1. IT was now the fourteenth year of the government of Hezekiah, king of the two tribes, when the king of Assyria,
whose name was Sennacherib, made an expedition against him with a great army, and took all the cities of the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin by force; and when he was ready to bring his army against Jerusalem, Hezekiah sent
ambassadors to him beforehand, and promised to submit, and pay what tribute he should appoint. Hereupon
Sennacherib, when he heard of what offers the ambassadors made, resolved not to proceed in the war, but to accept
of the proposals that were made him; and if he might receive three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of
gold, he promised that he would depart in a friendly manner; and he gave security upon oath to the ambassadors
that he would then do him no harm, but go away as he came. So Hezekiah submitted, and emptied his treasures, and
sent the money, as supposing he should be freed from his enemy, and from any further distress about his kingdom.
Accordingly, the Assyrian king took it, and yet had no regard to what he had promised; but while he himself went to
the war against the Egyptians and Ethiopians, he left his general Rabshakeh, and two other of his principal
commanders, with great forces, to destroy Jerusalem. The names of the two other commanders were Tartan and
Rabsaris.

2. Now as soon as they were come before the walls, they pitched their camp, and sent messengers to Hezekiah, and
desired that they might speak with him; but he did not himself come out to them for fear, but he sent three of his
most intimate friends; the name of one was Eliakim, who was over the kingdom, and Shebna, and Joah the
recorder. So these men came out, and stood over against the commanders of the Assyrian army; and when
Rabshakeh saw them, he bid them go and speak to Hezekiah in the manner following: That Sennacherib, the great
king, (1) desires to know of him, on whom it is that he relies and depends, in flying from his lord, and will not hear
him, nor admit his army into the city? Is it on account of the Egyptians, and in hopes that his army would be beaten
by them? Whereupon he lets him know, that if this be what he expects, he is a foolish man, and like one who leans
on a broken reed; while such a one will not only fall down, but will have his hand pierced and hurt by it. That he
ought to know he makes this expedition against him by the will of God, who hath granted this favor to him, that he
shall overthrow the kingdom of Israel, and that in the very same manner he shall destroy those that are his subjects
also. When Rabshakeh had made this speech in the Hebrew tongue, for he was skillful in that language, Eliakim
was afraid lest the multitude that heard him should be disturbed; so he desired him to speak in the Syrian tongue.
But the general, understanding what he meant, and perceiving the fear that he was in, he made his answer with a
greater and a louder voice, but in the Hebrew tongue; and said, that "since they all heard what were the king's
commands, they would consult their own advantage in delivering up themselves to us; for it is plain the both you
and your king dissuade the people from submitting by vain hopes, and so induce them to resist; but if you be
courageous, and think to drive our forces away, I am ready to deliver to you two thousand of these horses that are
with me for your use, if you can set as many horsemen on their backs, and show your strength; but what you have
not you cannot produce. Why therefore do you delay to deliver up yourselves to a superior force, who can take you
without your consent? although it will be safer for you to deliver yourselves up voluntarily, while a forcible capture,
when you are beaten, must appear more dangerous, and will bring further calamities upon you."

3. When the people, as well as the ambassadors, heard what the Assyrian commander said, they related it to
Hezekiah, who thereupon put off his royal apparel, and clothed himself with sackcloth, and took the habit of a
mourner, and, after the manner of his country, he fell upon his face, and besought God, and entreated him to assist
them, now they had no other hope of relief. He also sent some of his friends, and some of the priests, to the prophet
Isaiah, and desired that he would pray to God, and offer sacrifices for their common deliverance, and so put up
supplications to him, that he would have indignation at the expectations of their enemies, and have mercy upon his
people. And when the prophet had done accordingly, an oracle came from God to him, and encouraged the king and
his friends that were about him; and foretold that their enemies should be beaten without fighting, and should go
away in an ignominious manner, and not with that insolence which they now show, for that God would take care that
they should be destroyed. He also foretold that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, should fail of his purpose against
Egypt, and that when he came home he should perish by the sword.

4. About the same time also the king of Assyria wrote an epistle to Hezekiah, in which he said he was a foolish man,
in supposing that he should escape from being his servant, since he had already brought under many and great
nations; and he threatened, that when he took him, he would utterly destroy him, unless he now opened the gates,
and willingly received his army into Jerusalem. When he read this epistle, he despised it, on account of the trust
that be had in God; but he rolled up the epistle, and laid it up within the temple. And as he made his further prayers
to God for the city, and for the preservation of all the people, the prophet Isaiah said that God had heard his
prayer, and that he should not be besieged at this time by the king of Assyria (2) that for the future he might be
secure of not being at all disturbed by him; and that the people might go on peaceably, and without fear, with their
husbandry and other affairs. But after a little while the king of Assyria, when he had failed of his treacherous
designs against the Egyptians, returned home without success, on the following occasion: He spent a long time in
the siege of Pelusium; and when the banks that he had raised over against the walls were of a great height, and
when he was ready to make an immediate assault upon them, but heard that Tirhaka, king of the Ethiopians, was
coming and bringing great forces to aid the Egyptians, and was resolved to march through the desert, and so to fall
directly upon the Assyrians, this king Sennacherib was disturbed at the news, and, as I said before, left Pelusium,
and returned back without success. Now concerning this Sennacherib, Herodotus also says, in the second book of
his histories, how "this king came against the Egyptian king, who was the priest of Vulcan; and that as he was
besieging Pelusium, he broke up the siege on the following occasion: This Egyptian priest prayed to God, and God
heard his prayer, and sent a judgment upon the Arabian king." But in this Herodotus was mistaken, when he called
this king not king of the Assyrians, but of the Arabians; for he saith that "a multitude of mice gnawed to pieces in
one night both the bows and the rest of the armor of the Assyrians, and that it was on that account that the king,
when he had no bows left, drew off his army from Pelusium." And Herodotus does indeed give us this history; nay,
and Berosus, who wrote of the affairs of Chaldea, makes mention of this king Sennacherib, and that he ruled over
the Assyrians, and that he made an expedition against all Asia and Egypt; and says thus: (3)

5. "Now when Sennacherib was returning from his Egyptian war to Jerusalem, he found his army under Rabshakeh
his general in danger [by a plague], for God had sent a pestilential distemper upon his army; and on the very first
night of the siege, a hundred fourscore and five thousand, with their captains and generals, were destroyed. So the
king was in a great dread and in a terrible agony at this calamity; and being in great fear for his whole army, he fled
with the rest of his forces to his own kingdom, and to his city Nineveh; and when he had abode there a little while,
he was treacherously assaulted, and died by the hands of his elder sons, (4) Adrammelech and Seraser, and was
slain in his own temple, which was called Araske. Now these sons of his were driven away on account of the murder
of their father by the citizens, and went into Armenia, while Assarachoddas took the kingdom of Sennacherib." And
this proved to be the conclusion of this Assyrian expedition against the people of Jerusalem.

1. NOW king Hezekiah being thus delivered, after a surprising manner, from the dread he was in, offered
thank-offerings to God, with all his people, because nothing else had destroyed some of their enemies, and made
the rest so fearful of undergoing the same fate that they departed from Jerusalem, but that Divine assistance. Yet,
while he was very zealous and diligent about the worship of God, did he soon afterwards fall into a severe
distemper, insomuch that the physicians despaired of him, and expected no good issue of his sickness, as neither
did his friends: and besides the distemper (5) itself, there was a very melancholy circumstance that disordered the
king, which was the consideration that he was childless, and was going to die, and leave his house and his
government without a successor of his own body; so he was troubled at the thoughts of this his condition, and
lamented himself, and entreated of God that he would prolong his life for a little while till he had some children, and
not suffer him to depart this life before he was become a father. Hereupon God had mercy upon him, and accepted
of his supplication, because the trouble he was under at his supposed death was not because he was soon to leave
the advantages he enjoyed in the kingdom, nor did he on that account pray that he might have a longer life afforded
him, but in order to have sons, that might receive the government after him. And God sent Isaiah the prophet, and
commanded him to inform Hezekiah, that within three days' time he should get clear of his distemper, and should
survive it fifteen years, and that he should have children also. Now, upon the prophet's saying this, as God had
commanded him, he could hardly believe it, both on account of the distemper he was under, which was very sore,
and by reason of the surprising nature of what was told him; so he desired that Isaiah would give him some sign or
wonder, that he might believe him in what he had said, and be sensible that he came from God; for things that are
beyond expectation, and greater than our hopes, are made credible by actions of the like nature. And when Isaiah
had asked him what sign he desired to be exhibited, he desired that he would make the shadow of the sun, which he
had already made to go down ten steps [or degrees] in his house, to return again to the same place, (6) and to make
it as it was before. And when the prophet prayed to God to exhibit this sign to the king, he saw what he desired to
see, and was freed from his distemper, and went up to the temple, where he worshipped God, and made vows to
him.

2. At this time it was that the dominion of the Assyrians was overthrown by the Medes; (7) but of these things I
shall treat elsewhere. But the king of Babylon, whose name was Baladan, sent ambassadors to Hezekiah, with
presents, and desired he would be his ally and his friend. So he received the ambassadors gladly, and made them a
feast, and showed them his treasures, and his armory, and the other wealth he was possessed of, in precious stones
and in gold, and gave them presents to be carried to Baladan, and sent them back to him. Upon which the prophet
Isaiah came to him, and inquired of him whence those ambassadors came; to which he replied, that they came from
Babylon, from the king; and that he had showed them all he had, that by the sight of his riches and forces he might
thereby guess at [the plenty he was in], and be able to inform the king of it. But the prophet rejoined, and said,
"Know thou, that, after a little while, these riches of thine shall be carried away to Babylon, and thy posterity shall
be made eunuchs there, and lose their manhood, and be servants to the king of Babylon; for that God foretold such
things would come to pass." Upon which words Hezekiah was troubled, and said that he was himself unwilling that
his nation should fall into such calamities; yet since it is not possible to alter what God had determined, he prayed
that there might be peace while he lived. Berosus also makes mention of this Baladan, king of Babylon. Now as to
this prophet [Isaiah], he was by the confession of all, a divine and wonderful man in speaking truth; and out of the
assurance that he had never written what was false, he wrote down all his prophecies, and left them behind him in
books, that their accomplishment might be judged of from the events by posterity: nor did this prophet do so alone,
but the others, which were twelve in number, did the same. And whatsoever is done among us, Whether it be good,
or whether it be bad, comes to pass according to their prophecies; but of every one of these we shall speak
hereafter.

1. WHEN king Hezekiah had survived the interval of time already mentioned, and had dwelt all that time in peace,
he died, having completed fifty-four years of his life, and reigned twenty-nine. But when his son Manasseh, whose
mother's name was Hephzibah, of Jerusalem, had taken the kingdom, he departed from the conduct of his father,
and fell into a course of life quite contrary thereto, and showed himself in his manners most wicked in all respects,
and omitted no sort of impiety, but imitated those transgressions of the Israelites, by the commission of which
against God they had been destroyed; for he was so hardy as to defile the temple of God, and the city, and the
whole country; for, by setting out from a contempt of God, he barbarously slew all the righteous men that were
among the Hebrews; nor would he spare the prophets, for he every day slew some of them, till Jerusalem was
overflown with blood. So God was angry at these proceedings, and sent prophets to the king, and to the multitude,
by whom he threatened the very same calamities to them which their brethren the Israelites, upon the like affronts
offered to God, were now under. But these men would not believe their words, by which belief they might have
reaped the advantage of escaping all those miseries; yet did they in earnest learn that what the prophets had told
them was true.

