Phoenicia; but soon made peace with them, and returned back. But Sidon and Ace Palœtyrus revolted, and many other cities there were which delivered themselves up to the king of Assyria. Accordingly when the Tyrians would not submit to him, the king returned, and fell upon them again; while the Phonicians had furnished him with sixty ships, and eight hundred men to row them. And when the Tyrians had come upon them in twelve ships, and the enemies were dispersed, they took five hundred men prisoners. And the reputation of all the citizens of Tyre was thereby increased. But the king of Assyria returned, and placed guards at their river and aqueducts; who should hinder the Tyrians from drawing water. This continued for five years; and still the Tyrians sustained the siege, and drank of the water they had out of the wells they dug." And this is what is written in the Tyrian archives concerning Shalmaneser, king of Assyria.

But now the Cutheans, who removed into Samaria, (for that is the name they have been called by to this time; because they were brought out of the country called Cuthah, which is a country of Persia, and there is a river of the same name in it,) each of them according to their nations, which were in number five, brought their own gods into Samaria; and by worshipping them, as was the custom of their own countries, they provoked Almighty God to send a plague* upon them, by which they were destroyed. And when they found no cure for their miseries, they learned by an oracle, that they ought to worship Almighty God, as the method for their deliverance. So they sent ambassadors to the king of Assyria; and desired him to send them some of those priests of the Israelites whom he had taken captive. And when he thereupon sent them, and the people were by them taught the laws, and the holy worship of God, they worshipped him in a respectable manner; and the plague ceased immediately. And indeed they continued to make use of the same customs to this very time; and are called in the

*Josephus says here, that instead of lions, as in our other copies, 2 Kings xvii. 26. a plague or pestilence was sent among these Cutheans or Samaritans. He also confirms this afterwards, XII. 5. by an epistle of these Cutheans or Samaritans to Antiochus Epiphanes; which says nothing of lions; but expressly mentions these frequent plagues. So that Josephus's reading seems to be the most accurate in this place.

Hebrew tongue, Cutheans, but in the Greek tongue, Samaritans. And when they see the Jews in prosperity, they pretend that they are allied to them, and call them kinsmen; as though they were derived from Joseph, and had by that means an original alliance with them. But when they see them falling into a low condition, they say they are no way related to them; and that the Jews have no right to expect any kindness from them; but they declare that they are sojourners, that come from other countries. But of these we shall have a more seasonable opportunity to discourse hereafter.*

* See Book XI. chap. 8. and XII. 5.

BOOK X.

Containing an Interval of One Hundred and Eighty-two Years and a half.

FROM THE CAPTIVITY OF THE TEN TRIBES TO THE FIRST of

CYRUS.

CHAP. I.

OF SENNACHERIB'S EXPEDITION AGAINST HEZEKIAH; THE THREATENINGS OF RABSHAKEH; THE FAILURE OF THE EXPEDITION, AND THE SUBSEQUENT DEATH OF SENNACHErib.

IT was now the fourteenth year of the government of Hezekiah, king of the two tribes, when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, made an expedition against him, with a great army, and took all the cities of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin by force.* And when he was ready to bring his army against Jerusalem, Hezekiah sent ambassadors to him, promising to submit, and to pay what tribute he should appoint. Hereupon Sennacherib resolved not to proceed in the war, but to accept of the proposals that were made him: and if he might receive three bundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold, he promised that he would depart in a friendly manner; and gave security upon oath to the ambassadors that he would then do Hezekiah no harm, but go away as he came. So Hezekiah submitted, and emptied his treasures, and sent the money; as supposing he should be freed from his enemy, and from any farther distress about his kingdom. Accordingly the Assyrian took it,

* 2 Kings xviii. 13. Isaiah xxxvi. 1.

and yet had no regard to what he had promised; but while he himself went to the war against the Egyptians and Ethiopians, he left his general Rabshakeh,* and two other of his principal commanders, with great forces to destroy Jerusalem. The names of the two other commanders were Tartan and Rabsaris.†

