25. Although certain renegades of his own nation kept on bringing charges against him,
26. the king treated him just as his predecessors had done and exalted him in the presence of all his Friends.
27. He confirmed him in the high priesthood and in the other honors he had previously held, and had him enrolled among his Chief Friends.
28. Jonathan asked the king to exempt Judea and the three districts of Samaria from tribute, promising him in return three hundred talents.
29. The king agreed and wrote a letter to Jonathan about all these matters as follows:
30. “King Demetrius sends greetings to his brother Jonathan and to the Jewish nation.
31. We are sending you, for your information, a copy of the letter that we wrote to Lasthenes our Kinsman concerning you.
32. ‘King Demetrius sends greetings to his father Lasthenes.
33. Upon the Jewish nation, who are our friends and observe their obligations to us, we have decided to bestow benefits because of the good will they show us.
34. Therefore we confirm their possession, not only of the territory of Judea, but also of the three districts of Aphairema, Lydda, and Ramathaim. These districts, together with all their dependencies, are hereby transferred from Samaria to Judea for those who offer sacrifices in Jerusalem in lieu of the royal taxes the king used to receive yearly from the produce of earth and trees.
35. From payment of the other things that would henceforth be due to us, namely, the tithes and taxes, as well as the salt tax, and the crown tax—from all these we grant them release.
36. Henceforth and forever not one of these provisions shall ever be revoked.