 Book 2, chapters 10 through 12 of the Antiquities of the Jews, Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Antiquities of the Jews, Volume 1 by Flavius Josephus, translated by William Wiston. Book 2, chapters 10 through 12. Chapter 10. How Moses Made War with the Ethiopians Moses, therefore, when he was born and brought up in the foregoing manner and came to the age of maturity, made his virtue manifest to the Egyptians and showed that he was born for the bringing them down and raising the Israelites. And the occasion he laid hold of was this. The Ethiopians, who were next neighbors to the Egyptians, made an inroad into their country, which they seized upon and carried off the effects of the Egyptians, who, in their rage, fought against them and revenged the affronts they had received from them. But being overcome in battle, some of them were slain, and the rest ran away in a shameful manner, and by that means saved themselves. Whereupon the Ethiopians followed after them in the pursuit, and thinking that it would be a mark of cowardice if they did not subdue all Egypt, they went on to subdue the rest with greater vehemence. And when they had tasted the sweets of the country, they never left off the prosecution of the war. And as the nearest parts had not courage enough at first to fight with them, they proceeded as far as Memphis and the sea itself, while not one of the cities was able to oppose them. The Egyptians, under this sad oppression, betook themselves to their oracles and prophecies. And when God had given them this counsel to make use of Moses the Hebrew and take his assistance, the king commanded his daughter to produce him, that he might be the general of their army. Upon which, when she made him swear he would do him no harm, she delivered him to the king, and supposed his assistance would be of great advantage to them. She with all reproached the priest, who, when they had before admonished the Egyptians to kill him, was not ashamed now to own their want of his help. So Moses, at the persuasion both of Thermithus and the king himself, cheerfully undertook the business, and the sacred scribes of both nations were glad. Those of the Egyptians, that they should at once overcome their enemies by his valor, and that by the same piece of management Moses would be slain. But those of the Hebrews, that they should escape from the Egyptians, because Moses was to be their general. But Moses prevented the enemies, and took and led his army before those enemies were apprised of his attacking them. For he did not march by the river, but by land, where he gave a wonderful demonstration of his sagacity. For when the ground was difficult to be passed over, because of the multitude of serpents, which it produces in vast numbers, and indeed is singular in some of those productions, which other countries do not breed, and yet such is our worse than others, in power and mischief, and in general fierceness of sight, some of which ascend out of the ground unseen, and also fly in the air, and so come upon men at unawares, and do them a mischief. Moses invented a wonderful stratagem to preserve his army safe and without hurt, for he made baskets like unto arcs of sedge, and filled them with ives, and carried them along with them, which animal is the greatest enemy to serpents imaginable, for they fly from them when they come near them, and as they fly they are caught and devoured by them as if it were done by the hearts. But the ives are tame creatures, and only enemies to the serpentine kind. But about those ives I say no more at present, since the Greeks themselves are not unacquainted with this sort of bird. As soon therefore as Moses was come to the land which was the breeder of these serpents, he let loose the ives, and by their means repelled the serpentine kind, and used them for his assistance before the army came upon that ground. When he had therefore proceeded thus on his journey, he came upon the Ethiopians before they expected him, and, joining battle with them, he beat them, and deprived them of the hopes they had of success against the Egyptians, and went on in overthrowing their cities, and indeed made a great slaughter of these Ethiopians. Now when the Egyptian army had once tasted of this prosperous success by the means of Moses, they did not slacken their diligence in so much that the Ethiopians were in danger of being reduced to slavery and all sorts of destruction, and at length they retired to Seba, which was a royal city of Ethiopia, which Cambosace afterwards named Mero after the name of his own sister. The place was to be besieged with very great difficulty, since it was both encompassed by the Nile quite round, and the other rivers, Astapus and Astaborus, made it a very difficult thing for such as attempted to pass over them, for the city was situated in a retired place, and was inhabited after the manner of an island, being encompassed with a strong wall, and having the rivers to guard them from their enemies, and having great ramparts between the wall and the rivers, in so much that when the waters came with the greatest violence, it can never be drowned, which ramparts make it next to impossible for even such as are gotten over the rivers to take the city. However, while Moses was uneasy at his army's lying idol for the enemy's durst not come to a battle, this accident happened. Tharbis was the daughter of the king of the Ethiopians. She happened to see Moses as he led the army near the walls, and fought with great courage, and admiring the subtlety of his undertakings, and believing him to be the author of the Egyptians' success when they had before a disparate of recovering their liberty, and to be the occasion of the great danger the Ethiopians were in when they had before boasted of their great achievements, she fell deeply in love with him, and upon the prevalency of that passion, sent to him the most faithful of all her servants to discourse with him about their marriage. He thereupon accepted the offer on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city, and gave her the assurance of an oath to take her to his wife, and that when he had once taken possession of the city he would not break his oath to her. No sooner was the agreement made but it took effect immediately, and when Moses had cut off the Ethiopians he gave thanks to God and consummated his marriage, and led the Egyptians back to their own land. CHAPTER 11. HOW MOSES FLED OUT OF EGYPT INTO MIDION Now the Egyptians, after they had been preserved by Moses, entertained a hatred to him, and were very eager encompassing their designs against him, as suspecting that he would take occasion from his good success to raise a sedition and bring innovations into Egypt, and told the king he ought to be slain. The king had also some intentions of himself to the same purpose, and this as well out of envy at his glorious expedition at the head of his army as out of fear of being brought low by him and being instigated by the sacred scribes he was ready to undertake to kill Moses. But when he had learned beforehand what plots there were against him he went away privately, and because the public roads were watched he took his flight through the deserts and where his enemies could not suspect he would travel. And though he was destitute of food he went on despised that difficulty courageously. And when he came to the city Midian which lay upon the Red Sea and was so denominated from one of Abraham's sons by Couture he sat upon a certain well and rested himself there after his laborious journey and the affliction he had been in. It was not far from the city and the time of the day was noon where he had an occasion offered him by the custom of the country of doing what recommended his virtue and afforded him an opportunity of bettering his circumstances. From that country having but little water the shepherds used to seize on the wells before others came lest their flocks should want water and lest it should be spent by others before they came. There were now come therefore to this well seven sisters that were virgins of Regal a priest and one thought worthy by the people of the country of great honor. These virgins who took care of their father's flocks which sort of work it was customary and very familiar for women to do in the country of the troglodytes they came first of all and drew water out of the well in a quantity sufficient for their flocks into troughs which were made for the reception of that water. But when the shepherds came upon the maidens and drove them away that they might have the command of the water themselves, Moses thinking it would be a terrible reproach upon him if he overlooked the young women under unjust oppression and should suffer the violence of the men to prevail over the right of the maidens, he drove away the men who had a mind to more than their share and afforded a proper assistance to the women who when they had received such a benefit from him came to their father and told him how they had been affronted by the shepherds and assisted by a stranger and entreated that he would not let this generous action be done in vain nor go without a reward. Now the father took it well from his daughters that they were so desirous to reward their benefactor and bid them bring Moses into his presence that he might be rewarded as he deserved and when Moses came he told him what testimony his daughters had to him that he had assisted them and that as he admired him for his virtue he said that Moses had bestowed such his assistance on persons not insensible of benefits but where they were both able and willing to return his kindness and even to exceed the measure of his generosity. So he made him his son and gave him one of his daughters in marriage and appointed him to be the guardian and superintendent over his cattle. For of old all the wealth of the barbarians was in those cattle. CHAPTER 12 CONCERNING THE BURNING BUSH AND THE ROD OF MOSES Now Moses when he had obtained the favor of Jethro for that was one of the names of Regal stayed there and fed his flock but some time afterward taking his station at the mountain called Sinai he drove his flocks thither to feed them. Now this is the highest of all the mountains there about and the best for pasturage the herbage being there good and it had not been before Fetipon because of the opinion men had that God dwelt there the shepherds not daring to ascend up to it and here it was that a wonderful prodigy happened to Moses for a fire fed upon a thorn bush yet did the green leaves and the flowers continue untouched and the fire did not at all consume the fruit branches although the flame was great and fierce. Moses was affrighted at this strange sight as it was to him but he was still more astonished when the fire uttered a voice and called to him by name and spake words to him by which it signified how bold he had been in venturing to come into a place whither no man had ever come before because the place was divine and advised him to remove a great way off from the flame and to be contented with what he had seen and though he were himself a good man and the offspring of great men yet that he should not pry any further and he foretold to him that he should have glory and honor among men by the blessing of God upon him. He also commanded him to go away thence with confidence to Egypt in order to his being the commander and conductor of the body of the Hebrews and to his delivering his own people from the injuries they suffered there. For, said God, they