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Judea, and having defeated Alexander in battle, he withdrew on terms. Alexander, however, after this, having captured many cities of the Idumaeans and Cilicians and Phoenicians and Syrians, and having spent a third year on campaign, returned, with the Jews receiving him eagerly on account of his success. Then, falling ill from drunkenness, and struggling for three years with a quartan fever, he did not refrain from campaigns. But the queen, seeing him already despaired of, was lamenting for herself and her children. He suggested to her that she hide his death from the soldiers until she should take the place, 1.342 for he happened to be besieging something, and then, having arrived in Jerusalem as if from a victory, to grant some authority to the Pharisees. For they were able to make the nation well-disposed toward her; and he himself said that he had offended the nation on account of them, since they had been insulted by him. "You, therefore," he said, "having sent for their leaders, allow them to treat my corpse as they wish, as one who has greatly insulted them, and promise to do nothing contrary to their judgment. And when you have said this, I will be buried magnificently, and you will rule securely." Having suggested these things to his wife, he died, having ruled for twenty-seven years, and having lived for forty-nine. And Alexandra, having arranged everything according to her husband's advice, made the Pharisees well-disposed to her and secured the kingdom, and made her husband's burial more splendid than that of the kings before him. And Alexander having had two sons, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, Hyrcanus was sluggish in character and unsuited for the administration of affairs, while the younger was energetic. And their mother appointed Hyrcanus high priest because of his inactivity, and entrusted everything to the Pharisees, and commanded the people to obey them; and she herself had the name of the kingdom, but the Pharisees had the power. And the country was at peace, with only the Pharisees troubling the queen and persuading her to kill those who had advised Alexander concerning the destruction of the eight hundred. And for a time they slaughter one, and after that one others upon others, until the powerful men came to 1.343 the palace, with Aristobulus among them (for he was not pleased with what was being done), and having said many things and having lamented for those already destroyed, they moved those present to pity and to tears for those in danger. And Aristobulus accused his mother on account of these things; but she did not know what to do. At this time it is announced that Tigranes, with a great army, had invaded Syria and would arrive in Judea. This frightened both the nation and the queen, and they sent many and very valuable gifts and ambassadors to him while he was besieging Ptolemais. And he both received these and promised good things. But just as he had sacked Ptolemais, it was announced to him that Lucullus had marched into Armenia, and for this reason he withdrew to his own country. And when the queen fell terribly ill, Aristobulus, secretly slipping away, went to the fortresses where his father's friends had been stationed, with only his wife being aware of the deed, and he was received by them. And his mother, perceiving his flight and that he had brought all the fortresses under his control, was in great turmoil, both she and the nation; and they placed his wife and children in the fortress above the temple. But Hyrcanus and the elders of the Jews, learning that in fifteen days Aristobulus had seized twenty-two places and had collected much money and gathered an army, begged the queen to suggest a course of action concerning Aristobulus. But she, saying that she no longer cared for affairs, as she was already failing, permitted them to do what they judged 1.344 expedient. And not long after she died, having reigned for nine years, and having lived for seventy-three. However, when Alexandra died, Aristobulus immediately began a war against his brother, and many of Hyrcanus's soldiers deserted to Aristobulus. But he fled to the acropolis, where also the wife and children of Aristobulus before

