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each one bringing a censer from home and fire and incense; and with you likewise let Aaron also come. And when you offer incense before the people, he whose sacrifice God deems more pleasing, this one will be your priest." The multitude praised these things, and on the next day they gathered in the assembly. But Moses sent to Dathan and Abiram and ordered them to come; but they, not obeying, threatened Moses. But Moses, having ordered the counselors to follow him, went away to their tents, and coming near he raised his hands to heaven and cried out loudly, "Since I am suspected of doing evil, Master, come yourself as judge and show that 1.55 nothing happens by itself, but all things are governed by your providence. And if at your command I have given the priesthood to Aaron, let the earth upon which they stand open up around Dathan and Abiram and their generation; but if they speak the truth against me, may I fall into what I have cursed upon them." He said these things weeping. And the earth was shaken suddenly, and with the breaking of a harsh sound it sank down around their tents and brought both them and their possessions down into the chasm, and thus the rift came together again. At these things the people shuddered, but Moses calls those competing for the priesthood. And two hundred and fifty men of the notable ones and Aaron and Korah came together before the tent and consecrated what they brought upon the censers. And a great fire flashed out, such as would be kindled if God commanded, by which the two hundred and fifty and Korah were destroyed, so that not even their bodies were found; but Aaron alone was found unharmed. And Moses commanded the censers of those men to be placed around the bronze altar, so that they might be a reminder of the events for those who came after. And having assembled them again, he told the tribe leaders to come bringing rods with the names of the tribes inscribed on them, the priesthood belonging to him on whose rod a sign from God should appear. Therefore the others and Aaron bring them, having inscribed on the rod "Levite." which Moses placed in the tent of God. And on the next day he brought them forth. And the others remained just as they were, but Aaron's budded with branches and fruit. The book of Leviticus calls the fruit nuts, 1.56 but Josephus, almonds. Therefore all were astonished, as God had appointed Aaron three times. And since the tribe of the Levites was released from wars and military service, so that they might not neglect the ministry of the temple through lack of necessities, Moses commanded the Hebrews, after they had acquired Canaan, to assign forty-eight cities to the Levites and land before them, and to pay a tenth of the annual fruits to them and to the priests; and he arranged for the people to supply many other things to them, the details of which one who seeks will find by opening the book of Leviticus. Having arranged these things, Moses came to Idumea with the army and requested to pass through it. But the king of the country came out to meet Moses with an armed host. And he proceeded through the wilderness, as God advised him not to begin a battle. Then also Mariamme, the sister of Moses, died, in the fortieth year after the exodus from Egypt. And he led the people away through the wilderness and Arabia; where also Aaron died, having gone up to a high mountain and handed over the high-priestly robe to his son Eleazar, with the multitude watching, having lived one hundred and twenty-three years. And Moses, having come to the land of the Moabites and Amorites, asked for passage for the army. But Sihon, the king of the country, prevented the Hebrews from crossing, and when God signified victory to Moses who had inquired, the Hebrews took up their full armor and went to battle. The Amorites 1.57 were immediately turned to flight and all were destroyed, and Sihon their king also fell. And they took the cities and received their land. And Og, the king of Gilead and Gaulanitis, attacks the Israelites, having come as an ally to Sihon who was already dead. Therefore both he himself dies in the battle and his army