2. And when they persevered in the same course of life, God raised up war against them from the king of Babylon
and Chaldea, who sent an army against Judea, and laid waste the country; and caught king Manasseh by treachery,
and ordered him to be brought to him, and had him under his power to inflict what punishment he pleased upon him.
But then it was that Manasseh perceived what a miserable condition he was in, and esteeming himself the cause of
all, he besought God to render his enemy humane and merciful to him. Accordingly, God heard his prayer, and
granted him what he prayed for. So Manasseh was released by the king of Babylon, and escaped the danger he was
in; and when he was come to Jerusalem, he endeavored, if it were possible, to cast out of his memory those his
former sins against God, of which he now repented, and to apply himself to a very religious life. He sanctified the
temple, and purged the city, and for the remainder of his days he was intent on nothing but to return his thanks to
God for his deliverance, and to preserve him propitious to him all his life long. He also instructed the multitude to
do the same, as having very nearly experienced what a calamity he was fallen into by a contrary conduct. He also
rebuilt the altar, and offered the legal sacrifices, as Moses commanded. And when he had re-established what
concerned the Divine worship, as it ought to be, he took care of the security of Jerusalem: he did not only repair
the old walls with great diligence, but added another wall to the former. He also built very lofty towers, and the
garrisoned places before the city he strengthened, not only in other respects, but with provisions of all sorts that
they wanted. And indeed, when he had changed his former course, he so led his life for the time to come, that from
the time of his return to piety towards God he was deemed a happy man, and a pattern for imitation. When
therefore he had lived sixty-seven years, he departed this life, having reigned fifty-five years, and was buried in his
own garden; and the kingdom came to his son Amon, whose mother's name was Meshulemeth, of the city of
Jotbath.

1. THIS Amon imitated those works of his father which he insolently did when he was young: so he had a
conspiracy made against him by his own servants, and was slain in his own house, when he had lived twenty-four
years, and of them had reigned two. But the multitude punished those that slew Amon, and buried him with his
father, and gave the kingdom to his son Josiah, who was eight years old. His mother was of the city of Boscath, and
her name was Jedidah. He was of a most excellent disposition, and naturally virtuous, and followed the actions of
king David, as a pattern and a rule to him in the whole conduct of his life. And when he was twelve years old, he
gave demonstrations of his religious and righteous behavior; for he brought the people to a sober way of living, and
exhorted them to leave off the opinion they had of their idols, because they were not gods, but to worship their own
God. And by repeating on the actions of his progenitors, he prudently corrected what they did wrong, like a very
elderly man, and like one abundantly able to understand what was fit to be done; and what he found they had well
done, he observed all the country over, and imitated the same. And thus he acted in following the wisdom and
sagacity of his own nature, and in compliance with the advice and instruction of the elders; for by following the laws
it was that he succeeded so well in the order of his government, and in piety with regard to the Divine worship. And
this happened because the transgressions of the former kings were seen no more, but quite vanished away; for the
king went about the city, and the whole country, and cut down the groves which were devoted to strange gods, and
overthrew their altars; and if there were any gifts dedicated to them by his forefathers, he made them ignominious,
and plucked them down; and by this means he brought the people back from their opinion about them to the worship
of God. He also offered his accustomed sacrifices and burnt-offerings upon the altar. Moreover, he ordained
certain judges and overseers, that they might order the matters to them severally belonging, and have regard to
justice above all things, and distribute it with the same concern they would have about their own soul. He also sent
over all the country, and desired such as pleased to bring gold and silver for the repairs of the temple, according to
every one's inclinations and abilities. And when the money was brought in, he made one Maaseiah the governor of
the city, and Shaphan the scribe, and Joab the recorder, and Eliakim the high priest, curators of the temple, and of
the charges contributed thereto; who made no delay, nor put the work off at all, but prepared architects, and
whatsoever was proper for those repairs, and set closely about the work. So the temple was repaired by this means,
and became a public demonstration of the king's piety.

2. But when he was now in the eighteenth year of his reign, he sent to Eliakim the high priest, and gave order, that
out of what money was overplus, he should cast cups, and dishes, and vials, for ministration [in the temple]; and
besides, that they should bring all the gold or silver which was among the treasures, and expend that also in making
cups and the like vessels. But as the high priest was bringing out the gold, he lighted upon the holy books of Moses
that were laid up in the temple; and when he had brought them out, he gave them to Shaphan the scribe, who, when
he had read them, came to the king, and informed him that all was finished which he had ordered to be done. He
also read over the books to him, who, when he had heard them read, rent his garment, and called for Eliakim the
high priest, and for [Shaphan] the scribe, and for certain [other] of his most particular friends, and sent them to
Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, (which Shallum was a man of dignity, and of an eminent family,) and bid
them go to her, and say that [he desired] she would appease God, and endeavor to render him propitious to them,
for that there was cause to fear, lest, upon the transgression of the laws of Moses by their forefathers, they should
be in peril of going into captivity, and of being cast out of their own country; lest they should be in want of all things,
and so end their days miserably. When the prophetess had heard this from the messengers that were sent to her by
the king, she bid them go back to the king, and say that "God had already given sentence against them, to destroy
the people, and cast them out of their country, and deprive them of all the happiness they enjoyed; which sentence
none could set aside by any prayers of theirs, since it was passed on account of their transgressions of the laws,
and of their not having repented in so long a time, while the prophets had exhorted them to amend, and had foretold
the punishment that would ensue on their impious practices; which threatening God would certainly execute upon
them, that they might be persuaded that he is God, and had not deceived them in any respect as to what he had
denounced by his prophets; that yet, because Josiah was a righteous man, he would at present delay those
calamities, but that after his death he would send on the multitude what miseries he had determined for them.

3. So these messengers, upon this prophecy of the woman, came and told it to the king; whereupon he sent to the
people every where, and ordered that the priests and the Levites should come together to Jerusalem; and
commanded that those of every age should be present also. And when they had gathered together, he first read to
them the holy books; after which he stood upon a pulpit, in the midst of the multitude, and obliged them to make a
covenant, with an oath, that they would worship God, and keep the laws of Moses. Accordingly, they gave their
assent willingly, and undertook to do what the king had recommended to them. So they immediately offered
sacrifices, and that after an acceptable manner, and besought God to be gracious and merciful to them. He also
enjoined the high priest, that if there remained in the temple any vessel that was dedicated to idols, or to foreign
gods, they should cast it out. So when a great number of such vessels were got together, he burnt them, and
scattered their ashes abroad, and slew the priests of the idols that were not of the family of Aaron.

4. And when he had done thus in Jerusalem, he came into the country, and utterly destroyed what buildings had
been made therein by king Jeroboam, in honor of strange gods; and he burnt the bones of the false prophets upon
that altar which Jeroboam first built; and, as the prophet [Jadon], who came to Jeroboam when he was offering
sacrifice, and when all the people heard him, foretold what would come to pass, viz. that a certain man of the house
of David, Josiah by name, should do what is here mentioned. And it happened that those predictions took effect
after three hundred and sixty-one years.

5. After these things, Josiah went also to such other Israelites as had escaped captivity and slavery under the
Assyrians, and persuaded them to desist from their impious practices, and to leave off the honors they paid to
strange gods, but to worship rightly their own Almighty God, and adhere to him. He also searched the houses, and
the villages, and the cities, out of a suspicion that somebody might have one idol or other in private; nay, indeed, he
took away the chariots [of the sun] that were set up in his royal palace, (8) which his predecessors had framed, and
what thing soever there was besides which they worshipped as a god. And when he had thus purged all the country,
he called the people to Jerusalem, and there celebrated the feast of unleavened bread, and that called the
passover. He also gave the people for paschal sacrifices, young kids of the goats, and lambs, thirty thousand, and
three thousand oxen for burnt-offerings. The principal of the priests also gave to the priests against the passover
two thousand and six hundred lambs; the principal of the Levites also gave to the Levites five thousand lambs, and
five hundred oxen, by which means there was great plenty of sacrifices; and they offered those sacrifices according
to the laws of Moses, while every priest explained the matter, and ministered to the multitude. And indeed there
had been no other festival thus celebrated by the Hebrews from the times of Samuel the prophet; and the plenty of
sacrifices now was the occasion that all things were performed according to the laws, and according to the custom of
their forefathers. So when Josiah had after this lived in peace, nay, in riches and reputation also, among all men, he
ended his life in the manner following.

1. NOW Neco, king of Egypt, raised an army, and marched to the river Euphrates, in order to fight with the Medes
and Babylonians, who had overthrown the dominion of the Assyrians, (9) for he had a desire to reign over Asia.
Now when he was come to the city Mendes, which belonged to the kingdom of Josiah, he brought an army to hinder
him from passing through his own country, in his expedition against the Medes. Now Neco sent a herald to Josiah,
and told him that he did not make this expedition against him, but was making haste to Euphrates; and desired that
he would not provoke him to fight against him, because he obstructed his march to the place whither he had
resolved to go. But Josiah did not admit of this advice of Neco, but put himself into a posture to hinder him from his
intended march. I suppose it was fate that pushed him on this conduct, that it might take an occasion against him;
for as he was setting his army in array, (10) and rode about in his chariot, from one wing of his army to another, one
of the Egyptians shot an arrow at him, and put an end to his eagerness of fighting; for being sorely wounded, he
command a retreat to be sounded for his army, and returned to Jerusalem, and died of that wound; and was
magnificently buried in the sepulcher of his fathers, when he had lived thirty-nine years, and of them had reigned
thirty-one. But all the people mourned greatly for him, lamenting and grieving on his account many days; and
Jeremiah the prophet composed an elegy to lament him, (11) which is extant till tills time also. Moreover, this
prophet denounced beforehand the sad calamities that were coming upon the city. He also left behind him in writing
a description of that destruction of our nation which has lately happened in our days, and the taking of Babylon; nor
was he the only prophet who delivered such predictions beforehand to the multitude, but so did Ezekiel also, who
was the first person that wrote, and left behind him in writing two books concerning these events. Now these two
prophets were priests by birth, but of them Jeremiah dwelt in Jerusalem, from the thirteenth year of the reign of
Josiah, until the city and temple were utterly destroyed. However, as to what befell this prophet, we will relate it in
its proper place.

2. Upon the death of Josiah, which we have already mentioned, his son, Jehoahaz by name, took the kingdom, being
about twenty-three years old. He reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother was Hamutal, of the city Libhah. He was an
impious man, and impure in his course of life; but as the king of Egypt returned from the battle, he sent for
Jehoahaz to come to him, to the city called Hamath (12) which belongs to Syria; and when he was come, he put him
in bands, and delivered the kingdom to a brother of his, by the father's side, whose name was Eliakim, and changed
his name to Jehoiakim and laid a tribute upon the land of a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold; and this
sum of money Jehoiakim paid by way of tribute; but Neco carried away Jehoahaz into Egypt, where he died when
he had reigned three months and ten days. Now Jehoiakim's mother was called Zebudah, of the city Rumah. He
was of a wicked disposition, and ready to do mischief; nor was he either religions towards God, or good-natured
towards men.

