28
Then Jonathan asked the king to free Judea and the three districts of Samaria from tribute, and promised him three hundred talents.
29
The king consented, and wrote a letter to Jonathan about all these things; its contents were as follows:
30
"King Demetrius to his brother Jonathan and to the nation of the Jews, greetings.
31
This copy of the letter that we wrote concerning you to our kinsman Lasthenes we have written to you also, so that you may know what it says.
32
"King Demetrius to his father Lasthenes, greetings.
33
We have determined to do good to the nation of the Jews, who are our friends and fulfill their obligations to us, because of the goodwill they show toward us.
34
We have confirmed as their possession both the territory of Judea and the three districts of Aphairema and Lydda and Rathamin; the latter, with all the region bordering them, were added to Judea from Samaria. To all those who offer sacrifice in Jerusalem we have granted release from the royal taxes that the king formerly received from them each year, from the crops of the land and the fruit of the trees.
35
And the other payments henceforth due to us of the tithes, and the taxes due to us, and the salt pits and the crown taxes due to us—from all these we shall grant them release.
36
And not one of these grants shall be canceled from this time on forever.
37
Now therefore take care to make a copy of this, and let it be given to Jonathan and put up in a conspicuous place on the holy mountain.' "
38
When King Demetrius saw that the land was quiet before him and that there was no opposition to him, he dismissed all his troops, all of them to their own homes, except the foreign troops that he had recruited from the islands of the nations. So all the troops who had served under his predecessors hated him.