shall inhabit this happy land which your forefather Abraham inhabited and shall have the enjoyment of all good things. But still he enjoined them when he brought the Hebrews out of the land of Egypt to come to that place and to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving there such were the divine oracles which were delivered out of the fire. But Moses was astonished at what he saw and much more at what he heard and he said, I think it would be an instance of two great madness, O Lord, for one of that regard I bear to thee to distrust thy power, since I myself adore it and know that it has been made manifest to my progenitors. But I am still in doubt how I, who am a private man and one of no abilities, should either persuade my own countrymen to leave the country they now inhabit and to follow me to a land whither I lead them or, if they should be persuaded, how I can force Pharaoh to permit them to depart, since they augment their own wealth and prosperity by the labors and works they put upon them. But God persuaded him to be courageous in all occasions and promised to be with him and to assist him in his words when he was to persuade men and in his deeds when he was to perform wonders. He bid him also to take a signal of the truth of what he said by throwing his rod upon the ground, which when he had done it crept along and was become a serpent and rolled itself round in its folds and erected its head as ready to revenge itself on such as should assault it, after which it became a rod again as it was before. After this God bid Moses to put his right hand into his bosom. He obeyed and when he took it out it was white and in color like to chalk, but afterward it returned to its wanted color again. He also upon God's command took some of the water that was near him and poured it on the ground and saw the color was that of blood. Upon the wonder that Moses showed at these signs God exhorted him to be of good courage and to be assured that he would be the greatest support to him and bid him make use of those signs in order to obtain belief among all men that thou art sent by me and dust all things according to my commands. Accordingly I enjoined thee to make no more delays but to make haste to Egypt and to travel night and day and not to draw out the time and so make the slavery of the Hebrews and their sufferings to last the longer. Moses having now seen and heard these wonders that assured him of the truth of these promises of God had no room left to disbelieve him. He entreated him to grant him that power when he should be in Egypt and besought him to vouchsafe him the knowledge of his own name and since he had heard and seen him that he would also tell him his name that when he offered sacrifice he might invoke him by such his name in his oblations whereupon God declared to him his holy name which had never been discovered to men before concerning which it is not lawful for me to say any more. Now these signs accompanied Moses not then only but always when he prayed for them of all which signs he attributed the firmest assent to the fire in the bush and believing that God would be a gracious supporter to him he hoped he should be able to deliver his own nation and bring calamities on the Egyptians. End of Book 2, chapters 10 through 12 Book 2, chapters 13 and 14 of the Antiquities of the Jews Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. The Antiquities of the Jews Volume 1 by Flavius Josephus translated by William Whiston. Book 2, chapters 13 and 14. Chapter 13. How Moses and Aaron returned into Egypt to Pharaoh So Moses when he understood that the Pharaoh in whose reign he fled away was dead asked leave of Regal to go into Egypt for the benefit of his own people and he took with him Zipporah the daughter of Regal whom he had married and the children he had by her Gersum and Eleazar and made haste into Egypt. Now the former of those names Gersum in the Hebrew tongue signifies that he was in a strange land and Eleazar that by the assistance of the God of his fathers he had escaped from the Egyptians. Now when they were near the borders Aaron his brother by the command of God met him to whom he declared what had befallen him at the mountain and the commands that God had given him. But as they were going forward the chief men among the Hebrews having learned that they were coming met them to whom Moses declared the signs he had seen and while they could not believe them he made them see them so they took courage at these surprising and unexpected sites and hoped well of their entire deliverance as believing now that God took care of their preservation. Since then Moses found that the Hebrews would be obedient to whatsoever he should direct as they promised to be and were in love with liberty he came to the king who had indeed but lately received the government and told him how much he had done for the good of the Egyptians when they were despised by the Ethiopians and their country laid waste by them and how he had been the commander of their forces and had labored for them as if they had been his own people and he informed him in what danger he had been during that expedition without having any proper returns made him as he had deserved. He also informed him distinctly what things happened to him at Mount Sinai and what God said to him and the signs that were done by God in order to assure him of the authority of those commands which he had given him. He also exhorted him not to disbelieve what he told him nor to oppose the will of God. But when the king derided Moses he made him in earnest see the signs that were done at Mount Sinai yet was the king very angry with him and called him an ill man who had formerly run away from his Egyptian slavery and came now back with deceitful tricks and wonders and magical arts to astonish him and when he had said this he commanded the priests to let him see the same wonderful sites as knowing that the Egyptians were skillful in this kind of learning and that he was not the only person who knew them and pretended them to be divine as also he told him that when he brought such wonderful sites before him he would only be believed by the unlearned. Now when the priests threw down their rods they became serpents but Moses was not daunted at it and said, O king I do not myself despise the wisdom of the Egyptians but I say that what I do is so much superior to what these do by magic arts and tricks as divine power exceeds the power of man but I will demonstrate that what I do is not done by craft or counterfeiting what is not really true but that they appear by the providence and power of God. And when he had said this he cast his rod down upon the ground and commanded it to turn itself into a serpent. It obeyed him and went all round and devoured the rods of the Egyptians which seemed to be dragons until it had consumed them all. It then returned to its own form and Moses took it into his hand again. However the king was no more moved when he was done than before and being very angry he said he should gain nothing by this his cunning and shrewdness against the Egyptians and he commanded him that was the chief taskmaster over the Hebrews to give them no relaxation from their labors but to compel them to submit to greater oppressions than before and though he allowed them chaff before for making their bricks he would allow with them no longer but he made them to work hard at brick making in the daytime and to gather chaff in the night. Now when their labor was thus doubled upon them they laid the blame upon Moses because their labor and their misery were on his account become more severe to them but Moses did not let his courage sink for the king's threatenings nor did he abate of his zeal on account of the Hebrews' complaints but he supported himself and set his soul resolutely against them both and used his own most diligence to procure liberty to his countrymen. So he went to the king and persuaded him to let the Hebrews go to Mount Sinai and there to sacrifice to God because God had enjoined them so to do. He persuaded him also not to counter work the designs of God but to esteem his favor above all things and to permit them to depart lest before he be aware he lay in obstruction in the way of the divine commands and so occasion his own suffering such punishments as it was probable anyone that counter worked the divine commands should undergo since the severest afflictions arise from every object to those that provoke the divine wrath against them for such as these have neither the earth nor the air for their friends nor the fruits of the womb according to nature but everything is unfriendly or adverse towards them. He said that the Egyptians should know this by sad experience and that besides the Hebrew people should go out of their country without their consent. Chapter 14 Concerning the Ten Plagues Which Came Upon the Egyptians But when the king despised the words of Moses and had no regarded all to them grievous plagues seized the Egyptians every one of which I will describe both because no such things did ever happen to any other nation as the Egyptians now felt and because I would demonstrate that Moses did not fail in any one thing that he foretold them and because it is for the good of mankind that they may learn this caution not to do anything that may displease God lest he be provoked to wrath and avenge their iniquities upon them. For the Egyptian river ran with bloody water at the command of God in so much that they could not be drunk and they had no other spring of water neither. For the water was not only of the color of blood but it brought upon those that ventured to drink of it great pains and bitter torment. Such was the river to the Egyptians but it was sweet and fit for drinking to the Hebrews and no way different from what it naturally used to be. As the king therefore knew not what to do in these lands by the Egyptians he gave the Hebrews leave to go away but when the plague ceased he changed his mind again and would not suffer them to go. But when God saw that he was ungrateful and upon the ceasing of this calamity would not grow wiser he sent another plague upon the Egyptians an innumerable multitude of frogs consumed the fruit of the ground. The river was also full of them in so much that their heads spoiled by the blood of these animals as they died in and were destroyed by the water. And the country was full of filthy slime as they were born and as they died. They also spoiled their vessels in their houses which they used and were found among what they eat and what they drank and came in great numbers upon their beds. There was also an ungrateful smell and distinct arose from them as they were born and were in. Now when the Egyptians were under the oppression of these miseries the king ordered Moses to take the Hebrews from them and be gone upon which the whole multitude of the frogs vanished away and both the land and the river returned to their former natures. But as soon as Pharaoh saw the land freed from this plague he forgot the cause of it and retained the Hebrews and as though he had a mind to try the nature of more people he would not yet suffer Moses and his people to depart having granted that liberty rather out of fear than out of any good consideration. Accordingly God punished his falseness with another plague added to the former for there arose out of the bodies of the Egyptians an innumerable quantity of lice by which wicked as they were they miserably perished as not able to destroy this sort of vermin