the antiquities of the jews-1-第122章

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moreover；　written　to　the　treasurers　of　Syria　and　Phoenicia；　that
they　take　care　of　those　affairs　that　Esdras　the　priest；　and
reader　of　the　laws　of　God；　is　sent　about。　And　that　God　may　not　be
at　all　angry　with　me；　or　with　my　children；　I　grant　all　that　is
necessary　for　sacrifices　to　God；　according　to　the　law；　as　far　as
a　hundred　cori　of　wheat。　And　I　enjoin　you　not　to　lay　any
treacherous　imposition；　or　any　tributes；　upon　their　priests　or
Levites；　or。　sacred　singers；　or　porters；　or　sacred　servants；　or
scribes　of　the　temple。　And　do　thou；　O　Esdras；　appoint　judges
according　to　the　wisdom　＇given　thee＇　of　God；　and　those　such　as
understand　the　law；　that　they　may　judge　in　all　Syria　and
Phoenicia；　and　do　thou　instruct　those　also　which　are　ignorant　of
it；　that　if　any　one　of　thy　countrymen　transgress　the　law　of　God；
or　that　of　the　king；　he　may　be　punished；　as　not　transgressing　it
out　of　ignorance；　but　as　one　that　knows　it　indeed；　but　boldly
despises　and　contemns　it；　and　such　may　be　punished　by　death；　or
by　paying　fines。　Farewell。〃

2。　When　Esdras　had　received　this　epistle；　he　was　very　joyful；　and
began　to　worship　God；　and　confessed　that　he　had　been　the　cause　of
the　king's　great　favor　to　him；　and　that　for　the　same　reason　he
gave　all　the　thanks　to　God。　So　he　read　the　epistle　at　Babylon　to
those　Jews　that　were　there；　but　he　kept　the　epistle　itself；　and
sent　a　copy　of　it　to　all　those　of　his　own　nation　that　were　in
Media。　And　when　these　Jews　had　understood　what　piety　the　king　had
towards　God；　and　what　kindness　he　had　for　Esdras；　they　were　all
greatly　pleased；　nay；　many　of　them　took　their　effects　with　them；
and　came　to　Babylon；　as　very　desirous　of　going　down　to　Jerusalem；
but　then　the　entire　body　of　the　people　of　Israel　remained　in　that
country；　wherefore　there　are　but　two　tribes　in　Asia　and　Europe
subject　to　the　Iomans；　while　the　ten　tribes　are　beyond　Euphrates
till　now；　and　are　an　immense　multitude；　and　not　to　be　estimated
by　numbers。　Now　there　came　a　great　number　of　priests；　and
Levites；　and　porters；　and　sacred　singers；　and　sacred　servants　to
Esdras。　So　he　gathered　those　that　were　in　the　captivity　together
beyond　Euphrates；　and　staid　there　three　days；　and　ordained　a　fast
for　them；　that　they　might　make　their　prayers　to　God　for　their
preservation；　that　they　might　suffer　no　misfortunes　by　the　way；
either　from　their　enemies；　or　from　any　other　ill　accident；　for
Esdras　had　said　beforehand　that　he　had　told　the　king　how　God
would　preserve　them；　and　so　he　had　not　thought　fit　to　request
that　he　would　send　horsemen　to　conduct　them。　So　when　they　had
finished　their　prayers；　they　removed　from　Euphrates　on　the
twelfth　day　of　the　first　month　of　the　seventh　year　of　the　reign
of　Xerxes；　and　they　came　to　Jerusalem　on　the　fifth　month　of　the
same　year。　Now　Esdras　presented　the　sacred　money　to　the
treasurers；　who　were　of　the　family　of　the　priests；　of　silver　six
hundred　and　fifty　talents；　vessels　of　silver　one　hundred　talents；
vessels　of　gold　twenty　talents；　vessels　of　brass；　that　was　more
precious　than　gold；　（8）　twelve　talents　by　weight；　for　these
Presents　had　been　made　by　the　king　and　his　counselors；　and　by　all
the　Israelites　that　staid　at　Babylon。　So　when　Esdras　had
delivered　these　things　to　the　priests；　he　gave　to　God；　as　the
appointed　sacrifices　of　whole　burnt…offerings；　twelve　bulls　on
account　of　the　common　preservation　of　the　people；　ninety　rams；
seventy…two　lambs；　and　twelve　kids　of　the　goats；　for　the
remission　of　sins。　He　also　delivered　the　king's　epistle　to　the
king's　officers；　and　to　the　governors　of　Celesyria　and　Phoenicia；
and　as　they　were　under　a　necessity　of　doing　what　was　enjoined　by
him；　they　honored　our　nation；　and　were　assistant　to　them　in　all
their　necessities。

