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and moist streams; an abundant, deep place, drawing twelve springs from one rock, and there are many strong trunks of palm trees, fruitful, seventy in number, and well-watered grass has grown as fodder for the cattle.” Then, taking up the subject, he describes the bird that appeared: “And besides these we saw another strange animal, a marvelous one, such as no one has yet seen. For its length was about double that of an eagle, with varied feathers and colors. Its breast appeared purple, and its legs red-ochre colored, and down its neck it was adorned with saffron tufts. Its head was like that of a tame rooster, and it looked around with an apple-colored pupil; and the pupil appeared like a berry. And it had the most excellent voice of all. And it appeared to be the king of all birds, as one could perceive; for all the birds together rushed fearfully behind it, while he himself in front, exulting like a bull, went forth, lifting his foot in a swift stride.” “And after a little: “Some inquire how the Israelites, having come out unarmed, had weapons; for they had said that after going a three days’ journey and sacrificing, they would return again. It seems, therefore, that those who were not drowned used their weapons.”

9.30.1 31. OF EUPOLEMUS CONCERNING DAVID AND SOLOMON WHO REIGNED OVER THE HEBREWS AND CONCERNING JERUSALEM

“And Eupolemus says in a certain work, On the Prophecy of Elijah, that Moses prophesied for 40 years; then Joshua, the son of Nun, for 30 years; and that he lived 9.30.2 for 110 years and set up the sacred tent in Shiloh. And after these things, Samuel became a prophet. Then, by the will of God, Saul was chosen king 9.30.3 by Samuel, and after ruling for 21 years, he died. Then David his son reigned, who subdued the Syrians dwelling by the Euphrates river and Commagene and the Assyrians in Galaadene and the Phoenicians. And he also campaigned against the Idumeans and Ammonites and Moabites and 9.30.4 Itureans and Nabateans and Nabdeans, and again he campaigned against Souron, king of Tyre and Phoenicia; whom he also compelled to pay tribute 9.30.5 to the Jews; and he made a friendship with Vaphres the Egyptian king. And David, wanting to build a temple for God, asked God to show him the place for the altar. There indeed an angel appeared to him, standing above the place where the altar was to be established in Jerusalem, and commanded him not to establish the temple, because he was defiled with human blood and had waged war for many years; 9.30.6 and his name was Dianathan; and this one ordered him to entrust the building to his son, and he himself was to prepare the things pertaining to the construction, 9.30.7 gold, silver, bronze, stones, cypress and cedar wood. And David, having heard this, had ships built in Elanis, a city of Arabia, and sent miners to the island of Urphe, which lies in the Red Sea and has gold mines; and the miners transported the gold from there 9.30.8 to Judea. And David, having reigned for 40 years, handed over the rule to Solomon 9.30.8 his son, who was 12 years old, in the presence of Eli the high priest and the twelve tribal leaders, and he handed over to him the gold and silver and bronze and stone and cypress and cedar wood. And he himself died, and Solomon reigned and wrote to Vaphres, the king of Egypt, the letter transcribed below.”

9.31.1 32. LETTER OF SOLOMON

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ὑγράς τε λιβάδας· δαψιλὴς χῶρος βαθύς, πηγὰς ἀφύσσων δώδεκ' ἐκ μιᾶς πέτρας, στελέχη δ' ἐρυμνὰ πολλὰ φοινίκων πέλει ἔγκαρπα, δεκάκις ἑπτά, καὶ ἐπίρρυτος χλόη πέφυκε θρέμμασιν χορτάσματα.» εἶτα ὑποβὰς περὶ τοῦ φανέντος ὀρνέου διεξέρχεται· «Ἕτερον δὲ πρὸς τοῖσδ' εἴδομεν ζῷον ξένον, θαυμαστόν, οἷον οὐδέπω ὥρακέ τις. διπλοῦν γὰρ ἦν τὸ μῆκος ἀετοῦ σχεδόν, πτεροῖσι ποικίλοισιν ἠδὲ χρώμασι. στῆθος μὲν αὐτοῦ πορφυροῦν ἐφαίνετο, σκέλη δὲ μιλτόχρωτα, καὶ κατ' αὐχένων κροκωτίνοις μαλλοῖσιν εὐτρεπίζετο. κάρα δὲ κοττοῖς ἡμέροις παρεμφερές, καὶ μηλίνῃ μὲν τῇ κόρῃ προσέβλεπε κύκλῳ· κόρη δὲ κόκκος ὣς ἐφαίνετο. φωνὴν δὲ πάντων εἶχεν ἐκπρεπεστάτην. βασιλεὺς δὲ πάντων ὀρνέων ἐφαίνετο, ὡς ἦν νοῆσαι· πάντα γὰρ τὰ πτήν' ὁμοῦ ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ δειλιῶντ' ἐπέσσυτο, αὐτὸς δὲ πρόσθεν, ταῦρος ὣς γαυρούμενος, ἔβαινε κραιπνὸν βῆμα βαστάζων ποδός.»« καὶ μετὰ βραχέα· «Ἐπιζητεῖν δέ τινα πῶς οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται ὅπλα ἔσχον ἄνοπλοι ἐξελθόντες· ἔφασαν γὰρ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἐξελθόντες καὶ θυσιάσαντες πάλιν ἀνακάμψειν. φαίνεται οὖν τοὺς μὴ κατακλυσθέντας τοῖς ἐκείνων ὅπλοις χρήσασθαι.»

