17 But they were pleased that Jonathan's brother Simon had taken his place as high priest and ruler of Judea.
18 The Romans and Spartans wanted Simon to be their friend and ally, just as his brothers had been, so they wrote him letters on sheets of bronze.
19 The Jews then read these letters during a meeting in Jerusalem.
20 The letter from the Spartans said:The city of Sparta and its leaders send greetings to Simon the high priest, to the other leaders and priests, and to our relatives, the Jews.
21 Your messengers made us very happy when they told us how famous you are.
22 The details of their visit are in our record books, which say:“The Jews sent Numenius and Antipater to us as messengers to make sure that we were on friendly terms.
23 We Spartans gladly welcomed these men and honored them. Moreover, we placed a copy of their message in the public building where all our record books are kept. We have also sent a copy to Simon the high priest, telling what we have done.”