17. And he wrote letters, and sent them to him, according to these words, saying,
18. King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greeting:
19. We have heard of you, that you are a mighty man of valour, and meet to be our Friend.
20. And now we have appointed you this day to be high priest of your nation, and to be called the king’s Friend (and he sent to him a purple robe and a crown of gold), and to take our part, and to keep friendship with us.
21. And Jonathan put on the holy garments in the seventh month of the hundred and sixties year, at the feast of tabernacles, and he gathered together forces, and provided arms in abundance.
22. And Demetrius heard these things, and he was grieved, and said,
23. What is this that we have done, that Alexander has been beforehand with us in establishing friendship with the Jews, to strengthen himself?
24. I also will write to them words of encouragement and of honor and of gifts, that they may be with me to aid me.
25. And he sent to them according to these words: King Demetrius to the nation of the Jews, greeting:
26. Forasmuch as you⌃ have kept your covenants with us, and continued in our friendship, and have not joined yourselves to our enemies, we have heard hereof, and are glad.
27. And now continue you⌃ still to keep faith with us, and we will recompense to you good things in return for your dealings with us,
28. and will grant you many immunities, and give you gifts.
29. And now do I free you, and release all the Jews, from the tributes, and from the customs of salt, and from the crowns.
30. And instead of the third part of the seed, and instead of the 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 Judah, and from the three governments which are added thereto from the country of Samaria and Galilee, from this day forth and for all time.
31. And let Jerusalem be holy and free, and her borders; the tenths and the tolls also.
32. I yield up also my authority over the citadel which is at Jerusalem, and give it to the high priest, that he may appoint in it such men as he shall choose to keep it.
33. And every soul of the Jews, that has been carried captive from the land of Judah into any part of my kingdom, I set at liberty without price; and let all remit the tributes of their cattle also.
34. And all the feasts, and the Sabbaths, and new moons, and appointed days, and three days before a feast, and three days after a feast, let them all be days of immunity and release for all the Jews that are in my kingdom.
35. And no man shall have authority to exact from any of them, or to trouble them concerning any matter.