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̓Ιουδαίαν,καὶ μάχῃ νικήσας ̓Αλέξανδρον, ἐπὶ συνθήκαις ἀνεκεχώρηκεν. ̔Ο μέντοι ̓Αλέξανδρος μετὰ ταῦτα πόλεις ἑλὼν πολλὰς ̓Ιδουμαίων καὶ Κιλίκων καὶ Φοινίκων καὶ Σύρων, καὶ τρίτον ετος ἐν τῇ στρατείᾳ διηνυκώς, ἐπανῆλθε, προθύμως αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν εὐπραγίαν δεχομένων τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων. ειτα ἐκ μέθης νοσήσας, καὶ τρισὶν ετεσι τεταρταίῳ πυρετῷ προσπαλαίων, τῶν στρατειῶν οὐκ ἀπέσχετο. ὁρῶσα δὲ αὐτὸν ἡ βασίλισσα ηδη ἀπεγνωσμένον, ἑαυτήν τε καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ὠδύρετο. ὁ δὲ κρύψαι τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς στρατιώτας ταύτῃ ὑπέθετο, εως αν ἐξέλῃ τὸ χωρίον, 1.342 ετυχε γάρ τι πολιορκῶν, επειτα ὡς ἀπὸ νίκης εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα παραγενομένην τοῖς Φαρισαίοις ἐξουσίας μεταδοῦναί τινος. δύνασθαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς θέσθαι τὸ εθνος ευνουν αὐτῇ· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ διὰ τούτους ελεγε τῷ εθνει προσκροῦσαι, ὑβρισθέντας ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. "σὺ τοίνυν" εφη "μεταπεμψαμένη τοὺς αρχοντας σφῶν ἐπίτρεπε χρῆσθαί μου ὡς βούλονται τῷ νεκρῷ, ὡς πολλὰ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐξυβρίσαντος, καὶ μηδὲν παρὰ τὴν ἐκείνων γνώμην ποιεῖν ὑπισχνοῦ. ουτω δέ σου εἰπούσης ἐγώ τε πολυτελῶς ταφήσομαι καὶ σὺ βεβαίως αρξεις." ταῦτα τῇ γυναικὶ ὑποθέμενος τετελεύτηκεν, αρξας ετη εικοσι καὶ ἑπτά, πεντήκοντα δέ γε ζήσας ἑνὸς δέοντος. ἡ δὲ ̓Αλεξάνδρα πάντα κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συμβουλὴν θεμένη τούς τε Φαρισαίους ευνους ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῇ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐβεβαιώσατο, καὶ τὴν ταφὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς λαμπροτέραν τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέων εἰργάσατο. ∆ύο δὲ παίδων γενομένων τῷ ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ, ̔Υρκανοῦ καὶ ̓Αριστοβούλου, ὁ μὲν ̔Υρκανὸς νωθὴς τὸ ηθος ην καὶ πρὸς πραγμάτων διοίκησιν ἀποπεφυκώς, ὁ δὲ νεώτερος δραστήριος ην. ἡ δὲ τούτων μήτηρ ἀρχιερέα τὸν ̔Υρκανὸν διὰ τὸ απραγμον ἀποδείκνυσι, καὶ πάντα τοῖς Φαρισαίοις ἐπιτρέπει, καὶ τῷ πλήθει τούτοις ἐκέλευσε πείθεσθαι, καὶ αὐτὴ μὲν ειχε τῆς βασιλείας τὸ ονομα, οἱ Φαρισαῖοι δὲ τὴν ἰσχύν. ἠρέμει δὲ ἡ χώρα, μόνων τῶν Φαρισαίων τὴν βασίλισσαν ταραττόντων καὶ πειθόντων κτείνειν τοὺς συμβουλεύσαντας ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ τὴν τῶν ὀκτακοσίων διαφθοράν. ενα δὲ τέως αὐτοὶ σφάττουσι, καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ αλλους ἐπ' αλλοις, εως οἱ δυνατοὶ παρελθόντες εἰς 1.343 τὰ βασίλεια καὶ ̓Αριστόβουλος σὺν αὐτοῖς, οὐ γὰρ ἠρέσκετο τοῖς δρωμένοις, πολλὰ εἰπόντες καὶ τοὺς ηδη φθαρέντας ἀποκλαυσάμενοι εἰς οικτον τῶν κινδυνευόντων τοὺς παρόντας ἐκίνησαν καὶ εἰς δάκρυα. ̓Αριστόβουλος δὲ τὴν μητέρα διὰ ταῦτα κατῃτιᾶτο· ἡ δὲ οὐκ ειχεν ο,τι καὶ πράξειε. Κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν ἀγγέλλεται Τιγράνης σὺν στρατιᾷ μεγάλῃ εἰς τὴν Συρίαν ἐμβεβληκὼς καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν ἀφιξόμενος. τοῦτο ἐφόβησε καὶ τὸ εθνος καὶ τὴν βασίλισσαν, καὶ δῶρα πολλὰ καὶ πολλοῦ αξια καὶ πρέσβεις αὐτῷ πέμπουσι τὴν Πτολεμαΐδα πολιορκοῦντι. ὁ δὲ ταῦτά τε ἐδέξατο καὶ χρηστὰ ἐπηγγέλλετο. αρτι δὲ τὴν Πτολεμαΐδα πορθήσαντι ἀγγέλλεταί οἱ ̓Ακέλαος εἰς ̓Αρμενίαν ὁρμήσας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀνεχώρει πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν. τῆς δὲ βασιλίσσης δεινῶς νοσησάσης, ̓Αριστόβουλος λάθρᾳ ὑπεξελθὼν ῃει ἐπὶ τὰ φρούρια, οπου οἱ πατρῷοι κατετάχθησαν φίλοι, μόνης τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ συνειδυίας τῇ πράξει, καὶ ὑπεδέχθη παρ' αὐτῶν. αἰσθομένη δὲ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπόδρασιν καὶ οτι πάντα τὰ φρούρια ὑπηγάγετο, ἐν μεγάλῃ ην ταραχῇ καὶ αὐτὴ καὶ τὸ εθνος· εθεντο δὲ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς παῖδας εἰς τὸ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἱεροῦ φρούριον. ̔Υρκανὸς δὲ καὶ οἱ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων πρεσβύτεροι μαθόντες οτι ἐν ἡμέραις πεντεκαίδεκα χωρίων εικοσι καὶ δύο ἐκράτησεν ὁ ̓Αριστόβουλος καὶ πολλὰ συνήγαγε χρήματα καὶ συνήθροισε στράτευμα, ἐδέοντο τῆς βασιλίσσης ὑποθέσθαι γνώμην περὶ ̓Αριστοβούλου. ἡ δὲ οὐκέτι μέλειν αὐτῇ τῶν πραγμάτων εἰποῦσα, ὡς ηδη ἐκλείπουσα, ἐφῆκε πράττειν αὐτοῖς ο συμφέρον κρι1.344 νοῦσι. καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ τετελεύτηκε, βασιλεύσασα ετη ἐννέα, βιώσασα δὲ τρία καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα. Τῆς ̓Αλεξάνδρας μέντοι θανούσης εὐθὺς πόλεμον κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ὁ ̓Αριστόβουλος ηρατο, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τοῦ ̔Υρκανοῦ αὐτομολοῦσι πρὸς ̓Αριστόβουλον. ὁ δὲ φεύγει πρὸς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν, ενθα καὶ ἡ ̓Αριστοβούλου γυνὴ καὶ οἱ παῖδες πρὶν