders of the region, the following proclamation was made to us:
29 โโSince there have often been wars in our country, Simon, son of the priest Mattathias, descendant of Joarib, and his brothers have put themselves in danger and resisted the enemies of their nation, so that their sanctuary and law might be maintained, and they have thus brought great glory to their nation. 30 Jonathan rallied the nation, became their high priest, and was gathered to his people. 31 When their enemies sought to invade and ravage their country and to violate their sanctuary, 32 Simon rose up and fought for his nation, spending large sums of his own money to equip his nationโs forces and give them their pay. 33 He fortified the cities of Judea, especially the border city of Beth-zur, formerly the site of the enemyโs weaponry, and he stationed there a garrison of Jewish soldiers. 34 He also fortified Joppa by the sea and Gazara on the border of Azotus, a place previously occupied by the enemy; these cities he settled with Jews and furnished them with all that was necessary for their restoration. 35 When the people saw Simonโs fidelity and the glory he planned to bring to his nation, they made him their leader and high priest because of all he had accomplished and the justice and fidelity he had shown his nation. In every way he sought to exalt his people.
36 โโIn his time and under his guidance they succeeded in driving the Gentiles out of their country and those in the City of David in Jerusalem, who had built for themselves a citadel from which they used to sally forth to defile the environs of the sanctuary and inflict grave injury on its purity. 37 In this citadel he stationed Jewish soldiers, and he strengthened its fortifications for the security of the land and the city, while he also built up the wall of Jerusalem to a greater height. 38 Consequently, King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood, 39 made him one of his Friends, and conferred great honor on him. 40 This was because he had heard that the Romans had addressed the Jews as friends, allies, and brothers, that they had received Simonโs envoys with honor, 41 and that the Jewish people and their priests had decided the following: Simon shall be their leader and high priest forever until a trustworthy prophet arises. 42 He shall act as governor over them, and shall have charge of the sanctuary, to make regulations concerning its functions and concerning the country, its weapons and strongholds. 43 He shall be obeyed by all. All contracts in the country shall be written in his name, and he shall be clothed in purple and gold. 44 It shall not be lawful for any of the people or priests to nullify any of these decisions, or to contradict the orders given by him, or to convene an assembly in the country without his consent, to be clothed in purple or wear a gold buckle. 45 Whoever acts otherwise or violates any of these prescriptions shall be liable to punishment.
46 โโThus all the people approved of granting Simon the right to act in accord with these decisions, 47 and Simon accepted and agreed to be high priest, governor, and ethnarch of the Jewish people and priests, and to have authority over all.โโ
48 It was decreed that this inscription should be engraved on bronze tablets, to be set up in a conspicuous place in the precincts of the sanctuary, 49 and that copies of it should be deposited in the treasury, where they would be available to Simon and his sons.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, I thank you. Your Word is food to my spirit. May your Word that I receive today transform my soul. Make me more like you in Jesus' name. Amen.
TYPE 'AMEN' IN THE COMMENT SECTION AFTER READING ALL THE CHAPTERS FOR THE DAY TO INSPIRE MANY TO DO THEY SAME.
