From the Rejection of That Generation to the Death of Moses - Flavius Josephus

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Chapter 6 Balaam the Prophet 1. Now Moses, when he had brought his army to Jordan; pitched his camp in the great plain over against Jericho. This city is a very happy situation, and very fit for producing palm-trees and balsam. And now the Israelites began to be very proud of themselves, and were very eager for fighting. Moses then, after he had offered for a few days sacrifices of thanksgiving to God, and feasted the people, sent a party of armed men to lay waste the country of the Midianites, and to take their cities. Now the occasion which he took for making war upon them was this that follows :-- 2. When Balak, the king of the Moabites, who had from his ancestors a friendship and league with the Midianites, saw how great the Israelites were grown, he was much affrighted on account of his own and his kingdom's danger; for he was not acquainted with this, that the Hebrews would not meddle with any other country, but were to be contented with the possession of the land of Canaan, God having forbidden them to go any farther (1) So he, with more haste than wisdom, resolved to make an attempt upon them by words; but he did not judge it prudent to fight against them, after they had such prosperous successes, and even became out of ill successes more happy than before, but he thought to hinder them, if he could, from growing greater, and so he resolved to send ambassadors to the Midianites about them. Now these Midianites knowing there was one Balaam, who lived by Euphrates, and was the greatest of the prophets at that time, and one that was in friendship with them, sent some of their honorable princes along with the ambassadors of Balak, to entreat the prophet to come to them, that he might imprecate curses to the destruction of the Israelites. So Balsam received the ambassadors, and treated them very kindly; and when he had supped, he inquired what was God's will, and what this matter was for which the 21
Midianites entreated him to come to them. But when God opposed his going, he came to the ambassadors, and told them that he was himself very willing and desirous to comply with their request, but informed them that God was opposite to his intentions, even that God who had raised him to great reputation on account of the truth of his predictions; for that this army, which they entreated him to come and curse, was in the favor of God; on which account he advised them to go home again, and not to persist in their enmity against the Israelites; and when he had given them that answer, he dismissed the ambassadors. 3. Now the Midianites, at the earnest request and fervent entreaties of Balak, sent other ambassadors to Balaam, who, desiring to gratify the men, inquired again of God; but he was displeased at [second] trial (2) and bid him by no means to contradict the ambassadors. Now Balsam did not imagine that God gave this injunction in order to deceive him, so he went along with the ambassadors; but when the divine angel met him in the way, when he was in a narrow passage, and hedged in with a wall on both sides, the ass on which Balaam rode understood that it was a divine spirit that met him, and thrust Balaam to one of the walls, without regard to the stripes which Balaam, when he was hurt by the wall, gave her; but when the ass, upon the angel's continuing to distress her, and upon the stripes which were given her, fell down, by the will of God, she made use of the voice of a man, and complained of Balaam as acting unjustly to her; that whereas he had no fault find with her in her former service to him, he now inflicted stripes upon her, as not understanding that she was hindered from serving him in what he was now going about, by the providence of God. And when he was disturbed by reason of the voice of the ass, which was that of a man, the angel plainly appeared to him, and blamed him for the stripes he had given his ass; and informed him that the brute creature was not in fault, but that he was himself come to obstruct his journey, as being contrary to the will of God. Upon which Balaam was afraid, and was preparing to return back again: yet did God excite him to go on his intended journey, but added this injunction, that 22
Page 1 and 2: BOOK 4 FROM THE REJECTION OF THAT G
Page 3 and 4: places they were still to expect th
Page 5 and 6: "That it was a very sad thing that
Page 7 and 8: of kin to myself than to my brother
Page 9 and 10: Chapter 3 Those That Stirred Up Thi
Page 11 and 12: security of weapons when we were na
Page 13 and 14: urn-rags, nor in such fires as aris
Page 15 and 16: to. So the rest brought their rods,
Page 17 and 18: hostages he should desire, to secur
Page 19 and 20: Chapter 5 How Moses Conquered Sihon
Page 21: other; while Jordan itself runs alo
Page 25 and 26: they be so hardy as to come to arms
Page 27 and 28: the gods of the Midianites and for
Page 29 and 30: illustrious on account of the virtu
Page 31 and 32: strength of mind and body, that whe
Page 33 and 34: twice besides that first time alrea
Page 35 and 36: there being no misfortune that atte
Page 37 and 38: men of another tribe, they shall le
Page 39 and 40: whom God would have you to follow.
Page 41 and 42: 3. When he had spoken thus, he gave
Page 43 and 44: 8. Let there be taken out of your f
Page 45 and 46: means be despised, and esteemed inf
Page 47 and 48: widows. But on the fifth year the f
Page 49 and 50: 22. Besides those two tithes, which
Page 51 and 52: to be divorced from his wife for an
Page 53 and 54: eclaim the man, appear to be useles
Page 55 and 56: and not to esteem it a matter for s
Page 57 and 58: any one defraud those that undergo
Page 59 and 60: married them wives, lest they have
Page 61 and 62: transgress them. That in case any o
Page 63 and 64: not to be cast down at the approach
Page 65 and 66: or magistrates, which is a much mor
Page 67 and 68: this was the exposition of the Phar

From the Rejection of That Generation to the Death of Moses - Flavius Josephus

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