74
to lead to the ancient fatherland.9.27.22 But he who had taken courage decided to bring a hostile force against the Egyptians; but first to go to Aaron his brother. But the king of the Egyptians, having learned of Moses's arrival, called him to himself and asked why he had come; and he said that the master of the world9.27.23 commanded him to release the Jews. And he, having heard this, locked him in prison; but when night came on, all the doors of the prison opened automatically, and of the guards some died, others were paralyzed by 9.27.24 sleep, and their weapons were broken. And Moses, having gone out, came to the palace; and finding the doors open, he entered and, with the guards here also paralyzed, he woke the king. And he, astonished at what had happened, commanded Moses to tell the name of the god who sent him, while mocking9.27.25 him; but he, leaning close to his ear, spoke it, and the king, upon hearing it, fell down speechless, but being held by Moses, revived again; 9.27.26 and having written the name on a tablet and sealed it, the priest who scorned what was written on the tablet ended his life with a spasm; 9.27.27 and the king told him to perform some sign for him; and Moses, throwing down the staff he held, made it a serpent; and when all were terrified, he took it by the tail and picked it 9.27.28 up and made it a staff again; and going forward a little, he struck the Nile with the staff, and the river, becoming swollen, flooded all of Egypt; and from that time its recession also happens; and the collected water began to stink and destroyed the river animals, and the peoples were perishing from thirst. 9.27.29 But the king, when these wonders had happened, said that he would release the peoples after a month, if he would restore the river; and Moses, again with the staff 9.27.30 striking the water, contained the flow. But when this happened, the king called the priests from beyond Memphis and said he would kill them and tear down the temples, unless they too performed some wonder. And they then, by means of certain sorceries and incantations, made a serpent and changed the color of the river. 9.27.31 But the king, becoming arrogant at what had happened, tortured the Jews with every punishment and torment. But Moses, seeing these things, performed other signs, and striking the earth with his staff, he sent forth a certain flying creature to plague the Egyptians, and all had their bodies covered with sores. And since the physicians were not able to heal the sick, the Jews thus again obtained a respite. 9.27.32 And again Moses sent forth frogs by means of the staff, and in addition to these, locusts and gnats. And for this reason the Egyptians also dedicate the staff in every temple, and likewise to Isis, because the earth is Isis, and when struck by the 9.27.33 staff it sent forth the wonders. But as the king was still acting foolishly, Moses brought about hail and earthquakes during the night, so that those fleeing the earthquake were killed by the hail, and those avoiding the hail were destroyed by the earthquakes. And at that time all the houses and of the temples 9.27.34 the most collapsed. Finally the king, having fallen into such calamities, released the Jews; and they, having borrowed from the Egyptians many drinking cups, not a little clothing, and other vast treasure, having crossed the rivers in Arabia and having traveled a considerable distance, came on the third day to 9.27.35 the Red Sea. The people of Memphis, then, say that Moses, being experienced in the region, watched for the ebb tide and led the multitude across on the dry seabed. But the people of Heliopolis say that the king pursued with a great force, together with the sacred animals, because the Jews the property of the Egyptians
74
