1 MACCABEES 8

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¹And Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they are valiant men, and have pleasure in all that join themselves unto them, and make amity with all such as come unto them,

²and that they are valiant men. And they told him of their wars and exploits which they do among the Gauls, and how that they conquered them, and brought them under tribute;

³and what things they did in the land of Spain, that they might become masters of the mines of silver and gold which were there;

⁴and how that by their policy and persistence they conquered all the place (and the place was exceeding far from them), and the kings that came against them from the uttermost part of the earth, until they had discomfited them, and smitten them very sore; and how the rest give them tribute year by year:

⁵and Philip, and Perseus, king of Chittim, and them that lifted up themselves against them, did they discomfit in battle, and conquered them:

⁶Antiochus also, the great king of Asia, who came against them to battle, having a hundred and twenty elephants, with horse, and chariots, and an exceeding great host, and he was discomfited by them,

⁷and they took him alive, and appointed that both he and such as reigned after him should give them a great tribute, and should give hostages, and a parcel of land, to wit,

⁸the country of India, and Media, and Lydia, and of the goodliest of their countries; and they took them from him, and gave them to king Eumenes:

⁹and how they of Greece took counsel to come and destroy them;

¹⁰and the thing was known to them, and they sent against them a captain, and fought against them, and many of them fell down wounded to death, and they made captive their wives and their children, and spoiled them, and conquered their land, and pulled down their strongholds, and spoiled them, and brought them into bondage unto this day:

¹¹and the residue of the kingdoms and of the isles, as many as rose up against them at any time, they destroyed and made them to be their servants;

¹²but with their friends and such as relied upon them they kept amity; and they conquered the kingdoms that were nigh and those that were far off, and all that heard of their fame were afraid of them:

¹³moreover, whomsoever they will to succour and to make kings, these do they make kings; and whomsoever they will, do they depose; and they are exalted exceedingly:

¹⁴and for all this none of them did ever put on a diadem, neither did they clothe themselves with purple, to be magnified thereby:

¹⁵and how they had made for themselves a senate house, and day by day three hundred and twenty men sat in council, consulting alway for the people, to the end they might be well ordered:

¹⁶and how they commit their government to one man year by year, that he should rule over them, and be lord over all their country, and all are obedient to that one, and there is neither envy nor emulation among them.

¹⁷And Judas chose Eupolemus the son of John, the son of Accos, and Jason the son of Eleazar, and sent them to Rome, to make a league of amity and confederacy with them,

¹⁸and that they should take the yoke from them; for they saw that the kingdom of the Greeks did keep Israel in bondage.

¹⁹And they went to Rome (and the way was exceeding long), and they entered into the senate house, and answered and said,

²⁰Judas, who is also called Maccabaeus, and his brethren, and the people of the Jews, have sent us unto you, to make a confederacy and peace with you, and that we might be registered your confederates and friends.

²¹And the thing was well-pleasing in their sight.

²²And this is the copy of the writing which they wrote back again on tables of brass, and sent to Jerusalem, that it might be with them there for a memorial of peace and confederacy:

²³Good success be to the Romans, and to the nation of the Jews, by sea and by land for ever: the sword also and the enemy be far from them.

²⁴But if war arise for Rome first, or any of their confederates in all their dominion,

²⁵the nation of the Jews shall help them as confederates, as the occasion shall prescribe to them, with all their heart:

²⁶and unto them that make war upon them they shall not give, neither supply, food, arms, money, or ships, as it hath seemed good unto Rome, and they shall keep their ordinances without taking anything therefore.

²⁷In the same manner, moreover, if war come first upon the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help them as confederates with all their soul, as the occasion shall prescribe to them:

²⁸and to them that are confederates with their foes there shall not be given food, arms, money, or ships, as it hath seemed good unto Rome; and they shall keep these ordinances, and that without deceit.

²⁹According to these words have the Romans made a covenant thus with the people of the Jews.

³⁰But if hereafter the one party and the other shall take counsel to add or diminish anything, they shall do it at their pleasure, and whatsoever they shall add or take away shall be established.

³¹And as touching the evils which king Demetrius doeth unto them, we have written to him, saying, Wherefore hast thou made thy yoke heavy upon our friends and confederates the Jews?

³²If therefore they plead any more against thee, we will do them justice, and fight with thee by sea and by land.