“The spirit of the people was rekindled when they heard these words. They answered in a loud voice.
‘You are our leader
In place of Judas
And Jonathan your brother.
Fight our battles.
All that you say to us we will do.’
So he assembled all the warriors. He hurried to complete the walls of Jerusalem. He fortified it on every side. He sent Jonathan son of Absalom to Joppa. He had a considerable army. He drove out its occupants and remained there.”
The people were excited to hear the voice of Simon. Their spirits were rekindled. They proclaimed that Simon was their leader in the place of his brother Judas and Jonathan. He was going to fight their battles. They were willing to do whatever he asked them to do. Simon sent Jonathan, who may have been his uncle, to take over the seacoast town of Joppa, which he did.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 