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they were shut up. But coming to terms, the brothers resolved their enmity, so that Aristobulus would be king, while Hyrcanus would live without trouble. Therefore, having confirmed the agreements with oaths, the one departed to the palace, and Hyrcanus to the house of Aristobulus. But a certain Antipater, an Idumean, being a friend of Hyrcanus, but also seditious and energetic and possessing much money, secretly conversing with the rulers of the Jews, and slandering Aristobulus to Hyrcanus, as plotting to kill him, persuades him to flee to Aretas, the king of the Arabs. And Hyrcanus sends Antipater to Aretas, to receive pledges that he would not surrender him to his enemies when he came to him. And having received the pledges, Antipater returned, and taking Hyrcanus with him by night, he brought him to the place called Petra, to Aretas. Therefore, Hyrcanus urged him to be brought back by him to Judea and to be restored to the kingdom, promising that, if these things should happen, he would give him the land and the twelve cities which Alexander his father had taken from the Arabs. And Aretas marched against Aristobulus, and was victorious in the battle. Therefore, with many deserting to Hyrcanus, Aristo1.345bulus fled to Jerusalem. And the Arab, attacking the temple, besieged Aristobulus, with the people also joining Hyrcanus, only the priests remaining with Aristobulus. A certain Onias, a just and God-beloved man, who, when a drought once occurred, by prayer appeased God and ended the lack of rain, the Jews demanded that he pray against Aristobulus and those with him; but he was not persuaded. But when he was forced, he said, "O God, King of all, since those standing with me are yours, and those being besieged are your priests, I pray that you will neither help those against these, nor these against those." And immediately they surrounded the man and stoned him to death. Not long after, the divine power exacted punishment from them for their impiety, as a violent wind blew and destroyed the fruit of the land. And Scaurus, having been sent to Syria by Pompey, who was warring against Tigranes in Armenia, received ambassadors from both Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, each asking for an alliance. Therefore, having received four hundred talents from Aristobulus, he was added to his side. And having ordered Aretas to withdraw or be judged an enemy of the Romans, he broke the siege. After this was broken, Aristobulus marched out against Aretas and Hyrcanus, and joining battle, was victorious. Not long after, when Pompey arrived in Damascus, ambassadors came from many places and also from Judea, bringing a great gift from Aristobulus, a golden vine worth five hundred talents. Josephus says that he saw this in Rome, dedicated to Jupiter on the Capito1.346l. And again there came to him Antipater on behalf of Hyrcanus, and Nicodemus on behalf of Aristobulus. But he ordered the disputants themselves to come. And when the Jews and their leaders arrived in Damascus, some demanded not to be ruled by a king; for it was their ancestral custom to be ruled by the high priests, but that these men, being of that family, had changed the rule into a kingdom; But Hyrcanus accused his brother, that the rule having been assigned to him on account of his seniority, it had been taken away from him by that man, and he strung together many other accusations against him. And more than a thousand of the most reputable Jews, prepared by Antipater, spoke in agreement with him as he said these things. But Aristobulus introduced the nature of Hyrcanus as the reason for his falling from power, being ineffectual and for this reason easily despised; and he said that he himself had taken it up out of necessity, for fear that it might fall to others; and that he was called the same as his father. But Pompey condemned the violence of Aristobulus, but speaking gently to them at that time, he ordered them to keep the peace for the while, and he promised that when he came to their country he would arrange everything. Aristobulus, however, not waiting, departed for Judea. And Pompey, becoming angry, marched against

