The Josippon (Zëna Ayhud, 'History of the Jews') is a medieval historical chronicle composed in southern Italy around 953 CE, anonymously attributed to Joseph ben Gurion (identified with the historian Josephus). Unlike all other books in the Ethiopian canon, the Josippon has no native division into chapters and verses in its manuscript tradition. It was translated from Arabic into Ge'ez around 1300 CE and added to the Scriptures of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. In this digital edition, each 'verse' represents one complete paragraph of the continuous text.
Josippon
Chapter 26 — The Days of Yonathan and Shimon
After the death of Yehudah, the enemies of God's people increased all around, and Yonathan girded the authority of his brother. The other deeds of Yehudah, his bravery and his wars, are written in the book of Joseph ben Gurion, the book of the Hasmoneans, and the book of the kings of Romi.
When Yonathan received the authority, he went with a few men to the Jordan. Bacchides pursued Yonathan with a large army and, coming upon him on the Sabbath, pressed him against the waters of the Jordan. When he saw that Bacchides was pressing him against the water, he went into the water with his men. Bacchides crossed after him with all his force and caught up with him, attacking him from all sides. Yonathan stretched forth his right to strike Bacchides, forcing him back and making him retreat. So Yonathan split the army of Bacchides, and he fled to Beer Sheva, which is in the desert, and rebuilt the ruins of the city. Bacchides came against him with force and besieged the city for some days, and they were greatly distressed. Shimon said to his brother Yonathan: "How long will we choose this wretched life? Let us choose death and go out against our enemies." Yonathan came out of the city that night and smote Phaseron, who accompanied Bacchides, in his tent, and he smote Odaren and his brothers, who had come with Bacchides. Then Shimon opened the gate and, with a strong force of Judaean young men with him, went out and smote the camp of Bacchides, casting to the ground many dead; they burned the rams, the catapults, and all the equipment that they had brought to destroy the city. Bacchides fled, escaping toward the desert; Yonathan pursued him, and they caught up with him. Bacchides entreated them, promising to release the prisoners, and swore an oath to them. So they let him go, and, releasing all the prisoners, he did not venture to invade again the land of Judaea.
At that time, Yonathan's authority was strengthened; he judged his people and reigned secure. After Yonathan's death, Shimon seized the authority of his brother Yonathan and fought from every side to confront Antiochus's force, and the latter, with the rest of the army, went in another direction, so he turned against their rear. Two of Antiochus's officers came between Shimon and his young men, one on one side and the other on the other, and Shimon smote Antiochus's force that came against him; not one escaped from him. Israel dwelt in peace all the days of Shimon, everyone under his vine and fig tree.
Ptolemy, Shimon's son-in-law, killed Shimon at a drinking party and, seizing his wife and two sons, put them in chains. The days that Shimon governed God's people were eight years, and he died and was gathered unto his people. The rest of his deeds and bravery and his wars we have not written here; behold, they are written in the book of Joseph ben Gurion haCohen, in the book of the Hasmoneans, in the book of the kings of Roma, and in the letters that the Roman nation, the Persian nation, and the kings of Makedon sent him.