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43. OF BEROSSUS CONCERNING THE CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS UNDER NEBUCHADNEZZAR; FROM THE FIRST OF JOSEPHUS'S ANTIQUITIES

«And Nebuchadnezzar, having engaged with the rebel and drawn up for battle, both conquered him and brought the country from that time under their own dominion. 9.40.2 It happened that his father, Nabopolassar, who had fallen ill at this time, passed away in the city of the Babylonians, having reigned for 21 years; and Nebuchadnezzar, learning not long after of his father's death, settled the affairs of Egypt and the rest of the country, and having assigned the captives of the Jews and Phoenicians and Syrians and of the nations in Egypt to some of his friends, came to Babylonia.» 9.40.3 And after other things he says: «Nebuchadnezzar, then, after beginning the aforementioned wall, fell into a sickness and passed away, having reigned for 43 years, and 9.40.4 his son Evil-Merodach became lord of the kingdom. This man, having presided over affairs lawlessly and licentiously, was conspired against by his brother-in-law 9.40.5 Neriglissar and was killed, having reigned for 2 years. And after 9.40.5 he was killed, Neriglissar, who had conspired against him, succeeded to the rule and reigned for 4 years. His son, Labashi-Marduk, held the kingdom, being a child, for nine months; but he was conspired against because he showed many wicked tendencies 9.40.6 by his friends and was beaten to death. And when he was destroyed, the conspirators came together and jointly bestowed the kingdom upon Nabonidus, a certain 9.40.7 Babylonian who was of the same conspiracy. In his reign, the walls by the river of the city of the Babylonians were adorned with baked brick and asphalt. And when he was in the seventeenth year of his reign, Cyrus came from Persia with a great army, and having subdued all the 9.40.8 rest of the kingdom, he marched upon Babylonia. And Nabonidus, perceiving his attack, went to meet him with his army, and having drawn up for battle, was defeated in the fight and, fleeing with a few men, was shut up in the city of the Borsippians. 9.40.9 And Cyrus, having taken Babylon and ordered the outer walls of the city to be demolished, because the city seemed to him very troublesome and difficult to capture, 9.40.10 departed for Borsippa to besiege Nabonidus. But Nabonidus did not withstand the siege, but surrendered himself beforehand, and Cyrus, treating him humanely and giving him Carmania for a dwelling, sent him out of Babylonia. Nabonidus, then, having spent the rest of his time in that country, ended his life. 9.40.11 These things hold the truth in agreement with our books. For it is written in them that Nebuchadnezzar, in the eighteenth year of his reign, laid waste our temple, and it was unseen for fifty years. And in the second year of the reign of Cyrus, the foundations having been laid, it was finished again in the tenth year of the reign of Darius.» Thus Josephus. 9.41.1 And I found these things also in the writing of Abydenus concerning the Assyrians about Nebuchadnezzar:

44. OF ABYDENUS CONCERNING NEBUCHADNEZZAR

«And Megasthenes says that Nebuchadnezzar, having become mightier than Heracles, campaigned against both Libya and Iberia; and having subdued these, he settled a portion 9.41.2 of them on the right side of the Pontus. and after it is said by the Chaldeans that having gone up to the

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μγʹ. ΒΗΡΩΣΣΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΩΝ ΑΙΧΜΑΛΩΣΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ ΥΠΟ ΝΑΒΟΥΧΟ∆ΟΝΟΣΟΡ ΓΕΝΟΜΕΝΗΣ· ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΩΤΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΙΩΣΗΠΟΥ

ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ «Συμμίξας δὲ Ναβουχοδονόσορος τῷ ἀποστάτῃ καὶ παραταξάμενος αὐτοῦ τε ἐκυρίευσε καὶ τὴν χώραν ἐξ αὐτῆς ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτῶν βασιλείαν ἐποιήσατο. 9.40.2 τῷ τε πατρὶ αὐτοῦ συνέβη Ναβοπαλλασάρῳ, κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν ἀρρωστήσαντι, ἐν τῇ Βαβυλωνίων πόλει μεταλλάξαι τὸν βίον, ἔτη βεβασιλευκότι καʹ· αἰσθόμενος δὲ μετ' οὐ πολὺν χρόνον τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτὴν Ναβουχοδονόσορος, καταστήσας τὰ κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον πράγματα καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν χώραν καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους Ἰουδαίων τε καὶ Φοινίκων καὶ Σύρων τῶν κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐθνῶν συντάξας τισὶ τῶν φίλων, εἰς τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν παρεγένετο.» 9.40.3 Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερά φησι· «Ναβουχοδονόσορος μὲν οὖν μετὰ τὸ ἄρξασθαι τοῦ προειρημένου τείχους ἐμπεσὼν εἰς ἀρρωστίαν μετήλλαξε τὸν βίον, βεβασιλευκὼς ἔτη μγʹ, τῆς δὲ 9.40.4 βασιλείας κύριος ἐγένετο ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Εὐιλμαλούρουχος. οὗτος προστὰς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνόμως καὶ ἀσελγῶς, ἐπιβουλευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ τὴν ἀδελφὴν 9.40.5 ἔχοντος αὐτοῦ Νηριγλισάρου ἀνῃρέθη, βασιλεύσας ἔτη βʹ. μετὰ δὲ τὸ 9.40.5 ἀναιρεθῆναι τοῦτον διαδεξάμενος τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ ἐπιβουλεύσας αὐτῷ Νηριγλίσαρος ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη δʹ. τούτου υἱὸς Λαβαεσσοάραχος ἐκυρίευσε μὲν τῆς βασι λείας, παῖς ὤν, μῆνας ἐννέα· ἐπιβουλευθεὶς δὲ διὰ τὸ πολλὰ ἐμφαίνειν κακοήθη 9.40.6 ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων ἀπετυμπανίσθη. ἀπολομένου δὲ τούτου συνελθόντες οἱ ἐπιβουλεύσαντες αὐτῷ κοινῇ τὴν βασιλείαν περιέθηκαν Ναβοννήδῳ τινὶ τῶν 9.40.7 ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ὄντι ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπισυστάσεως. ἐπὶ τούτου τὰ περὶ ποταμὸν τείχη τῆς Βαβυλωνίων πόλεως ἐξ ὀπτῆς πλίνθου καὶ ἀσφάλτου κατεκοσμήθη. οὔσης δὲ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ἑπτακαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει προσεληλυθὼς Κῦρος ἐκ τῆς Περσίδος μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς, καταστρεψάμενος τὴν 9.40.8 λοιπὴν βασιλείαν ἅπασαν ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας. αἰσθόμενος δὲ Ναβόννηδος τὴν ἔφοδον αὐτοῦ, ἀπαντήσας μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ παραταξάμενος ἡσσηθεὶς τῇ μάχη καὶ φυγὼν ὀλιγοστὸς συνεκλείσθη εἰς τὴν Βορσιππηνῶν 9.40.9 πόλιν. Κῦρος δὲ Βαβυλῶνα καταλαβόμενος καὶ συντάξας τὰ ἔξω τῆς πόλεως τείχη κατασκάψαι, διὰ τὸ λίαν αὐτῷ πραγματικὴν καὶ δυσάλωτον φανῆναι 9.40.10 τὴν πόλιν, ἀνέζευξεν ἐπὶ Βόρσιππον, ἐκπολιορκήσων τὸν Ναβόννηδον. τοῦ δὲ Ναβοννήδου οὐχ ὑπομείναντος τὴν πολιορκίαν, ἀλλ' ἐγχειρίσαντος αὑτὸν πρότερον, χρησάμενος Κῦρος φιλανθρώπως καὶ δοὺς οἰκητήριον αὐτῷ Καρμανίαν ἐξέπεμψεν ἐκ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας. Ναβόννηδος μὲν οὖν τὸν λοιπὸν τοῦ χρόνου διαγενόμενος ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ χώρᾳ κατέστρεψε τὸν βίον. 9.40.11 Ταῦτα σύμφωνον ἔχει ταῖς ἡμετέραις βίβλοις τὴν ἀλήθειαν. γέγραπται γὰρ ἐν αὐταῖς ὅτι Ναβουχοδονόσορος ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ἔτει τὸν παρ' ἡμῖν ναὸν ἠρήμωσε, καὶ ἦν ἀφανὴς ἐπὶ ἔτη πεντήκοντα. δευτέρῳ δὲ τῆς Κύρου βασιλείας ἔτει τῶν θεμελίων ὑποβληθέντων, δεκάτῳ πάλιν τῆς ∆αρείου βασιλείας ἐτελέσθη.» Ταῦτα ὁ Ἰώσηπος. 9.41.1 Εὗρον δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀβυδηνοῦ περὶ Ἀσσυρίων γραφῇ περὶ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ταῦτα·

μδʹ. ΑΒΥ∆ΗΝΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΝΑΒΟΥΧΟ∆ΟΝΟΣΟΡ «Μεγασθένης δέ φησι Ναβουκοδρόσορον Ἡρακλέος ἀλκιμώτερον γεγονότα ἐπί τε Λιβύην καὶ Ἰβηρίην στρατεῦσαι· ταύτας δὲ χειρωσάμενον ἀπό9.41.2 δασμον αὐτέων εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ τοῦ Πόντου κατοικίσαι. μετὰ δὲ λέγεται πρὸς Χαλδαίων ὡς ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ τὰ