1. NOW in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, one whose name was Nebuchadnezzar took the government
over the Babylonians, who at the same time went up with a great army to the city Carchemish, which was at
Euphrates, upon a resolution he had taken to fight with Neco king of Egypt, under whom all Syria then was. And
when Neco understood the intention of the king of Babylon, and that this expedition was made against him, he did
not despise his attempt, but made haste with a great band of men to Euphrates to defend himself from
Nebuchadnezzar; and when they had joined battle, he was beaten, and lost many ten thousands [of his soldiers] in
the battle. So the king of Babylon passed over Euphrates, and took all Syria, as far as Pelusium, excepting Judea.
But when Nebuchadnezzar had already reigned four years, which was the eighth of Jehoiakim's government over
the Hebrews, the king of Babylon made an expedition with mighty forces against the Jews, and required tribute of
Jehoiakim, and threatened upon his refusal to make war against him. He was aftrighted at his threatening, and
bought his peace with money, and brought the tribute he was ordered to bring for three years.

2. But on the third year, upon hearing that the king of the Babylonians made an expedition against the Egyptians,
he did not pay his tribute; yet was he disappointed of his hope, for the Egyptians durst not fight at this time. And
indeed the prophet Jeremiah foretold every day, how vainly they relied on their hopes from Egypt, and how the city
would be overthrown by the king of Babylon, and Jehoiakim the king would be subdued by him. But what he thus
spake proved to be of no advantage to them, because there were none that should escape; for both the multitude
and the rulers, when they heard him, had no concern about what they heard; but being displeased at what was said,
as if the prophet were a diviner against the king, they accused Jeremiah, and bringing him before the court, they
required that a sentence and a punishment might be given against him. Now all the rest gave their votes for his
condemnation, but the elders refused, who prudently sent away the prophet from the court of [the prison], and
persuaded the rest to do Jeremiah no harm; for they said that he was not the only person who foretold what would
come to the city, but that Micah signified the same before him, as well as many others, none of which suffered any
thing of the kings that then reigned, but were honored as the prophets of God. So they mollified the multitude with
these words, and delivered Jeremiah from the punishment to which he was condemned. Now when this prophet had
written all his prophecies, and the people were fasting, and assembled at the temple, on the ninth month of the fifth
year of Jehoiakim, he read the book he had composed of his predictions of what was to befall the city, and the
temple, and the multitude. And when the rulers heard of it, they took the book from him, and bid him and Baruch
the scribe to go their ways, lest they should be discovered by one or other; but they carried the book, and gave it to
the king; so he gave order, in the presence of his friends, that his scribe should take it, and read it. When the king
heard what it contained, he was angry, and tore it, and cast it into the fire, where it was consumed. He also
commanded that they should seek for Jeremiah, and Baruch the scribe, and bring them to him, that they might be
punished. However, they escaped his anger.

3. Now, a little time afterwards, the king of Babylon made an expedition against Jehoiakim, whom he received [into
the city], and this out of fear of the foregoing predictions of this prophet, as supposing he should suffer nothing that
was terrible, because he neither shut the gates, nor fought against him; yet when he was come into the city, he did
not observe the covenants he had made, but he slew such as were in the flower of their age, and such as were of the
greatest dignity, together with their king Jehoiakim, whom he commanded to be thrown before the walls, without
any burial; and made his son Jehoiachin king of the country, and of the city: he also took the principal persons in
dignity for captives, three thousand in number, and led them away to Babylon; among which was the prophet
Ezekiel, who was then but young. And this was the end of king Jehoiakim, when he had lived thirty-six years, and of
them reigned eleven. But Jehoiachin succeeded him in the kingdom, whose mother's name was Nehushta; she was
a citizen of Jerusalem. He reigned three months and ten days.

1. BUT a terror seized on the king of Babylon, who had given the kingdom to Jehoiachin, and that immediately; he
was afraid that he should bear him a grudge, because of his killing his father, and thereupon should make the
country revolt from him; wherefore he sent an army, and besieged Jehoiachin in Jerusalem; but because he was of
a gentle and just disposition, he did not desire to see the city endangered on his account, but he took his mother and
kindred, and delivered them to the commanders sent by the king of Babylon, and accepted of their oaths, that
neither should they suffer any harm, nor the city; which agreement they did not observe for a single year, for the
king of Babylon did not keep it, but gave orders to his generals to take all that were in the city captives, both the
youth and the handicraftsmen, and bring them bound to him; their number was ten thousand eight hundred and
thirty-two; as also Jehoiachin, and his mother and friends. And when these were brought to him, he kept them in
custody, and appointed Jehoiachin's uncle, Zedekiah, to be king; and made him take an oath, that he would
certainly keep the kingdom for him, and make no innovation, nor have any league of friendship with the Egyptians.

2. Now Zedekiah was twenty and one year's old when he took the government; and had the same mother with his
brother Jehoiakim, but was a despiser of justice and of his duty, for truly those of the same age with him were
wicked about him, and the whole multitude did what unjust and insolent things they pleased; for which reason the
prophet Jeremiah came often to him, and protested to him, and insisted, that he must leave off his impieties and
transgressions, and take care of what was right, and neither give ear to the rulers, (among whom were wicked men,)
nor give credit to their false prophets, who deluded them, as if the king of Babylon would make no more war against
them, and as if the Egyptians would make war against him, and conquer him, since what they said was not true, and
the events would not prove such [as they expected]. Now as to Zedekiah himself, while he heard the prophet speak,
he believed him, and agreed to every thing as true, and supposed it was for his advantage; but then his friends
perverted him, and dissuaded him from what the prophet advised, and obliged him to do what they pleased. Ezekiel
also foretold in Babylon what calamities were coming upon the people, which when he heard, he sent accounts of
them unto Jerusalem. But Zedekiah did not believe their prophecies, for the reason following: It happened that the
two prophets agreed with one another in what they said as in all other things, that the city should be taken, and
Zedekiah himself should be taken captive; but Ezekiel disagreed with him, and said that Zedekiah should not see
Babylon, while Jeremiah said to him, that the king of Babylon should carry him away thither in bonds. And be-

3. Now when Zedekiah had preserved the league of mutual assistance he had made with the Babylonians for eight
years, he brake it, and revolted to the Egyptians, in hopes, by their assistance, of overcoming the Babylonians.
When the king of Babylon knew this, he made war against him: he laid his country waste, and took his fortified
towns, and came to the city Jerusalem itself to besiege it. But when the king of Egypt heard what circumstances
Zedekiah his ally was in, he took a great army with him, and came into Judea, as if he would raise the siege; upon
which the king of Babylon departed from Jerusalem, and met the Egyptians, and joined battle with them, and beat
them; and when he had put them to flight, he pursued them, and drove them out of all Syria. Now as soon as the
king of Babylon was departed from Jerusalem, the false prophets deceived Zedekiah, and said that the king of
Babylon would not any more make war against him or his people, nor remove them out of their own country into
Babylon; and that those then in captivity would return, with all those vessels of the temple of which the king of
Babylon had despoiled that temple. But Jeremiah came among them, and prophesied what contradicted those
predictions, and what proved to be true, that they did ill, and deluded the king; that the Egyptians would be of no
advantage to them, but that the king of Babylon would renew the war against Jerusalem, and besiege it again, and
would destroy the people by famine, and carry away those that remained into captivity, and would take away what
they had as spoils, and would carry off those riches that were in the temple; nay, that, besides this, he would burn it,
and utterly overthrow the city, and that they should serve him and his posterity seventy years; that then the
Persians and the Medes should put an end to their servitude, and overthrow the Babylonians; "and that we shall be
dismissed, and return to this land, and rebuild the temple, and restore Jerusalem." When Jeremiah said this, the
greater part believed him; but the rulers, and those that were wicked, despised him, as one disordered in his
senses. Now he had resolved to go elsewhere, to his own country, which was called Anathoth, and was twenty
furlongs distant from Jerusalem; (13) and as he was going, one of the rulers met him, and seized upon him, and
accused him falsely, as though he were going as a deserter to the Babylonians; but Jeremiah said that he accused
him falsely, and added, that he was only going to his own country; but the other would not believe him, but seized
upon him, and led him away to the rulers, and laid an accusation against him, under whom he endured all sorts of
torments and tortures, and was reserved to be punished; and this was the condition he was in for some time, while
he suffered what I have already described unjustly.

4. Now in the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah, on the tenth day of the tenth month, the king of Babylon made a
second expedition against Jerusalem, and lay before it eighteen months, and besieged it with the utmost
application. There came upon them also two of the greatest calamities at the same time that Jerusalem was
besieged, a famine and a pestilential distemper, and made great havoc of them. And though the prophet Jeremiah
was in prison, he did not rest, but cried out, and proclaimed aloud, and exhorted the multitude to open their gates,
and admit the king of Babylon, for that if they did so, they should be preserved, and their whole families; but if they
did not so, they should be destroyed; and he foretold, that if any one staid in the city, he should certainly perish by
one of these ways, - either be consumed by the famine, or slain by the enemy's sword; but that if he would flee to
the enemy, he should escape death. Yet did not these rulers who heard believe him, even when they were in the
midst of their sore calamities; but they came to the king, and in their anger informed him what Jeremiah had said,
and accused him, and complained of the prophet as of a madman, and one that disheartened their minds, and by the
denunciation of miseries weakened the alacrity of the multitude, who were otherwise ready to expose themselves to
dangers for him, and for their country, while he, in a way of threatening, warned them to flee to the enemy, and told
them that the city should certainly be taken, and be utterly destroyed.

5. But for the king himself, he was not at all irritated against Jeremiah, such was his gentle and righteous
disposition; yet, that he might not be engaged in a quarrel with those rulers at such a time, by opposing what they
intended, he let them do with the prophet whatsoever they would; whereupon, when the king had granted them such
a permission, they presently came into the prison, and took him, and let him down with a cord into a pit full of mire,
that he might be suffocated, and die of himself. So he stood up to the neck in the mire which was all about him, and
so continued; but there was one of the king's servants, who was in esteem with him, an Ethiopian by descent, who
told the king what a state the prophet was in, and said that his friends and his rulers had done evil in putting the
prophet into the mire, and by that means contriving against him that he should suffer a death more bitter than that
by his bonds only. When the king heard this, he repented of his having delivered up the prophet to the rulers, and
bid the Ethiopian take thirty men of the king's guards, and cords with them, and whatsoever else they understood to
be necessary for the prophet's preservation, and to draw him up immediately. So the Ethiopian took the men he was
ordered to take, and drew up the prophet out of the mire, and left him at liberty [in the prison].

