Ptolemy invades Syria
1 Then King Ptolemy of Egypt gathered a great army, numbering like the sand by the seashore, and many ships. He tried to gain possession of Alexander's kingdom by trickery to add it to his own kingdom.
2
Ptolemy set out for Syria, speaking peaceful words. The people of the towns opened their gates to him. They went to meet him because King Alexander had commanded them to do so, since Ptolemy was his father-in-law.
3
But when Ptolemy entered the towns, he stationed forces as a garrison in each one.
4
When he approached Azotus, they showed him that Dagon's temple had been burned. Azotus and its suburbs had been destroyed. Corpses were lying about, the charred bodies of those whom Jonathan had burned in the war. They had piled them in heaps along his route.
5
They also told the king what Jonathan had done to throw blame on him. But the king kept silent.
6
Jonathan met the king at Joppa with great ceremony. They greeted each other and spent the night there.
7
Jonathan went with the king as far as the Eleutherus River, and then he returned to Jerusalem.
8
So King Ptolemy gained control of the coastal cities as far as Seleucia by the sea. He kept devising evil plans against Alexander.
9
He sent envoys to King Demetrius to say, "Come, let's make an agreement with each other. I'll give you my daughter to marry, Alexander's wife. Then you will rule over your father's kingdom.
10
I now regret having given him my daughter since he tried to kill me."
11
He cast blame on Alexander because he desired to take his kingdom.
12
So he took his daughter away from Alexander and gave her to Demetrius. Ptolemy was estranged from Alexander, and their hostility was obvious to all.
13
Then Ptolemy entered Antioch and put on the crown of Asia. Thus he claimed two crowns for his head, those of Asia and Egypt.
14
King Alexander was in Cilicia at the time, because the people of that region were in revolt.
15
When Alexander heard about it, he came against Ptolemy in battle. Ptolemy marched out and met him with a strong force and caused him to retreat.
16
So Alexander fled into Arabia to seek protection there. King Ptolemy was triumphant.
17
Zabdiel the Arab cut off Alexander's head and sent it to Ptolemy.
18
But King Ptolemy died three days later, and his troops in the fortress were killed by the inhabitants of the towns.
19
So Demetrius became king in the year 167.