Now as soon as they were come before the walls, they pitched their camp, and sent messengers to Hezekiah, and desired that they might speak with him. But he did not himself come out to them for fear; but sent three of his most intimate friends: viz. Eliakim, who was over the kingdom; Shebna, and Joah the recorder. So these men came out, and stood over against the commanders of the Assyrian army, and when Rabshakeh saw them, he bade them go and speak to Hezekiah in the following manner: that "Sennacherib, the great‡ king, desires to know of him, on whom it is that he relies, and depends, in flying from his lord, and refusing to admit his army into the city? Is it on account of the Egyptians, and in hopes that his army would be beaten by them? Whereupon he lets him know, that if this be what he expects, he is a foolish man, and like one who leans on a broken reed;|| while such a one will not on

* Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh, are not the proper names of these men, but rather denote their employments and offices. Tartan signifies the president of the customs, Rabsaris, the chief eunuch, and Rabshakeh, the principal cup-bearer ; and because he spake Hebrew with some fluency, the Rabbins are generally of opinion, that he was either an apostate Jew, or one of the captivity of Israel. It is certain, that he was a very eloquent man, and his speech very excellently well calculated to raise sedition or defection among the besieged; but that a person of his education should be versed in the Phoenician, which is in a manner the same with the Hebrew language, is no wonder at all. Moreover, had he been a Jew, (though an apostate, he should have known better, one would think, than to have upbraided Hezekiah with acting according to the law under which he lived, in destroying the groves and altars of idols, and in requiring his subjects to worship God in Jerusalem only, 2 Kings xviii. 22. Le Clerc's Commentary. B.

+ 2 Kings xviii. 17.

This title of Great King, both in our Bibles, 2 Kings xviii. 19. Isaiah xxxiv. 4. and here in Josephus, is the same that Herodotus gives this Sennacherib ; as Spanheim takes notice in this place.

The words in the text are,-Now behold thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, 2 Kings xviii. 21. The comparison is excellent, to denote an ally that is not only weak and unable to help, but dangerous likewise to those that rely upon him for succour; and his representing the power of Egypt to be as brittle as the canes or reeds that grow on the banks of the Nile, (for it is to this, no doubt, that the Assyrian orator alludes,) is a great beauty in the simili

ly fall down, but will have his hand pierced and hurt by it: for he ought to know, he makes this expedition against him by the will of God; who hath granted this favour to him, that he shall overthrow the kingdom of Israel; and that in the very same manner he shall destroy those that are his subjects also." When Rabshakeh had made this speech in the Hebrew tongue, for he was skilful in that language, Eliakim was afraid lest the multitude that heard him should be disturbed. So he desired him to speak in the Syrian tongue. But the general, understanding what he meant, and perceiving the fear that he was in, replied with a louder voice in the Hebrew tongue; and said, "Since they all hear what are the king's commands, they will consult their own advantage in delivering up themselves to us: for it is plain that both you and your king dissuade the people from submitting by vain hopes; and so induce them to resist. But if But if you be courageous, and think to drive our forces away, I am ready to deliver to you two thousand of these horses that are with me, for your use; if you can set as many horsemen on their backs, and shew their strength. But what you have not, you cannot produce. Why therefore do you delay to deliver up yourselves to a superior force, who can take you without your consent? although it will be safer for you to deliver yourselves up voluntarily; while a forcible capture, when you are beaten, must appear more dangerous, and will bring farther calamities upon you."

When the people, as well as the ambassadors, heard what the Assyrian commander said, they related it to Hezekiah; who thereupon put off his royal apparel, and clothed himself with sackcloth, and took the habit of a mourner; and, after the manner of his country, he fell upon his face, and besought God, and entreated him to assist them, now they had no other hope of relief. He also sent some of his friends, and some of the priests to the prophet Isaiah, desiring that he would pray to God, and offer sacrifices for their common deliverance; and so

tude. This however must be allowed, that what he here speaks in contempt of the Egyptian strength, has more of ostentation in it than truth; because the Assyrian army, having lately made an attempt to subdue that kingdom, was now returned into Judea with disgrace. Patrick's, Le Clerc's, and Calmet's Commentaries. B

2 Kings xviii. 19-35.