¹Simon's son John left Gezer and went to report to his father what Cendebeus had done.

²Simon said to John and Judas, his two oldest sons, All my father's family, my brothers, and I have fought Israel's battles all our lives, and many times we have been successful in saving Israel.

³I am old now, but you, thanks to God, are in the prime of life. You must take my place and that of my brother in fighting for our nation. And may God himself be with you.

⁴Then John raised an Israelite army of 20,000 trained soldiers and cavalry and marched out against Cendebeus. They spent the night in Modein,

⁵and then early the next morning they moved into the plain. There a large army of infantry and cavalry moved to meet them, but there was a river between the two armies.

⁶John and his army took up battle positions facing the enemy, but when John saw that his soldiers were afraid to cross the river, he crossed ahead of them, and his men saw him and followed.

⁷John divided his army and placed his cavalry in the middle of the infantry, because there was a large number of enemy cavalry.

⁸The trumpets sounded the attack, and Cendebeus and his army were defeated, and many of them were killed. The rest ran back to their fortress at Kedron.

⁹Judas was wounded in the battle, but his brother John continued to pursue the enemy as far as Kedron, which Cendebeus had rebuilt.

¹⁰The escaping soldiers fled to the towers in the fields at Azotus, and John set fire to the city. On that day, 2,000 enemy soldiers were killed, and John returned safely to Judea.

The Murder of Simon and Two of His Sons

¹¹Simon the High Priest had appointed Ptolemy son of Abubus commander for the Plain of Jericho. Ptolemy was very rich,

¹²because he was Simon's son-in-law.

¹³But he became too ambitious and wanted to take over the country. So he devised a plan to assassinate Simon and his sons.

¹⁴Simon, together with his sons Mattathias and Judas, was visiting the towns in the area, in order to take care of their needs. They arrived in Jericho in the month of Shebat, the eleventh month, in the year 177.

¹⁵Ptolemy, still plotting to murder Simon and his two sons, received them in a small fortress called Dok, which he had built. He gave a great banquet for them, but he had men hidden within the fortress.

¹⁶When Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men came out of hiding and with swords in hand rushed into the banquet hall, where they killed Simon, his two sons, and some of the servants.

¹⁷With this horrible act of treachery, Ptolemy returned evil for good.

¹⁸Then Ptolemy wrote a report of what he had done and sent it to the king. In the letter he requested that troops be sent to help him and that the country and the cities be turned over to him.

¹⁹He wrote a letter to the army officers inviting them to join him and promising them silver, gold, and gifts. Then he sent some of his men to Gezer to kill John,

²⁰and others to take control of Jerusalem and the Temple hill.

²¹But someone ran to Gezer ahead of Ptolemy's men and reported to John that his father and his brothers had been killed and that Ptolemy was sending his soldiers to kill him.

²²John was horrified at this news, but, because he had been warned in advance, he was able to capture and put to death the men who had been sent to kill him.

²³Now the rest of what John did from the time he succeeded his father: his wars, his deeds of courage, his rebuilding of walls, and his other accomplishments,

²⁴are all written in the chronicles of his reign as High Priest.

Sickness and Medicine

¹Give doctors the honor they deserve, for the Lord gave them their work to do.

²Their skill came from the Most High, and kings reward them for it.

³Their knowledge gives them a position of importance, and powerful people hold them in high regard.

⁴The Lord created medicines from the earth, and a sensible person will not hesitate to use them.

⁵Didn't a tree once make bitter water fit to drink, so that the Lord's power might be known?

⁶He gave medical knowledge to human beings, so that we would praise him for the miracles he performs.

^7-8The druggist mixes these medicines, and the doctor will use them to cure diseases and ease pain. There is no end to the activities of the Lord, who gives health to the people of the world.

⁹My child, when you get sick, don't ignore it. Pray to the Lord, and he will make you well.

¹⁰Confess all your sins and determine that in the future you will live a righteous life.

¹¹Offer incense and a grain offering, as fine as you can afford.

¹²Then call the doctor—for the Lord created him—and keep him at your side; you need him.

¹³There are times when you have to depend on his skill.

¹⁴The doctor's prayer is that the Lord will make him able to ease his patients' pain and make them well again.

¹⁵As for the person who sins against his Creator, he deserves to be sick.

Mourning for the Dead

¹⁶My child, when someone dies, you should mourn. Weep and wail to show how deeply you feel the loss. Prepare the body in the proper way, and be present at the burial.

¹⁷Weep bitterly and passionately; observe the proper period of mourning for the person. Mourn for a whole day or maybe two, to keep people from talking, but then pull yourself together and reconcile yourself to the loss.

¹⁸Grief can undermine your health and even lead to your own death.

¹⁹Grief lingers on after the death of a loved one, but it is not wise to let it lead you into poverty.

²⁰Don't lose yourself in sorrow; drive it away. Remember that we must all die sometime.

²¹There is no way to bring the dead person back. All your sorrow does him no good, and it hurts you. Don't forget that.

²²You will die, just as he did. Today it was his turn; tomorrow it will be yours.

²³When the dead have been laid to rest, let the memory of them fade. Once they are gone, take courage.

Scholarship and Other Occupations

²⁴Scholars must have time to study if they are going to be wise; they must be relieved of other responsibilities.

