Georgius Syncellus, Chronographical Selection

against Amalek, where many of Israel were slain. Then a certain man found gathering wood on the Sabbath was slain by the command of God. Then also Korah and Dathan and Abiram rose up against Moses, having apostatized with 250 leading men, of whom Dathan and Abiram, along with their wives and children and all their belongings, were swallowed up when the earth broke open for them, but Korah and the 250 with him were consumed by fire; and of the people, 14,700 fell. And Moses took a rod from each tribe according to the command of the Lord, and he placed the 12 in the tent, inscribed with the name of the tribes and the rod of Aaron among them, inscribed for the house of Levi, which on the next day was found to have budded among the other rods, producing buds and blossoms and nuts, as a confirmation for the disobedient. And they came into the desert of Sinai in the first month of the 40th year of the exodus, and Israel remained in Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. And the place was without water; where, crying out against Moses, they so provoked the most gentle one that he spoke rashly with his lips, when God commanded him to strike the rock with the rod of Aaron, and to say before he struck it: Hear me, you rebels, shall we bring forth water for you from this rock? Upon which, having struck it, he brought forth waters for them and their cattle to their fill. Then God said to him and to Aaron: You shall not bring the people into the land of the inheritance, because you did not believe me. And the water was called the water of strife. Then Moses sent envoys to the king of Edom to pass through his country. And Edom did not listen to him. And turning away from Edom, he came to 161 Mount Hor with all of Israel; where, having brought up Aaron his brother before the people, he took off his garments and put them on Eleazar his son, according to the command of God. And Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. In the 40th year of the exodus, when Aaron died, Eleazar his son became high priest. Then the Canaanite was delivered to Israel and was utterly destroyed along with his cities, whence the place is called Anathema. Setting out from Mount Hor, they came to the Red Sea, around the land of Edom; and they spoke against God and Moses concerning the bread and water, complaining about the manna as worthless bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. And Moses, having prayed for them, was commanded to make a bronze serpent, and those who had been bitten lived by looking at it, set upon a sign. From there they set out and came to Oboth, and from Oboth to Achaia opposite Moab, and from there they came to the valley of Zared. from the valley of Zared they came to the other side of the Arnon by the well, of which the Lord said to Moses: Gather the people and I will give them water to drink; from the well to Mattanah, from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, and from Bamoth to Nape in the plain of Moab; and Moses sent to Sihon king of the Amorites, asking to pass through his land. And Sihon did not permit it, but went out to fight Israel. And Israel struck him with the sword, and took possession of the land and their cities, of which Heshbon was the chief, and they dwelt in them. And turning to Bashan, which is Scythopolis, Og king of Bashan went out to fight Israel. And he struck him and his sons and his people and they inherited his land. Setting out from there, they came to Araboth-moab on the Jordan opposite Jericho. Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, hearing about Sihon and Og, how they were delivered to Israel, was greatly afraid; and having sent for a certain Balaam, a renowned diviner and augur, 162 who by the working of demons had routed many by God's permission, which at first hindered his departure with visions, but the second time, allowing what he would do, signified by the voice of the donkey that he would not prosper, because of the intention he labored with against Israel, devising no other destruction for him from anywhere than through the defilement unto the