either with washes or with ointments. At which terrible judgment the king of Egypt was in disorder upon the fear into which he reasoned himself lest his people should be destroyed and that the manner of this death was also reproachful so that he was forced in part to recover himself from his wicked temper to a sounder mind for he gave leave for the Hebrews themselves to depart. But when the plague there upon ceased he thought it proper to require that they leave their children and wives behind them as pledges of their return whereby he provoked God to be more vehemently angry at him as if he thought to impose on his providence and as if it were only Moses and not God who punished the Egyptians for the sake of the Hebrews for he filled that country full of various sorts of pestilential creatures with their various properties such indeed as had never come into the sight of men by whose means the men perished themselves and the land was destitute of husband men for its cultivation but if anything escaped destruction from them it was killed by a distemper which the men underwent also. But when Pharaoh did not even then yield to the will of God but while he gave leave to the husbands to take their wives with them yet insisted that the children should be left behind God presently resolved to punish his goodness with several sorts of calamities and those worse than the foregoing which yet had so generally afflicted them for their bodies had terrible boils breaking forth with flames while they were already inwardly consumed and a great part of the Egyptians perished in this manner. But when the king was not brought to reason by this plague Hale was sent down from heaven and such Hale it was as the climate of Egypt had never suffered before nor was it like to that which falls in other climates in winter time but was larger than that which falls in the middle of spring to those that dwell in the northern and northwestern regions. This Hale broke down their boughs laden with fruit. After this a tribe of locusts consumed the seed which was not hurt by the Hale so that to the Egyptians all hopes of the future fruits of the ground were entirely lost. One would think the forementioned calamities might have been sufficient for one that was only foolish without wickedness to make him wise and to make him sensible what was for his advantage. But Pharaoh led not so much by his folly as by his wickedness even when he saw the cause of his miseries he still contested with God and willfully deserted the cause of virtue. So he bid Moses take the Hebrews away with their wives and children to leave their cattle behind since their own cattle were destroyed. But when Moses said what he desired was unjust since they were obliged to offer sacrifices to God of those cattle and the time being prolonged on this account a thick darkness without the least light spread itself over the Egyptians whereby their sight being obstructed and their breathing hindered by the thickness of the air they died miserably and under a terror they should be swallowed up by the dark cloud. Besides this when the darkness after three days and as many nights was dissipated and when Pharaoh did not still repent and let the Hebrews go Moses came to him and said How long will thou be disobedient to the command of God for he enjoins thee to let the Hebrews go nor is there any other way of being freed from the calamities But the king was angry at what he said and threatened to cut off his head if he came any more to trouble him these matters Hereupon Moses said he not speak to him any more about them for he himself together with the principal men among the Egyptians should desire the Hebrews away. But when God had signified that with one plague he would compel the Egyptians to let the Hebrews go he commanded Moses to tell the people that they should have a sacrifice ready and should prepare themselves on the tenth day of the month Xanthicus against the fourteenth which month is called by the Egyptians Farmuth Nisan by the Hebrews but the Macedonians call it Xanthicus and that he should carry the Hebrews with all they had. Accordingly he having got the Hebrews ready for their departure and having sorted the people into tribes he kept them together in one place but when the fourteenth day was calm and all were ready to depart they offered the sacrifice and purified their houses with the blood using branches of Hissop for that purpose and when they had soft they burnt the remainder of the flesh as just ready to depart whence it is that we do still offer the sacrifice in like manner to this day and call this festival Pasha which signifies the Feast of the Passover because on that day God passed us over and sent the plague upon the Egyptians for the destruction of the firstborn came upon the Egyptians that night so that many of the Egyptians who lived near the king's palace persuaded Barrow to let the Hebrews go. Accordingly he called for Moses and bid them be gone as supposing that if once the Hebrews were gone out of the country Egypt should be freed from its miseries. They also honored the Hebrews with gifts, some in order to get them to depart quickly and others on account of their neighborhood and the friendship they had with them. End of Book 2, chapters 13 and 14 Book 2, chapters 15 and 16 of the Antiquities of the Jews, volume 1 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Antiquities of the Jews, volume 1 by Flavius Josephus, translated by William Wiston Book 2, chapters 15 and 16 Chapter 15 How the Hebrews under the conduct of Moses left Egypt So the Hebrews went out of Egypt while the Egyptians wept and repented that they had treated them so hardly Now they took their journey by Letopolis, a place at that time deserted but where Babylon was built afterwards when Cambyses laid Egypt waste. But as they went away hastily on the third day they came to a place called Belzaphan on the Red Sea and when they had no food out of the land because it was a desert they eat of loaves needed of flour only warmed by a gentle heat and this food they made use of for thirty days for what they brought with them out of Egypt would not suffice them any longer time and this only while they dispensed it to each person to use so much only as would serve for necessity but not for satiety. Whence it is that in memory of the want we were then in we keep a feast for eight days which is called the feast of unleavened bread Now the entire multitude of those that went out including the women and children was not easy to be numbered for of an age fit for war were six hundred thousand They left Egypt in the month Xanthicus on the fifteenth day of the lunar month four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan but two hundred and fifteen years only after Jacob removed into Egypt. It was the eightieth year of the age of Moses and of that of Aaron three more. They also carried out the bones of Joseph with them as he had charged his sons to do. But the Egyptians soon repented that the Hebrews were gone and the king also was mightily concerned that this had been procured by the magic arts of Moses so they resolved to go after them. Accordingly they took their weapons and other war like furniture and pursued after them in order to bring them back if once they overtook them because they would now have no pretense to pray to God against them since they had already been permitted to go out and they thought they should easily overcome them as they had no armor and would be weary with their journey. So they made haste in their pursuit and asked of every one they met which way they were gone and indeed that land was difficult to be traveled over not only by armies but by single persons. Now Moses led the Hebrews this way that in case the Egyptians should repent and be desirous to pursue after them they might undergo the punishment of their wickedness and of the breach of those promises they had made to them as also he led them this way on account of the Philistines who had quarreled with them and hated them of old that by all means they might not know of their departure for their country is near to that of Egypt. And thence it was that Moses led them not along the road that tended to the land of the Philistines but he was desirous that they should go through the desert that so after a long journey and after many afflictions they might enter upon the land of Canaan. Another reason of this was that God commanded him to bring the people to Mount Sinai that there they might offer him sacrifices. Now when the Egyptians had overtaken the Hebrews they prepared to fight them and by their multitude they drove them into a narrow place for the number that pursued after them was surrounded chariots with fifty thousand horsemen and two hundred thousand footmen all armed. They also seized upon the passages by which they imagined the Hebrews might fly shutting them up between inaccessible precipices and the sea for there was on each side a ridge of mountains that terminated at the sea which were impassable by reason of their roughness and obstructed their flight wherefore they were pressed upon the Hebrews with their army where the ridges of the mountains were closed with the sea which army they placed at the chops of the mountains so that they might deprive them of any passage into the plain. When the Hebrews therefore were neither able to bear up being thus as it were besieged because they wanted provisions nor saw any possible way of escaping and if they should have thought of fighting they had no weapons they expected a universal destruction unless they delivered themselves up to the Egyptians so they laid the blame on Moses and forgot all the signs that had been wrought by God for the recovery of their freedom and this so far that their incredulity prompted them to throw stones at the prophet while he encouraged them and promised them their deliverance and they resolved that they would deliver themselves up to the Egyptians so there was sorrow and lamentation among the women and children who had nothing but destruction before their eyes while they were encompassed with mountains the sea and their enemies and discerned no way of flying from them but Moses though the multitude looked fiercely at him did not however give over the care of them but despised all dangers out of his trust in God who as he had afforded them the several steps already taken for the recovery of their liberty which he had foretold them would not now suffer them to be subdued by their enemies to be either made slaves or be slain by them and standing in the midst of them he said it is not just of us to distrust even men when they have hitherto well managed our affairs as if they would not be the same hereafter but it is no better than madness at this time to despair of the providence of God by whose power all those things have been performed he promised when you expected no such things I mean all that I have been concerned in for deliverance and escape from slavery nay when we were in the utmost distress as you see we ought rather to hope that God will succour us by whose operation it is that we are now this narrow place that he may out of such difficulties as our otherwise insurmountable and out of which neither you nor your enemies expect you can be delivered and may at once demonstrate his own power and his providence over us nor does God used to give his help in small difficulties to those whom he favors but in such cases where no one can see how any hope in man can better their condition depend therefore upon such a