6. But when the king had sent to call him privately, and inquired what he could say to him from God, which might be
suitable to his present circumstances, and desired him to inform him of it, Jeremiah replied, that he had somewhat
to say; but he said withal, he should not be believed, nor, if he admonished them, should be hearkened to; "for,"
said he, "thy friends have determined to destroy me, as though I had been guilty of some wickedness; and where
are now those men who deceived us, and said that the king of Babylon would not come and fight against us any
more? but I am afraid now to speak the truth, lest thou shouldst condemn me to die." And when the king had
assured him upon oath, that he would neither himself put him to death, nor deliver him up to the rulers, he became
bold upon that assurance that was given him, and gave him this advice: That he should deliver the city up to the
Babylonians; and he said that it was God who prophesied this by him, that [he must do so] if he would be preserved,
and escape out of the danger he was in, and that then neither should the city fall to the ground, nor should the
temple be burned; but that [if he disobeyed] he would be the cause of these miseries coming upon the citizens, and
of the calamity that would befall his whole house. When the king heard this, he said that he would willingly do what
he persuaded him to, and what he declared would be to his advantage, but that he was afraid of those of his own
country that had fallen away to the Babylonians, lest he should be accused by them to the king of Babylon, and be
punished. But the prophet encouraged him, and said he had no cause to fear such punishment, for that he should not
have the experience of any misfortune, if he would deliver all up to the Babylonians, neither himself, nor his
children, nor his wives, and that the temple should then continue unhurt. So when Jeremiah had said this, the king
let him go, and charged him to betray what they had resolved on to none of the citizens, nor to tell any of these
matters to any of the rulers, if they should have learned that he had been sent for, and should inquire of him what it
was that he was sent for, and what he had said to him; but to pretend to them that he besought him that he might not
be kept in bonds and in prison. And indeed he said so to them; for they came to the, prophet, and asked him what
advice it was that he came to give the king relating to them. And thus I have finished what concerns this matter.

1. NOW the king of Babylon was very intent and earnest upon the siege of Jerusalem; and he erected towers upon
great banks of earth, and from them repelled those that stood upon the walls; he also made a great number of such
banks round about the whole city, whose height was equal to those walls. However, those that were within bore the
siege with courage and alacrity, for they were not discouraged, either by the famine, or by the pestilential
distemper, but were of cheerful minds in the prosecution of the war, although those miseries within oppressed them
also, and they did not suffer themselves to be terrified, either by the contrivances of the enemy, or by their engines
of war, but contrived still different engines to oppose all the other withal, till indeed there seemed to be an entire
struggle between the Babylonians and the people of Jerusalem, which had the greater sagacity and skill; the former
party supposing they should be thereby too hard for the other, for the destruction of the city; the latter placing their
hopes of deliverance in nothing else but in persevering in such inventions in opposition to the other, as might
demonstrate the enemy's engines were useless to them. And this siege they endured for eighteen months, until they
were destroyed by the famine, and by the darts which the enemy threw at them from the towers.

2. Now the city was taken on the ninth day of the fourth month, in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah. They
were indeed only generals of the king of Babylon, to whom Nebuchadnezzar committed the care of the siege, for he
abode himself in the city of Riblah. The names of these generals who ravaged and subdued Jerusalem, if any one
desire to know them, were these: Nergal Sharezer, Samgar Nebo, Rabsaris, Sorsechim, and Rabmag. And when
the city was taken about midnight, and the enemy's generals were entered into the temple, and when Zedekiah was
sensible of it, he took his wives, and his children, and his captains, and his friends, and with them fled out of the
city, through the fortified ditch, and through the desert; and when certain of the deserters had informed the
Babylonians of this, at break of day, they made haste to pursue after Zedekiah, and overtook him not far from
Jericho, and encompassed him about. But for those friends and captains of Zedekiah who had fled out of the city
with him, when they saw their enemies near them, they left him, and dispersed themselves, some one way, and
some another, and every one resolved to save himself; so the enemy took Zedekiah alive, when he was deserted by
all but a few, with his children and his wives, and brought him to the king. When he was come, Nebuchadnezzar
began to call him a wicked wretch, and a covenant-breaker, and one that had forgotten his former words, when he
promised to keep the country for him. He also reproached him for his ingratitude, that when he had received the
kingdom from him, who had taken it from Jehoiachin, and given it to him, he had made use of the power he gave
him against him that gave it; "but," said he, "God is great, who hated that conduct of thine, and hath brought thee
under us." And when he had used these words to Zedekiah, he commanded his sons and his friends to be slain,
while Zedekiah and the rest of the captains looked on; after which he put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him,
and carried him to Babylon. And these things happened to him, (14) as Jeremiah and Ezekiel had foretold to him,
that he should be caught, and brought before the king of Babylon, and should speak to him face to face, and should
see his eyes with his own eyes; and thus far did Jeremiah prophesy. But he was also made blind, and brought to
Babylon, but did not see it, according to the prediction of Ezekiel.

3. We have said thus much, because it was sufficient to show the nature of God to such as are ignorant of it, that it
is various, and acts many different ways, and that all events happen after a regular manner, in their proper season,
and that it foretells what must come to pass. It is also sufficient to show the ignorance and incredulity of men,
whereby they are not permitted to foresee any thing that is future, and are, without any guard, exposed to
calamities, so that it is impossible for them to avoid the experience of those calamities.

4. And after this manner have the kings of David's race ended their lives, being in number twenty-one, until the last
king, who all together reigned five hundred and fourteen years, and six months, and ten days; of whom Saul, who
was their first king, retained the government twenty years, though he was not of the same tribe with the rest.

5. And now it was that the king of Babylon sent Nebuzaradan, the general of his army, to Jerusalem, to pillage the
temple, who had it also in command to burn it and the royal palace, and to lay the city even with the ground, and to
transplant the people into Babylon. Accordingly, he came to Jerusalem in the eleventh year of king Zedekiah, and
pillaged the temple, and carried out the vessels of God, both gold and silver, and particularly that large laver which
Solomon dedicated, as also the pillars of brass, and their chapiters, with the golden tables and the candlesticks; and
when he had carried these off, he set fire to the temple in the fifth month, the first day of the month, in the eleventh
year of the reign of Zedekiah, and in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar: he also burnt the palace, and
overthrew the city. Now the temple was burnt four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten days after it was
built. It was then one thousand and sixty-two years, six months, and ten days from the departure out of Egypt; and
from the deluge to the destruction of the temple, the whole interval was one thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven
years, six months, and ten days; but from the generation of Adam, until this befell the temple, there were three
thousand five hundred and thirteen years, six months, and ten days; so great was the number of years hereto
belonging. And what actions were done during these years we have particularly related. But the general of the
Babylonian king now overthrew the city to the very foundations, and removed all the people, and took for prisoners
the high priest Seraiah, and Zephaniah the priest that was next to him, and the rulers that guarded the temple, who
were three in number, and the eunuch who was over the armed men, and seven friends of Zedekiah, and his scribe,
and sixty other rulers; all which, together with the vessels which they had pillaged, he carried to the king of
Babylon to Riblah, a city of Syria. So the king commanded the heads of the high priest and of the rulers to be cut
off there; but he himself led all the captives and Zedekiah to Babylon. He also led Josedek the high priest away
bound. He was the son of Seraiah the high priest, whom the king of Babylon had slain in Riblah, a city of Syria, as
we just now related.

6. And now, because we have enumerated the succession of the kings, and who they were, and how long they
reigned, I think it necessary to set down the names of the high priests, and who they were that succeeded one
another in the high priesthood under the Kings. The first high priest then at the temple which Solomon built was
Zadok; after him his son Achimas received that dignity; after Achimas was Azarias; his son was Joram, and
Joram's son was Isus; after him was Axioramus; his son was Phidens, and Phideas's son was Sudeas, and Sudeas's
son was Juelus, and Juelus's son was Jotham, and Jotham's son was Urias, and Urias's son was Nerias, and
Nerias's son was Odeas, and his son was Sallumus, and Sallumus's son was Elcias, and his son [was Azarias, and
his son] was Sareas, (15) and his son was Josedec, who was carried captive to Babylon. All these received the high
priesthood by succession, the sons from their father.

7. When the king was come to Babylon, he kept Zedekiah in prison until he died, and buried him magnificently, and
dedicated the vessels he had pillaged out of the temple of Jerusalem to his own gods, and planted the people in the
country of Babylon, but freed the high priest from his bonds.

1. NOW the general of the army, Nebuzaradan, when he had carried the people of the Jews into captivity, left the
poor, and those that had deserted, in the country, and made one, whose name was Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, a
person of a noble family, their governor; which Gedaliah was of a gentle and righteous disposition. He also
commanded them that they should cultivate the ground, and pay an appointed tribute to the king. He also took
Jeremiah the prophet out of prison, and would have persuaded him to go along with him to Babylon, for that he had
been enjoined by the king to supply him with whatsoever he wanted; and if he did not like to do so, he desired him
to inform him where he resolved to dwell, that he might signify the same to the king. But the prophet had no mind to
follow him, nor to dwell any where else, but would gladly live in the ruins of his country, and in the miserable
remains of it. When the general understood what his purpose was, he enjoined Gedaliah, whom he left behind, to
take all possible care of him, and to supply him with whatsoever he wanted. So when he had given him rich
presents, he dismissed him. Accordingly, Jeremiah abode in a city of that country, which was called Mispah; and
desired of Nebuzaradan that he would set at liberty his disciple Baruch, the son of Neriah, one of a very eminent
family, and exceeding skillful in the language of his country.

2. When Nebuzaradan had done thus, he made haste to Babylon. But as to those that fled away during the siege of
Jerusalem, and had been scattered over the country, when they heard that the Babylonians were gone away, and
had left a remnant in the land of Jerusalem, and those such as were to cultivate the same, they came together from
all parts to Gedaliah to Mispah. Now the rulers that were over them were Johanan, the son of Kareah, and
Jezaniah, and Seraiah, and others beside them. Now there was of the royal family one Ishmael, a wicked man, and
very crafty, who, during the siege of Jerusalem, fled to Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, and abode with him
during that time; and Gedaliah persuaded them, now they were there, to stay with him, and to have no fear of the
Babylonians, for that if they would cultivate the country, they should suffer no harm. This he assured them of by
oath; and said that they should have him for their patron, and that if any disturbance should arise, they should find
him ready to defend them. He also advised them to dwell in any city, as every one of them pleased; and that they
would send men along with his own servants, and rebuild their houses upon the old foundations, and dwell there;
and he admonished them beforehand, that they should make preparation, while the season lasted, of corn, and wine,
and oil, that they might have whereon to feed during the winter. When he had thus discoursed to them, he dismissed
them, that every one might dwell in what place of the country he pleased.

3. Now when this report was spread abroad as far as the nations that bordered on Judea, that Gedaliah kindly
entertained those that came to him, after they had fled away, upon this [only] condition, that they should pay tribute
to the king of Babylon, they also came readily to Gedaliah, and inhabited the country. And when Johanan, and the
rulers that were with him, observed the country, and the humanity of Gedaliah, they were exceedingly in love with
him, and told him that Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, had sent Ishmael to kill him by treachery, and secretly,
that he might have the dominion over the Israelites, as being of the royal family; and they said that he might deliver
himself from this treacherous design, if he would give them leave to slay Ishmael, and nobody should know it, for
they told him they were afraid that, when he was killed by the other, the entire ruin of the remaining strength of the
Israelites would ensue. But he professed that he did not believe what they said, when they told him of such a
treacherous design, in a man that had been well treated by him; because it was not probable that one who, under
such a want of all things, had failed of nothing that was necessary for him, should be found so wicked and ungrateful
towards his benefactor, that when it would be an instance of wickedness in him not to save him, had he been
treacherously assaulted by others, to endeavor, and that earnestly, to kill him with his own hands: that, however, if
he ought to suppose this information to be true, it was better for himself to be slain by the other, than to destroy a
man who fled to him for refuge, and intrusted his own safety to him, and committed himself to his disposal.