πρὸς Ἀμαλήκ, ἔνθα πολλοὶ ἀνῃρέθησαν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.τότε ἀνῃρέθη κατὰ πρόσταγμα θεοῦ τις εὑρεθεὶς ξυλευόμενος ἐν σαβ βάτῳ. τότε καὶ κατὰ Μωυσέως ἀνέστησαν Κορὲ καὶ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν συναποστατήσαντες ἀρχηγοὺς ἄνδρας σνʹ, ὧν ∆αθὰν μὲν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ τέκνοις καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἀποσκευῇ κατεπόθησαν ὑπορραγείσης αὐτοῖς τῆς γῆς, Κορὲ δὲ καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ σνʹ πυρίφλεκτοι γεγόνασι· τοῦ δὲ λαοῦ ἔπεσον χιλιάδες ιδʹ καὶ ψʹ. ἔλαβε δὲ Μωυσῆς ἀφ' ἑκάστης φυλῆς ῥάβδον κατὰ πρόσταγμα κυρίου, καὶ ἀπέθετο τὰς ιβʹ ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ κατα γεγραμμένας τῷ ὀνόματι τῶν φυλῶν καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον Ἀαρὼν μέσον αὐτῶν γεγραμμένην τῷ οἴκῳ Λευί, ἥτις εὑρέθη βλαστήσασα τῇ ἐπαύριον μέση τῶν λοιπῶν ῥάβδων βλαστοὺς καὶ ἄνθη καὶ κάρυα εἰς πίστιν τοῖς ἀνηκόοις. Ἦλθον δὲ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον Σιναῒ τῷ πρώτῳ μηνὶ τοῦ μʹ ἔτους τῆς ἐξόδου καὶ κατέμεινεν Ἰσραὴλ ἐν Κάδης. ἐκεῖ ἐτελεύτησε Μαρία καὶ ἐτάφη. ὁ δὲ τόπος ἄνυδρος· ἔνθα καταβοήσαντες Μωυσέως τοσοῦτον παρεπίκραναν τὸν ἠπιώτατον, ὥστε διαστεῖλαι ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ, κελεύσαντος αὐτῷ τοῦ θεοῦ πλῆξαι τὴν πέτραν τῇ ῥάβδῳ τοῦ Ἀαρών, καὶ εἰπεῖν πρὸ τοῦ πατάξαι αὐτήν· ἀκούσατέ μου οἱ ἀπειθεῖς, μὴ ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ταύτης ἐξάξωμεν ὑμῖν ὕδωρ; ἐφ' οἷς πατάξας ἐξήγαγεν ὕδατα εἰς πλησμονὴν αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς κτήνεσιν αὐτῶν. Τότε εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς αὐτῷ τε καὶ τῷ Ἀαρών· οὐ μὴ εἰσάξετε τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς κληρουχίας, διότι οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατέ μοι. τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ λοιδορίας ἐκλήθη. Τότε Μωυσῆς ἐπρεσβεύσατο πρὸς βασιλέα Ἐδὼμ διελθεῖν διὰ τῆς χώρας αὐτοῦ. καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ Ἐδώμ. ἐκκλίνας δὲ ἐξ Ἐδὼμ ἦλθεν εἰς 161 ὄρος τὸ Ὢρ σὺν παντὶ Ἰσραήλ· ἔνθα ἀναβιβάσας Ἀαρὼν τὸν ἀδελφὸναὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον τοῦ λαοῦ ἐξέδυσε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνέδυσεν αὐτὰ Ἐλεάζαρ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ κατὰ πρόσταξιν θεοῦ. καὶ ἀπέθανεν Ἀαρὼν ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς κορυφῆς τοῦ ὄρους. Τῷ μʹ ἔτει τῆς ἐξόδου Ἀαρὼν τελευτήσαντος Ἐλεάζαρ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἀρχιεράτευσε. τότε ὁ Χαναναῖος παρεδόθη τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἀνεθεματίσθη σὺν ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτοῦ, ὅθεν ὁ τόπος ἀνάθεμα λέγεται. ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους Ὢρ ἀπάραντες ἦλθον ἐπὶ θάλασσαν ἐρυθράν, κύκλῳ γῆς Ἐδώμ· καὶ κατελάλη σαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Μωυσέως περὶ ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος, μεμφόμενοι τὸ μάννα ὡς διάκενον ἄρτον. καὶ ἐπαπέστειλεν αὐτοῖς κύριος ὄφεις ἀναιροῦντας. καὶ εὐξάμενος Μωυσῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν προσετάγη ποιῆσαι χαλκοῦν ὄφιν, πρὸς ὃν ἀποβλέποντες κείμενον ἐπί τινος σημείου ἔζων οἱ δηχθέντες. Ἔνθεν ἀπάραντες εἰς Ὠβὼθ ἦλθον, ἐκ δὲ Ὠβὼθ εἰς Ἀχελαίην κατὰπρόσωπον Μωάβ, κἀκεῖθεν ἦλθον εἰς φάραγγα Ζαρέθ. ἀπὸ φάραγγος Ζαρὲθ εἰς τὸ πέραν ἦλθον Ἀρνῶν κατὰ τὸ φρέαρ, ὃ εἶπε κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν· συνάγαγε τὸν λαὸν καὶ δώσω αὐτοῖς ὕδωρ πιεῖν· ἀπὸ τοῦ φρέατος εἰς Μαθναΐ, ἀπὸ Μαθναῒ εἰς Ναχαιήλ, καὶ ἀπὸ Ναχαιὴλ εἰς Βαμώθ, καὶ ἀπὸ Βαμὼθ εἰς Νάπην ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ Μωάβ· καὶ ἀπέστειλε Μωυσῆς πρὸς Σηὼν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀμορραίων, αἰτῶν παρελθεῖν διὰ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ. καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκε Σηών, ἀλλ' ἐξῆλθε πολεμῶν τὸν Ἰσραήλ. καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν μαχαίρᾳ, καὶ ἐκυρίευσε τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν, ὧν ἦν πρωτεύουσα Ἐσεβών, καὶ κατῴκησεν ἐν αὐταῖς. Ἐπιστρέψαντες δὲ ἐπὶ Βασάν, ἥ ἐστι Σκυθόπολις, ἐξῆλθεν Ὢγ βασιλεὺς Βασὰν πολεμῶν τὸν Ἰσραήλ. καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκληρονόμησαν τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ. Ἐκεῖθεν ἀπάραντες ἦλθον εἰς Ἀραβὼθ Μωὰβ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου κατὰ Ἱεριχώ. τότε Βαλὰκ υἱὸς Σεπφὼρ βασιλεὺς Μωὰβ ἀκούσας τὰ περὶ τοῦ Σηὼν καὶ τοῦ Ὤγ, ὅπως παρεδόθησαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ἐφοβήθη σφόδρα· καὶμεταπεμψάμενος Βαλαάμ τινα διαβόητον μάντιν καὶ οἰωνοσκόπον, δαιμό 162 νων ἐνεργείᾳ πολλοὺς τροπωσάμενον κατὰ θεοῦ συγχώρησιν, ἥτις καὶ τούτῳ τὰ πρῶτα τὴν ἀπέλευσιν ὁράμασι διεκώλυε, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἐπι τρέψασα τί πράξοι τῇ φωνῇ τῆς ὄνου μὴ εὐοδοῦσθαι ἐσήμανε δι' ἣν ὤδινε κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἔννοιαν, ἄλλην αὐτῷ μηδαμόθεν ἐπινοῶν ἔσεσθαι φθορὰν ἢ διὰ τοῦ μολυσμοῦ τοῦ εἰς τὰς