59
Simon his brother he made governor from the Ladder of Tyre to the borders of Egypt.
60
Then Jonathan set forth and traveled beyond the river and among the cities, and all the army of Syria gathered to him as allies. When he came to Askalon, the people of the city met him and paid him honor.
61
From there he departed to Gaza, but the men of Gaza shut him out. So he beseiged it and burned its suburbs with fire and plundered them.
62
Then the people of Gaza pleaded with Jonathan, and he made peace with them, and took the sons of their rulers as hostages and sent them to Jerusalem. And he passed through the country as far as Damascus.
63
Then Jonathan heard that the officers of Demetrius had come to Kadesh in Galilee with a large army, intending to remove him from office.
64
He went to meet them, but left his brother Simon in the country.
65
Simon encamped before Beth-zur and fought against it for many days and hemmed it in.
66
Then they asked him to grant them terms of peace, and he did so. He removed them from there, took possession of the city, and set a garrison over it.
67
Jonathan and his army encamped by the waters of Gennesaret. Early in the morning they marched to the plain of Hazor,
68
and behold, the army of the foreigners met him in the plain; they had set an ambush against him in the mountains, but they themselves met him face to face.
69
Then the men in ambush emerged from their places and joined battle.