ng in upon Simon in the
banquet hall, they slew him and his two sons, and some of his servants.
Thus he committed a great act of treachery and paid back evil for good.

[Sidenote: I Macc. 16:18-22]
Then Ptolemy wrote what had happened, and asked the king to send forces to
aid him, and promised to hand over to him their country and the cities.
And he sent others to Gazara to make away with John. And to the officers
commanding thousands he sent letters to come to him, that he might give
them silver and gold and gifts. And others he sent to take possession of
Jerusalem and the temple-mount. But some ran before to Gazara and told
John that his father and brothers had perished, and they said, He has sent
to slay you too. And when he heard, he was dumb with amazement, but he
seized the men who came to destroy him, and slew them, for he saw that
they were seeking to destroy him.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 2:3c-4b]
Now when Hyrcanus had received the high priesthood which his father had
held before him and had offered sacrifice to God, he made haste to attack
Ptolemy, that he might relieve his mother and brothers. So he laid siege
to the fortress and was superior to Ptolemy in other respects; but he was
defeated through his natural affection. For when Ptolemy was distressed,
he brought Hyrcanus's mother and his brothers and set them upon the wall
and beat them with rods in the sight of all and threatened that unless
Hyrcanus went away immediately, he would throw them down headlong. At this
sight Hyrcanus's pity and concern overcame his anger.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 2:4d]
And since the siege was delayed in this way, the year of rest came on,
during which the Jews rest every seventh year as they do on every seventh
day. In this year, therefore, Ptolemy was freed from being besieged. He
also slew the brothers of Hyrcanus with their mother, and fled to Zeno,
who was the tyrant of Philadelphia.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 2:5]
And now Antiochus [Sidetes] was so angry at what he had suffered from
Simon that he made an expedition into Judea and laid siege to Jerusalem
and shut up Hyrcanus. But Hyrcanus opened the tomb of David, who was the
richest of all kings, took from there more than three thousand talents of
money and induced Antiochus upon the promise of three thousand talents to
raise the siege. Moreover he was the first of the Jews who had plenty of
money, and so began to hire foreign mercenaries.

[Sidenote: J