the readers may not be wholly unacquainted with their na

ture.

Now all the men that were about David were men of courage. Those that were most illustrious and famous of them for their actions were thirty-eight.* Of five of whom I will only relate the performances. For these will suffice to make manifest the virtues of the others also: for these were powerful enough to subdue countries and conquer great nations. First therefore was Jessai, the son of Achimaas; who frequently leaped upon the troops of the enemy, and did not leave off fighting till he overthrew ninet hundred of them. After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodo; who was with the king at Arasam: this man, when once the Israelites were under a consternation at the multitude of the Philistines, and were running away, stood alone and fell upon the enemy, and slew many of them, till his sword clung to his hand by the blood he had shed; and till the Israelites seeing the Philistines retire by his means, came down from the mountains, and pursued them: and at that time won a surprising victory: while Eleazar slew the men, and the multitude followed and spoiled the dead bodies. The third was Sheba, the son of Ilus. Now this man, when in the wars against the Philistines, they pitched their camp at a place called Lehi;‡ and when the Hebrews were again afraid of their army, and did not stay; he stood alone as an army, and a body of men. And some of them he overthrew, and some who were not able to abide his strength and force he pursued. These are the works of the hands and of fighting, which these three performed.

Now at the time when the king was once at Jerusalem, and the army of the Philistines came upon him to fight him, David went up to the top of the citadel, as we have already said, to inquire of God, concerning the battle; while the enemy's camp lay in the valley that extends to the city Bethlehem, which is twenty furlongs distant from Jerusalem. Now David said to

*Thirty-seven, Heb. and Septuagint.

Eight hundred, 2 Sam. xxiii. 8.

See the note on V. 8.

|| Bethlehem is here said to be but twenty furlongs from Jerusalem, whereas it is well known to be about forty-eight. This must be an error of the copies, not of Josephus himself; who must have known that distance too well, to err above one half in its measure.

his companions, "We have excellent water in my own city; especially that which is in the pit near the gate ;" wondering if any one would bring him some of it to drink: but he said, that he had rather have it than a great deal of money. When these three men heard what he said, they ran immediately, and burst through the midst of their enemies' camp, and came to Bethlebem; and when they had drawn the water, they returned again through the enemies' camp to the king: insomuch that the Philistines were so surprised at their boldness and alacrity, that they were quiet, and did nothing against them; as if they despised their small number. But when the water was brought to the king, he would not drink it; saying, that it was brought by the danger and blood of men; and that it was not proper on that account to drink it; but he poured it out to God, and gave him thanks for the salvation of the men. Next to these was Abishai, Joab's brother; who in one day slew six* hundred. The fifth was Benaiah, by lineage a priest: for being challenged by two eminent men in the country of Moab, he overcame them by his valour: Moreover there was an Egyptian, who was of a vast bulk, and challenged him: yet did he, when he was unarmed, kill him with his own spear, which he threw at him; for he caught him by force, and took away his weapons, while he was alive and fighting, and slew him with his own weapons.

One may also add this to the aforementioned actions of the same man, either as the principal of them in alacrity, or as resembling the rest. When God sent a snow, a lion slipped, and fell into a certain pit: and because the pit's mouth was narrow, it was evident he would perish, being inclosed with the So when he saw no way to get out and save himself, he roared. When Benaiah heard the wild beast, he went towards him, and coming at the noise he made, he went down into the mouth of the pit, and smote him,† as he struggled, with a stake that lay there, and immediately slew him. The other thirtythree were also like these in valour.

snow.

CHAP. XIII.

OF THE ENUMERATION OF THE PEOPLE BY DAVID'S COMMAND; AND THE SUBSEQUENT EFFECTS OF THE Divine dispLEASURE.

NOW* king David was desirous to know how many ten thousands there were of the people; but† forgot the command of Moses, who told them beforehand, that if the multitude were numbered they should pay half a shekel to God for every head. Accordingly the king commanded Joab, the captain of his host, to go and number the whole multitude. But when he said there was no necessity for such a numeration, he was not persuaded to countermand it, but enjoined him to make no delay, but to go about the numbering of the Hebrews immediately. So Joab took with him the heads of the tribes, and the scribes ;

* About an. 1058.

