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[305]
THIS advice pleased the Idumeans, and they ascended through the city
to the temple. The zealots were also in great expectation of their coming,
and earnestly waited for them. When therefore these were entering, they
also came boldly out of the inner temple, and mixing themselves among the
Idumeans, they attacked the guards; and some of those that were upon the
watch, but were fallen asleep, they killed as they were asleep; but as
those that were now awakened made a cry, the whole multitude arose, and
in the amazement they were in caught hold of their arms immediately, and
betook themselves to their own defense; and so long as they thought they
were only the zealots who attacked them, they went on boldly, as hoping
to overpower them by their numbers; but when they saw others pressing in
upon them also, they perceived the Idumeans were got in; and the greatest
part of them laid aside their arms, together with their courage, and betook
themselves to lamentations. But some few of the younger sort covered themselves
with their armor, and valiantly received the Idumeans, and for a while
protected the multitude of old men. Others, indeed, gave a signal to those
that were in the city of the calamities they were in; but when these were
also made sensible that the Idumeans were come in, none of them durst come
to their assistance, only they returned the terrible echo of wailing, and
lamented their misfortunes. A great howling of the women was excited also,
and every one of the guards were in danger of being killed. The zealots
also joined in the shouts raised by the Idumeans; and the storm itself
rendered the cry more terrible; nor did the Idumeans spare any body; for
as they are naturally a most barbarous and bloody nation, and had been
distressed by the tempest, they made use of their weapons against those
that had shut the gates against them, and acted in the same manner as to
those that supplicated for their lives, and to those that fought them,
insomuch that they ran through those with their swords who desired them
to remember the relation there was between them, and begged of them to
have regard to their common temple. Now there was at present neither any
place for flight, nor any hope of preservation; but as they were driven
one upon another in heaps, so were they slain. Thus the greater part were
driven together by force, as there was now no place of retirement, and
the murderers were upon them; and, having no other way, threw themselves
down headlong into the city; whereby, in my opinion, they underwent a more
miserable destruction than that which they avoided, because that was a
voluntary one. And now the outer temple was all of it overflowed with blood;
and that day, as it came on, they saw eight thousand five hundred dead
bodies there.
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