protector as is able to make small things great and to show that this mighty force against you is nothing but weakness and be not affrighted at the Egyptian army nor do you despair of being preserved because the sea before and the mountains behind afford you no opportunity for flying for even these mountains if God so please may be made plain ground for you and the sea become dry land Chapter 16 how the sea was divided asunder for the Hebrews when they were pursued by the Egyptians and so gave them an opportunity of escaping from them when Moses had said this he led them to the sea while the Egyptians looked on for they were within sight now these were so distressed by the toil of their pursuit that they thought proper to put off fighting till the next day but when Moses was come to the sea shore he took his rod and made supplication to God and called upon him to be their helper and assistant and said thou art not ignorant O Lord that it is beyond human strength and human contrivance to avoid the difficulties we are now under but it must be thy work altogether to procure deliverance to this army which has left Egypt at thy appointment we despair of any other assistance or contrivance and have recourse only to that hope we have in thee and if there be any method that can promise us an escape by thy providence we look up to thee for it and let it come quickly and manifest thy power to us and do thou raise up this people unto good courage and hope of deliverance who are deeply sunk into a disconsolate state of mind we are in a helpless place but still it is a place that thou possessest still the sea is thine the mountains also that enclose us are thine so that these mountains will open themselves if thou commandest them and the sea also if thou commandest it will become dry land may we might escape by a flight through the air if thou shoulds determine we should have that way of salvation when Moses had thus addressed himself to God he smote the sea with his rod which parted asunder at the stroke and receiving those waters into itself left the ground dry as a road and a place of flight for the Hebrews now when Moses saw this appearance of God and that the sea went out of its own place and left dry land he went first of all into it and bid the Hebrews to follow him along that divine road and to rejoice at the danger their enemies that followed them were in and gave thanks to God for this so surprising a deliverance which appeared from him now while these Hebrews made no stay but went on earnestly as led by God's presence with them the Egyptians supposed first that they were distracted and were going rashly upon manifest destruction but when they saw that they were going a great way without any harm but no obstacle or difficulty fell in their journey they made haste to pursue them hoping that the sea would be calm for them also they put their horse foremost and went down themselves into the sea now the Hebrews while these were putting on their armor and there in spending their time were beforehand with them and escaped them and got first over to the land on the other side without any hurt whence the others were encouraged and more rashly pursued them as hoping no harm would come to them neither but the Egyptians were not aware that they went into a road made for the Hebrews and not for others that this road was made for the deliverance of those in danger but not for those that were earnest to make use of it for the others destruction as soon therefore as ever the whole Egyptian army was within it the sea flowed to its own place and came down with a torrent raised by storms of thunderbolts and encompassed the Egyptians showers of rain also came down from the sky and dreadful thunders and lightning with flashes of fire thunderbolts also were darted upon them nor was there anything which used to be sent by God upon men as indications of his wrath which did not happen at this time for a dark and dismal night oppressed them and thus did all these men perish so that there was not one man left to be a messenger of God's calamity to the rest of the Egyptians but the Hebrews were not able to contain themselves for joy at their wonderful deliverance and destruction of their enemies now indeed supposing themselves firmly delivered when those that would have forced them into slavery were destroyed and when they found they had God so evidently for their protector and now these Hebrews having escaped the danger they were in after this manner and seeing their enemies punished in such a way as is never recorded of any other men whom so ever were all the night employed in singing of hymns and in mirth Moses also composed a song unto God containing his praises and a thanksgiving for his kindness in hexameter verse as for myself I have delivered every part of this history as I found it in the sacred books nor let anyone wonder at the wickedness of the narration if a way were discovered to those men of old time who were free from the wickedness of the modern ages whether it happened by the will of God or whether it happened of its own accord while for the sake of those that accompanied Alexander king of Macedonia who yet lived comparatively but a little while ago the Pamphylian sea retired and afforded them a passage through itself had no other way to go I mean when God to destroy the monarchy of the Persians and this is confessed to be true by all who have written about the actions of Alexander but as to these events let everyone determine as he pleases on the next day Moses gathered together the weapons of the Egyptians which were brought to the camp of the Hebrews by the current of the sea and the force of the winds resisting it and he conjectured that this also happened by divine weapons so that they might not be destitute of weapons so when he had ordered the Hebrews to arm themselves with them he led them to Mount Sinai in order to offer sacrifice to God and to render oblations for the salvation of the multitude as he was charged to do beforehand. Chapter 15 and 16. End of Book 2. Book 3. Containing the interval of two years from the Exodus out of Egypt to the rejection of that generation. Chapter 1. How Moses when he had brought the people out of Egypt led them to Mount Sinai but not till they had suffered much in their journey. When the Hebrews had obtained such a wonderful deliverance the country was a great trouble to them for it was entirely a desert and without sustenance for them and also had exceeding little water so that it not only was not at all sufficient for men but not enough to feed any of the cattle for it was parched up and had no moisture that might afford nutriment to the vegetables so they were forced to travel over this country as having no other country but this to travel in. They had indeed carried water along with them from the land over which they had traveled before as their conductor had bidden them but when that was spent they were obliged to draw water out of wells with pain by reason of the hardness of the soil. Moreover what water they found was bitter and not fit for drinking and this in small quantities also and as they thus traveled they came late in the evening to a place called Marah which had that name from the badness of its water for Marah denotes bitterness. There they came afflicted both by the tediousness of their journey and by their want of food for it entirely failed them at that time. Now here was a well which made them choose to stay in the place which although it were not sufficient to satisfy so great an army did yet afford them some comfort as found in such desert places for they heard from those who had been to search that there was nothing to be found if they traveled any farther yet was this water bitter and not fit for men to drink and not only so but it was intolerable even to the cattle themselves. When Moses saw how much the people were cast down and that the occasion of it could not be contradicted for the people were not in the nature of a complete army of men who might oppose a manly fortitude to the necessity that distressed them. The multitude of the children and of the women also being of two-week capacities to be persuaded by reason blunted the courage of the men themselves. He was therefore in great difficulties and made everybody's property his own. For they ran all of them to him and begged of him. The women begged for their infants and the men for the women that he would not overlook them but procure some way or other for their deliverance. He therefore betook himself to prayer to God that he would change the water from its present badness and make it fit for drinking. And when God had granted him that favor he took the top of a stick that laid down at his feet and divided it in the middle and made the section lengthways. He then let it down into the well and persuaded the Hebrews that God had harkened to his prayers and had promised to render the water such as they desired it to be in case they would be subservient to him in what he shouldn't join them to do and this not after a remiss or negligent manner. And when they asked what they were to do in order to have the water changed for the better he bid the strongest men among them that stood there to draw up water and told them that when the greatest part was drawn up the remainder would be fit to drink. So they labored at it till the water was so agitated and purged as to be fit to drink. And now removing from thence they came to a limb which place looked well at a distance for there was a grove of palm trees but when they came near to it it appeared to be a bad place for the palm trees were no more than seventy and they were ill grown and creeping trees by the amount of water for the country about was all parched and no moisture sufficient to water them and make them hopeful and useful was derived to them from the fountains which were in number twelve. They were rather a few moist places than springs which not breaking out of the ground nor running over could not sufficiently water the trees. And when they dug into the sand they met with no water and if they took a few drops of it into their hands they found it to be useless on account of its mud. The trees were too weak to bear fruit for one of being sufficiently cherished and enlivened by the water. So they laid the blame on their conductor and made heavy complaints against him and said that this their miserable state and the experience they had of adversity were owing to him for that they had then journeyed an entire thirty days and had spent all the provisions they had brought with them and meeting with no relief they were in a very desponding condition. And by fixing their attention upon nothing but their present misfortunes they were hindered from remembering what deliverances they had received from God and those by the virtue and wisdom of Moses also. So they were very angry at their conductor and were zealous in their attempt to stone him as the direct occasion of their present miseries. But as for Moses himself while the multitude were irritated and bitterly set against him he cheerfully relied upon God and upon his consciousness he would care he had taken of these his own people and he came into the midst of them even while they clamored against him and had stones in their hands in order to dispatch him. Now he was an agreeable presence and very able to persuade the people by his speeches. Accordingly he began to mitigate their anger and exhorted them not to be over mindful of their present adversities lest they should thereby suffer the benefits