²⁵How can a farm hand gain knowledge, when his only ambition is to drive the oxen and make them work, when all he knows to talk about is livestock?

²⁶He takes great pains to plow a straight furrow and will work far into the night to feed the animals.

²⁷It is the same with the artist and the craftsman, who work night and day engraving precious stones, carefully working out new designs. They take great pains to produce a lifelike image, and will work far into the night to finish the work.

²⁸It is the same with the blacksmith at his anvil, planning what he will make from a piece of iron. The heat from the fire sears his skin as he sweats away at the forge. The clanging of the hammer deafens him as he carefully watches the object he is working take shape. He takes great pains to complete his task, and will work far into the night to bring it to perfection.

²⁹It is the same with the potter, sitting at his wheel and turning it with his feet, always concentrating on his work, concerned with how many objects he can produce.

³⁰He works the clay with his feet until he can shape it with his hands; then he takes great pains to glaze it properly, and will work far into the night to clean out the kiln.

³¹All of these people are skilled with their hands, each of them an expert at his own craft.

³²Without such people there could be no cities; no one would live or visit where these services were not available.

³³These people are not sought out to serve on the public councils, and they never attain positions of great importance. They do not serve as judges, and they do not understand legal matters. They have no education and are not known for their wisdom. You never hear them quoting proverbs.

³⁴But the work they do holds this world together. When they do their work, it is the same as offering prayer.

¹But it is different with the person who devotes himself to studying the Law of the Most High. He examines the wisdom of all the ancient writers and concerns himself with the prophecies.

²He memorizes the sayings of famous men and is a skilled interpreter of parables.

³He studies the hidden meaning of proverbs and is able to discuss the obscure points of parables.

⁴Great people call on him for his services, and he is seen in the company of rulers. He travels to foreign lands in his efforts to learn about human good and evil.

⁵It is his practice to get up early and pray aloud to the Lord his Creator, asking the Most High to forgive his sins.

⁶Then, if the great Lord is willing, he will be filled with understanding. He will pour out a stream of wise sayings, and give thanks to the Lord in prayer.

⁷He will have knowledge to share and good advice to give, as well as insight into the Lord's secrets.

⁸He will demonstrate his learning in what he teaches, and his pride will be in the Lord's Law and covenant.

⁹He will be widely praised for his wisdom, and it will never be lost, because people for generations to come will remember him.

¹⁰The Gentiles will talk about his wisdom, and he will be praised aloud in the assembly.

¹¹If he lives to old age, he will die famous, but if he is laid to rest before he is famous, he will be content.

A Hymn in Praise of God

¹²Like the moon, I am full—full of more ideas to be discussed.

¹³Listen to me, you devout children of mine, and blossom like a rosebush on a stream bank.

¹⁴Bloom like a sweet-smelling lily, and send your fragrance into the air like incense. Sing the Lord's praises, and thank him for all that he has done.

¹⁵Proclaim his glory in grateful praise! To the music of the harp, sing this song:

¹⁶All that the Lord has done is very good; all that he commands is sooner or later done.

¹⁷No one should ask why things are as they are; these questions will be answered at the right time. He commanded, and the water piled up high, great walls of water arose when he spoke.

¹⁸Whatever he commands is promptly done; there are no limits to his power to save.

¹⁹He sees all that every human being does; there is no way to hide from his sight.

²⁰He sees the whole of time, from beginning to end, and nothing takes him by surprise.

²¹No one should ask why things are as they are; everything in creation has its purpose.

²²His blessings overflow like the Nile, enriching the world in a fertile flood.

²³He turns fresh water into salt water, and he turns his anger on the nations.

²⁴For the devout, his ways are straight; for the wicked, they are laid with traps.

²⁵From the beginning he has made good things for the good and terrible things for sinners.

²⁶The basic needs of life are these: water, fire, iron, and salt, flour, honey, and milk, wine, clothing, and oil.

²⁷All these things are good for those who are devout, but they turn into evils for sinners.

²⁸There are winds that were created to bring punishment, fierce enough to move mountains. In times of judgment, they unleash their strength and calm the anger of their maker.

^29-30Vicious animals, scorpions, and snakes; the sword that destroys the wicked; fire, hail, famine, and disease; these have all been created as punishments.

³¹They are all glad to obey the Lord's command and are ready to serve him here on earth. When their times of duty come, they never disobey.

³²(I was long convinced of this, so after thinking it over I put it in writing.)

³³Everything made by the Lord is good; he meets every need at the proper time.

³⁴No one can claim that some things are worse than others, for everything is good in its proper place.

³⁵Now then, sing praises with all your heart, and praise the name of the Lord!

-18-

^29-30Show me people who drink too much, who have to try out fancy drinks, and I will show you people who are miserable and sorry for themselves, always causing trouble and always complaining. Their eyes are bloodshot, and they have bruises that could have been avoided.

³¹Don't let wine tempt you, even though it is rich red, and it sparkles in the cup, and it goes down smoothly.

³²The next morning you will feel as if you had been bitten by a poisonous snake.

³³Weird sights will appear before your eyes, and you will not be able to think or speak clearly.

³⁴You will feel as if you were out on the ocean, seasick, swinging high up in the rigging of a tossing ship.

³⁵“I must have been hit,” you will say; “I must have been beaten up, but I don't remember it. Why can't I wake up? I need another drink.”