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.
37. See to it, therefore, that a copy of these instructions be made and given to Jonathan. Let it be displayed on the holy mountain in a conspicuous place.’”
38. When King Demetrius saw that the land was peaceful under his rule and that he had no opposition, he dismissed his entire army, each to his own home, except the foreign troops which he had hired from the islands of the nations. So all the soldiers who had served under his predecessors became hostile to him.
39. When a certain Trypho, who had previously supported Alexander, saw that all the troops were grumbling against Demetrius, he went to Imalkue the Arabian, who was raising Alexander’s young son Antiochus.