42 And on their documents and contracts they wrote, “The first year of Simon, the great high priest and the commander and ruler of the Jews.”
43 About this time, Simon and the Jewish forces surrounded the town of Gazara and set up a large weapon to break through the wall. They pushed it up to the town wall, where they broke through and captured one of the towers.
44 Then the soldiers who were operating the weapon rushed into Gazara, causing a terrible uproar.
45 Everyone in Gazara tore their clothes to show their sorrow. They climbed to the top of the town wall where they shouted to Simon and begged him for peace,
46 saying, “We've done wrong and deserve to be punished. But please have mercy on us.”
47 Simon agreed to stop the fighting. But he ordered everyone to leave the town, and he took the idols out of the houses where they were kept. Then he and his troops entered Gazara, singing hymns of praise.
48 Simon removed everything that made the town unclean according to their religion, and he made the fortresses of Gazara stronger. He built a house for himself and let faithful Jews live in the town.