9.30.1 λαʹ. ΕΥΠΟΛΕΜΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ∆ΑΒΙ∆ ΚΑΙ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΟΣ ΟΙ ΕΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣΑΝ ΕΒΡΑΙΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΙΕΡΟΣΟΛΥΜΩΝ

«Εὐπόλεμος δέ φησιν ἔν τινι Περὶ τῆς Ἠλίου προφητείας Μωσῆν προφητεῦσαι ἔτη μʹ· εἶτα Ἰησοῦν, τὸν τοῦ Ναυῆ υἱόν, ἔτη λʹ· βιῶσαι δ' αὐτὸν 9.30.2 ἔτη ριʹ πῆξαί τε τὴν ἱερὰν σκηνὴν ἐν Σιλοῖ. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα προφήτην γενέσθαι Σαμουήλ. εἶτα τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ βουλήσει ὑπὸ Σαμουὴλ Σαοῦλον βασιλέα 9.30.3 αἱρεθῆναι, ἄρξαντα δὲ ἔτη καʹ τελευτῆσαι. εἶτα ∆αβὶδ τὸν τούτου υἱὸν δυναστεῦσαι, ὃν καταστρέψασθαι Σύρους τοὺς παρὰ τὸν Εὐφράτην οἰκοῦντας ποταμὸν καὶ τὴν Κομμαγηνὴν καὶ τοὺς ἐν Γαλαδηνῇ Ἀσσυρίους καὶ Φοίνικας. στρατεῦσαι δ' αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰδουμαίους καὶ Ἀμμανίτας καὶ Μωαβίτας καὶ 9.30.4 Ἰτουραίους καὶ Ναβαταίους καὶ Ναβδαίους, αὖθις δὲ ἐπιστρατεῦσαι ἐπὶ Σούρωνα βασιλέα Τύρου καὶ Φοινίκης· οὓς καὶ ἀναγκάσαι φόρους Ἰουδαίοις 9.30.5 ὑποτελεῖν· πρός τε Οὐαφρῆν τὸν Αἰγύπτιον βασιλέα φιλίαν συνθέσθαι. βου λόμενόν τε τὸν ∆αβὶδ οἰκοδομῆσαι ἱερὸν τῷ θεῷ ἀξιοῦν τὸν θεὸν τόπον αὐτῷ δεῖξαι τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου. ἔνθα δὴ ἄγγελον αὐτῷ ὀφθῆναι ἑστῶτα ἐπάνω τοῦ τόπου, οὗ τὸν βωμὸν ἱδρῦσθαι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, καὶ κελεύειν αὐτὸν μὴ ἱδρύεσθαι τὸ ἱερόν, διὰ τὸ αἵματι ἀνθρωπίνῳ πεφύρθαι καὶ πολλὰ ἔτη πεπολεμηκέναι· 9.30.6 εἶναι δ' αὐτῷ ὄνομα ∆ιαναθάν· προστάξαι τε αὐτῷ τοῦτον ὅπως τῷ υἱῷ ἐπιτρέψῃ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν, αὐτὸν δὲ εὐτρεπίζειν τὰ πρὸς τὴν κατασκευὴν ἀνήκοντα, 9.30.7 χρυσίον, ἀργύριον, χαλκόν, λίθους, ξύλα κυπαρίσσινα καὶ κέδρινα. ἀκούσαντα δὲ τὸν ∆αβὶδ πλοῖα ναυπηγήσασθαι ἐν Ἐλάνοις πόλει τῆς Ἀραβίας καὶ πέμψαι μεταλλευτὰς εἰς τὴν Οὐρφῆ νῆσον, κειμένην ἐν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ Θαλάσσῃ, μέταλλα χρυσικὰ ἔχουσαν· καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ἐκεῖθεν μετακομίσαι τοὺς μεταλ9.30.8 λευτὰς εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν. βασιλεύσαντα δὲ τὸν ∆αβὶδ ἔτη μʹ Σολομῶνι 9.30.8 τῷ υἱῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν παραδοῦναι, ὄντι ἐτῶν ιβʹ, ἐνώπιον Ἠλεὶ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως καὶ τῶν δώδεκα φυλάρχων καὶ παραδοῦναι αὐτῷ τόν τε χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ χαλκὸν καὶ λίθον καὶ ξύλα κυπαρίσσινα καὶ κέδρινα. καὶ αὐτὸν μὲν τελευτῆσαι, Σολομῶνα δὲ βασιλεύειν καὶ γράψαι πρὸς Οὐαφρῆν τὸν Αἰγύπτου βασιλέα τὴν ὑπογεγραμμένην ἐπιστολήν.»

9.31.1 λβʹ. ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΟΣ