1 Maccabees 10:51-66

Common English Bible

Treaty of Ptolemy and Alexander

⁵¹Then Alexander sent ambassadors to Egypt’s King Ptolemy, and they delivered the following message:

⁵²I have returned to my kingdom and taken my seat on the throne of my ancestors. I have established my rule by crushing Demetrius to gain control of our country. ⁵³I met him in battle, and we crushed him and his army. I have taken my seat on the throne of his kingdom. ⁵⁴Therefore, let us establish friendship with each other. Give me your daughter to be my wife, and I will become your son-in-law. I will give gifts to you and to her in keeping with your position.

⁵⁵Ptolemy the king replied,

Happy was the day on which you returned to the land of your ancestors and took your seat on the throne of their kingdom. ⁵⁶Now I will do for you as you wrote, but meet me at Ptolemais so that we may see each other, and I will become your father-in-law, as you have said.

⁵⁷So Ptolemy set out from Egypt—he and his daughter Cleopatra—and came to Ptolemais in the year 162.^[a] ⁵⁸King Alexander met Ptolemy, who gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage. He celebrated her wedding at Ptolemais with much ceremony, as kings do.

⁵⁹King Alexander then wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him. ⁶⁰So he went with majestic apparel to Ptolemais and met the two kings. He gave silver and gold and many other gifts to them and their chief political advisors,^[b] and he found favor with them. ⁶¹A group of troublemakers from Israel gathered together to slander him, but the king paid no attention to them. ⁶²Instead, he gave orders to take off Jonathan’s garments and to clothe him in purple. And they did so. ⁶³The king also seated him at his side, and he spoke to his officers: “Go with him into the middle of the city and announce that no one should bring charges against him about any matter. Furthermore, let no one annoy him for any reason.” ⁶⁴His accusers saw the honor that was paid Jonathan in keeping with the proclamation. They saw him clothed in purple, so they all fled. ⁶⁵In this way, the king honored him and enrolled him among his chief political advisors, and made him general and governor of the province. ⁶⁶And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem in peace and gladness.