1 In the one hundred and sixtieth year, Alexander Epiphanes, son of Antiochus, came up and took Ptolemais. They accepted him as king and he began to reign there.
2 When King Demetrius heard of it, he mustered a very large army and marched out to engage him in battle.
3 Demetrius sent a letter to Jonathan written in peaceful terms, to exalt him;
4 for he said: “Let us be the first to make peace with him, before he makes peace with Alexander against us,
5 since he will remember all the wrongs we have done to him, his brothers, and his nation.”
6 So Demetrius authorized him to gather an army and procure arms as his ally; and he ordered that the hostages in the citadel be released to him.
7 Accordingly Jonathan went to Jerusalem and read the letter to all the people and to those who were in the citadel.