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All this while Antigonus besieged those that were in Masada, who
had plenty of all other necessaries, but were only in want of water 1
insomuch that on this occasion Joseph, Herod's brother, was contriving
to run away from it, with two hundred of his dependents, to the Arabians;
for he had heard that Malchus repented of the offenses he had been guilty
of with regard to Herod; but God, by sending rain in the night time, prevented
his going away, for their cisterns were thereby filled, and he was under
no necessity of running away on that account; but they were now of good
courage, and the more so, because the sending that plenty of water which
they had been in want of seemed a mark of Divine Providence; so they made
a sally, and fought hand to hand with Antigonus's soldiers, (with some
openly, with some privately,) and destroyed a great number of them. At
the same time Ventidius, the general of the Romans, was sent out of Syria,
to drive the Parthians out of it, and marched after them into Judea, in
pretense indeed to succor Joseph; but in reality the whole affair was no
more than a stratagem, in order to get money of Antigonus; so they pitched
their camp very near to Jerusalem, and stripped Antigonus of a great deal
of money, and then he retired himself with the greater part of the army;
but, that the wickedness he had been guilty of might be found out, he left
Silo there, with a certain part of his soldiers, with whom also Antigonus
cultivated an acquaintance, that he might cause him no disturbance, and
was still in hopes that the Parthians would come again and defend him.
2
1 This grievous want of water at Masada, till the place had like to have been taken by the Parthians, (mentioned both here, and Of the War, B. I. ch. 15. sect. 1,) is an indication that it was now summer time.
2 HOW HEROD SAILED OUT OF ITALY TO JUDEA, AND FOUGHT WITH ANTIGONUS AND WHAT OTHER THINGS HAPPENED IN JUDEA ABOUT THAT TIME.
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