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.”
24 After the Jews had finished their meeting, Simon sent Numenius to Rome to make certain that the Romans were still their allies. Numenius took them a heavy gold shield that weighed almost 570 kilograms.
25 When the people found out what Simon was doing, they said, “How can we repay Simon and his descendants?