ἀρχαίαν ἀγαγεῖν πα9.27.22 τρίδα. τὸν δὲ θαρρήσαντα δύναμιν πολεμίαν ἐπάγειν διαγνῶναι τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις· πρῶτον δὲ πρὸς Ἀάρωνα τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐλθεῖν. τὸν δὲ βασιλέα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πυθόμενον τὴν τοῦ Μωΰσου παρουσίαν καλέσαι πρὸς αὑτὸν καὶ πυνθάνεσθαι ἐφ' ὅ τι ἥκοι· τὸν δὲ φάναι, διότι προστάσσειν αὐτῷ τὸν τῆς οἰκουμέ9.27.23 νης δεσπότην ἀπολῦσαι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. τὸν δὲ πυθόμενον εἰς φυλακὴν αὐτὸν καθεῖρξαι· νυκτὸς δὲ ἐπιγενομένης τάς τε θύρας πάσας αὐτομάτως ἀνοιχθῆναι τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου καὶ τῶν φυλάκων οὓς μὲν τελευτῆσαι, τινὰς δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ 9.27.24 ὕπνου παρεθῆναι τά τε ὅπλα κατεαγῆναι. ἐξελθόντα δὲ τὸν Μώϋσον ἐπὶ τὰ βασίλεια ἐλθεῖν· εὑρόντα δὲ ἀνεῳγμένας τὰς θύρας εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἐνθάδε τῶν φυλάκων παρειμένων τὸν βασιλέα ἐξεγεῖραι. τὸν δὲ ἐκπλαγέντα ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι κελεῦσαι τῷ Μωΰσῳ τὸ τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτὸν θεοῦ εἰπεῖν ὄνομα, διαχλευά9.27.25 σαντα αὐτόν· τὸν δὲ προσκύψαντα πρὸς τὸ οὖς εἰπεῖν, ἀκούσαντα δὲ τὸν βασιλέα πεσεῖν ἄφωνον, διακρατηθέντα δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Μωΰσου πάλιν ἀναβιῶσαι· 9.27.26 γράψαντα δὲ τοὔνομα εἰς δέλτον κατασφραγίσασθαι τῶν τε ἱερέων τὸν φαυλίσαντα ἐν τῇ πινακίδι τὰ γεγραμμένα μετὰ σπασμοῦ τὸν βίον ἐκλιμπάνειν· 9.27.27 εἰπεῖν τε τὸν βασιλέα σημεῖόν τι αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι· τὸν δὲ Μώϋσον ἣν εἶχε ῥάβδον ἐκβαλόντα ὄφιν ποιῆσαι· πτοηθέντων δὲ πάντων ἐπιλαβόμενον τῆς οὐρᾶς ἀνε 9.27.28 λέσθαι καὶ πάλιν ῥάβδον ποιῆσαι· προελθόντα δὲ μικρὸν τὸν Νεῖλον τῇ ῥάβδῳ πατάξαι, τὸν δὲ ποταμὸν πολύχουν γενόμενον κατακλύζειν ὅλην τὴν Αἴγυπτον· ἀπὸ τότε δὲ καὶ τὴν κατάβασιν αὐτοῦ γίνεσθαι· συναγαγὸν δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐποζέσαι καὶ τὰ ποτάμια διαφθεῖραι ζῷα τούς τε λαοὺς διὰ τὴν δίψαν φθείρεσθαι. 9.27.29 τὸν δὲ βασιλέα τούτων γενομένων τῶν τεράτων φάναι μετὰ μῆνα τοὺς λαοὺς ἀπολύσειν, ἐὰν ἀποκαταστήσῃ τὸν ποταμόν· τὸν δὲ Μώϋσον πάλιν τῇ ῥάβδῳ 9.27.30 πατάξαντα τὸ ὕδωρ συστεῖλαι τὸ ῥεῦμα. τούτου δὲ γενομένου τὸν βασιλέα τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοὺς ὑπὲρ Μέμφιν καλέσαι καὶ φάναι αὐτοὺς ἀναιρήσειν καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ κατασκάψειν, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ τερατουργήσωσί τι. τοὺς δὲ τότε διά τινων μαγγάνων καὶ ἐπαοιδῶν δράκοντα ποιῆσαι καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν μεταχρῶσαι. 9.27.31 τὸν δὲ βασιλέα φρονηματισθέντα ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι, πάσῃ τιμωρίᾳ καὶ κολάσει καταικίζειν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. τὸν δὲ Μώϋσον ταῦτα ὁρῶντα ἄλλα τε σημεῖα ποιῆσαι καὶ πατάξαντα τὴν γῆν τῇ ῥάβδῳ ζῷόν τι πτηνὸν ἀνεῖναι λυμαίνεσθαι τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, πάντας τε ἐξελκωθῆναι τὰ σώματα. τῶν δὲ ἰατρῶν μὴ δυναμένων ἰᾶσθαι τοὺς κάμνοντας, οὕτως πάλιν ἀνέσεως τυχεῖν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. 9.27.32 πάλιν τε τὸν Μώϋσον βάτραχον διὰ τῆς ῥάβδου ἀνεῖναι, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀκρίδας καὶ σκνίφας. διὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους τὴν ῥάβδον ἀνατιθέναι εἰς πᾶν ἱερόν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῇ Ἴσιδι, διὰ τὸ τὴν γῆν εἶναι Ἶσιν, παιομένην δὲ τῇ 9.27.33 ῥάβδῳ τὰ τέρατα ἀνεῖναι. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἔτι ἀφρονουμένου τὸν Μώϋσον χάλαζάν τε καὶ σεισμοὺς διὰ νυκτὸς ἀποτελέσαι, ὥστε τοὺς τὸν σεισμὸν φεύγοντας ἀπὸ τῆς χαλάζης ἀναιρεῖσθαι τούς τε τὴν χάλαζαν ἐκκλίνοντας ὑπὸ τῶν σεισμῶν διαφθείρεσθαι. συμπεσεῖν δὲ τότε τὰς μὲν οἰκίας πάσας τῶν τε ναῶν 9.27.34 τοὺς πλείστους. τελευταῖον τοιαύταις συμφοραῖς περιπεσόντα τὸν βασιλέα τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἀπολῦσαι· τοὺς δὲ χρησαμένους παρὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πολλὰ μὲν ἐκπώματα, οὐκ ὀλίγον δὲ ἱματισμὸν ἄλλην τε παμπληθῆ γάζαν, διαβάντας τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἀραβίαν ποταμοὺς καὶ διαβάντας ἱκανὸν τόπον ἐπὶ 9.27.35 τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν τριταίους ἐλθεῖν Θάλασσαν. Μεμφίτας μὲν οὖν λέγειν ἔμπειρον ὄντα τὸν Μώϋσον τῆς χώρας τὴν ἄμπωτιν τηρήσαντα διὰ ξηρᾶς τῆς θαλάσσης τὸ πλῆθος περαιῶσαι. Ἡλιουπολίτας δὲ λέγειν ἐπικαταδραμεῖν τὸν βασιλέα μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως, ἅμα καὶ τοῖς καθιερωμένοις ζῴοις, διὰ τὸ τὴν ὕπαρξιν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τῶν Αἰγυπτίων