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Apocrypha. chrTst therewithal he sent him a purple robe or. 153. and a crown of gold:) and require thee to take our part, and keep friendship with us.

21 So in the seventh month of the hun dred and sixtieth year, at the feast of the tabernacles, Jonathan put on the holy robe, and gathered together forces, and provid ed much armour.

22 Whereof when Demetrius heard, he was very sorry, and said,

23 What have we done, that Alexander hath prevented us in making amity with the Jews to strengthen himself?

24 I also will write unto them words of encouragement, and promise them dignities and gifts, that I may have their aid.

25 He sent unto them therefore to this effect : King Demetrius unto the people of the Jews sendeth greeting :

26 Whereas ye have kept covenants with us, and continued in our friendship, not joining yourselves with our enemies, we have heard hereof, and are glad.

27 Wherefore now continue ye still to be faithful unto us, and we will well re compense you for the things ye do in our behalf,

28 And will grant you many immunities, and give you rewards.

29 And now do I free you, and for70ur fake I release all the Jews, from tributes, and from the customs of salt, and from crown taxes,

30 And from that which appertaineth unto me to receive for the third part of the feed, and the half of the fruit of the trees, I release it from this day forth, so that they shall not be taken of the land of Judea, nor of the three governments which are added thereunto out of the country of Samaria and Galilee, from this day forth for evermore.

31 Let Jerusalem also be holy and free, with the borders thereof, both from tenths and tributes.

32 And as for the tower which is at Jerusalem, I yield up my authority over it, and give it to the high priest, that he may set in it such men as he mall choose to keep it.

33 Moreover I freely set at liberty eve ry one of the Jews, that were carried cap- . tives out of the land of Judea into any part of my kingdom, and / will that all my officers remit the tributes even of their cattle.

34 Furthermore I •mill that all the feasts, and sabbaths, and new moons, and solemn days, and the three days before the feast* and the three after the feast, shall be c^rSeT all days of immuTiity and freedom for all cir.153.. the Jews in my realm.

3c Also no man sliall have authority to meddle with them, or to molest any of them in any matter.

36 / will further, that there be enrolled among the king's forces about thirty thousand men of the Jews, unto whom pay shall be given, as belongeth to all the king's forces.

37 And of them some shall be placed in the king's strong holds, of whom alsosome shall be set over the affairs of the kingdom', which are of trust : and / will that their overseers and governors be of themselves, and that they + live after their own laws, t Gr- even as the king hath commanded in the w** land of Judea.

38 And concerning the three govern ments that are added to Judea from the country of Samaria, let them be joined with Judea, that they may be reckoned to be under one, nor bound to obey other au thority than the high priest's.

39 As for Ptolernais, and the land per taining thereto, I give it as a free gift to the sanctuary of Jerusalem for the necessa ry expences || of the sanctuary.

40 Moreover I give every year fifteen thousand shekels of silver out of the king's accounts from the places appertaining.

41 And all the overplus, which the offi cers payed not in as in former time, from henceforth shall be given toward the works of the temple.

42 And beside this, the five thousand shekels of silver, which they took from the uses of the temple out of the accounts year by year, even those things shall be re leased, because they appertain to the priests that minister.

43 And whosoever they be that flee un to the temple at Jerusalem, or be within the liberties thereof, being indebted unto the king, or for any other matter, let them be at liberty, and all that they have in my realm.

44 For the building also and repairing of the works of the sanctuary expences shall be given of the king's accounts.

45 Yea, and for the building of the walls of Jerusalem, and the fortifying thereof round about, expences shall be given out of the king's accounts, as also for the building of the walls in Judea.

46 Now when Jonathan and the people heard these words, they gave no credit unto them, nor received them, because they remembered the great evil that h«?