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Treaty of Ptolemy and Alexander

51 Then Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemy king of Egypt with the following message: ⁵²‘Since I have returned to my kingdom and have taken my seat on the throne of my ancestors, and established my rule—for I crushed Demetrius and gained control of our country; ⁵³I met him in battle, and he and his army were crushed by us, and we have taken our seat on the throne of his kingdom— ⁵⁴now therefore let us establish friendship with one another; give me now your daughter as my wife, and I will become your son-in-law, and will make gifts to you and to her in keeping with your position.’

55 Ptolemy the king replied and said, ‘Happy was the day on which you returned to the land of your ancestors and took your seat on the throne of their kingdom. ⁵⁶And now I will do for you as you wrote, but meet me at Ptolemais, so that we may see one another, and I will become your father-in-law, as you have said.’

57 So Ptolemy set out from Egypt, he and his daughter Cleopatra, and came to Ptolemais in the one hundred and sixty-second year.^{* 58}King Alexander met him, and Ptolemy^* gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage, and celebrated her wedding at Ptolemais with great pomp, as kings do.

59 Then King Alexander wrote to Jonathan to come and meet him. ⁶⁰So he went with pomp to Ptolemais and met the two kings; he gave them and their Friends silver and gold and many gifts, and found favour with them. ⁶¹A group of malcontents from Israel, renegades, gathered together against him to accuse him; but the king paid no attention to them. ⁶²The king gave orders to take off Jonathan’s garments and to clothe him in purple, and they did so. ⁶³The king also seated him at his side; and he said to his officers, ‘Go out with him into the middle of the city and proclaim that no one is to bring charges against him about any matter, and let no one annoy him for any reason.’ ⁶⁴When his accusers saw the honour that was paid him, in accordance with the proclamation, and saw him clothed in purple, they all fled. ⁶⁵Thus the king honoured him and enrolled him among his chief^* Friends, and made him general and governor of the province. ⁶⁶And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem in peace and gladness.