be their governor and high priest forever, until there
should arise a faithful prophet; and that he should be commander over
them, and should take charge of the sanctuary, to appoint men on his own
authority over their works and over the country and over the arms and over
the forts, and that he should be obeyed by all, and that all documents
drawn up in the country should be written in his name, and that he should
be clothed in purple, and wear gold; and that it should not be lawful for
any of the people or of the priests to nullify any of these things, or to
resist the commands that he should issue, or to gather an assembly in the
country without his permission, or to be clothed in purple or to wear a
golden buckle. But whoever should do otherwise, or act in defiance of any
of these things, should be liable to punishment. All the people agreed to
ordain that Simon should act according to these regulations. And Simon
accepted and consented to be high priest and to be general and governor of
the Jews and of the priests and to be protector of all.

[Sidenote: I Macc. 14:48, 49]
And they gave orders to put this writing on brass tablets and to set them
up within the precinct of the sanctuary in a conspicuous place, and also
to put the copies of it in the treasury in order that Simon and his sons
might have them.

[Sidenote: I Macc. 15:4-8]
So the land had rest all the days of Simon,
And he sought the good of his nation.
His authority and his glory were well-pleasing to them all his days.
And amid all his glory he took Joppa for a haven,
And made it a way to the isles of the sea,
And he enlarged the boundaries of his nation,
And became master of the land.
He also brought many captives together,
And made himself master of Gazara and Bethsura, and the citadel.
Moreover he took away from it its uncleannesses;
And there was none who resisted him.
And they tilled their land in peace,
And the earth gave her increase,
And the trees of the plains their fruit.

[Sidenote: 15:9-15]
The old men sat in the streets,
They talked together of the common good,
And the young men put on glorious, fine apparel.
He provided food for the cities,
And furnished them with means of fortification,
Until his famous name was known to the end of the earth.
He made peace in the land,
And Israel rejoiced with great joy,
Everyone sat under his own vine and fig tree,
And there was no one to make them afraid,
And none who warred against them was l