3。　Now　these　things　were　truly　done　under　the　conduct　of　Esdras；
and　he　succeeded　in　them；　because　God　esteemed　him　worthy　of　the
success　of　his　conduct；　on　account　of　his　goodness　and
righteousness。　But　some　time　afterward　there　came　some　persons　to
him；　and　brought　an　accusation　against　certain　of　the　multitude；
and　of　the　priests　and　Levites；　who　had　transgressed　their
settlement；　and　dissolved　the　laws　of　their　country；　by　marrying
strange　wives；　and　had　brought　the　family　of　the　priests　into
confusion。　These　persons　desired　him　to　support　the　laws；　lest
God　should　take　up　a　general　anger　against　them　all；　and　reduce
them　to　a　calamitous　condition　again。　Hereupon　he　rent　his
garment　immediately；　out　of　grief；　and　pulled　off　the　hair　of　his
head　and　beard；　and　cast　himself　upon　the　ground；　because　this
crime　had　reached　the　principal　men　among　the　people；　and
considering　that　if　he　should　enjoin　them　to　cast　out　their
wives；　and　the　children　they　had　by　them；　he　should　not　be
hearkener　to；　he　continued　lying　upon　the　ground。　However；　all
the　better　sort　came　running　to　him；　who　also　themselves　wept；
and　partook　of　the　grief　he　was　under　for　what　had　been　done。　So
Esdras　rose　up　from　the　ground；　and　stretched　out　his　hands
towards　heaven；　and　said　that　he　was　ashamed　to　look　towards　it；
because　of　the　sins　which　the　people　had　committed；　while　they
had　cast　out　of　their　memories　what　their　fathers　had　undergone
on　account　of　their　wickedness；　and　he　besought　God；　who　had
saved　a　seed　and　a　remnant　out　of　the　calamity　and　captivity　they
had　been　in；　and　had　restored　them　again　to　Jerusalem；　and　to
their　own　land；　and　had　obliged　the　kings　of　Persia　to　have
compassion　on　them；　that　he　would　also　forgive　them　their　sins
they　had　now　committed；　which；　though　they　deserved　death；　yet；
was　it　agreeable　to　the　mercy　of　God；　to　remit　even　to　these　the
punishment　due　to　them。

4。　After　Esdras　had　said　this；　he　left　off　praying；　and　when　all
those　that　came　to　him　with　their　wives　and　children　were　under
lamentation；　one　whose　name　was　Jechonias；　a　principal　man　in
Jerusalem；　came　to　him；　and　said　that　they　had　sinned　in　marrying
strange　wives；　and　he　persuaded　him　to　adjure　them　all　to　cast
those　wives　out；　and　the　children　born　of　them；　and　that　those
should　be　punished　who　would　not　obey　the　law。　So　Esdras
hearkened　to　this　advice；　and　made　the　heads　of　the　priests；　and
of　the　Levites；　and　of　the　Israelites；　swear　that　they　would　put
away　those　wives　and　children；　according　to　the　advice　of
Jechonias。　And　when　he　had　received　their　oaths；　he　went　in　haste
out　of　the　temple　into　the　chamber　of　Johanan；　the　son　of
Eliasib；　and　as　he　had　hitherto　tasted　nothing　at　all　for　grief；
so　he　abode　there　that　day。　And　when　proclamation　was　made；　that
all　those　of　the　captivity　should　gather　themselves　together　to
Jerusalem；　and　those　that　did　not　meet　there　in　two　or　three　days
should　be　banished　from　the　multitude；　and　that　their　substance
should　b　appropriated　to　the　uses　of　the　temple；　according　to　the
sentence　of　the　elders；　those　that　were　of　the　tribes　of　Judah
and　Benjamin　came　together　in　three　days；　viz。　on　the　twentieth
day　of　the　ninth　month；　which；　according　to　the　Hebrews；　is
called　Tebeth；　and　according　to　the　Macedonians；　Apelleius。　Now
as　they　were　sitting　in　the　upper　room　of　the　temple；　where　the
elders　also　were　present；　but　were　uneasy　because　of　the　cold；
Esdras　stood　up　and　accused　them；　and　told　them　that　they　had
sinned　in　marrying　wives　that　were　not　of　their　own　nation；　but
that　now　they　would　do　a　thing　both　pleasing　to　God；　and
advantageous　to　themselves；　if　they　would　put　those　wives　away。
Accordingly；　they　all　cried　out　that　they　would　do　so。　That；
however；　the　multitude　was　great；　and　that　the　season　of　the　year
was　winter；　and　that　this　work　would　require　more　than　one　or　two
days。　〃Let　their　rulers；　therefore；　＇said　they；＇　and　those　that
have　married　strange　wives；　come　hither　at　a　proper　time；　while
the　elders　of　every　place；　that　are　in　common　to　estimate　the
number　of　those　that　have　thus　married；　are　to　be　there　also。〃
Accordingly；　this　was　resolved　on　by　them；　and　they　began　the
inquiry　after　those　that　had　married　strange　wives　on　the　first
day　of　the　tenth　month；　and　continued　the　inquiry　to　the　first
day　of　the　next　month；　and　found　a　great　many　of　the　posterity　of
Jeshua　the　high　priest；　and　of　the　priests　and　Levites；　and
Israelites；　who　had　a　greater　regard　to　the　observation　of　the
law　than　to　their　natural　affection；　（9）　and　immediately　cast　out
their　wives；　and　the　children　which　were　born　of　them。　And　in
order　to　appease　God；　they　offered　sacrifices；　and　slew　rams；　as
oblations　to　him；　but　it　does　not　seem　to　me　to　be　necessary　to
set　down　the　names　of　these　men。　So　when　Esdras　had　reformed　this
sin　about　the　marriages　of　the　forementioned　persons；　he　reduced
that　practice　to　purity；　so　that　it　continued　in　that　state　for
the　time　to　come。

