1. In the one hundred and sixtieth year, Alexander Epiphanes, son of Antiochus, came up and took Ptolemais. They accepted him as king and he began to reign there.
2. When King Demetrius heard of it, he mustered a very large army and marched out to engage him in battle.
3. Demetrius sent a letter to Jonathan written in peaceful terms, to exalt him;
4. for he said: “Let us be the first to make peace with him, before he makes peace with Alexander against us,
5. since he will remember all the wrongs we have done to him, his brothers, and his nation.”
6. So Demetrius authorized him to gather an army and procure arms as his ally; and he ordered that the hostages in the citadel be released to him.
7. Accordingly Jonathan went to Jerusalem and read the letter to all the people and to those who were in the citadel.
8. They were struck with fear when they heard that the king had given him authority to gather an army.
9. Those in the citadel released the hostages to Jonathan, and he gave them back to their parents.
10. Thereafter Jonathan dwelt in Jerusalem, and began to build and restore the city.
11. He ordered those doing the work to build the walls and to encircle Mount Zion with square stones for its fortification, and they did so.
12. The foreigners in the strongholds that Bacchides had built took flight;
13. all of them left their places and returned to their own lands.
14. Only in Beth-zur did some remain of those who had abandoned the law and the commandments, for it was a place of refuge.
15. King Alexander heard of the promises that Demetrius had made to Jonathan; he was also told of the battles and brave deeds of Jonathan and his brothers and of the troubles that they had endured.