↑ The words of God by Moses, Exod. xxx. 12, sufficiently justify the reason here given by Josephus for the great plague mentioned in this chapter. "When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague amongst them when thou numberest them." Nor indeed could David's, or the Sanhedrim's neglect of executing this law at this enumeration excuse the people; who ought still to have brought their bounden oblation of half a shekel a piece with them, when they came to be numbered. And I am inclinable to suppose that the great reason why nations are so constantly punished by and with wicked kings and governors, is this: that they almost constantly comply with them in their neglect of, or disobedience to, the divine laws; and suffer those divine laws to go into disuse, or contempt, in order to please those wicked kings and governors, and that they submit to several wicked political laws and commands of those kings and governors, instead of the righteous laws of God, which all mankind ought ever to obey, let their kings and governors say what they please to the contrary; this preference of human, before divine laws, seeming to me the principal character of idolatrous or antichristian nations. Accordingly Josephus well observes IV. 8. that it was the duty of the people of Israel to take care that their kings, when they should have them, did not exceed their proper limits of power, and prove ungovernable by the laws of God; which would certainly be a most pernicious thing to their divine settlement. Nor do I think that negligence peculiar to the Jews: those nations which are called Christian are sometimes indeed very solicitous to restrain their kings and governors from breaking the human laws of their several kingdoms; but without the like care for restraining them from breaking the laws of God, "Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto men more than to God, judge ye." Acts iv. 19. "We ought to obey God rather than men."

V. 29.

and went over the country of the Israelites; and took notice. how numerous the multitude were, and returned to Jerusalem to the king, after nine months and twenty days. And he gave in to the king the number of the people, without the tribe of Benjamin; for he had not yet numbered that tribe, nor the tribe of Levi; for the king repented of his having sinned against God. Now the number of the rest of the Israelites was nine hundred thousand men, who were able to bear arms and go to war.* But the tribe of Judah, by itself, was four hundred thousand.†

Now when the prophets had signified to David that God was angry at him, he began to intreat he would be merciful to him, and forgive his sin. But God sent Nathan the prophet to propose to him the choice of three things. "Whether he would have famine come upon the country for seven years? or would have a war, and be subdued three months by his enemies? or whether God should send a pestilence and a distemper upon the Hebrews, for three days? But as he was fallen to a fatal choice of great miseries, he was in trouble and sorely confounded. And when the prophet had said, that he must of necessity make this choice, and had ordered him to answer quickly, that he might declare what he had chosen to God; the king reasoned with himself, that in case he should ask for famine, he would appear to do it for others, and without danger to himself; since he had a great deal of corn hoarded up; that in case he should choose to be overcome by his enemies for three months, he would appear to have chosen war, because he had valiant men and strong holds; and that therefore he feared nothing therefrom; so he chose that affliction which is common to kings, and to their subjects; and in which the fear was equal on all sides; and said that it was much better to fall into the hands of God, than into those of his enemies.

When the prophet had heard this, he declared it to God; who thereupon sent a pestilence and a mortality upon the Hebrews. Now the miserable disease was one indeed; but it carried them off by ten thousand causes and occasions, which those that were afflicted, could not understand; for one died upon

the neck of another; and the terrible malady seized them before they were aware, and brought them to their end suddenly. Some gave up the ghost immediately, with very great pains and bitter grief; and some were worn away by their distempers, and had nothing remaining to be buried; but as soon as ever they fell, were entirely macerated: some were choked, and greatly lamented their case, as being also stricken with a sudden darkness; and some there were who, as they were burying a relation, fell down dead," without finishing the rites of the funeral. Now there perished of this disease, which began with the morning, and lasted till the hour of dinner, seventy thousand. Nay, the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem, as sending this terrible judgment upon it. But David had put on sackcloth, and lay upon the ground intreating God, and begging that the distemper might now cease; and that he would be satisfied with those that had already perished. And when the king looked up into the air, and saw the angel carried along thereby unto Jerusalem, with his sword drawn, he said to God, that he might justly be punished, who was their shepherd; but that the sheep ought to be preserved, as not having sinned at all; and he implored God that he would send his wrath upon him, and upon all his family; but spare the people.

When God heard his supplication, he caused the pestilence to cease; and sent Gad the prophet to him, and commanded him to go up immediately to the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite; and build an altar there to God, and offer sacrifices. When David heard that, he did not neglect his duty, but made haste to the place appointed him. Now Araunah was threshing wheat; and when he saw the king, and all his servants coming to him, he ran to him and worshipped him. He was by his lineage a Jebusite, but a particular friend of David's, and for that cause it was, that when he overthrew the city, he did him no harm; as we have already informed the reader. Now Araunah inquired, "Wherefore is my lord come to his servant?" He answered, to buy of him the threshing floor; that he might

* Whence Josephus took these distinct and melancholy accounts of the particnlar symptoms, and miserable methods of dying in this terrible pestilence, we cannot now tell; our other copies affording us no such account.

+ 2 Sam. xxiv. 15.