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he decided to depart. And he advised his father not to send gifts to the king from there, but to write to the steward in Alexandria to provide him with gold, so that through him he might buy gifts. And he, having praised his son for the advice, writes to the steward of the funds in Alexandria, which were not less than three thousand talents, to give his son as much money as he might need, hoping that the expense for the king's gift would not be more than ten talents. Therefore, having received the letter, Hyrcanus departed for Alexandria. But the other sons of Joseph write to their father's associates to plot against Hyrcanus and to destroy him. And having arrived in Alexandria, he delivered his father's letter to the steward. And he asked how many talents he needed; and he said, "a thousand." But the steward would provide no more than ten. And the young man, having become angry, bound the steward. And Ptolemy, having sent for Hyrcanus, said that he wondered how he had neither appeared before him and had bound his father's steward. But he said that he had not come because he was waiting to prepare the gifts, and that he had punished the slave for disobeying what he had been commanded. For these reasons the king both laughed and marveled at the young man's magnanimity. And Arion the steward, knowing that there was no help for him, having given the thousand talents, was released from his bonds. And Hyrcanus bought one hundred boys, most vigorous and literate, purchasing each for a talent, and as many maidens for a price of equal talent. Therefore, while all the others were bringing ten talents each to the king, and those giving greater gifts not exceeding twenty, Hyrcanus brought the boys and the maidens 1.315 to the king and to Cleopatra, each of whom also brought a talent; and to the king's friends and to those around his court he provided gifts of many talents. And Ptolemy, marveling at the young man, urged him to ask for whatever he wished. But he asked for nothing except for him to write to his father and his brothers about him. which the king did, and having given him kingly gifts, sent him away. But his brothers, having learned that he was returning with honor, went out to meet him and to destroy him, with his father not even preventing it, on account of his anger over the expenditure of the money. And when his brothers attacked him, many of those with them fell, and two of the brothers themselves. Therefore, fearing because of these things, he went away to the other side of the Jordan and waged war on the Arabs, and he built a costly fortress there, and held those parts for seven years, for as long as Seleucus, the son of Antiochus the Great, ruled Syria. And when he died, and his brother Antiochus, called Epiphanes, succeeded to the rule, Hyrcanus, fearing him, became his own slayer; and Antiochus took his money. And Ptolemy Epiphanes, the ruler of Egypt, also dies, leaving behind two very young sons, of whom one was called Philometor, and the other Physcon. Antiochus, holding these in contempt, marches against Egypt; but he was driven back from it, as the Romans had commanded him to keep away from the country. And returning from there he hastened to Jerusalem, and took the city without a fight, as those who happened to be of his party opened the 1.316 gates for him. For when Onias the high priest died, Antiochus gave the office to his brother Jesus. But having become angry with him again, he assigned the high priesthood to his younger brother, called Onias. For Simon had three sons, and the high priesthood had come round to the three of them. And Jesus renamed himself Jason, and Onias, Menelaus. Therefore, when Jesus rose in sedition against Onias, also called Menelaus, the people were divided; and the majority sided with Jason, but the others with Menelaus, whom the sons of Tobias were also supporting. And being hard-pressed by the majority, both they and Menelaus withdrew to Antiochus, and abandoning their ancestral laws they Hellenized, and they covered their circumcision by drawing forward the foreskin. Therefore, when those of their party opened the gates of the city to Antiochus Epiphanes, that man became master of the

