1 Maccabees 8

1And Judas heard the name of the Romans, that they are mighty in strength, and that they are well disposed toward all who attach themselves to them, and that as many as come to them obtain friendship with them,

2and that they are mighty in strength. They told him about their wars and the brave deeds they did among the Galatians, and that they had subdued them and brought them under tribute.

3and what they did in the land of Spain, to gain control of the silver and gold mines there,

4And they gained control of the whole region by their counsel and by the sword—though the region was very far away from them—and of the kings who came against them from the end of the earth, until they crushed them and struck them with a great blow; and the rest give them tribute year by year.

5And Philip, and Perseus king of the Kittians, and those who rose up against them—they crushed them in war and prevailed over them.

6and Antiochus the great king of Asia, who came against them in war, having one hundred twenty elephants and cavalry and chariots and a very great force, was crushed by them.

7and they took him alive, and imposed on them that both he and those reigning after him should pay a great tribute, and give hostages and a cession of territory,

8and the land of India and Media and Lydia, some of the finest of their lands—they took them from him and gave them to King Eumenes.

9and that those from Greece had planned to come and remove them,

10And when the report became known to them, they sent one general against them, and they fought against them, and many of them fell wounded, and they took their wives and their children captive, and plundered them, and gained control of their land, and pulled down their strongholds, and plundered them.

11And they enslaved them to this day. And the remaining kingdoms and the islands, as many as ever resisted them, they destroyed and enslaved to them.

12But with their allies and with those who relied on them they maintained friendship, and they gained control over the kingdoms near and far; and all who heard their name feared them.

13Whomever they wish to help and to make king, they make king; and whomever they wish, they remove, and they have become very great.

14And in all these matters not one of them put on a crown, nor did they clothe themselves in purple so as to exalt themselves by it.

15And they established a council for themselves, and every day three hundred and twenty would deliberate, continually taking counsel concerning the multitude, to govern themselves well.

16And they entrust one man to rule over them each year and to exercise lordship over all their land, and all listen to the one, and there is no envy or jealousy among them.

17And Judas chose Eupolemus son of John, the son of Accos, and Jason son of Eleazar, and sent them to Rome to establish friendship and alliance with them,

18and to remove their yoke, because they saw that the kingdom of the Greeks was enslaving Israel.

19And they went to Rome—the journey was very long indeed—and entered the council chamber and answered,

20Judas, who is also called Maccabeus, and his brothers and the multitude of the Jews sent us to you, to establish an alliance and peace with you, and to have us enrolled as your allies and friends.

21And the proposal pleased them.

22And this is the copy of the document that they copied onto bronze tablets and sent to Jerusalem, to be there among them as a memorial of peace and alliance.

23May it go well for the Romans and for the nation of the Jews, on sea and on land forever; and may sword and enemy be far from them.

24But if war comes first to Rome, or to any of their allies, anywhere within their dominion,

25The nation of the Jews shall be an ally, as the occasion may indicate for them, with a full heart.

26To those who make war on them they shall neither give nor supply grain, weapons, silver, or ships, as Rome has decided; and they shall keep their obligations, taking nothing.

27Likewise, if war should first come upon the nation of the Jews, the Romans will fight as allies wholeheartedly, as the occasion may direct them.

28And grain, weapons, or silver shall not be given to the allies, as it seemed good to Rome; and they shall keep these provisions, and not with deceit.

29According to these terms, the Romans thus made an agreement with the people of the Jews.

30But if, after these terms, these people and those decide to add or to remove anything, they will do so by their own choice, and whatever they add or remove will be valid.

31And concerning the wrongs that King Demetrius is doing to them, we wrote to him, saying, “Why have you made your yoke heavy upon our friends and allies, the Jews?”

32If they still bring charges against you, we will execute judgment on them, and we will fight against them by sea and by land.