14
that the holy city, which he was hastening to level to the ground and to make a cemetery, he was now declaring to be free;
15
and the Jews, whom he had not considered worth burying but had planned to throw out with their children to the beasts, for the birds to pick, he would make, all of them, equal to citizens of Athens;
16
and the holy sanctuary, which he had formerly plundered, he would adorn with the finest offerings; and the holy vessels he would give back, all of them, many times over; and the expenses incurred for the sacrifices he would provide from his own revenues;
17
and in addition to all this he also would become a Jew and would visit every inhabited place to proclaim the power of God.
18
But when his sufferings did not in any way abate, for the judgment of God had justly come upon him, he gave up all hope for himself and wrote to the Jews the following letter, in the form of a supplication. This was its content:
19
"To his worthy Jewish citizens, Antiochus their king and general sends hearty greetings and good wishes for their health and prosperity.
20
If you and your children are well and your affairs are as you wish, I am glad. As my hope is in heaven,
21
I remember with affection your esteem and good will. On my way back from the region of Persia I suffered an annoying illness, and I have deemed it necessary to take thought for the general security of all.
22
I do not despair of my condition, for I have good hope of recovering from my illness,
23
but I observed that my father, on the occasions when he made expeditions into the upper country, appointed his successor,
24
so that, if anything unexpected happened or any unwelcome news came, the people throughout the realm would not be troubled, for they would know to whom the government was left.