4. So Johanan, and the rulers that were with him, not being able to persuade Gedaliah, went away. But after the
interval of thirty days was over, Ishmael came again to Gedaliah, to the city Mispah, and ten men with him; and
when he had feasted Ishmael, and those that were with him, in a splendid manner at his table, and had given them
presents, he became disordered in drink, while he endeavored to be very merry with them; and when Ishmael saw
him in that case, and that he was drowned in his cups to the degree of insensibility, and fallen asleep, he rose up on
a sudden, with his ten friends, and slew Gedaliah, and those that were with him at the feast; and when he had slain
them, he went out by night, and slew all the Jews that were in the city, and those soldiers also which were left
therein by the Babylonians. But the next day fourscore men came out of the country with presents to Gedaliah,
none of them knowing what had befallen him; when Ishmael saw them, he invited them in to Gedaliah, and when
they were come in, he shut up the court, and slew them, and cast their dead bodies down into a certain deep pit, that
they might not be seen; but of these fourscore men Ishmael spared those that entreated him not to kill them, till
they had delivered up to him what riches they had concealed in the fields, consisting of their furniture, and
garments, and corn: but he took captive the people that were in Mispah, with their wives and children; among whom
were the daughters of king Zedekiah, whom Nebuzaradan, the general of the army of Babylon, had left with
Gedaliah. And when he had done this, he came to the king of the Ammonites.

5. But when Johanan and the rulers with him heard of what was done at Mispah by Ishmael, and of the death of
Gedaliah, they had indignation at it, and every one of them took his own armed men, and came suddenly to fight
with Ishmael, and overtook him at the fountain in Hebron. And when those that were carried away captives by
Ishmael saw Johanan and the rulers, they were very glad, and looked upon them as coming to their assistance; so
they left him that had carried them captives, and came over to Johanan: then Ishmael, with eight men, fled to the
king of the Ammonites; but Johanan took those whom he had rescued out of the hands of Ishmael, and the eunuchs,
and their wives and children, and came to a certain place called Mandra, and there they abode that day, for they
had determined to remove from thence and go into Egypt, out of fear, lest the Babylonians should slay them, in
case they continued in the country, and that out of anger at the slaughter of Gedaliah, who had been by them set
over it for governor.

6. Now while they were under this deliberation, Johanan, the son of Kareah, and the rulers. that were with him,
came to Jeremiah the prophet, and desired that he would pray to God, that because they were at an utter loss about
what they ought to do, he would discover it to them, and they sware that they would do whatsoever Jeremiah should
say to them. And when the prophet said he would be their intercessor with God, it came to pass, that after ten days
God appeared to him, and said that he should inform Johanan, and the other rulers, and all the people, that he
would be with them while they continued in that country, and take care of them, and keep them from being hurt by
the Babylonians, of whom they were afraid; but that he would desert them if they went into Egypt, and, out of this
wrath against them, would inflict the same punishments upon them which they knew their brethren had already
endured. So when the prophet had informed Johanan and the people that God had foretold these things, he was not
believed, when he said that God commanded them to continue in the country; but they imagined that he said so to
gratify Baruch, his own disciple, and belied God, and that he persuaded them to stay there, that they might be
destroyed by the Babylonians. Accordingly, both the people and Johanan disobeyed the counsel of God, which he
gave them by the prophet, and removed into Egypt, and carried Jeremiah and Barnch along with him.

7. And when they were there, God signified to the prophet that the king of Babylon was about making an expedition
against the Egyptians, and commanded him to foretell to the people that Egypt should be taken, and the king of
Babylon should slay some of them and, should take others captive, and bring them to Babylon; which things came
to pass accordingly; for on the fifth year after the destruction of Jerusalem, which was the twenty-third of the reign
of Nebuchadnezzar, he made an expedition against Celesyria; and when he had possessed himself of it, he made
war against the Ammonites and Moabites; and when he had brought all these nations under subjection, he fell upon
Egypt, in order to overthrow it; and he slew the king that then reigned (16) and set up another; and he took those
Jews that were there captives, and led them away to Babylon. And such was the end of the nation of the Hebrews,
as it hath been delivered down to us, it having twice gone beyond Euphrates; for the people of the ten tribes were
carried out of Samaria by the Assyrians, in the days of king Hoshea; after which the people of the two tribes that
remained after Jerusalem was taken [were carried away] by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon and Chaldea.
Now as to Shalmanezer, he removed the Israelites out of their country, and placed therein the nation of the
Cutheans, who had formerly belonged to the inner parts of Persia and Media, but were then called Samaritans, by
taking the name of the country to which they were removed; but the king of Babylon, who brought out the two
tribes, (17) placed no other nation in their country, by which means all Judea and Jerusalem, and the temple,
continued to be a desert for seventy years; but the entire interval of time which passed from the captivity of the
Israelites, to the carrying away of the two tribes, proved to be a hundred and thirty years, six months, and ten days.

1. BUT now Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took some of the most noble of the Jews that were children, and the
kinsmen of Zedekiah their king, such as were remarkable for the beauty of their bodies, and the comeliness of their
countenances, and delivered them into the hands of tutors, and to the improvement to be made by them. He also
made some of them to be eunuchs; which course he took also with those of other nations whom he had taken in the
flower of their age, and afforded them their diet from his own table, and had them instructed in the institutes of the
country, and taught the learning of the Chaldeans; and they had now exercised themselves sufficiently in that
wisdom which he had ordered they should apply themselves to. Now among these there were four of the family of
Zedekiah, of most excellent dispositions, one of whom was called Daniel, another was called Ananias, another
Misael, and the fourth Azarias; and the king of Babylon changed their names, and commanded that they should
make use of other names. Daniel he called Baltasar; Ananias, Shadrach; Misael, Meshach; and Azarias,
Abednego. These the king had in esteem, and continued to love, because of the very excellent temper they were of,
and because of their application to learning, and the profess they had made in wisdom.

2. Now Daniel and his kinsmen had resolved to use a severe diet, and to abstain from those kinds of food which
came from the king's table, and entirely to forbear to eat of all living creatures. So he came to Ashpenaz, who was
that eunuch to whom the care of them was committed, (18) and desired him to take and spend what was brought for
them from the king, but to give them pulse and dates for their food, and any thing else, besides the flesh of living
creatures, that he pleased, for that their inclinations were to that sort of food, and that they despised the other. He
replied, that he was ready to serve them in what they desired, but he suspected that they would be discovered by
the king, from their meagre bodies, and the alteration of their countenances, because it could not be avoided but
their bodies and colors must be changed with their diet, especially while they would be clearly discovered by the
finer appearance of the other children, who would fare better, and thus they should bring him into danger, and
occasion him to be punished; yet did they persuade Arioch, who was thus fearful, to give them what food they
desired for ten days, by way of trial; and in case the habit of their bodies were not altered, to go on in the same
way, as expecting that they should not be hurt thereby afterwards; but if he saw them look meagre, and worse than
the rest, he should reduce them to their former diet. Now when it appeared that they were so far from becoming
worse by the use of this food, that they grew plumper and fuller in body than the rest, insomuch that he thought
those who fed on what came from the king's table seemed less plump and full, while those that were with Daniel
looked as if they had lived in plenty, and in all sorts of luxury. Arioch, from that time, securely took himself what
the king sent every day from his supper, according to custom, to the children, but gave them the forementioned
diet, while they had their souls in some measure more pure, and less burdened, and so fitter for learning, and had
their bodies in better tune for hard labor; for they neither had the former oppressed and heavy with variety of
meats, nor were the other effeminate on the same account; so they readily understood all the learning that was
among the Hebrews, and among the Chaldeans, as especially did Daniel, who being already sufficiently skillful in
wisdom, was very busy about the interpretation of dreams; and God manifested himself to him.

3. Now two years after the destruction of Egypt, king Nebuchadnezzar saw a wonderful dream, the accomplishment
of which God showed him in his sleep; but when he arose out of his bed, he forgot the accomplishment. So he sent
for the Chaldeans and magicians, and the prophets, and told them that he had seen a dream, and informed them
that he had forgotten the accomplishment of what he had seen, and he enjoined them to tell him both what the
dream was, and what was its signification; and they said that this was a thing impossible to be discovered by men;
but they promised him, that if he would explain to them what dream he had seen, they would tell him its
signification. Hereupon he threatened to put them to death, unless they told him his dream; and he gave command
to have them all put to death, since they confessed they could not do what they were commanded to do. Now when
Daniel heard that the king had given a command, that all the wise men should be put to death, and that among them
himself and his three kinsmen were in danger, he went to Arioch, who was captain of the king's guards, and desired
to know of him what was the reason why the king had given command that all the wise men, and Chaldeans, and
magicians should be slain. So when he had learned that the king had had a dream, and had forgotten it, and that
when they were enjoined to inform the king of it, they had said they could not do it, and had thereby provoked him
to anger, he desired of Arioch that he would go in to the king, and desire respite for the magicians for one night,
and to put off their slaughter so long, for that he hoped within that time to obtain, by prayer to God, the knowledge
of the dream. Accordingly, Arioch informed the king of what Daniel desired. So the king bid them delay the
slaughter of the magicians till he knew what Daniel's promise would come to; but the young man retired to his own
house, with his kinsmen, and besought God that whole night to discover the dream, and thereby deliver the
magicians and Chaldeans, with whom they were themselves to perish, from the king's anger, by enabling him to
declare his vision, and to make manifest what the king had seen the night before in his sleep, but had forgotten it.
Accordingly, God, out of pity to those that were in danger, and out of regard to the wisdom of Daniel, made known
to him the dream and its interpretation, that so the king might understand by him its signification also. When Daniel
had obtained this knowledge from God, he arose very joyful, and told it his brethren, and made them glad, and to
hope well that they should now preserve their lives, of which they despaired before, and had their minds full of
nothing but the thoughts of dying. So when he had with them returned thanks to God, who had commiserated their
youth, when it was day he came to Arioch, and desired him to bring him to the king, because he would discover to
him that dream which he had seen the night before.

4. When Daniel was come in to the king, he excused himself first, that he did not pretend to be wiser than the other
Chaldeans and magicians, when, upon their entire inability to discover his dream, he was undertaking to inform him
of it; for this was not by his own skill, or on account of his having better cultivated his understanding than the rest;
but he said, "God hath had pity upon us, when we were in danger of death, and when I prayed for the life of myself,
and of those of my own nation, hath made manifest to me both the dream, and the interpretation thereof; for I was
not less concerned for thy glory than for the sorrow that we were by thee condemned to die, while thou didst so
unjustly command men, both good and excellent in themselves, to be put to death, when thou enjoinedst them to do
what was entirely above the reach of human wisdom, and requiredst of them what was only the work of God.
Wherefore, as thou in thy sleep wast solicitous concerning those that should succeed thee in the government of the
whole world, God was desirous to show thee all those that should reign after thee, and to that end exhibited to thee
the following dream: Thou seemedst to see a great image standing before thee, the head of which proved to be of
gold, the shoulders and arms of silver, and the belly and the thighs of brass, but the legs and the feet of iron; after
which thou sawest a stone broken off from a mountain, which fell upon the image, and threw it down, and brake it to
pieces, and did not permit any part of it to remain whole; but the gold, the silver, the brass, and the iron, became
smaller than meal, which, upon the blast of a violent wind, was by force carried away, and scattered abroad, but the
stone did increase to such a degree, that the whole earth beneath it seemed to be filled therewith. This is the dream
which thou sawest, and its interpretation is as follows: The head of gold denotes thee, and the kings of Babylon that
have been before thee; but the two hands and arms signify this, that your government shall be dissolved by two
kings; but another king that shall come from the west, armed with brass, shall destroy that government; and
another government, that shall be like unto iron, shall put an end to the power of the former, and shall have
dominion over all the earth, on account of the nature of iron, which is stronger than that of gold, of silver, and of
brass." Daniel did also declare the meaning of the stone to the king (19) but I do not think proper to relate it, since
I have only undertaken to describe things past or things present, but not things that are future; yet if any one be so
very desirous of knowing truth, as not to wave such points of curiosity, and cannot curb his inclination for
understanding the uncertainties of futurity, and whether they will happen or not, let him be diligent in reading the
book of Daniel, which he will find among the sacred writings.