that had formerly been bestowed on them to their memories. And he desired them by no means on account of their present uneasiness to cast those great and wonderful favors and gifts which they had obtained of God out of their minds but to expect deliverance out of those their present troubles which they could not free themselves from and this by the means of that divine providence which watched over them. Seeing it is probable that God tries their virtue and exercises their patience by these adversities that it may appear what fortitude they have and what memory they retain of his former wonderful works and their favor and whether they will not think of them upon occasion of the miseries they now feel. He told them it appeared they were not really good men either in patience or in remembering what had been successfully done for them sometimes by condemning God and his commands when by those commands they left the land of Egypt and sometimes by behaving themselves ill towards him who was the servant of God and this when he had never deceived them either in what he said or had ordered them to do by God's command. He also put them in mind of all that had passed how the Egyptians were destroyed when they attempted to detain them contrary to the command of God and after what manner the Varysim River was to the others bloody and not fit for drinking but was to them sweet and fit for drinking and how they went a new road through the sea which fled a long way from them by which very means they were themselves preserved but so their enemies destroyed and that when they were in want of weapons God gave them plenty of them and so he recounted all the particular instances how when they were in appearance just going to be destroyed God had saved them in a surprising manner and that he had still the same power that they ought not even to despair of his providence over them and accordingly he exhorted them to continue quiet and to consider that help would not come too late though it come not immediately if it be present with them before they suffer any great misfortune that they ought to reason thus that God delays to assist them not because he has no regard to them but because he will first try their fortitude and the pleasure they take in their freedom that he may learn whether you have souls great enough to bear want of food and scarcity of water on its account or whether you rather love to be slaves as cattle her slaves to such as own them and feed them liberally but only in order to make them more useful in their service that as for himself he shall not be so much concerned for his own preservation for if he die unjustly he shall not reckon at any affliction but that he is concerned for them lest by casting stones at him they should be thought to condemn God himself by this means Moses pacified the people and restrained them from stoning him and brought them to repent of what they were going to do and because he thought the necessity they were under made their passion less unjustifiable he thought he ought to apply himself to God by prayer and supplication and going up to an eminence he requested of God for some sucker for the people and some way of deliverance from the want they were in because in him and in him alone was their hope of salvation and he desired that he would forgive what necessity had forced the people to do since such was the nature of mankind hard to please and very complaining under adversities accordingly God promised he would take care of them and afford them the sucker they were desirous of now and Moses had heard this from God he came down to the multitude but as soon as they saw him joyful at the promises he had received from God they changed their sad continences into gladness so he placed himself in the midst of them and told them he came to bring them from God a deliverance from their present distresses accordingly a little after came a vast number of quails which is a bird more plentiful in this Arabian Gulf than anywhere else flying over the sea and hovered over them till we're with their laborious flight and indeed as usual flying very near to the earth they fell down upon the Hebrews who caught them and satisfied their hunger with them and suppose that this was the method whereby God meant to supply them with food upon which Moses came from God for affording them his assistance so suddenly and sooner than he had promised them but presently after this first supply of food he sent them second for as Moses was lifting up his hands in prayer a dew fell down and Moses when he found it stick to his hands suppose this was also come for food from God to them he tasted it and perceiving that the people knew not what it was and thought it snowed and that it was what here he informed them that this dude did not fall from heaven after the manner they imagined but came for their preservation and sustenance so he tasted it and gave them some of it that they might be satisfied about what he told them they also imitated their conductor and were pleased with the food for it was like honey and sweetness and pleasant taste but like in its body to dealium one of the sweet spices and in bigness equal to coriander seed and very they were enjoined to gather it equally the measure of enomer for each one every day because this food should not come in too small a quantity lest the weaker may not be able to get their share by reason of the overbearing of the strong and collecting it however these strong men when they had gathered more than the measure appointed for them had no more than others but only tired themselves more in gathering it for they found no more than enomer apiece and the advantage it corrupting both by the worms breeding in it and by its bitterness so divine and wonderful a food was this it also supplied the want of other sorts of food to those that fed on it and even now in all that place this manna comes down in rain according to what moses then obtained of God to send it to the people for their sustenance now the Hebrews call this food manna for the particle man in our language is the asking of a question what is this so the Hebrews were very joyful at what was sent them from heaven now they made use of this food for forty years or as long as they were in the wilderness as soon as they were removed thence they came to refidem being distressed to the last degree by thirst and while in the foregoing days they had lit on a few small fountains but now found the earth entirely destitute of water they were in an evil case they again turned their anger against moses but he had first avoided the fury of the multitude and then betook himself to prayer to God beseeching him that as he had given them food when they were in the greatest want of it so he would give them drink since the favor of giving them food was of no value to them while they had nothing to drink and God did not long delayed to give it to them but promised moses that he would procure them a fountain and plenty of water from a place they did not expect any so he commanded him to smite the rock which they saw lying there with his rod and out of it many of what they wanted for he had taken care that drink should come to them without any labor or painstaking when moses had received this command from God he came to the people who waited for him and looked upon him for they saw already that he was coming apace from his eminence as soon as he was come he told them that God would deliver them from their present distress and had granted them an unexpected favor and informed them that a river should run for their sakes out of the rock but they were amazed at that hearing supposing they were of necessity to cut the rock in pieces now they were distressed by their thirst and by their journey while moses only smiting the rock with his rod opened a passage and out of it burst water and that in great abundance and very clear but they were astonished at this wonderful effect and as it were quenched their thirst by the very sight of it so they drank this pleasant this sweet water and such it seemed to be as might well be expected where God was a donor they were also in admiration how moses was honored by God and they made grateful returns of sacrifices to God for his providence towards them now that scripture which is laid up in the temple informs us how God foretold to moses that water timid in this manner be derived out of the rock end of book three chapter one recording by Lynn Handler book three chapters two through four of the antiquities of the Jews volume one this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Jason Justice the antiquities of the Jews volume one by Flavius Josephus translated by William Winston book three chapters two through four chapter two how the Amalekites in the neighboring nations made war with the Hebrews and were beaten and lost a great part of their army the name of the Hebrews began already to be everywhere renowned and rumors about them ran abroad this made the inhabitants of those countries to be in no small fear accordingly they sent ambassadors to one another and exhorted one another to defend themselves and to endeavor to destroy these men those that induced the rest to do so were such as inhabited gobalitis and Petra they were called Amalekites were the most war like of the nations that lived thereabouts and whose kings exhorted one another and their neighbors to go to war against the Hebrews telling them that an army of strangers and such a one as had run away from slavery under the Egyptians lay in wait to ruin them which army they were not in common prudence in regard to their own safety to overlook but to crush them before they gather strength and come to be in prosperity and perhaps attack them first in a manner as presuming upon their indolence and not attacking them before and that we ought to avenge ourselves of them for what they have done in the wilderness but that this cannot be so well done when they have laid their hands on our cities and on our goods that those who endeavor to crush a power in its first rise are wiser than those that endeavor to put a stop to its progress when it becomes formidable for these last seem to be angry only at the flourishing of others but the former do not leave any room for these to become troublesome to them after they had sent such embassages to the neighboring nations and among one another they resolved to attack the Hebrews in battle these proceedings of the people of those countries occasioned perplexity and trouble to Moses who expected no such war like preparations and when these nations were ready to fight and the multitude of the Hebrews were obliged to try the fortune of war they were in a mighty disorder and in want of all and yet were to make war with men who were thoroughly prepared for it then therefore it was that Moses began to encourage them and to exhort them to have a good heart and rely on God's assistance by which they had been in a state of freedom and to hope for victory over those who were ready to fight with them in order to deprive them of that blessing that they were to suppose their own army to be numerous wanting nothing neither weapons nor money nor provisions nor such other conveniences as when men are in possession of they fight undauntedly and that they are to judge themselves to have all these advantages in the divine assistance they are also to suppose the enemy's army to be small unarmed weak and such as want those conveniences which they know must be wanted when it is God's will that they shall be beaten and how valuable