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he besieged him, having fled to a certain fortress, and invited the high priest Simon to friendship. And he accepted the invitation, and provided food to those besieging Tryphon. But Tryphon, having fled from there and come to Apamea, was besieged, captured, and destroyed, having reigned for three years. But Antiochus, having forgotten the things done for him by Simon, sends Cendebeus, having commanded him to ravage Judea and seize Simon. But Simon, having opposed him, conquers. and spent the rest of his life peacefully, having ruled Judea for eight years. But he died, having been plotted against by Ptolemy his son-in-law. And Simon's wife and his two sons were arrested and bound, but the third, John, escaped, who was also called Hyrcanus, and he was received by the people of Jerusalem on account of his father's good deeds, they having rejected Ptolemy when he came. And Hyrcanus, having received the ancestral priesthood, marched against Ptolemy, who was in a certain fortress called Dagon. and he was prevailing in the siege, but was overcome by pity for his mother and brothers; for Ptolemy, leading them up onto the wall, tortured them in plain sight. His mother, however, begged him not to be weakened on her account. But while the siege was thus drawn out, the seventh year arrived, in which it is customary for the Jews to be idle. and because of this Ptolemy, being released from the war, kills the mother of Hyrcanus and his brothers, and flees to Zeno Cotylas, the tyrant of Philadelphia. But Antiochus, being angry with Simon because of what he had suffered, 1.335 came against Judea, and having overrun the country, he besieged Hyrcanus. and having erected very high towers on the northern side of the city, he attacked the wall from them. But he accomplished nothing, both because of the valor of those within and because of the strength of the walls and an abundance of water from a recent rainfall. But Hyrcanus, fearing that their necessities might fail them, having selected only the fighting part of the population, drove the others out of the city; whom Antiochus did not permit to depart from there; who, waiting outside the walls on account of this, were dying. But those within, pitying them, received them again. But when the feast of Tabernacles was at hand, Hyrcanus sent to Antiochus and sought a truce for seven days on account of the feast. and he both gave the truce and sent a costly sacrifice with offerings; whom they called Eusebes on account of his reverence for the divine. And Hyrcanus, recognizing Antiochus' reverence for God, sent an embassy, asking that their ancestral constitution be restored to them. And he said, if they would surrender their arms, and agree to pay tribute for the other cities besides Judea, and receive a garrison, he would both refrain from the war and do the other things they asked. But the Jews accepted the other terms, but did not consent to the garrison, but instead of this they gave hostages and five hundred talents of silver. And when Antiochus yielded on these terms, the siege was lifted. And Hyrcanus, having opened the tomb of David, took from there three thousand talents of silver. And having made friendship with Antiochus, he received him into the city, and set out with him as he was marching against the Parthians; where Antiochus, having fought against Arsaces, perished along with the greater part of his army. 1.336 And his brother Demetrius became successor to the kingdom of the Syrians, Arsaces having released him when Antiochus came against the Parthians. And Hyrcanus, when Antiochus died, took many of the cities of Syria and others of Idumea. And having subdued the Idumeans, he permitted them to stay in the country, if they would be circumcised and use Jewish customs. and they, for the sake of their native lands, submitted to both circumcision and the other things. But Demetrius, having decided to march against Hyrcanus, was stopped, since the Syrians and the soldiers hated him on account of his wickedness, and had sent a message to Ptolemy Physcon, to give them someone related to Seleucus to take possession of the kingdom. who sent Alexander, called Zebinas. a battle therefore having been joined between him and Demetrius