5. When Nebuchadnezzar heard this, and recollected his dream, he was astonished at the nature of Daniel, and fell
upon his knee; and saluted Daniel in the manner that men worship God, and gave command that he should be
sacrificed to as a god. And this was not all, for he also imposed the name, of his own god upon him, [Baltasar,] and
made him and his kinsmen rulers of his whole kingdom; which kinsmen of his happened to fall into great danger by
the envy and malice [of their enemies]; for they offended the king upon the occasion following: he made an image
of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits, and set it in the great plain of Babylon; and when
he was going to dedicate the image, he invited the principal men out of all the earth that was under his dominions,
and commanded them, in the first place, that when they should hear the sound of the trumpet, they should then fall
down and worship the image; and he threatened, that those who did not so, should be cast into a fiery furnace.
When therefore all the rest, upon the hearing of the sound of the trumpet, worshipped the image, they relate that
Daniel's kinsmen did not do it, because they would not transgress the laws of their country. So these men were
convicted, and cast immediately into the fire, but were saved by Divine Providence, and after a surprising manner
escaped death, for the fire did not touch them; and I suppose that it touched them not, as if it reasoned with itself,
that they were cast into it without any fault of theirs, and that therefore it was too weak to burn the young men
when they were in it. This was done by the power of God, who made their bodies so far superior to the fire, that it
could not consume them. This it was which recommended them to the king as righteous men, and men beloved of
God, on which account they continued in great esteem with him.

6. A little after this the king saw in his sleep again another vision; how he should fall from his dominion, and feed
among the wild beasts, and that when he halt lived in this manner in the desert for seven years, (20) he should
recover his dominion again. When he had seen this dream, he called the magicians together again, and inquired of
them about it, and desired them to tell him what it signified; but when none of them could find out the meaning of
the dream, nor discover it to the king, Daniel was the only person that explained it; and as he foretold, so it came to
pass; for after he had continued in the wilderness the forementioned interval of time, while no one durst attempt to
seize his kingdom during those seven years, he prayed to God that he might recover his kingdom, and he returned
to it. But let no one blame me for writing down every thing of this nature, as I find it in our ancient books; for as to
that matter, I have plainly assured those that think me defective in any such point, or complain of my management,
and have told them in the beginning of this history, that I intended to do no more than translate the Hebrew books
into the Greek language, and promised them to explain those facts, without adding any thing to them of my own, or
taking any thing away from there.

1. NOW when king Nebuchadnezzar had reigned forty-three years, (21) he ended his life. He was an active man,
and more fortunate than the kings that were before him. Now Berosus makes mention of his actions in the third
book of his Chaldaic History, where he says thus: "When his father Nebuchodonosor [Nabopollassar] heard that
the governor whom he had set over Egypt, and the places about Coelesyria and Phoenicia, had revolted from him,
while he was not himself able any longer to undergo the hardships [of war], he committed to his son
Nebuchadnezzar, who was still but a youth, some parts of his army, and sent them against him. So when
Nebuchadnezzar had given battle, and fought with the rebel, he beat him, and reduced the country from under his
subjection, and made it a branch of his own kingdom; but about that time it happened that his father
Nebuchodonosor [Nabopollassar] fell ill, and ended his life in the city Babylon, when he had reigned twenty-one
years; (22) and when he was made sensible, as he was in a little time, that his father Nebuchodonosor
[Nabopollassar] was dead, and having settled the affairs of Egypt, and the other countries, as also those that
concerned the captive Jews, and Phoenicians, and Syrians, and those of the Egyptian nations; and having
committed the conveyance of them to Babylon to certain of his friends, together with the gross of his army, and the
rest of their ammunition and provisions, he went himself hastily, accompanied with a few others, over the desert,
and came to Babylon. So he took upon him the management of public affairs, and of the kingdom which had been
kept for him by one that was the principal of the Chaldeans, and he received the entire dominions of his father, and
appointed, that when the captives came, they should be placed as colonies, in the most proper places of Babylonia;
but then he adorned the temple of Belus, and the rest of the temples, in a magnificent manner, with the spoils he
had taken in the war. He also added another city to that which was there of old, and rebuilt it, that such as would
besiege it hereafter might no more turn the course of the river, and thereby attack the city itself. He therefore built
three walls round about the inner city, and three others about that which was the outer, and this he did with burnt
brick. And after he had, after a becoming manner, walled the city, and adorned its gates gloriously, he built another
palace before his father's palace, but so that they joined to it; to describe whose vast height and immense riches it
would perhaps be too much for me to attempt; yet as large and lofty as they were, they were completed in fifteen
days. (23) He also erected elevated places for walking, of stone, and made it resemble mountains, and built it so
that it might be planted with all sorts of trees. He also erected what was called a pensile paradise, because his wife
was desirous to have things like her own country, she having been bred up in the palaces of Media." Megasthenes
also, in his fourth book of his Accounts of India, makes mention. of these things, and thereby endeavors to show
that this king [Nebuchadnezzar] exceeded Hercules in fortitude, and in the greatness of his actions; for he saith
that he conquered a great part of Libya and Iberia. Diocles also, in the second book of his Accounts of Persia,
mentions this king; as does Philostrates in his Accounts both of India and of Phoenicia, say, that this king besieged
Tyre thirteen years, while at the same time Ethbaal reigned at Tyre. These are all the histories that I have met with
concerning this king.

2. But now, after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach his son succeeded in the kingdom, who immediately
set Jeconiah at liberty, and esteemed him among his most intimate friends. He also gave him many presents, and
made him honorable above the rest of the kings that were in Babylon; for his father had not kept his faith with
Jeconiah, when he voluntarily delivered up himself to him, with his wives and children, and his whole kindred, for
the sake of his country, that it might not be taken by siege, and utterly destroyed, as we said before. When
Evil-Mcrodach was dead, after a reign of eighteen years, Niglissar his son took the government, and retained it
forty years, and then ended his life; and after him the succession in the kingdom came to his son Labosordacus,
who continued in it in all but nine months; and when he was dead, it came to Baltasar, (24) who by the Babylonians
was called Naboandelus; against him did Cyrus, the king of Persia, and Darius, the king of Media, make war; and
when he was besieged in Babylon, there happened a wonderful and prodigious vision. He was sat down at supper in
a large room, and there were a great many vessels of silver, such as were made for royal entertainments, and he
had with him his concubines and his friends; whereupon he came to a resolution, and commanded that those vessels
of God which Nebuchadnezzar had plundered out of Jerusalem, and had not made use of, but had put them into his
own temple, should be brought out of that temple. He also grew so haughty as to proceed to use them in the midst
of his cups, drinking out of them, and blaspheming against God. In the mean time, he saw a hand proceed out of the
wall, and writing upon the wall certain syllables; at which sight, being disturbed, he called the magicians and
Chaldeans together, and all that sort of men that are among these barbarians, and were able to interpret signs and
dreams, that they might explain the writing to him. But when the magicians said they could discover nothing, nor did
understand it, the king was in great disorder of mind, and under great trouble at this surprising accident; so he
caused it to be proclaimed through all the country, and promised, that to him who could explain the writing, and give
the signification couched therein, he would give him a golden chain for his neck, and leave to wear a purple
garment, as did the kings of Chaldea, and would bestow on him the third part of his own dominions. When this
proclamation was made, the magicians ran together more earnestly, and were very ambitious to find out the
importance of the writing, but still hesitated about it as much as before. Now when the king's grandmother saw him
cast down at this accident, (25) she began to encourage him, and to say, that there was a certain captive who came
from Judea, a Jew by birth, but brought away thence by Nebuchadnezzar when he had destroyed Jerusalem, whose
name was Daniel, a wise man, and one of great sagacity in finding out what was impossible for others to discover,
and what was known to God alone, who brought to light and answered such questions to Nebuchadnezzar as no one
else was able to answer when they were consulted. She therefore desired that he would send for him, and inquire of
him concerning the writing, and to condemn the unskilfulness of those that could not find their meaning, and this,
although what God signified thereby should be of a melancholy nature.

3. When Baltasar heard this, he called for Daniel; and when he had discoursed to him what he had learned
concerning him and his wisdom, and how a Divine Spirit was with him, and that he alone was fully capable of finding
out what others would never have thought of, he desired him to declare to him what this writing meant; that if he did
so, he would give him leave to wear purple, and to put a chain of gold about his neck, and would bestow on him the
third part of his dominion, as an honorary reward for his wisdom, that thereby he might become illustrious to those
who saw him, and who inquired upon what occasion he obtained such honors. But Daniel desired that he would keep
his gifts to himself; for what is the effect of wisdom and of Divine revelation admits of no gifts, and bestows its
advantages on petitioners freely; but that still he would explain the writing to him; which denoted that he should
soon die, and this because he had not learnt to honor God, and not to admit things above human nature, by what
punishments his progenitor had undergone for the injuries he had offered to God; and because he had quite
forgotten how Nebuchadnezzar was removed to feed among wild beasts for his impieties, and did not recover his
former life among men and his kingdom, but upon God's mercy to him, after many supplications and prayers; who
did thereupon praise God all the days of his life, as one of almighty power, and who takes care of mankind. [He also
put him in mind] how he had greatly blasphemed against God, and had made use of his vessels amongst his
concubines; that therefore God saw this, and was angry with him, and declared by this writing beforehand what a
sad conclusion of his life he should come to. And he explained the writing thus:" MANEH. This, if it be expounded
in the Greek language, may signify a Number, because God hath numbered so long a time for thy life, and for thy
government, and that there remains but a small portion. THEKEL This signifies a weight, and means that God hath
weighed thy kingdom in a balance, and finds it going down already.--PHARES. This also, in the Greek tongue,
denotes a fragment,. God will therefore break thy kingdom in pieces, and divide it among the Medes and Persians."