God's assistance is they had experienced in abundance of trials and those such as were more terrible than war for that is only against men but these were against famine and thirst things indeed that are in their own nature insuperable as also against mountains and that sea which afforded them no way for escaping yet had all these difficulties been conquered by God's gracious kindness to them so he exhorted them to be courageous at this time and to look upon their entire prosperity to depend on the present conquest of their enemies and with these words did Moses encourage the multitude who then called together the princes of their tribes and their chief men both separately and conjointly the young men he charged to obey their elders and the elders to harken to their leader so the people were elevated in their minds and ready to try their fortune in battle and hope to be there by at length delivered from their miseries nay they desired that Moses would easily lead them against their enemies without the least delay that no backwardness might be a hindrance to their present resolution so Moses sorted all that were fit for war into different groups and set Joshua the son of none of the tribe of Ephraim over them one that was great of courage and patient to undergo labors of great abilities to understand and to speak what was proper and very serious in the worship of God and made like another Moses a teacher of piety towards God he also appointed a small party of the armed men to be near the water and to take care of the children and the women and of the entire camp so that the whole night they prepared themselves for the battle they took their weapons if any of them had such as were well made and attended to their commanders as ready to rush forth to the battle as soon as Moses should give the word of command Joshua after what manner he should border his camp but when the day began Moses called for Joshua again and exhorted him to approve himself in deeds such a one as his reputation made men to expect from him and to gain glory by the present expedition in the opinion of those under him for his exploits in battle he also gave a particular exhortation to the principal men of the Hebrews and encouraged the whole army as it stood armed and when he had thus animated the army both by his words and works and prepared everything he retired to a mountain and committed the army to God and to Joshua so the armies joined the battle and it came to a close fight hand to hand both sides showing great alacrity and encouraging one another and indeed while Moses stretched out his hand towards heaven the Hebrews were too hard for the Amalekites but Moses was unable to sustain his hands thus stretched out for as often as he let down his hands so often were his people worsted he bade his brother Aaron and her their sister Miriam's husband to stand on each side of him and take hold of his hands and not permit his weariness to prevent it but to assist him in the extension of his hands when this was done the Hebrews conquered the Amalekites by main force and indeed they had all perished for the night had obliged the Hebrews to desist from killing anymore so our forefathers obtained a most signal and a most seasonable victory for they not only overcame those that fought against them but terrified also the neighboring nations and got great and splendid advantages which they obtained of their enemies by their hard pains in this battle for when they had taken the enemies camp they got ready booty for the public and for their own private families whereas till then they had not any sort of plenty of even necessary food the aforementioned battle when they had once got it was also the occasion of their prosperity not only for the present but for the future ages also for they not only made slaves of the bodies of their enemies but subdued their minds also and after this battle became terrible to all that dwelt around them moreover they acquired a vast quantity of riches for a great deal of silver and gold was left in the enemies camp as also brazen vessels which they made common use of in their families many utensils also that were embroidered there were of both sorts that is of what were weaved and what were the ornaments of their armor and other things that served for use in the family and for the furniture of their rooms they got also the prey of their cattle and of whatsoever uses to follow camps when they were moved from one place to another so the Hebrews now valued themselves upon their courage and claimed great merit for their valor and they perpetually injured themselves to take pains by which they deemed every difficulty might be surmounted such were the consequences of this battle on the next day Moses stripped the dead bodies of their enemies and gathered together the armor of those that were flat and gave rewards to such as had signalized themselves in the action and highly commended Joshua, their general who was attested to by all the army on account of the great actions he had done nor was any one of the Hebrews slain but the slain of the enemy's army were too many to be enumerated so Moses offered sacrifices of thanksgiving to God and built an altar which he named the Lord the Conqueror he also foretold that the Amalekites should utterly be destroyed and that hereafter none of them should remain because they fought against the Hebrews and this when they were in the wilderness and in their distress also moreover he refreshed the army with feasting and thus did they fight this first battle with those that ventured to oppose them after they were gone out of Egypt but when Moses had celebrated this festival for the victory he permitted the Hebrews to rest for a few days and then he brought them out after the fight in order of battle with soldiers in light armor and going gradually on he came to Mount Sinai and three months time after they were removed out of Egypt at which mountain as we have before related the vision of the bush and the other wonderful appearances had happened Chapter 3 that Moses kindly received his father-in-law Jethro when he came to him to Mount Sinai now when Rockwell Moses' father-in-law understood in what a prosperous condition there were he willingly came to meet him and Moses and his children and pleased himself with his coming and when he had offered sacrifice he made a feast for the multitude near the bush he had formerly seen which multitude everyone according to their families partook of the feast but Aaron and his family took Rockwell and sung hymns to God as to him who had been the author-procurer of their deliverance and their freedom and their conductor as him by whose virtue it was that all things had succeeded with them Rockwell also in his Eucharistical aeration to Moses made great incomiums upon the whole multitude and he could not but admire Moses for his fortitude and that humanity he had shown in the delivery of his friends Chapter 4 how Rockwell suggested to Moses to set his people in order under their rulers of thousands who lived without order before and how Moses complied in all things with his father-in-law's admonition the next day as Rockwell saw Moses in the midst of a crowd of business for he determined the differences of those that referred them to him everyone still going to him and supposing that they should then only obtain justice if he were the arbitrator and those that lost their causes thought it no harm while they thought they lost them justly and not by partiality Rockwell however said nothing to him at that time as not desirous to be any hindrance to such as had a mind to make use of the virtue of their conductor but afterward he took him to himself and when he had him alone he instructed him of what he ought to do and advised him to leave the trouble of lesser causes to others but himself to take care of the greater and of the people's safety for that certain others of the Hebrews might be found that were fit to determine nobody but a Moses could take of the safety of so many ten thousands be therefore says he insensible of thine own virtue and what thou has done by ministering under God to the people's preservation permit therefore the determination of common causes to be done by others but do thou reserve thyself to the attendance on God only and look out for methods of preserving the multitude from their present distress make use of the method I suggest to you as to human affairs and take a review of the army and appoint chosen rulers over tens of thousands and then over thousands then divide them into five hundreds and again into hundreds and into fifties and set rulers over each of them who may distinguish them into thirties and keep them in order and at last number them by twenties and by tens and let there be one commander number to be denominated from the number of those over whom their rulers but such as the whole multitude have tried and do approve of as being good and righteous men and let those rulers decide the controversies they have one with another but if any great cause arise let them bring the cognizance of it before the rulers of a higher dignity but if any great difficulty arise that is too hard for even their determination let them send it to thee by these means two advantages will be gained the Hebrews will have justice done them and thou will be able to attend constantly on God and procure him to be more favorable to the people this was the admonition of Rockwell and Moses received his advice very kindly and acted according to his suggestion nor did he conceal the invention of this method nor pretend to it himself but inform the multitude who it was that invented it nay he is named Rockwell in the books he wrote as the person who invented this ordering of the people as thinking it right to give a true testimony to worthy persons although he might have gotten reputation by ascribing to himself the inventions of other men once we may learn the virtuous disposition of Moses but of such his disposition we shall have proper occasion to speak in other places of these books end of book 3 chapters 2 through 4 recording by Jason Justice book 3 chapters 5 and 6 of the Antiquities of the Jews volume 1 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org the Antiquities of the Jews volume 1 by Flavius Josephus translated by William Weston book 3 chapters 5 and 6 chapter 5 how Moses ascended up to Mount Sinai and received laws from God and delivered them to the Hebrews now Moses called the multitude together and told them that he was going from them unto Mount Sinai to converse with God to receive from him and to bring back with him a certain oracle but he enjoined them to pitch their tents near the mountain and prefer the habitation that was nearest to God before one more remote when he had said this he ascended up to Mount Sinai which is the highest of all the mountains that are in that country and is not only very difficult to be ascended by men on account of its vast altitude but because of the sharpness of its precipices also nay indeed it cannot be looked at without pain of the eyes and besides this it was terrible and inaccessible on account of the rumor that passed about that God dwelt there but the Hebrews removed their tents as Moses had bidden them and took possession of the lowest parts of the mountain and were elevated in their minds in expectation that Moses would return from God with promises of the good things he had proposed to them so they feasted and waited for their conductor and kept themselves pure as in other respects and not