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εις τι καταφυγόντα φρούριον ἐπολιόρκει, καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα Σίμωνα εἰς φιλίαν προεκαλεῖτο. ὁ δὲ ἐδέξατο τὴν πρόκλησιν, καὶ τοῖς πολιορκοῦσι τὸν Τρύφωνα τροφὰς ἐχορήγησε. φυγὼν δ' ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Τρύφων καὶ γενόμενος εἰς ̓Απάμειαν, πολιορκηθεὶς ἐλήφθη καὶ διεφθάρη, ἐπ' ετεσι βασιλεύσας τρισίν. ̔Ο ̓Αντίοχος δὲ λήθην τῶν ὑπὸ Σίμωνος αὐτῷ γενομένων ποιησάμενος, στέλλει Κενδεβαῖον, τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν πορθῆσαι καὶ τὸν Σίμωνα κατασχεῖν ἐντειλάμενος. Σίμων δὲ αὐτῷ ἀντικαταστὰς νικᾷ. καὶ εἰρηνικῶς τὸ λοιπὸν διήγαγε τῆς ζωῆς, αρξας τῆς ̓Ιουδαίας ετη ὀκτώ. τελευτᾷ δὲ παρὰ Πτολεμαίου τοῦ γαμβροῦ ἐπιβουλευθείς. καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ Σίμωνος καὶ οἱ δύο παῖδες συλληφθέντες ἐδέθησαν, ὁ δὲ τρίτος ̓Ιωάννης διέφυγεν, ος καὶ ̔Υρκανὸς ἐκαλεῖτο, καὶ προσεδέχθη παρὰ τῶν ̔Ιεροσολυμιτῶν διὰ τὰς τοῦ πατρὸς εὐεργεσίας, ἀπωσαμένων ἐλθόντα τὸν Πτολεμαῖον. ̓Απολαβὼν δὲ τὴν πάτριον ἱερωσύνην ὁ ̔Υρκανὸς ἐπὶ τὸν Πτολεμαῖον ἐστράτευσεν, εἰς ερυμά τι ∆αγὼν λεγόμενον οντα. καὶ ἐκράτει μὲν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ, ἡττᾶτο δὲ τῷ πρὸς τὴν μητέρα καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς οικτῳ· ὁ γὰρ Πτολεμαῖος ἀνάγων ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἀπόπτου ᾐκίζετο. ἡ μέντοι μήτηρ ἱκέτευε μὴ μαλακίζεσθαι δι' αὐτήν. τριβομένης δ' ουτω τῆς πολιορκίας ἐνίσταται τὸ εβδομον ετος, καθ' ο ειθισται τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις ἀργεῖν. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Πτολεμαῖος ἀνεθεὶς τοῦ πολέμου, κτείνει τὴν μητέρα τοῦ ̔Υρκανοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφούς, καὶ φεύγει πρὸς Ζήνωνα τὸν Κοτύλαν τὸν τῆς Φιλαδελφείας τύραννον. ̓Αντίοχος δὲ χαλεπαίνων τῷ Σίμωνι δι' α πέπονθε, 1.335 τῇ ̓Ιουδαίᾳ ἐπῆλθε, καὶ τὴν χώραν καταδραμὼν ἐπολιόρκει τὸν ̔Υρκανόν· καὶ πύργους ἀνεγείρας ὑψηλοτάτους κατὰ τὸ βόρειον μέρος τῆς πόλεως, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῷ τείχει προσέβαλλεν. ηνυε δ' οὐδὲν διά τε γενναιότητα τῶν ἐντὸς καὶ διὰ ὀχυρότητα τῶν τειχῶν καὶ υδατος ἀφθονίαν ἐξ ἐπομβρίας αρτι συμβᾶσαν. δείσας δὲ ὁ ̔Υρκανὸς μὴ ἐπιλίποιεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα, μόνον τὸ μάχιμον τοῦ πλήθους ἀπολεξάμενος, τοὺς αλλους ἐξῶσε τῆς πόλεως· ους ὁ ̓Αντίοχος ἀπελθεῖν ἐκεῖθεν οὐκ εια· οι καὶ εξω τῶν τειχῶν προσμένοντες διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέθνησκον. οἱ δ' ἐντὸς ἐλεοῦντες αὐτοὺς εἰσεδέξαντο αυθις. τῆς σκηνοπηγίας δὲ ἐνστάσης ὁ ̔Υρκανὸς στείλας πρὸς τὸν ̓Αντίοχον ἀνοχὴν ἐζήτει γενέσθαι διὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐφ' ἡμέρας ἑπτά. ὁ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀνοχὴν εδωκε καὶ θυσίαν πολυτελῆ σὺν ἀναθήμασιν επεμψεν· ον διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸ θεῖον εὐσέβειαν καὶ Εὐσεβῆ ἐκάλεσαν. γνοὺς δὲ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν τοῦ ̓Αντιόχου αἰδῶ ̔Υρκανὸς ἐπρεσβεύσατο τὴν πάτριον αὐτοῖς ἀποδοθῆναι πολιτείαν αἰτούμενος. ὁ δέ, εἰ παραδοῖεν τὰ οπλα, ειπε, καὶ φόρους τελεῖν ὑπὲρ τῶν αλλων κατάθοιντο πόλεων ατερ τῆς ̓Ιουδαίας, καὶ φρουρὰν δέξαιντο, καὶ τοῦ πολέμου ἀφέξεσθαι καὶ ταλλα ποιήσειν α ἀξιοῦσιν. ̓Ιουδαῖοι δὲ τὰ μὲν αλλα ἐδέχοντο, ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ φρουρᾷ οὐ κατένευον, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ ταύτης ὁμήρους ἐδίδοσαν καὶ ἀργυρίου τάλαντα πεντακόσια. ἐνδόντος δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῦ ̓Αντιόχου, ἡ πολιορκία ἐλύθη. ̔Υρκανὸς δὲ τὸν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀνοίξας τάφον τρισχίλια ἐκεῖθεν ἀργυρίου τάλαντα ελαβε. φιλίαν δὲ πρὸς ̓Αντίοχον ποιησάμενος, ἐν τῇ πόλει αὐτὸν εἰσεδέξατο, καὶ ἐπὶ Πάρθους στρατεύοντι συνεξώρμησεν· ενθα τῷ ̓Αρσάκῃ πολεμήσας ̓Αντίοχος τῷ πλείονι τῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ αὐτὸς συναπώλετο. 1.336 Γίνεται δὲ τῆς τῶν Σύρων βασιλείας διάδοχος ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ∆ημήτριος, λύσαντος ̓Αρσάκου αὐτὸν ἡνίκα τοῖς Πάρθοις ἐπῆλθεν ̓Αντίοχος. ̔Υρκανὸς δὲ ̓Αντιόχου θανόντος πολλὰς τῶν τῆς Συρίας πόλεων ειλε καὶ τῆς ̓Ιδουμαίας ἑτέρας. καὶ ὑποτάξας τοὺς ̓Ιδουμαίους ἐπέτρεπεν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ διατριβήν, εἰ περιτέμνοιντο καὶ χρῶνται εθεσιν ̓Ιουδαϊκοῖς. οἱ δὲ διὰ τὰς πατρίδας καὶ τὴν περιτομὴν καὶ ταλλα ὑπήνεγκαν. ∆ημήτριος δὲ στρατεύειν ἐγνωκὼς ἐπὶ ̔Υρκανόν, ἀνεκόπη, τῶν Σύρων καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν μισούντων αὐτὸν διὰ πονηρίαν, καὶ διακηρυκευσαμένων πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Φύσκωνα, δοῦναι αὐτοῖς τινα τῶν τῷ Σελεύκῳ προσηκόντων τῆς βασιλείας ἀντιληψόμενον. ος ̓Αλέξανδρον επεμψε τὸν λεγόμενον Ζεβινᾶν. μάχης ουν μέσον αὐτοῦ καὶ ∆ημητρίου συγκροτηθείσης