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The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
The Antiquities of the Jews
Written by Flavius Josephus
Translated by William Whiston
Book Two
Chapter 13
How Moses And Aaron Returned Into Egypt To
Pharaoh
1. So Moses, when he understood that the Pharaoh, in whose reign
he fled away, was dead, asked leave of Raguel to go to Egypt,
for the benefit of his own people. And he took with him Zipporah,
the daughter of Raguel, whom he had married, and the children he
had by her, Gersom and Eleazer, and made haste into Egypt. Now
the former of those names, Gersom, in the Hebrew tongue,
signifies that he was in a strange land; and Eleazer, that, by
the assistance of the God of his fathers, he had escaped from
the Egyptians. Now when they were near the borders, Aaron his
brother, by the command of God, met him, to whom he declared
what had befallen him at the mountain, and the commands that God
had given him. But as they were going forward, the chief men
among the Hebrews, having learned that they were coming, met
them: to whom Moses declared the signs he had seen; and while
they could not believe them, he made them see them, So they took
courage at these surprising and unexpected sights, and hoped
well of their entire deliverance, as believing now that God took
care of their preservation.
2. Since then Moses found that the Hebrews would be obedient to
whatsoever he should direct, as they promised to be, and were in
love with liberty, he came to the king, who had indeed but
lately received the government, and told him how much he had
done for the good of the Egyptians, when they were despised by
the Ethiopians, and their country laid waste by them; and how he
had been the commander of their forces, and had labored for
them, as if they had been his own people and he informed him in
what danger he had been during that expedition, without having
any proper returns made him as he had deserved. He also informed
him distinctly what things happened to him at Mount Sinai; and
what God said to him; and the signs that were done by God, in
order to assure him of the authority of those commands which he
had given him. He also exhorted him not to disbelieve what he
told him, nor to oppose the will of God.
3. But when the king derided Moses; he made him in earnest see
the signs that were done at Mount Sinai. Yet was the king very
angry with him and called him an ill man, who had formerly run
away from his Egyptian slavery, and came now back with deceitful
tricks, and wonders, and magical arts, to astonish him. And when
he had said this, he commanded the priests to let him see the
same wonderful sights; as knowing that the Egyptians were
skillful in this kind of learning, and that he was not the only
person who knew them, and pretended them to be divine; as also
he told him, that when he brought such wonderful sights before
him, he would only be believed by the unlearned. Now when the
priests threw down their rods, they became serpents. But Moses
was not daunted at it; and said, "O king, I do not myself
despise the wisdom of the Egyptians, but I say that what I do is
so much superior to what these do by magic arts and tricks, as
Divine power exceeds the power of man: but I will demonstrate
that what I do is not done by craft, or counterfeiting what is
not really true, but that they appear by the providence and
power of God." And when he had said this, he cast his rod down
upon the ground, and commanded it to turn itself into a serpent.
It obeyed him, and went all round, and devoured the rods of the
Egyptians, which seemed to be dragons, until it had consumed
them all. It then returned to its own form, and Moses took it
into his hand again.
4. However, the king was no more moved when was done than
before; and being very angry, he said that he should gain
nothing by this his cunning and shrewdness against the
Egyptians; - and he commanded him that was the chief taskmaster
over the Hebrews, to give them no relaxation from their labors,
but to compel them to submit to greater oppressions than before;
and though he allowed them chaff before for making their bricks,
he would allow it them no longer, but he made them to work hard
at brick-making in the day-time, and to gather chaff in the
night. Now when their labor was thus doubled upon them, they
laid the blame upon Moses, because their labor and their misery
were on his account become more severe to them. But Moses did
not let his courage sink for the king's threatenings; nor did he
abate of his zeal on account of the Hebrews' complaints; but he
supported himself, and set his soul resolutely against them
both, and used his own utmost diligence to procure liberty to
his countrymen. So he went to the king, and persuaded him to let
the Hebrews go to Mount Sinai, and there to sacrifice to God,
because God had enjoined them so to do. He persuaded him also
not to counterwork the designs of God, but to esteem his favor
above all things, and to permit them to depart, lest, before he
be aware, he lay an obstruction in the way of the Divine
commands, and so occasion his own suffering such punishments as
it was probable any one that counterworked the Divine commands
should undergo, since the severest afflictions arise from every
object to those that provoke the Divine wrath against them; for
such as these have neither the earth nor the air for their
friends; nor are the fruits of the womb according to nature, but
every thing is unfriendly and adverse towards them. He said
further, that the Egyptians should know this by sad experience;
and that besides, the Hebrew people should go out of their
country without their consent.
Continue on to
Book
Two,
Chapter 14,
The Antiquities of the Jews
by
Flavius Josephus
Return to
The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
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