43. All who take refuge in the temple of Jerusalem or in any of its precincts, because of money they owe the king, or because of any other debt, shall be released, together with all the goods they possess in my kingdom.
44. The cost of rebuilding and restoring the structures of the sanctuary shall be covered out of the royal revenue.
45. Likewise the cost of building the walls of Jerusalem and fortifying it all around, and of building walls in Judea, shall be donated from the royal revenue.”
46. When Jonathan and the people heard these words, they neither believed nor accepted them, for they remembered the great evil that Demetrius had done in Israel, and the great tribulation he had brought upon them.
47. They therefore decided in favor of Alexander, for he had been the first to address them peaceably, and they remained his allies for the rest of his life.
48. Then King Alexander gathered together a large army and encamped opposite Demetrius.
49. The two kings joined battle, and when the army of Demetrius fled, Alexander pursued him, and overpowered his soldiers.
50. He pressed the battle hard until sunset, and Demetrius fell that day.
51. Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemy, king of Egypt, with this message:
52. “Now that I have returned to my realm, taken my seat on the throne of my ancestors, and established my rule by crushing Demetrius and gaining control of my country—
53. for I engaged him in battle, he and his army were crushed by us, and we assumed his royal throne—
54. let us now establish friendship with each other. Give me now your daughter for my wife; and as your son-in-law, I will give to you and to her gifts worthy of you.”
55. King Ptolemy answered in these words: “Happy the day on which you returned to the land of your ancestors and took your seat on their royal throne!
56. I will do for you what you have written; but meet me in Ptolemais, so that we may see each other, and I will become your father-in-law as you have proposed.”
57. So Ptolemy with his daughter Cleopatra set out from Egypt and came to Ptolemais in the one hundred and sixty-second year.
58. There King Alexander met him, and Ptolemy gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage. Their wedding was celebrated at Ptolemais with great splendor according to the custom of kings.
59. King Alexander also wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him.
60. So he went with pomp to Ptolemais, where he met the two kings and gave them and their friends silver and gold and many gifts and thus won their favor.
61. Some villainous men of Israel, transgressors of the law, united against him to accuse him, but the king paid no heed to them.
62. The king ordered Jonathan to be divested of his garments and to be clothed in royal purple; and so it was done.
63. The king also had him seated at his side. He said to his magistrates: “Go with him to the center of the city and make a proclamation that no one is to bring charges against him on any grounds or be troublesome to him for any reason.”