accompanying with their wives for three days as he had before ordered them to do and they prayed to God that he would favorably receive Moses and his conversing with him and bestow some such gift upon them by which they might live well they also lived more plentifully as to their diet and put on their wives and children more ornamental and decent clothing than they usually wore so they passed two days in this way of feasting but on the third day before the sun was up the cloud spread itself over the whole camp of the Hebrews such a one as none to foreseen and encompass the place where they had pitched their tents and while all the rest of the air was clear there came strong winds that raised up large showers of rain which became a mighty tempest there was also such lightning as was terrible to those that saw it and thunder with its thunderbolts were sent down and declared God to be there present in a gracious way to such as Moses desired he should be gracious now as to these matters every one of my readers may think as he pleases but I am under a necessity of relating this history as it is described in the sacred books this sight and the amazing sound that came to their ears disturbed the Hebrews to a prodigious degree for they were not such as they were accustomed to and then the rumor that was spread abroad how God frequented that mountain greatly astonished their minds so they sorrowfully contained themselves within their tents as both supposing Moses to be destroyed by the divine wrath and expecting the like destruction for themselves when they were under these apprehensions Moses appeared as joyful and greatly exalted when they saw him they were freed from their fear and admitted of more comfortable hopes as to what was to come the air also was become clear and pure of its former disorders upon the appearance of Moses whereupon he called together the people to a congregation in order to their hearing what God would say to them and when they were gathered together he stood on an eminence whence they might all hear him and said God has received me graciously O Hebrews as he has formally done and has suggested a happy method of living for you and in order of political government and is now present in the camp I therefore charge you for his sake and the sake of his works and what we have done by his means that you do not put a low value on what I'm going to say because the commands have been given to me that now deliver them to you nor because it is the tongue of a man that delivers them to you but if you have it do regard to the great importance of the things themselves you will understand the greatness of him whose institutions they are and who has not to stay and to communicate them to me for our common advantage for it is not to be supposed that the author of these institutions is barely Moses the son of Amrum and Yakovet but he who obliged the Nile to run bloody for your sex and tamed the haughtiness of the Egyptians by various sorts of judgments he who provided a way through the sea for us he who contrived a method of sending us food from heaven when we were distressed for one of it he who made the water to issue out of a rock when we had very little of it before he by whose means Adam was made to partake of the fruits both of the land and of the sea he by whose means Noah escaped the deluge he by whose means our forefather Abraham of a wandering pilgrim was made the heir of the land of Canaan he by whose means Isaac was born of parents that were very old he by whose means Jacob was adorned with twelve virtuous sons he by whose means Joseph became a potent lord over the Egyptians he it is who conveys these instructions to you by me as his interpreter and let them be to you venerable and intended for more earnestly by you than your own children and your own wives for if you will follow them you will lead a happy life you will enjoy the land fruitful the sea calm and the fruit of the womb born complete as nature requires you will be also terrible to your enemies for I have been admitted into the presence of God and been made a hearer of his incorruptible voice so great is his concern for your nation and its duration when he had said this he brought the people with their wives and children so near the mountain that they might hear God himself speaking to them about the precepts which they were to practice that the energy of which should be spoken might not be hurt by its utterance by that tongue of a man which could but imperfectly deliver it to their understanding and they all heard a voice that came to all of them from above in so much that no one of these words escaped them which Moses wrote on two tables which it is not possible for us to set down directly but their import we will declare the first commandment teaches us that there is but one God and that we ought to worship him only the second commands us not to make the image of any living creature to worship it the third that we must not swear by God in a false matter the fourth that we must keep the seventh day by resting from all sorts of work the fifth that we must honor our parents the sixth that we must abstain from murder the seventh that we must not commit adultery the eighth that we must not be guilty of theft the ninth that we must not bear false witness the tenth that we must not admit of the desire of anything that is in others now when the multitude had heard God himself giving these precepts which Moses had discoursed of they rejoiced at what was said and the congregation was dissolved the following days they came to his tent and desired him to bring them besides other laws from God accordingly he appointed such laws and afterwards informed them in what manner they should act in all cases which laws I shall make mention of in their proper time but I shall reserve most of those laws for another work and make there a distinct explication of them when matters were brought to this state Moses went up again to Mount Sinai of which he had told them beforehand he made his assent in their sight and while he stayed there so long a time for he was absent from them forty days fear seized upon the Hebrews lest Moses should have come to any harm nor was there anything else so sad and that so much troubled them as the supposal that Moses was perished now there was a variety in their sentiments about it some saying that he was fallen among wild beasts and those that were of this opinion were chiefly such as were ill disposed to him but others said that he was departed and gone to God but the wiser sort were led by their reason to embrace neither of those opinions with any satisfaction thinking that as it was a thing that sometimes happens to men to fall among wild beasts and perish that way so it was probable enough that he might depart and go to God on account of his virtue they therefore were quiet and expected the event yet were they exceeding sorry upon the supposal that they were deprived of a governor such a one indeed as they could never recover again nor would this suspicion give them leave to expect any comfortable event about this man nor could they prevent their trouble and melancholy upon this occasion however the camp durst not remove all this while because Moses had bidden them a four to stay there but when the forty days and as many nights were over Moses came down having tasted nothing of food usually appointed for the nourishment of men and his appearance filled the army with gladness and he declared to them what care God had of them and by what manner of conduct of their lives they might live happily telling them that during these days of his absence he had suggested to him also that he would have a tabernacle built for him into which he would descend when he came to them and how we should carry it about with us when we were moved from this place and that there would be no longer any occasion for going up to Mount Sinai to come and pitch his tabernacle amongst us and be present at our prayers as also that the tabernacle should be of such measures in construction as he had shown him and that you are to fall to the work and prosecute it diligently when he had said this he showed them the two tables with the ten commandments aggraven upon them five upon each table and the writing was by the hand of God Chapter 6 concerning the tabernacle which Moses built for the honor of God and which seemed to be a temple here upon the Israelites rejoiced at what they had seen and heard of their conductor and were not wanting in diligence according to their ability for they brought silver and gold and brass and of the best sorts of wood and such as would not at all decay by a putrefaction camel's hair also and sheepskins some of them dyed of a blue color and some of a scarlet some brought the flower for the purple color others for white with wool dyed by the flowers aforementioned and fine linen and precious stones which those that use costly ornaments set in ouches of gold they brought also a great quantity of spices for of these materials did Moses build the tabernacle which did not at all differ from a movable and ambulatory temple now when these things were brought together with great diligence for everyone was ambitious to further the work even beyond their ability they set architects over the works and this by the command of God and indeed the very same which the people themselves would have chosen had the election been allowed to them now their names are set down in writing in the sacred books and they were these Besselil the son of Yuri of the tribe of Judah the grandson of Miriam the sister of their conductor and Oholiab the son of Ahisomak of the tribe of Dan with so great a locality that Moses was obliged to restrain them by making proclamation that what he had brought was sufficient as the artificers had informed him so they fell to work upon the building of the tabernacle Moses also informed them according to the direction of God both what the measures were to be and its largeness and how many vessels it ought to contain for the use of the sacrifices the women also were ambitious to do their parts about the garments of the priests and about other things that would be wanted in his work both for ornament and for the divine service itself now when all things were prepared the gold and the silver and the brass and what was woven Moses when he had appointed beforehand that there should be a festival and that sacrifices should be offered according to everyone's ability reared up the tabernacle and when he had measured the open court fifty cubits broad and a hundred long and up brazen pillars five cubits high twenty on each of the longer sides and ten pillars for the breath behind every one of the pillars also had a ring their chapiters were of silver but their bases were of brass they resembled the sharp ends of spears and were of brass fixed into the ground cords were also put through the rings and were tied at their farther ends to brass nails of a cubit long which at every pillar were driven into the floor the tabernacle from being shaken by the violence of winds but a curtain of fine soft linen went round all the pillars and hung down in a flowing and loose manner from their chapiters and enclosed the whole space and seemed not at all unlike to a wall about it and this was the structure of three of the sides of this enclosure but as for the fourth side which was fifty cubits in extent and was the front of the whole twenty cubits of it were for the opening and stood two pillars on each side after the resemblance of open gates these