1 King Ptolemy the Sixth of Egypt got together more ships and soldiers than anyone could count. Then he made a secret plan to take over the kingdom of his son-in-law Alexander.
2 Ptolemy led his forces toward Syria and told each town he came to that he was on a friendly visit. Everyone believed Ptolemy and welcomed him, just as his son-in-law Alexander had ordered them to do.
3 But he stationed soldiers in their towns.
4 The people of Azotus met Ptolemy and showed him all that was left of their town, of the nearby villages, and of the temple of Dagon that had been destroyed by fire. They also showed him the piles of dead and burned bodies they had heaped up beside the road after the battle with Jonathan.
5 Everyone blamed Jonathan for all the damage, but Ptolemy said nothing.
6 Jonathan met Ptolemy at the town of Joppa, and Jonathan honored him. The two men spent the night there,