17. They also heard that Simon his brother had become high priest in his place and that he was ruling over the country and its towns.
18. So they wrote to him on bronze tablets to renew with him the friendly alliance that they had established with his brothers Judas and Jonathan.
19. The tablets were read before the assembly in Jerusalem.
20. This is a copy of the letter that the Spartans sent:The rulers of the Spartans, with the city. To the high priest Simon, the elders, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers and sisters. Greetings!
21. The envoys who were sent to our people have told us about your glory and honor, and we rejoiced when they came.
22. We made this record in our public decrees concerning what they said: “Numenius, Antiochus’ son, and Antipater, Jason’s son, Jewish representatives, have come to renew their friendship with us.
23. Our people were pleased to receive them with respect and to maintain a copy of their words in the public archives so that Spartans may have a record of them. They have also sent a copy of this to Simon, the high priest.
24. Following this exchange, Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a large gold shield weighing one thousand manehs, to confirm the alliance with the Romans.
25. When the people heard these things they said, "How should we thank Simon and his sons?
26. He and his brothers, and his father’s family, have stood firm. They have fought and repelled Israel’s enemies and established our freedom." So they made a written record on bronze plaques and put it on pillars on Mount Zion.
27. This is a copy of the document:On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the year 172, the third year of the great high priest Simon.
28. In the great assembly of the priests, the people, and the rulers and elders of the country, the following was proclaimed to us.
29. Wars occurred often in our country. Simon, Mattathias’ son, a priest of the sons of Joarib, and his brothers bravely faced danger and fought against the enemies of their nation. They preserved the sanctuary and the Law, and they brought great honor to their nation.
30. Jonathan rallied the nation and became their high priest, and was gathered to his people.
31. Their enemies decided to invade their country and take hold of their sanctuary.
32. Then Simon rose up and fought for his nation. He spent great amounts of his own money to arm soldiers of his nation and give them pay.
33. He fortified the towns of Judea and Beth-zur on the borders of Judea, where enemy weapons had been stored in the past, and placed a group of Jewish soldiers there.
34. He also fortified Joppa by the sea, along with Gazara on the borders of Azotus, where enemies formerly lived. He settled Jews there and provided whatever was needed to restore the towns.