12. realizing that he was in a desperate situation, now that all his troops had deserted him.
13. Then Antiochus laid siege to Dor with 120,000 well-trained soldiers and 8,000 cavalry.
14. With his ships joining the attack, he completely surrounded the town and brought such pressure on it that no one was able to enter or leave.
15. Meanwhile, Numenius and those with him arrived in Jerusalem from Rome with the following letter addressed to various kings and countries:
16. “From Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King Ptolemy, greetings.
17. A delegation from our friends and allies the Jews has come to us to renew the earlier treaty of friendship and alliance. They were sent by the High Priest Simon and the Jewish people,
18. and they have brought as a gift a gold shield weighing 500 kilogrammes.