Good News Bible Anglicised

1 Maccabees 11:9-23 Good News Bible Anglicised (GNBDC)

9. From there Ptolemy sent this message to King Demetrius: “Let's make a treaty. My daughter is now Alexander's wife, but I will take her back and give her to you and let you rule over your father's kingdom.

10. I regret that I ever gave her to Alexander, because he has tried to kill me.”

11. Ptolemy made this accusation against Alexander because he wanted to take over his kingdom.

12. So he took his daughter away from Alexander and gave her to Demetrius; he broke off all relations with Alexander, and they became open enemies.

13. Then Ptolemy entered Antioch and assumed the crown of Syria; so he wore both the crown of Egypt and the crown of Syria.

14. King Alexander was in Cilicia at the time because the people of that region were in a state of rebellion.

15. But when he heard what Ptolemy had done, he moved to attack him. Ptolemy met him with a large force and won a decisive victory.

16. While Ptolemy reached the peak of his power, Alexander fled to Arabia to find protection,

17. but an Arab named Zabdiel cut off his head and sent it to Ptolemy.

18. Two days later Ptolemy himself died, and the troops he had left in the fortresses were then killed by the local citizens.

19. So in the year 167 Demetrius the Second became king.

20. About that time Jonathan gathered the men of Judea to attack the fort in Jerusalem. They built many siege-platforms to use in the attack.

21. But some traitorous Jews who hated their own nation went to King Demetrius the Second and told him that Jonathan was laying siege to the fort in Jerusalem.

22. When Demetrius heard this, he was furious and immediately moved his headquarters to Ptolemais. He wrote to Jonathan and ordered him to lift the siege and to meet him for a conference in Ptolemais without a moment's delay.

23. When Jonathan received the message, he gave orders for the siege to continue, and then chose some Jewish leaders and some priests to go with him. At the risk of his life,