22 When Demetrios heard these things, he was grieved and said, 23 “What is this that we have done, that Alexandros has gotten ahead of us in establishing friendship with the Yehudim to strengthen himself? 24 I also will write to them words of encouragement and of honour and of gifts, that they may be with me to aid me.” 25 So he sent to them this message:

“King Demetrios to the nation of the Yehudim (Jews), greetings. 26 Since as you have kept your covenants with us, and continued in our friendship, and have not joined yourselves to our enemies, we have heard of this, and are glad. 27 Now continue still to keep faith with us, and we will repay you with good in return for your dealings with us. 28 We will grant you many immunities and give you gifts.

29 “Now I free you and release all the Yehudim from the tributes, from the salt tax, and from the crown levies. 30 Instead of the third part of the seed, and instead of half of the fruit of the trees, which falls to me to receive, I release it from this day and henceforth, so that I will not take it from the land of Yehudah (Judah), and from the three districts which are added to it from the country of Shomron (Samaria) and Galil, from this day forth and for all time. 31 Let Yerushalem (Jerusalem) be holy and free, with her borders, tithes, and taxes. 32 I yield up also my authority over the citadel which is at Yerushalem, and give it to the high priest, that he may appoint in it men whom he chooses to keep it. 33 Every soul of the Yehudim who has been carried captive from the land of Yehudah into any part of my kingdom, I set at liberty without payment. Let all officials also cancel the taxes on their livestock.

34 “All the feasts, the Sabbaths, new moons, appointed days, three days before a feast, and three days after a feast, let them all be days of immunity and release for all the Yehudim who are in my kingdom. 35 No man shall have authority to exact anything from any of them, or to trouble them concerning any matter.

36 “Let there be enrolled amongst the king’s forces about thirty thousand men of the Yehudim, and pay shall be given to them, as is due to all the king’s forces. 37 Of them, some shall be placed in the king’s great strongholds, and some of them shall be placed over the affairs of the kingdom, which are positions of trust. Let those who are over them and their rulers be of themselves, and let them walk after their own laws, even as the king has commanded in the land of Yehudah.

38 “The three districts that have been added to Yehudah from the country of Shomron (Samaria), let them be annexed to Yehudah, that they may be reckoned to be under one ruler, that they may not obey any other authority than the high priest’s. 39 As for Ptolemais and its land, I have given it as a gift to the sanctuary that is at Yerushalem (Jerusalem), for the expenses of the sanctuary. 40 I also give every year fifteen thousand shekels of silver from the king’s revenues from the places that are appropriate. 41 And all the additional funds which those who manage the king’s affairs didn’t pay as in the first years, they shall give from now on towards the works of the temple. 42 Besides this, the five thousand shekels of silver which they received from the uses of the sanctuary from the revenue year by year is also released, because it belongs to the priests who minister there. 43 Anyone who flees to the temple that is at Yerushalem, and within all of its borders, whether one owe money to the king, or any other matter, let them go free, along with all that they have in my kingdom. 44 Because the building and renewing of the structures of the sanctuary, the expense shall also be given out of the king’s revenue. 45 Because the building of the walls of Yerushalem and fortifying it all around, the expense shall also be given out of the king’s revenue, also for the building of the walls in Yehudah.”

46 Now when Yonatan (Jonathan) and the people heard these words, they gave no credence to them, and didn’t accept them, because they remembered the great evil which he had done in Yisrael (Israel), and that he had afflicted them very severely. 47 They were well pleased with Alexandros, because he was the first who spoke words of peace to them, and they were allies with him always.