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κατεκλείσθησαν. εἰς λόγους δ' ἐλθόντες οἱ ἀδελφοὶ λύουσι τὴν εχθραν, ωστε βασιλεύειν μὲν ̓Αριστόβουλον, ̔Υρκανὸν δὲ ζῆν ἀπραγμόνως. ορκοις ουν ἐμπεδώσαντες τὰς συνθήκας ἀνεχώρησεν ὁ μὲν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, εἰς δὲ τὴν οἰκίαν ̓Αριστοβούλου ὁ ̔Υρκανός. ̓Αντίπατρος δέ τις ̓Ιδουμαῖος, φίλος ων ̔Υρκανοῦ, στασιώδης δὲ καὶ δραστήριος καὶ εὐπορῶν χρημάτων πολλῶν, λάθρᾳ τοῖς δυναστεύουσι τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων διαλεγόμενος, καὶ πρὸς ̔Υρκανὸν διαβάλλων τὸν ̓Αριστόβουλον ὡς κτεῖναι αὐτὸν βουλευόμενον, πείθει πρὸς ̓Αρέταν τὸν ̓Αράβων βασιλέα φυγεῖν. καὶ πέμπει τὸν ̓Αντίπατρον πρὸς ̓Αρέταν ὁ ̔Υρκανός,πίστεις ληψόμενον ὡς οὐκ ἐκδώσει αὐτὸν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς προσελθόντα αὐτῷ. λαβὼν δὲ πίστεις ὑπέστρεψεν ὁ ̓Αντίπατρος, καὶ συμπαρειληφὼς τὸν ̔Υρκανὸν νύκτωρ ηκεν αγων αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν καλουμένην Πέτραν πρὸς τὸν ̓Αρέταν. παρεκάλει ουν ὁ ̔Υρκανὸς αὐτὸν καταχθῆναι παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν καὶ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἀποκαταστῆναι, ὑπισχνούμενος, εἰ ταῦτα γένοιτο, δώσειν αὐτῷ τήν τε χώραν καὶ τὰς δώδεκα πόλεις ας ̓Αλέξανδρος ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ τῶν ̓Αράβων ἀφείλετο. καὶ ὁ ̓Αρέτας ἐστράτευσεν ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Αριστόβουλον, καὶ τῆς μάχης κρατεῖ. πολλῶν ουν πρὸς ̔Υρκανὸν αὐτομολησάντων εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα ὁ ̓Αριστό1.345 βουλος εφυγε. καὶ ὁ Αραψ τῷ ἱερῷ προσβαλὼν ἐπολιόρκει τὸν ̓Αριστόβουλον, προστιθεμένου καὶ τοῦ δήμου τῷ ̔Υρκανῷ, μόνων τῶν ἱερέων τῷ ̓Αριστοβούλῳ παραμενόντων. ̓Ονίαν δέ τινα δίκαιον ανδρα καὶ θεοφιλῆ, ος αὐχμοῦ ποτε γενομένου εὐχῇ τὸν θεὸν δυσωπήσας ελυσε τὴν ἀνομβρίαν, ἠξίουν οἱ ̓Ιουδαῖοι ευξασθαι κατὰ ̓Αριστοβούλου καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ· ὁ δ' οὐκ ἐπείθετο. ὡς δὲ ἐβιάσθη, "ω θεὲ βασιλεῦ τῶν ολων" ειπεν, "οτι καὶ οἱ μετ' ἐμοῦ ἑστηκότες σοί εἰσι, σοὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ πολιορκούμενοι ἱερεῖς, δέομαι μήτε κατὰ τούτων ἐκείνοις ἐπαρήξῃς μήτε μὴν κατ' ἐκείνων τούτοις." καὶ αὐτίκα τὸν ανδρα περιστάντες κατέλευσαν. οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ τὸ θεῖον δίκας τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτοὺς εἰσεπράξατο, πνεύματος βιαίου πνεύσαντος καὶ τὸν τῆς χώρας καρπὸν διαφθείραντος. Πεμφθεὶς δὲ παρὰ Πομπηίου ἐν ̓Αρμενίᾳ πολεμοῦντος Τιγράνῃ Σκαῦρος εἰς Συρίαν πρέσβεις ἐδέξατο παρά τε ̓Αριστοβούλου καὶ ̔Υρκανοῦ, συμμαχεῖν ἀξιοῦντος ἑκατέρου. λαβὼν ουν ὑπ' ̓Αριστοβούλου τετρακόσια τάλαντα αὐτῷ προσετέθη. καὶ κελεύσας ἀναχωρεῖν τὸν ̓Αρέταν η πολέμιον ̔Ρωμαίων κριθήσεσθαι, ελυσε τὴν πολιορκίαν. ης λυθείσης ὁ ̓Αριστόβουλος ἐπὶ ̓Αρέταν καὶ ̔Υρκανὸν ἐξεστράτευσε, καὶ συμβαλὼν νικᾷ. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ Πομπηίου ἀφικομένου εἰς ∆αμασκόν, ηκον πρέσβεις πολλαχόθεν τε καὶ ἐξ ̓Ιουδαίας, δῶρον ἐξ ̓Αριστοβούλου μέγα κομίζοντες, αμπελον χρυσῆν ἐκ πεντακοσίων ταλάντων. ταύτην φησὶν ὁ ̓Ιώσηπος ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ θεάσασθαι, τῷ Καπιτω1.346 λίῳ ἀνατεθειμένην ∆ιί. καὶ αυθις ηκον πρὸς αὐτὸν ̓Αντίπατρος μὲν ὑπὲρ ̔Υρκανοῦ, ὑπὲρ δὲ ̓Αριστοβούλου Νικόδημος. ὁ δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐλθεῖν τοὺς διαμφισβητοῦντας ἐκέλευσεν. ἀφικομένων δέ γε εἰς ∆αμασκὸν τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων αὐτῶν, οἱ μὲν ἠξίουν μὴ βασιλεύεσθαι· πάτριον γὰρ ειναι αὐτοῖς παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων αρχεσθαι, τούτους δὲ τοῦ γένους οντας ἐκείνου εἰς βασιλείαν τὴν ἀρχὴν μεταθεῖναι· ̔Υρκανὸς δὲ κατηγόρει τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, οτι τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτῷ νεμηθείσης διὰ τὴν πρεσβυγένειαν ὑπ' ἐκείνου ταύτην ἀφῄρητο, καὶ αλλα κατ' αὐτοῦ συνείρων πολλὰ αἰτιάματα. συνεφθέγγοντο δὲ αὐτῷ ταῦτα λέγοντι καὶ τῶν δοκιμωτάτων ̓Ιουδαίων πλείους η χίλιοι, ̓Αντιπάτρου παρασκευάσαντος. ̓Αριστόβουλος δὲ τοῦ μὲν ἐκπεσεῖν τὸν ̔Υρκανὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς τὴν ἐκείνου φύσιν αἰτίαν εἰσῆγεν, απρακτον ουσαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὐκαταφρόνητον· αὐτὸς δ' ἐξ ἀνάγκης ελεγεν αὐτὴν ὑπελθεῖν, φόβῳ τοῦ μὴ πρὸς αλλους γενέσθαι αὐτήν· ὀνομάζεσθαι δὲ οπερ καὶ ὁ πατήρ. Πομπήιος δὲ βίαν μὲν κατέγνω ̓Αριστοβούλου, πρᾴως δὲ τότε προσομιλήσας αὐτοῖς ἡσυχίαν τέως αγειν ἐκέλευσεν, ἐλθὼν δ' εἰς τὴν χώραν διατάξειν εκαστα ἐπηγγέλλετο. οὐκ ἀναμείνας μέντοι ὁ ̓Αριστόβουλος εἰς τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν ἀπῆρε. καὶ ὀργισθεὶς ὁ Πομπήιος ἐστράτευσε κατ'