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.
35. The people saw Simon’s faithfulness and the honor that he had resolved to win for his nation. So they made him their leader and high priest, because he had done all these things and had acted toward his nation with justice and loyalty. He sought in every way to lift up his people.
36. In his days, things prospered under his leadership so that the Gentiles were driven out of the country, as well as those in David’s City in Jerusalem, who had built themselves an elevated fortress. Gentiles used to leave the elevated fortress and defile the sanctuary area, doing great damage to its purity.