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εκαστος κομίζων θυμιατήριον οικοθεν καὶ πῦρ καὶ θυμίαμα· σὺν ὑμῖν δ' ὁμοίως παρίτω καὶ ̓Ααρών. καὶ θυμιώντων ὑμῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ λαοῦ, ουπερ αν τὴν θυσίαν ἡδίω κρινεῖ ὁ θεός, ουτος εσται ὑμῖν ἱερεύς." ἐπῄνεσε ταῦτα τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τῇ ἐπιούσῃ συνῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. Μωυσῆς δὲ πέμψας πρὸς ∆αθὰν καὶ ̓Αβειρὼν ἐνετέλλετο ηκειν· οἱ δὲ μὴ πεισθέντες κατὰ Μωυσέως ἠπείλησαν. Μωυσῆς δὲ ἀκολουθεῖν αὐτῷ τοὺς προβούλους κελεύσας ἀπῄει πρὸς τὰς ἐκείνων σκηνάς, καὶ πλησίον γενόμενος τὰς χεῖρας ἀνέσχεν εἰς οὐρανὸν καὶ μέγα ἐβόησεν "ἐπεὶ κακουργεῖν ὑποπτεύομαι, δέσποτα, αὐτὸς ἐλθὲ δικαστὴς καὶ παράστησον οτι 1.55 οὐδὲν αὐτομάτως, ἀλλὰ πάντα σῇ διοικεῖται προνοίᾳ. καὶ εἰ σοῦ κελεύσαντος δέδωκα τὴν ἱερωσύνην τῷ ̓Ααρών, χάνοι περὶ ∆αθάν τε καὶ ̓Αβειρὼν καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν γενεὰν ἐφ' ην ἑστήκασι γῆν· εἰ δ' ἀληθεύοιεν κατ' ἐμοῦ, οις ἐπηρασάμην αὐτοῖς ἐγὼ περιπέσοιμι." ταῦτα ειπε δακρύων. καὶ σείεται μὲν ἀθρόον ἡ γῆ, σκληροῦ δὲ ῥαγέντος ηχου συνίζησε περὶ τὰς ἐκείνων σκηνὰς καὶ αὐτούς τε καὶ τὰ αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ χάσμα κατήνεγκε, καὶ ουτως αυθις συνῆλθε τὸ διεστός. ἐπὶ τούτοις εφριξε μὲν ὁ λαός, Μωυσῆς δὲ καλεῖ τοὺς περὶ ἱερωσύνης ἁμιλλωμένους. καὶ συνελθόντες πεντήκοντα καὶ διακόσιοι ανδρες τῶν ἐπισήμων καὶ ̓Ααρὼν καὶ Κορὲ πρὸ τῆς σκηνῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς θυμιατηρίοις καθήγιζον α ἐκόμιζον. ἐξέλαμψε δὲ πῦρ πολύ, οιον αν θεοῦ κελεύσαντος ἀναφθείη, ὑφ' ου οι τε διακόσιοι πεντήκοντα καὶ Κορὲ διεφθάρησαν, ὡς μηδὲ τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν εὑρεθῆναι· μόνος δὲ ̓Ααρὼν εὑρέθη ἀλώβητος. Μωυσῆς δὲ τὰ θυμιατήρια τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων περὶ τὸν χάλκεον ἐκέλευσε καταθέσθαι βωμόν, ιν' ὑπόμνησις ωσι τῶν γεγονότων καὶ τοῖς μετέπειτα. ἐκκλησιάσας δὲ πάλιν προεῖπε τοῖς φυλάρχοις ηκειν τὰ τῶν φυλῶν ὀνόματα βακτηρίαις ἐπιγεγραμμένα κομίζοντας, ἐκείνῳ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἐσομένης ουπερ αν τῇ βακτηρίᾳ σημεῖον γένηται ἐκ θεοῦ. κομίζουσιν ουν οι τε αλλοι καὶ ̓Ααρών, ἐπιγράψας τῇ βακτηρίᾳ Λευῖτιν. ας ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ τοῦ θεοῦ κατέθετο Μωυσῆς. τῇ δ' ἐπιούσῃ προεκόμισε ταύτας. καὶ αἱ μὲν αλλαι οιαίπερ ἐτύγχανον εμενον, ἡ δὲ ̓Ααρὼν ἐβλάστησε κλάδους τε καὶ καρπούς. τὸν δὲ καρπὸν ἡ μὲν τοῦ Λευιτικοῦ βίβλος κάρυα λέγει, 1.56 ἀμύγδαλα δὲ ̓Ιώσηπος. ἐξεπλάγησαν ουν πάντες, τρὶς τὸν ̓Ααρὼν χειροτονήσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐπεὶ δὲ πολέμων καὶ στρατείας ἡ τῶν Λευιτῶν ἀφεῖτο φυλή, ινα μὴ διὰ ἀπορίαν τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀμελοῖεν τῆς λειτουργίας τοῦ ἱεροῦ, ἐκέλευε Μωυσῆς τὴν Χαναναίαν κτησαμένους τοὺς ̔Εβραίους ὀκτὼ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα πόλεις κατανεῖμαι τοῖς Λευίταις καὶ γῆν πρὸ αὐτῶν, καὶ δεκάτην τῶν ἐπετείων καρπῶν αὐτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τελεῖν· καὶ αλλα δὲ πλεῖστα χορηγεῖν τούτοις τὸν λαὸν διετάξατο, ων τὸ καθ' εκαστον ὁ ζητῶν τὴν τοῦ Λευιτικοῦ βίβλον ἀναπτύξας εὑρήσει. Ταῦτα δὲ διατάξας Μωυσῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ̓Ιδουμαίαν ηλθε μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ ἠξίου παρελθεῖν δι' αὐτῆς. τῆς χώρας δ' ὁ βασιλεὺς προϋπήντα μετὰ ἐνόπλου στρατιᾶς τῷ Μωυσῇ. καὶ ος διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου ἐχώρει, μὴ αρχειν μάχης συμβουλεύοντος τοῦ θεοῦ. τότε καὶ Μαριάμμη τέθνηκε τοῦ Μωυσέως ἡ σύγγονος, μετὰ τεσσαρακοστὸν ετος τῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐξόδου. τὸν δὲ λαὸν ἀπῆγε διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ τῆς ̓Αραβίας· ενθα καὶ ̓Ααρὼν ἐτελεύτησεν εἰς ορος ἀνελθὼν ὑψηλὸν καὶ τὴν ἀρχιερατικὴν στολὴν παραδοὺς τῷ υἱῷ ̓Ελεάζαρ, τοῦ πλήθους ὁρῶντος, ετη βιοὺς ἑκατὸν πρὸς εικοσι καὶ τρισίν. ἐλθὼν δὲ Μωυσῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Μωαβιτῶν καὶ ̓Αμορραίων χώραν τῷ στρατῷ δίοδον ῃτει. Σηὼν δὲ τῆς χώρας ὁ βασιλεὺς διαβαίνειν τοὺς ̔Εβραίους ἐκώλυε, καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ σημήναντος νίκην ἐρομένῳ τῷ Μωυσῇ, τὰς πανοπλίας ἀναλαβόντες ̔Εβραῖοι πρὸς μάχην ἐχώρουν. τρέπον1.57 ται δ' αὐτίκα οἱ ̓Αμορραῖοι καὶ απαντες διεφθάρησαν, πέπτωκε δὲ καὶ Σηὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν. καὶ τὰς πόλεις ειλον καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐκείνων παρέλαβον. ἐπιτίθεται δὲ τοῖς ̓Ισραηλίταις καὶ Ωγ ὁ τῆς Γαλαδηνῆς καὶ Γαυλανίτιδος βασιλεὺς σύμμαχος ἐλθὼν τῷ Σηὼν ηδη ἀπολωλότι. αὐτός τε ουν θνήσκει κατὰ τὴν μάχην καὶ ὁ στρατὸς αὐτοῦ