4. When Daniel had told the king that the writing upon the wall signified these events, Baltasar was in great sorrow
and affliction, as was to be expected, when the interpretation was so heavy upon him. However, he did not refuse
what he had promised Daniel, although he were become a foreteller of misfortunes to him, but bestowed it all upon
him; as reasoning thus, that what he was to reward was peculiar to himself, and to fate, and did not belong to the
prophet, but that it was the part of a good and a just man to give what he had promised, although the events were of
a melancholy nature. Accordingly, the king determined so to do. Now, after a little while, both himself and the city
were taken by Cyrus, the king of Persia, who fought against him; for it was Baltasar, under whom Babylon was
taken, when he had reigned seventeen years. And this is the end of the posterity of king Nebuchadnezzar, as
history informs us; but when Babylon was taken by Darius, and when he, with his kinsman Cyrus, had put an end to
the dominion of the Babylonians, he was sixty-two years old. He was the son of Astyages, and had another name
among the Greeks. Moreover, he took Daniel the prophet, and carried him with him into Media, and honored him
very greatly, and kept him with him; for he was one of the three presidents whom he set over his three hundred and
sixty provinces, for into so many did Darius part them.

5. However, while Daniel was in so great dignity, and in so great favor with Darius, and was alone intrusted with
every thing by him, a having somewhat divine in him, he was envied by the rest; for those that see others in greater
honor than themselves with kings envy them; and when those that were grieved at the great favor Daniel was in
with Darius sought for an occasion against him, he afforded them no occasion at all, for he was above all the
temptations of money, and despised bribery, and esteemed it a very base thing to take any thing by way of reward,
even when it might be justly given him; he afforded those that envied him not the least handle for an accusation. So
when they could find nothing for which they might calumniate him to the king, nothing that was shameful or
reproachful, and thereby deprive him of the honor he was in with him, they sought for some other method whereby
they might destroy him. When therefore they saw that Daniel prayed to God three times a day, they thought they
had gotten an occasion by which they might ruin him; so they came to Darius and told him that the princes and
governors had thought proper to allow the multitude a relaxation for thirty days, that no one might offer a petition
or prayer either to himself or to the gods, but that he who shall transgress this decree shall be east into the den of
lions, and there perish."

6. Whereupon the king, not being acquainted with their wicked design, nor suspecting that it was a contrivance of
theirs against Daniel, said he was pleased with this decree of theirs, and he promised to confirm what they desired;
he also published an edict to promulgate to the people that decree which the princes had made. Accordingly, all the
rest took care not to transgress those injunctions, and rested in quiet; but Daniel had no regard to them, but, as he
was wont, he stood and prayed to God in the sight of them all; but the princes having met with the occasion they so
earnestly sought to find against Daniel, came presently to the king, and accused him, that Daniel was the only
person that transgressed the decree, while not one of the rest durst pray to their gods. This discovery they made,
not because of his impiety, but because they had watched him, and observed him out of envy; for supposing that
Darius did thus out of a greater kindness to him than they expected, and that he was ready to grant him pardon for
this contempt of his injunctions, and envying this very pardon to Daniel, they did not become more honorable to
him, but desired he might be cast into the den of lions according to the law. So Darius, hoping that God would
deliver him, and that he would undergo nothing that was terrible by the wild beasts, bid him bear this accident
cheerfully. And when he was cast into the den, he put his seal to the stone that lay upon the mouth of the den, and
went his way, but he passed all the night without food and without sleep, being in great distress for Daniel; but when
it was day, he got up, and came to the den, and found the seal entire, which he had left the stone sealed withal; he
also opened the seal, and. cried out, and called to Daniel, and asked him if he were alive. And as soon as he heard
the king's voice, and said that he had suffered no harm, the king gave order that he should be drawn up out of the
den. Now when his enemies saw that Daniel had suffered nothing which was terrible, they would not own that he
was preserved by God, and by his providence; but they said that the lions had been filled full with food, and on that
account it was, as they supposed, that the lions would not touch Daniel, nor come to him; and this they alleged to
the king. But the king, out of an abhorrence of their wickedness, gave order that they should throw in a great deal
of flesh to the lions; and when they had filled themselves, he gave further order that Daniel's enemies should be
cast into the den, that he might learn whether the lions, now they were full, would touch them or not. And it
appeared plain to Darius, after the princes had been cast to the wild beasts, that it was God who preserved (26) for
the lions spared none of them, but tore them all to pieces, as if they had been very hungry, and wanted food. I
suppose therefore it was not their hunger, which had been a little before satisfied with abundance of flesh, but the
wickedness of these men, that provoked them [to destroy the princes]; for if it so please God, that wickedness
might, by even those irrational creatures, be esteemed a plain foundation for their punishment.

7. When therefore those that had intended thus to destroy Daniel by treachery were themselves destroyed, king
Darius sent [letters] over all the country, and praised that God whom Daniel worshipped, and said that he was the
only true God, and had all power. He had also Daniel in very great esteem, and made him the principal of his
friends. Now when Daniel was become so illustrious and famous, on account of the opinion men had that he was
beloved of God, he built a tower at Ecbatana, in Media: it was a most elegant building, and wonderfully made, and it
is still remaining, and preserved to this day; and to such as see it, it appears to have been lately built, and to have
been no older than that very day when any one looks upon it, it is so fresh (27) flourishing, and beautiful, and no
way grown old in so long time; for buildings suffer the same as men do, they grow old as well as they, and by
numbers of years their strength is dissolved, and their beauty withered. Now they bury the kings of Media, of
Persia, and Parthia in this tower to this day, and he who was entrusted with the care of it was a Jewish priest; which
thing is also observed to this day. But it is fit to give an account of what this man did, which is most admirable to
hear, for he was so happy as to have strange revelations made to him, and those as to one of the greatest of the
prophets, insomuch, that while he was alive he had the esteem and applause both of the kings and of the multitude;
and now he is dead, he retains a remembrance that will never fail, for the several books that he wrote and left
behind him are still read by us till this time; and from them we believe that Daniel conversed with God; for he did
not only prophesy of future events, as did the other prophets, but he also determined the time of their
accomplishment. And while prophets used to foretell misfortunes, and on that account were disagreeable both to the
kings and to the multitude, Daniel was to them a prophet of good things, and this to such a degree, that by the
agreeable nature of his predictions, he procured the goodwill of all men; and by the accomplishment of them, he
procured the belief of their truth, and the opinion of [a sort of] divinity for himself, among the multitude. He also
wrote and left behind him what made manifest the accuracy and undeniable veracity of his predictions; for he saith,
that when he was in Susa, the metropolis of Persia, and went out into the field with his companions, there was, on
the sudden, a motion and concussion of the earth, and that he was left alone by himself, his friends fleeing away
from him, and that he was disturbed, and fell on his face, and on his two hands, and that a certain person touched
him, and, at the same time, bid him rise, and see what would befall his countrymen after many generations. He also
related, that when he stood up, he was shown a great rain, with many horns growing out of his head, and that the
last was higher than the rest: that after this he looked to the west, and saw a he-goat carried through the air from
that quarter; that he rushed upon the ram with violence, and smote him twice with his horns, and overthrew him to
the ground, and trampled upon him: that afterward he saw a very great horn growing out of the head of the he-goat,
and that when it was broken off, four horns grew up that were exposed to each of the four winds, and he wrote that
out of them arose another lesser horn, which, as he said, waxed great; and that God showed to him that it should
fight against his nation, and take their city by force, and bring the temple worship to confusion, and forbid the
sacrifices to be offered for one thousand two hundred and ninety-six days. Daniel wrote that he saw these visions in
the Plain of Susa; and he hath informed us that God interpreted the appearance of this vision after the following
manner: He said that the ram signified the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians, and the horns those kings that
were to reign in them; and that the last horn signified the last king, and that he should exceed all the kings in riches
and glory: that the he-goat signified that one should come and reign from the Greeks, who should twice fight with
the Persian, and overcome him in battle, and should receive his entire dominion: that by the great horn which
sprang out of the forehead of the he-goat was meant the first king; and that the springing up of four horns upon its
falling off, and the conversion of every one of them to the four quarters of the earth, signified the successors that
should arise after the death of the first king, and the partition of the kingdom among them, and that they should be
neither his children, nor of his kindred, that should reign over the habitable earth for many years; and that from
among them there should arise a certain king that should overcome our nation and their laws, and should take away
their political government, and should spoil the temple, and forbid the sacrifices to be offered for three years' time.
And indeed it so came to pass, that our nation suffered these things under Antiochus Epiphanes, according to
Daniel's vision, and what he wrote many years before they came to pass. In the very same manner Daniel also
wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them. All these things
did this man leave in writing, as God had showed them to him, insomuch that such as read his prophecies, and see
how they have been fulfilled, would wonder at the honor wherewith God honored Daniel; and may thence discover
how the Epicureans are in an error, who cast Providence out of human life, and do not believe that God takes care
of the affairs of the world, nor that the universe is governed and continued in being by that blessed and immortal
nature, but say that the world is carried along of its own accord, without a ruler and a curator; which, were it
destitute of a guide to conduct it, as they imagine, it would be like ships without pilots, which we see drowned by the
winds, or like chariots without drivers, which are overturned; so would the world be dashed to pieces by its being
carried without a Providence, and so perish, and come to nought. So that, by the forementioned predictions of
Daniel, those men seem to me very much to err from the truth, who determine that God exercises no providence
over human affairs; for if that were the case, that the world went on by mechanical necessity, we should not see that
all things would come to pass according to his prophecy. Now as to myself, I have so described these matters as I
have found them and read them; but if any one is inclined to another opinion about them, let him enjoy his different
sentiments without any blame from me.

(1) This title of great king, both in our Bibles, 2 Kings 18:19; Isaiah 36:4, and here in Josephus, is the very same
that Herodotus gives this Sennacherib, as Spanheim takes notice on this place.

(2) What Josephus says here, how Isaiah the prophet assured Hezekiah that "at this time he should not be
besieged by the king of Assyria; that for the future he might be secure of being not at all disturbed by him; and that
[afterward] the people might go on peaceably, and without fear, with their husbandry and other affairs," is more
distinct in our other copies, both of the Kings and of Isaiah, and deserves very great consideration. The words are
these: "This shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself, and the second year that
which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof,"
2 Kings 19:29; Isaiah 37:30; which seem to me plainly to design a Sabbatic year, a year of jubilee next after it, and
the succeeding usual labors and fruits of them on the third and following years.

(3) That this terrible calamity of the slaughter of the 185,000 Assyrians is here delivered in the words of Berosus
the Chaldean, and that it was certainly and frequently foretold by the Jewish prophets, and that it was certainly and
undeniably accomplished, see Authent. Rec. part II. p. 858.

(4) We are here to take notice, that these two sons of Sennacherib, that ran away into Armenia, became the heads
of two famous families there, the Arzerunii and the Genunii; of which see the particular histories in Moses
Chorenensis, p. 60.

(5) Josephus, and all our copies, place the sickness of Hezekiah after the destruction of Sennacherib's army,
because it appears to have been after his first assault, as he was going into Arabia and Egypt, where he pushed his
conquests as far as they would go, and in order to despatch his story altogether; yet does no copy but this of
Josephus say it was after that destruction, but only that it happened in those days, or about that time of Hezekiah's
life. Nor will the fifteen years' prolongation of his life after his sickness, allow that sickness to have been later than
the former part of the fifteenth year of his reign, since chronology does not allow him in all above twenty-nine years
and a few months; whereas the first assault of Sennacherib was on the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, but the
destruction of Sennacherib's army was not till his eighteenth year.