were made wholly of silver and polished and that all over accepting the bases which were of brass now on each side of the gates there stood three pillars which were inserted into the concave bases of the gates and were suited to them and round them was drawn a curtain of fine linen but to the gates themselves which were twenty cubits in extent and five in height it was scarlet and blue and fine linen and embroidered with many and diverse sorts of figures accepting the figures of animals within these gates was the brazen labor for purification having a basin beneath of the like matter whence the priests might wash their hands and sprinkle their feet and this was the ornamental construction of the enclosure about the court of the tabernacle which was exposed to the open air as to the tabernacle itself the house is placed in the middle of that court with its front to the east that when the sun arose it might send its first rays upon it its length when it was set up was thirty cubits and its breadth was twelve ten cubits the one of its walls was on the south and the other was exposed to the north and on the back part of it remained the west it was necessary that its height should be equal to its breadth ten cubits there were also pillars made of wood certainly on each side they were wrought into a quadrangular figure in breadth a cubit and a half but the thickness was four fingers they had thin plates of gold affixed to them on both sides inwardly and outwardly they had each of them two tenons belonging to them inserted into their bases and these were of silver in each of which bases there was a socket to receive the tenon but the pillars on the west wall were six now all these tenons and sockets in so much that the joints were invisible and both seemed to be one entire and united wall it was also covered with gold both within and without the number of pillars was equal on the opposite sides and they were on each part twenty and every one of them had the third part of a span and thickness so that the number of thirty cubits were fully made up between them but as to the wall behind where the six pillars made up together only nine cubits they made two other pillars which they placed in the corners and made them equally fine with the other now every one of the pillars had rings of gold affixed to their fronts outward as if they had taken root in the pillars and stood one row over against another roundabout though which were inserted bars guilt over with gold each of them five cubits long and these bound together the pillars the head of one bar running into another after the nature of one tenon inserted into another but for the wall behind one row of bars that went through all the pillars into which row ran the ends of the bars on each side of the longer walls the male with its female being so fastened in their joints that they held the hole firmly together and for this reason was all this joined so fast together that the tabernacle might not be shaken either by the winds or by any other means but that it might preserve itself quiet and immovable continually as for the inside Moses parted its length into three partitions at the distance of ten cubits from the most secret end Moses placed four pillars the workmanship of which was the very same with that of the rest and they stood upon the like bases with them each a small matter distant from his fellow now the room within those pillars was the most holy place but the rest of the room was the tabernacle which was open for the priests however this proportion of the measures of the tabernacle proved to be an imitation of the system of the world for that third part thereof which was within the four pillars to which the priests were not admitted is as it were a heaven peculiar to God but the space of the twenty cubits is as it were sea and land on which men live and so this part is peculiar to the priests only but at the front where the entrance was made they placed pillars of gold that stood on bases of brass in number seven but then they spread over the tabernacle veils of fine linen and purple and blue and scarlet colors embroidered the first veil was ten cubits every way and this they spread over the pillars which parted the temple and kept the most holy place concealed within and this veil was that which made this part not visible to any now the whole temple was called the holy place but that part which was within the four pillars and to which none were admitted was called the holy of holies this veil was very ornamental and embroidered with all sorts of flowers which the earth produces and there were interwoven into it all sorts of variety that might be an ornament accepting the forms of animals another veil was which covered the five pillars that were at the entrance it was like the former in its magnitude and texture and color and at the corner of every pillar a ring retained it from the top downwards half the depth of the pillars the other half affording an entrance for the priests who crept under it over this there was a veil of linen of the same largeness with the former it was to be drawn this way or that way by cords the rings of which fixed to the texture of the veil and to the cords also were subservient to the drawing and undrawing of the veil and to the fastening it at the corner that then it might be no hindrance to the view of the sanctuary especially on solemn days but that on other days and especially when the weather was inclined to snow it might be expanded to the veil of diverse colors whence that custom of ours is derived of having a fine linen veil after the temple has been built to be drawn over the entrances but the ten other curtains were four cubits in breadth and twenty-eight in length and had golden clasps in order to join the one curtain to the other which was done so exactly that they seemed to be one entire curtain these were spread over the temple and covered all the top and parts of the walls on the sides and behind so far as within one cubit of the ground there were other curtains of the same breadth with these but one more in number and longer for they were thirty cubits long but these were woven of hair with the like subtlety of those of wool were made and were extended loosely down to the ground appearing like a triangular front and elevation at the gates the eleventh curtain being used for this very purpose there were also other curtains made of skins above these and afforded covering and protection to those that were woven both in hot weather and when it rained and great was the surprise of those who viewed these curtains at a distance for they seemed not at all to differ from the color of the sky but those that were made of hair and of skins reached down in the same manner as did the veil at the gates and kept off the heat of the sun and what injury the rains might do and after this manner was the tabernacle reared there was also an ark made covered to God of wood that was naturally strong and could not be corrupted this was called Aeron in our own language its construction was thus its length was five spans but its breadth and height was each of them three spans it was covered all over with gold both within and without so that the wooden part was not seen it had also a cover united to it by golden hinges after a wonderful manner which cover was every way evenly fitted to it and had no eminences to hinder its exact conjunction there were also two golden rings belonging to each of the longer boards and passing through the entire wood and through them guilt bars passed along each board that it might thereby be moved and carried about as occasion should require for it was not drawn in a cart by beast of burden but born on the shoulders of the priests upon this its cover were two images which the Hebrews called cherubim they are flying creatures but their form is not like to that of any of the creatures which men have seen though Moses said he had seen such beings near the throne of God in this arc he put the two tables where on the ten commandments were written five upon each table and two and a half upon each side of them and this arc he placed in the most holy place but in the holy place he placed a table like those at Delphi its length was two cubits and its height three spans it had feet also the lower half of which were complete feet resembling those which the Dorians put to their bedsteads but the upper parts toward the table were wrought into a square form the table had a hollow towards every side having a ledge of four fingers depth that went round about like a spiral both on the upper and lower part of the body of the work upon every one of the feet was there also inserted a ring not far from the cover through which went bars of wood beneath but gilded to be taken out upon occasion there being a cavity where it was joined to the rings for they were not entire rings but before they came quite round they ended in a cube points the one of which was inserted into the prominent part of the table and the other into the foot and by these it was carried when they journeyed upon this table which was placed on the north side of the temple not far from the most holy place were laid twelve unleavened loaves of bread six upon each heap one above another they were made of two tenths deals of the purest flower which tenth deal in Omer is a measure of the Hebrews containing seven Athenian Cotalo and above those loaves were put two vials full of frankincense now after seven days other loaves were brought in their stead on the day which is by us called the Sabbath for we call the seventh day the Sabbath but for the occasion of this intention of placing loaves here we will speak to it in another place over against this table near the southern wall was set a candlestick of cast gold hollow within being of the weight of one hundred pounds which the Hebrews call chincharis if it be turned into the greek language it denotes a talent it was made with its nops and lilies and pomegranates and bowls by which means the shaft elevated itself on high from a single base and spread itself into as many branches as there are planets including the sun among them it terminated in seven heads in one row all standing parallel to one another and these branches carried seven lamps one by one in imitation of the number of the planets these lamps looked to the east and to the south the candlestick being situate obliquely this candlestick in the table which as we said were within the sanctuary was the altar of incense made of wood indeed but of the same wood of which the foregoing vessels were made such as was not liable to corruption it was entirely crusted over with a golden plate its breath on each side was a cubit but the altitude double upon it was a grade of gold that was extant above the altar which had a golden crown encompassing it round about rings and bars by which the priest carried it when they journeyed before this tabernacle there was reared a brazen altar but it was within made of wood five cubits by measure on each side but its height was but three in like manner adored with brass plates as bright as gold it had also a brazen hearth of network for the ground underneath received the fire from the hearth because it had no basis to receive it hard by this altar lay the basins and the sensors and the cauldrons made of gold but the other vessels made for the use of the sacrifices were all of brass and such was the construction of the tabernacle and these were the vessels there too belonging End of Book 3 Chapters 5 and 6 Recording by Lynn Handler