5。　Now　when　they　kept　the　feast　of　tabernacles　in　the　seventh
month　（10）　and　almost　all　the　people　were　come　together　to　it；
they　went　up　to　the　open　part　of　the　temple；　to　the　gate　which
looked　eastward；　and　desired　of　Esdras　that　the　laws　of　Moses
might　be　read　to　them。　Accordingly；　he　stood　in　the　midst　of　the
multitude　and　read　them；　and　this　he　did　from　morning　to　noon。
Now；　by　hearing　the　laws　read　to　them；　they　were　instructed　to　be
righteous　men　for　the　present　and　for　the　future；　but　as　for
their　past　offenses；　they　were　displeased　at　themselves；　and
proceeded　to　shed　tears　on　their　account；　as　considering　with
themselves　that　if　they　had　kept　the　law；　they　had　endured　none
of　these　miseries　which　they　had　experienced。　But　when　Esdras　saw
them　in　that　disposition；　he　bade　them　go　home；　and　not　weep；　for
that　it　was　a　festival；　and　that　they　ought　not　to　weep　thereon；
for　that　it　was　not　lawful　so　to　do。　（11）　He　exhorted　them　rather
to　proceed　immediately　to　feasting；　and　to　do　what　was　suitable
to　a　feast；　and　what　was　agreeable　to　a　day　of　joy；　but　to　let
their　repentance　and　sorrow　for　their　former　sins　be　a　security
and　a　guard　to　them；　that　they　fell　no　more　into　the　like
offenses。　So　upon　Esdras's　exhortation　they　began　to　feast；　and
when　they　had　so　done　for　eight　days；　in　their　tabernacles；　they
departed　to　their　own　homes；　singing　hymns　to　God；　and　returning
thanks　to　Esdras　for　his　reformation　of　what　corruptions　had　been
introduced　into　their　settlement。　So　it　came　to　pass；　that　after
he　had　obtained　this　reputation　among　the　people；　he　died　an　old
man；　and　was　buried　in　a　magnificent　manner　at　Jerusalem。　About
the　same　time　it　happened　also　that　Joacim；　the　high　priest；
died；　and　his　son　Eliasib　succeeded　in　the　high　priesthood。
6。　Now　there　was　one　of　those　Jews　that　had　been　carried　captive
who　was　cup…bearer　to　king　Xerxes；　his　name　was　Nehemiah。　As　this
man　was　walking　before　Susa；　the　metropolis　of　the　Persians；　he
heard　some　strangers　that　were　entering　the　city；　after　a　long
journey；　speaking　to　one　another　in　the　Hebrew　tongue；　so　he　went
to　them；　and　asked　them　whence　they　came。　And　when　their　answer
was；　that　they　came　from　Judea；　he　began　to　inquire　of　them　again
in　what　state　the　multitude　was；　and　in　what　condition　Jerusalem
was；　and　when　they　replied　that　they　were　in　a　bad　state　（12）　for
that　their　walls　were　thrown　down　to　the　ground；　and　that　the
neighboring　nations　did　a　great　deal　of　mischief　to　the　Jews；
while　in　the　day