(6) As to this regress of the shadow, either upon a sun-dial, or the steps of the royal palace built by Ahaz, whether it
were physically done by the real miraculous revolution of the earth in its diurnal motion backward from east to west
for a while, and its return again to its old natural revolution from west to east; or whether it were not apparent only,
and performed by an aerial phosphorus, which imitated the sun's motion backward, while a cloud hid the real sun;
cannot now be determined. Philosophers and astronomers will naturally incline to the latter hypothesis. However, it
must be noted, that Josephus seems to have understood it otherwise than we generally do, that the shadow was
accelerated as much at first forward as it was made to go backward afterward, and so the day was neither longer
nor shorter than usual; which, it must be confessed agrees best of all to astronomy, whose eclipses, older than the
time were observed at the same times of the day as if this miracle had never happened. After all, this wonderful
signal was not, it seems, peculiar to Judea, but either seen, or at least heard of, at Babylon also, as appears by 2
Chronicles 32:31, where we learn that the Babylonian ambassadors were sent to Hezekiah, among other things, to
inquire of the wonder that was done in the land.

(7) This expression of Josephus, that the Medes, upon this destruction of the Assyrian army, "overthrew" the
Assyrian empire, seems to be too strong; for although they immediately cast off the Assrian yoke, and set up
Deioces, a king of their own, yet it was some time before the Medes and Babylonians overthrew Nineveh, and
some generations ere the Medes and Persians under Cyaxares and Cyrus overthrew the Assyrian or Babylonian
empire, and took Babylon.

(8) It is hard to reconcile the account in the Second Book of Kings (ch. 23:11) with this account in Josephus, and to
translate this passage truly in Josephus, whose copies are supposed to be here imperfect. However, the general
sense of both seems to be this: That there were certain chariots, with their horses, dedicated to the idol of the sun,
or to Moloch; which idol might be carried about in procession, and worshipped by the people; which chariots were
now "taken away," as Josephus says, or, as the Book of Kings says, "burnt with fire, by Josiah."

(9) This is a remarkable passage of chronology in Josephus, that about the latter end of the reign of Josiah, the
Medes and Babylonians overthrew the empire of the Assyrians; or, in the words of Tobit's continuator, that
"before Tobias died, he heard of the destruction of Nineveh, which was taken by Nebuchodonosor the Babylonian,
and Assuerus the Mede," Tob. 14:15. See Dean Prideaux's Connexion, at the year 612.

(10) This battle is justly esteemed the very same that Herodotus (B. II. sect. 156) mentions, when he says, that
"Necao joined battle with the Syrians [or Jews] at Magdolum, [Megiddo,] and beat them," as Dr. Hudson here
observes.

(11) Whether Josephus, from 2 Chronicles 35:25, here means the book of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, still
extant, which chiefly belongs to the destruction of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar, or to any other like
melancholy poem now lost, but extant in the days of Josephus, belonging peculiarly to Josiah, cannot now be
determined.

(12) This ancient city Hamath, which is joined with Arpad, or Aradus, and with Damascus, 2 Kings 18:34; Isaiah
36:19; Jeremiah 49:23, cities of Syria and Phoenicia, near the borders of Judea, was also itself evidently near the
same borders, though long ago utterly destroyed.

(13) Josephus says here that Jeremiah prophesied not only of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity,
and this under the Persians and Medes, as in our other copies; but of cause they did not both say the same thing as
to this circumstance, he disbelieved what they both appeared to agree in, and condemned them as not speaking
truth therein, although all the things foretold him did come to pass according to their prophecies, as we shall show
upon a fitter opportunity their rebuilding the temple, and even the city Jerusalem, which do not appear in our copies
under his name. See the note on Antiq. B. XI. ch. 1. sect. 3.

(14) This observation of Josephus about the seeming disagreement of Jeremiah, ch. 32:4, and 34:3, and Ezekiel
12:13, but real agreement at last, concerning the fate of Zedekiah, is very true and very remarkable. See ch. 7.
sect. 2. Nor is it at all unlikely that the courtiers and false prophets might make use of this seeming contradiction to
dissuade Zedekiah from believing either of those prophets, as Josephus here intimates he was dissuaded thereby.

(15) I have here inserted in brackets this high priest Azarias, though he be omitted in all Josephus's copies, out of
the Jewish chronicle, Seder Olam, of how little authority soever I generally esteem such late Rabbinical historians,
because we know from Josephus himself, that the number of the high priests belonging to this interval was
eighteen, Antiq. B. XX. ch. 10., whereas his copies have here but seventeen. Of this character of Baruch, the son of
Neriah, and the genuineness of his book, that stands now in our Apocrypha, and that it is really a canonical book,
and an appendix to Jeremiah, see Authent. Rec. Part I. p. 1--11.

(16) Herodotus says, this king of Egypt [Pharaoh Hophra, or Apries] was slain by the Egyptians, as Jeremiah
foretold his slaughter by his enemies, Jeremiah 44:29, 30, and that as a sign of the destruction of Egypt [by
Nebuchadnezzar]. Josephus says, this king was slain by Nebuchadnezzar himself.

(17) We see here that Judea was left in a manner desolate after the captivity of the two tribes and was not I with
foreign colonies, perhaps as an indication of Providence that the Jews were to repeople it without opposition
themselves. I also esteem the latter and present desolate condition of the same country, without being repeopled by
foreign colonies, to be a like indication, that the same Jews are hereafter to repeople it again themselves, at their
so long expected future restoration.

(18) That Daniel was made one of these eunuchs of which Isaiah prophesied, Isaiah 39:7, and the three children his
companions also, seems to me plain, both here in Josephus, and in our copies of Daniel, Daniel 1:3, 6-11, 18,
although it must be granted that some married persons, that had children, were sometimes called eunuchs, in a
general acceptation for courtiers, on account that so many of the ancient courtiers were real eunuchs. See Genesis
39:1.

(19) Of this most remarkable passage in Josephus concerning the "stone cut out of the mountain, and destroying
the image," which he would not explain, but intimated to be a prophecy of futurity, and probably not safe for him to
explain, as belonging to the destruction of the Roman empire by Jesus Christ, the true Messiah of the Jews, take
the words of Hayercamp, ch. 10. sect. 4: "Nor is this to be wondered at, that he would not now meddle with things
future, for he had no mind to provoke the Romans, by speaking of the destruction of that city which they called the
Eternal City."

(20) Since Josephus here explains the seven prophetic times which were to pass over Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel
4:16) to be seven years, we thence learn how he most probably must have understood those other parallel phrases,
of "a time, times, and a half," Antiq. B. VII. ch. 25., of so many prophetic years also, though he withal lets us know,
by his hint at the interpretation of the seventy weeks, as belonging to the fourth monarchy, and the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Romans in the days of Josephus, ch. 2. sect. 7, that he did not think those years to be bare years,
but rather days for years; by which reckoning, and by which alone, could seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety
days, reach to the age of Josephus. But as to the truth of those seven years' banishment of Nebuchadnezzar from
men, and his living so long among the beasts, the very small remains we have any where else of this
Nebuchadnezzar prevent our expectation of any other full account of it. So far we knew by Ptolemy's canon, a
contemporary record, as well as by Josephus presently, that he reigned in all forty-three years, that is, eight years
after we meet with any account of his actions; one of the last of which was the thirteen years' siege of Tyre, Antiq.
B. XI. ch. 11., where yet the Old Latin has but three years and ten months: yet were his actions before so
remarkable, both in sacred and profane authors, that a vacuity of eight years at the least, at the latter end of his
reign, must be allowed to agree very well with Daniel's accounts; that after a seven years' brutal life, he might
return to his reason, and to the exercise of his royal authority, for one whole year at least before his death.

(21) These forty-three years for the duration of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar are, as I have just now observed, the
very same number in Ptolemy's canon. Moses Chorenensis does also confirm this captivity of the Jews under
Nebuchadnezzar, and adds, what is very remarkable, that sale of those Jews that were carried by him into captivity
got away into Armenia, and raised the great family of the Bagratide there.

(22) These twenty-one years here ascribed to one named Naboulassar, in the first book against Apion, or to
Nabopollassar, the father of the great Nebuchadnezzar, are also the very same with those given him in Ptolemy's
canon. And note here, that what Dr. Prideaux says, at the year, that Nebuchadnezzar must have been a common
name of other kings of Babylon, besides the great Nebuchadnezzar himself is a groundless mistake of some
modern chronologers rely, and destitute of all proper original authority.

(23) These fifteen days for finishing such vast buildings at Babylon, in Josephus's copy of Berosus, would seem too
absurd to be supposed to be the true number, were it not for the same testimony extant also in the first book
against Apion, sect. 19, with the same number. It thence indeed appears that Josephus's copy of Berosus had this
small number, but that it is the true number I still doubt. Josephus assures us, that the walls of so much a smaller
city as Jerusalem were two years and four months in building by Nehemiah, who yet hastened the work all he could,
Antiq. B. XI. ch. 5. sect. 8. I should think one hundred and fifteen days, or a year and fifteen days, much more
proportionable to so great a work.

(24) It is here remarkable that Josephus, without the knowledge of Ptolemy's canon, should call the same king
whom he himself here (Bar. i. 11, and Daniel 5:1, 2, 9, 12, 22, 29, 39) styles Beltazar, or Belshazzar, from the
Babylonian god Bel, Naboandelus also; and in the first book against Apion, sect. 19, vol. iii., from the same citation
out of Berosus, Nabonnedon, from the Babylonian god Nabo or Nebo. This last is not remote from the original
pronunciation itself in Ptolemy's canon, Nabonadius; for both the place of this king in that canon, as the last of the
Assyrian or Babylonian kings, and the number of years of his reign, seventeen, the same in both demonstrate that
it is one and the same king that is meant by them all. It is also worth noting, that Josephus knew that Darius, the
partner of Cyrus, was the son of Astyages, and was called by another name among the Greeks, though it does not
appear he knew what that name was, as having never seen the best history of this period, which is Xenophon's. But
then what Josephus's present copies say presently, sect. 4, that it was only within no long time after the
hand-writing on the wall that Baltasar was slain, does not so well agree with our copies of Daniel, which say it was
the same night, Daniel 5:30.

(25) This grandmother, or mother of Baltasar, the queen dowager of Babylon, (for she is distinguished from his
queen, Daniel 5:10, 13,) seems to have been the famous Nitocris, who fortified Babylon against the Medes and
Persians, and, in all probability governed under Baltasar, who seems to be a weak and effeminate prince.

(26) It is no way improbable that Daniel's enemies might suggest this reason to the king why the lions did not
meddle with him and that they might suspect the king's kindness to Daniel had procured these lions to be so filled
beforehand, and that thence it was that he encouraged Daniel to submit to this experiment, in hopes of coming off
safe; and that this was the true reason of making so terrible an experiment upon those his enemies, and all their
families, Daniel 6:21, though our other copies do not directly take notice of it

(27) What Josephus here says, that the stones of the sepulchers of the kings of Persia at this tower, or those
perhaps of the same sort that are now commonly called the ruins of Persepolis, continued so entire and unaltered in
his days, as if they were lately put there, "I (says Reland) here can show to be true, as to those stones of the
Persian mansoleum, which Com. Brunius brake off and gave me." He ascribed this to the hardness of the stones,
which scarcely yields to iron tools, and proves frequently too hard for cutting by the chisel, but oftentimes breaks it
to pieces.

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