1
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SO Ptolemy retired to one of the fortresses that was above Jericho,
which was called Dagon. But Hyrcanus having taken the high priesthood that
had been his father's before, and in the first place propitiated God by
sacrifices, he then made an expedition against Ptolemy; and when he made
his attacks upon the place, in other points he was too hard for him, but
was rendered weaker than he, by the commiseration he had for his mother
and brethren, and by that only; for Ptolemy brought them upon the wall,
and tormented them in the sight of all, and threatened that he would throw
them down headlong, unless Hyrcanus would leave off the siege. And as he
thought that so far as he relaxed as to the siege and taking of the place,
so much favor did he show to those that were dearest to him by preventing
their misery, his zeal about it was cooled. However, his mother spread
out her hands, and begged of him that he would not grow remiss on her account,
but indulge his indignation so much the more, and that he would do his
utmost to take the place quickly, in order to get their enemy under his
power, and then to avenge upon him what he had done to those that were
dearest to himself; for that death would be to her sweet, though with torment,
if that enemy of theirs might but be brought to punishment for his wicked
dealings to them. Now when his mother said so, he resolved to take the
fortress immediately; but when he saw her beaten, and torn to pieces, his
courage failed him, and he could not but sympathize with what his mother
suffered, and was thereby overcome. And as the siege was drawn out into
length by this means, that year on which the Jews used to rest came on;
for the Jews observe this rest every seventh year, as they do every seventh
day; so that Ptolemy being for this cause released from the war,
2
he slew the brethren of Hyrcanus, and his mother; and when he had so done,
he fled to Zeno, who was called Cotylas, who was then the tyrant of the
city Philadelphia.
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But Antiochus, being very uneasy at the miseries that Simon had brought
upon him, he invaded Judea in the fourth years' of his reign, and the first
year of the principality of Hyrcanus, in the hundred and sixty-second olympiad.
3
And when he had burnt the country, he shut up Hyrcanus in the city, which
he encompassed round with seven encampments; but did just nothing at the
first, because of the strength of the walls, and because of the valor of
the besieged, although they were once in want of water, which yet they
were delivered from by a large shower of rain, which fell at the setting
of the Pleiades
4
However, about the north part of the wall, where it happened the city was
upon a level with the outward ground, the king raised a hundred towers
of three stories high, and placed bodies of soldiers upon them; and as
he made his attacks every day, he cut a double ditch, deep and broad, and
confined the inhabitants within it as within a wall; but the besieged contrived
to make frequent sallies out; and if the enemy were not any where upon
their guard, they fell upon them, and did them a great deal of mischief;
and if they perceived them, they then retired into the city with ease.
But because Hyrcanus discerned the inconvenience of so great a number of
men in the city, while the provisions were the sooner spent by them, and
yet, as is natural to suppose, those great numbers did nothing, he separated
the useless part, and excluded them out of the city, and retained that
part only which were in the flower of their age, and fit for war. However,
Antiochus would not let those that were excluded go away, who therefore
wandering about between the wails, and consuming away by famine, died miserably;
but when the feast of tabernacles was at hand, those that were within commiserated
their condition, and received them in again. And when Hyrcanus sent to
Antiochus, and desired there might be a truce for seven days, because of
the festival, be gave way to this piety towards God, and made that truce
accordingly. And besides that, he sent in a magnificent sacrifice, bulls
with their horns gilded,
5
with all sorts of sweet spices, and with cups of gold and silver. So those
that were at the gates received the sacrifices from those that brought
them, and led them to the temple, Antiochus the mean while feasting his
army, which was a quite different conduct from Antiochus Epiphanes, who,
when he had taken the city, offered swine upon the altar, and sprinkled
the temple with the broth of their flesh, in order to violate the laws
of the Jews, and the religion they derived from their forefathers; for
which reason our nation made war with him, and would never be reconciled
to him; but for this Antiochus, all men called him
Antiochus the Pious,
for the great zeal he had about religion.
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Accordingly, Hyrcanus took this moderation of his kindly; and when
he understood how religious he was towards the Deity, he sent an embassage
to him, and desired that he would restore the settlements they received
from their forefathers. So he rejected the counsel of those that would
have him utterly destroy the nation,
6
by reason of their way of living, which was to others unsociable, and did
not regard what they said. But being persuaded that all they did was out
of a religious mind, he answered the ambassadors, that if the besieged
would deliver up their arms, and pay tribute for Joppa, and the other cities
which bordered upon Judea, and admit a garrison of his, on these terms
he would make war against them no longer. But the Jews, although they were
content with the other conditions, did not agree to admit the garrison,
because they could not associate with other people, nor converse with them;
yet were they willing, instead of the admission of the garrison, to give
him hostages, and five hundred talents of silver; of which they paid down
three hundred, and sent the hostages immediately, which king Antiochus
accepted. One of those hostages was Hyrcanus's brother. But still he broke
down the fortifications that encompassed the city. And upon these conditions
Antiochus broke up the siege, and departed.
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But Hyrcanus opened the sepulcher of David, who excelled all other
kings in riches, and took out of it three thousand talents. He was also
the first of the Jews that, relying on this wealth, maintained foreign
troops. There was also a league of friendship and mutual assistance made
between them; upon which Hyrcanus admitted him into the city, and furnished
him with whatsoever his army wanted in great plenty, and with great generosity,
and marched along with him when he made an expedition against the Parthians;
of which Nicolaus of Damascus is a witness for us; who in his history writes
thus: "When Antiochus had erected a trophy at the river Lycus, upon
his conquest of Indates, the general of the Parthians, he staid there two
days. It was at the desire of Lyrcanus the Jew, because it was such a festival
derived to them from their forefathers, whereon the law of the Jews did
not allow them to travel." And truly he did not speak falsely in saying
so; for that festival, which we call
Pentecost, did then fall out
to be the next day to the Sabbath. Nor is it lawful for us to journey,
either on the Sabbath day, or on a festival day
7
But when Antiochus joined battle with Arsaces, the king of Parthin, he
lost a great part of his army, and was himself slain; and his brother Demetrius
succeeded in the kingdom of Syria, by the permission of Arsaces, who freed
him from his captivity at the same time that Antiochus attacked Parthin,
as we have formerly related elsewhere.