7 but he brought back many prisoners of war and captured Gezer, Bethzur, and the fort in Jerusalem. He purified the fort, and there was no one to oppose him.
8 The Jews farmed their land in peace; the land produced its crops and the trees bore fruit.
9 The young men showed off their splendid military uniforms, while the old men sat round the city squares and talked about the great things that had happened.
10 Simon supplied the cities with food and provided them with weapons of defence. His fame spread everywhere.
11 He brought peace to the country, and Israel's joy knew no bounds.
12 Everyone lived in peace among his own vineyards and fig-trees, and no one made them afraid.
13 In those days all the enemy kings had been defeated, and there was no one left in the land to fight the Jews.