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κατέθετο ἀπελθεῖν. καὶ συνεβούλευε τῷ πατρὶ μὴ πέμπειν αὐτόθεν δῶρα τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐπιστεῖλαι δὲ τῷ ἐν ̓Αλεξανδρείᾳ οἰκονόμῳ παρασχεῖν αὐτῷ χρυσίον, ινα δι' αὐτοῦ πρίηται δῶρα. ὁ δὲ τὸν υἱὸν ἐπαινέσας τῆς συμβουλῆς, γράφει τῷ οἰκονόμῳ τῶν ἐν ̓Αλεξανδρείᾳ χρημάτων οὐκ ἐλαττόνων οντων τρισχιλίων ταλάντων, δοῦναι τῷ υἱῷ χρήματα οσων αν δεηθῇ, ἐλπίσας μὴ πλείω δέκα εσεσθαι ταλάντων τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ δωρεᾷ τοῦ βασιλέως δαπάνην. λαβὼν ουν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ̔Υρκανὸς ἀπῄει πρὸς ̓Αλεξάνδρειαν. οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τοῦ ̓Ιωσὴφ παῖδες γράφουσι τοῖς πατρικοῖς ἑταίροις ἐπιβουλεῦσαι τῷ ̔Υρκανῷ καὶ διαφθεῖραι αὐτόν. γενόμενος δ' ἐν ̓Αλεξανδρείᾳ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τῷ οἰκονόμῳ ἐπέδωκεν. ὁ δὲ ηρετο πόσων χρῄζει ταλάντων· καὶ ος "χιλίων" εφη. ὁ δ' οἰκονόμος οὐ πλείω δέκα παρεῖχεν. ὀργισθεὶς δὲ ὁ παῖς τὸν οἰκονόμον ἐδέσμησε. καὶ ὁ Πτολεμαῖος στείλας πρὸς ̔Υρκανόν, θαυμάζειν ελεγε πῶς ουτε ωφθη αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν τοῦ πατρὸς εδησεν οἰκονόμον. ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐλθεῖν εφη περιμένων ἑτοιμάσαι τὰ δῶρα, τὸν δὲ δοῦλον κολάσαι οις ἐπέταξεν ἀπειθήσαντα. διὰ ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἐγέλασε καὶ τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς μεγαλοφροσύνην ἐθαύμασεν. ὁ δὲ ̓Αρίων ὁ οἰκονόμος γνοὺς ὡς οὐκ εστιν αὐτῷ ἀρωγή, δοὺς τὰ χίλια τάλαντα τῶν δεσμῶν ἐλύθη. ὁ ̔Υρκανὸς δὲ παῖδας ἑκατὸν ἀκμαιοτάτους καὶ γράμματα εἰδότας ὠνήσατο, ταλάντου πριάμενος εκαστον, καὶ παρθένους τοσαύτας ἰσοταλάντου τιμῆς. τῶν γοῦν αλλων ἁπάντων τῶν μὲν ἀνὰ δέκα τάλαντα προσαγόντων τῷ βασιλεῖ, τῶν δὲ μείζω δωρουμένων οὐχ ὑπερβάντων τὰ εικοσιν, ὁ ̔Υρκανὸς τοὺς παῖδας καὶ τὰς παρθένους 1.315 τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῇ Κλεοπάτρᾳ προσήνεγκεν, ων εκαστος καὶ τάλαντον εφερε· καὶ τοῖς φίλοις δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοῖς περὶ τὴν θεραπείαν αὐτοῦ πολλῶν ταλάντων δῶρα παρέσχετο. θαυμάσας δὲ Πτολεμαῖος τὸν παῖδα αἰτεῖν α βούλεται προετρέπετο. ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν ῃτησεν η τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς γράψαι περὶ αὐτοῦ. ο ποιήσας ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ βασιλικῶς αὐτῷ δωρησάμενος, ἐξέπεμψεν. οἱ δὲ ἀδελφοὶ μαθόντες ἐπανιόντα μετὰ τιμῆς, ἐξῆλθον ὑπαντήσοντες αὐτῷ καὶ διαφθεροῦντες, μηδὲ τοῦ πατρὸς κωλύσαντος ὑπ' ὀργῆς τῆς διὰ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων δαπάνην. ἐπιθεμένων δέ οἱ τῶν ἀδελφῶν πολλοί τε τῶν σὺν αὐτοῖς επεσον, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν δύο. δείσας ουν διὰ ταῦτα εἰς τὸ πέραν ἀπῆλθε τοῦ ̓Ιορδάνου καὶ ἐπολέμει τοῖς Αραψι, καὶ βᾶριν ἐκεῖ πολυτελῆ ᾠκοδόμησε, καὶ κατέσχε τὰ ἐκεῖ μέρη ἐπὶ ετη ἑπτά, ἐφ' οσον ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου ̓Αντιόχου υἱὸς Σέλευκος τῆς Συρίας ἐκράτησε. τούτου δὲ θανόντος, καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ ̓Αντιόχου τὴν ἀρχὴν διαδεξαμένου τοῦ ̓Επιφανοῦς καλουμένου, φοβηθεὶς ὁ ̔Υρκανὸς αὐτὸν αὐτόχειρ ἑαυτοῦ γίνεται· καὶ τὰ χρήματα αὐτοῦ ὁ ̓Αντίοχος ελαβε. Τελευτᾷ δὲ καὶ ὁ ̓Επιφανὴς Πτολεμαῖος ὁ τῆς Αἰγύπτου κρατῶν, δύο παῖδας νεωτάτους πάνυ καταλιπών, ων ὁ μὲν Φιλομήτωρ ἐκέκλητο, Φύσκων δέ γε ὁ ετερος. τούτων καταφρονήσας ̓Αντίοχος στρατεύει ἐπ' Αιγυπτον· ἀλλ' ἀπεκρούσθη ταύτης, τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀπέχεσθαι τῆς χώρας ἐντειλαμένων αὐτῷ. ἐκεῖθεν δ' ἐπανιὼν ἐπὶ τὰ ̔Ιεροσόλυμα ωρμησε, καὶ κατέσχε τὴν πόλιν ἀμαχητί, ἀνοιξάντων αὐτῷ τὰς 1.316 πύλας οσοι τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης ἐτύγχανον. θανόντος γὰρ ̓Ονίου τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ ̓Αντίοχος τὴν τιμὴν παρέσχεν. ὀργισθεὶς δὲ αὐτῷ αυθις τῷ νεωτέρῳ τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ἀπένειμεν ἀδελφῷ ̓Ονίᾳ καλουμένῳ. Σίμωνι γὰρ τριῶν γενομένων παίδων, καὶ εἰς τοὺς τρεῖς ἡ ἀρχιερωσύνη περιελήλυθε. καὶ ὁ μὲν ̓Ιησοῦς ̓Ιάσωνα μετωνόμασεν ἑαυτόν, ὁ δὲ ̓Ονίας Μενέλαον. στασιάσαντος ουν τοῦ ̓Ιησοῦ πρὸς τὸν ̓Ονίαν τὸν καὶ Μενέλαον καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἐμερίσθη· καὶ οἱ μὲν πλείους τῷ ̓Ιάσωνι προσετίθεντο, οἱ δ' αλλοι τῷ Μενελάῳ, ῳ καὶ οἱ Τωβίου παῖδες ησαν συνεπαρήγοντες. καταπονούμενοι δὲ τοῖς πλείοσιν ουτοί τε καὶ ὁ Μενέλαος πρὸς ̓Αντίοχον ἀνεχώρησαν, καὶ τοὺς πατρίους νόμους λιπόντες ἡλλήνισαν, καὶ τὴν τῶν αἰδοίων περιτομὴν ἐπεκάλυψαν ἐπισπάσαντες. τῶν γοῦν τῆς τούτων μοίρας ἀνοιξάντων τὰς πύλας τῆς πόλεως τῷ ̓Επιφανεῖ ̓Αντιόχῳ, ἐγκρατὴς ἐκεῖνος τῆς