1 Maccabees 12:1-9

1 And Jonathan saw that the time served him, and he chose certain men and sent them to Rome, to confirm and to renew the amity with them:
2 And he sent letters to the Spartans, and to other places according to the same form.
3 And they went to Rome, and entered into the senate house, and said: Jonathan the high priest, and the nation of the Jews have sent us to renew the amity, and alliance as it was before.
4 And they gave them letters to their governors in every place, to conduct them into the land of Juda with peace.
5 And this is a copy of the letters which Jonathan wrote to the Spartans:
6 Jonathan the high priest, and the ancients of the nation, and the priests, and the rest of the people of the Jews, to the Spartans, their brethren, greeting.
7 There were letters sent long ago to Onias the high priest from Arius who reigned then among you, to signify that you are our brethren, as the copy here underwritten doth specify.
8 And Onias received the ambassador with honour: and received the letters wherein there was mention made of the alliance, and amity.
9 We, though we needed none of these things, having for our comfort the holy books that are in our hands,
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