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On the next day he brought out
the rods, which were known from one another by those who brought them, they
having distinctly noted them, as had the multitude also; and as to the rest, in
the same form Moses had received them, in that they saw them still; but they
also saw buds and branches grown out of Aaron's rod, with ripe fruits upon
them; they were almonds, the rod having been cut out of that tree. The people
were so amazed at this strange sight, that though Moses and Aaron were before
under some degree of hatred, they now laid that hatred aside, and began to
admire the judgment of God concerning them; so that hereafter they applauded
what God had decreed, and permitted Aaron to enjoy the priesthood peaceably.
And thus God ordained him priest three several times, and he retained that
honor without further disturbance. And hereby this sedition of the Hebrews,
which had been a great one, and had lasted a great while, was at last composed.
3. And now Moses,
because the tribe of Levi was made free from war and warlike expeditions, and
was set apart for the Divine worship, lest they should want and seek after the
necessaries of life, and so neglect the temple, commanded the Hebrews,
according to the will of God, that when they should gain the possession of the
land of Canaan, they should assign forty-eight good and fair cities to the
Levites; and permit them to enjoy their suburbs, as far as the limit of two
thousand cubits would extend from the walls of the city. And besides this, he
appointed that the people should pay the tithe of their annual fruits of the
earth, both to the Levites and to the priests. And this is what that tribe
receives of the multitude; but I think it necessary to set down what is paid by
all, peculiarly to the priests.
4. Accordingly he
commanded the Levites to yield up to the priests thirteen of their forty-eight
cities, and to set apart for them the tenth part of the tithes which they every
year receive of the people; as also, that it was but just to offer to God the
first-fruits of the entire product of the ground; and that they should offer
the first-born of those four-footed beasts that are appointed for sacrifices,
if it be a male, to the priests, to be slain, that they and their entire
families may eat them in the holy city; but that the owners of those first-born
which are not appointed for sacrifices in the laws of our country, should bring
a shekel and a half in their stead: but for the first-born of a man, five
shekels: that they should also have the first-fruits out of the shearing of the
sheep; and that when any baked bread corn, and made loaves of it, they should
give somewhat of what they had baked to them. Moreover, when any have made a
sacred vow, I mean those that are called Nazarites, that suffer their
hair to grow long, and use no wine, when they consecrate their hair,
(4) and offer it for a sacrifice, they
are to allot that hair for the priests [to be thrown into the fire].
Such also as dedicate
themselves to God, as a corban, which denotes what the Greeks call a gift,
when they are desirous of being freed from that ministration, are to lay
down money for the priests; thirty shekels if it be a woman, and fifty if it be
a man; but if any be too poor to pay the appointed sum, it shall be lawful for
the priests to determine that sum as they think fit. And if any slay beasts at
home for a private festival, but not for a religious one, they are obliged to
bring the maw and the cheek, [or breast,] and the right shoulder of the
sacrifice, to the priests. With these Moses contrived that the priests should
be plentifully maintained, besides what they had out of those offerings for
sins which the people gave them, as I have set it down in the foregoing book.
He also ordered, that out of every thing allotted for the priests, their
servants, [their sons,] their daughters, and their wives, should partake, as
well as themselves, excepting what came to them out of the sacrifices that were
offered for sins; for of those none but the males of the family of the priests
might eat, and this in the temple also, and that the same day they were
offered.
5. When Moses had made
these constitutions, after the sedition was over, he removed, together with the
whole army, and came to the borders of Idumea. He then sent ambassadors to the
king of the Idumeans, and desired him to give him a passage through his
country; and agreed to send him what hostages he should desire, to secure him
from an injury. He desired him also, that he would allow his army liberty to
buy provisions; and, if he insisted upon it, he would pay down a price for the
very water they should drink. But the king was not pleased with this embassage
from Moses: nor did he allow a passage for the army, but brought his people
armed to meet Moses, and to hinder them, in case they should endeavor to force
their passage. Upon which Moses consulted God by the oracle, who would not have
him begin the war first; and so he withdrew his forces, and traveled round
about through the wilderness.
6. Then it was that
Miriam, the sister of Moses, came to her end, having completed her fortieth
year (5) since she left Egypt, on the
first (6) day of the lunar month
Xanthicus. They then made a public funeral for her, at a great expense. She was
buried upon a certain mountain, which they call Sin: and when they had
mourned for her thirty days, Moses purified the people after this manner: He
brought a heifer that had never been used to the plough or to husbandry, that
was complete in all its parts, and entirely of a red color, at a little
distance from the camp, into a place perfectly clean. This heifer was slain by
the high priest, and her blood sprinkled with his finger seven times before the
tabernacle of God; after this, the entire heifer was burnt in that state,
together with its skin and entrails; and they threw cedar-wood, and hyssop, and
scarlet wool, into the midst of the fire; then a clean man gathered all her
ashes together, and laid them in a place perfectly clean. When therefore any
persons were defiled by a dead body, they put a little of these ashes into
spring water, with hyssop, and, dipping part of these ashes in it, they
sprinkled them with it, both on the third day, and on the seventh, and after
that they were clean. This he enjoined them to do also when the tribes should
come into their own land.
7. Now when this
purification, which their leader made upon the mourning for his sister, as it
has been now described, was over, he caused the army to remove and to march
through the wilderness and through Arabia; and when he came to a place which
the Arabians esteem their metropolis, which was formerly called Arce,
but has now the name of Petra, at this place, which was encompassed
with high mountains, Aaron went up one of them in the sight of the whole army,
Moses having before told him that he was to die, for this place was over
against them. He put off his pontifical garments, and delivered them to Eleazar
his son, to whom the high priesthood belonged, because he was the elder
brother; and died while the multitude looked upon him. He died in the same year
wherein he lost his sister, having lived in all a hundred twenty and three
years. He died on the first day of that lunar month which is called by the
Athenians Hecatombaeon, by the Macedonians Lous, but by the
Hebrews Abba.
Footnotes
(3) Concerning these twelve rods of the twelve tribes of
Israel, see St. Clement's account, much larger than that in our Bibles, 1
Epist. Sect. 45; as is Josephus's present account in measure larger also.
(4) Grotius, on Numbers 6:18, takes notice that the Greeks
also, as well as the Jews, sometimes consecrated the hair of their heads to the
gods.
(5) Josephus here uses this phrase, "when the fortieth year
was completed," for when it was begun; as does St. Luke when the day of
Pentecost was completed, Acts 2:1.
(6) Whether Miriam died, as Josephus's Greek copies imply, on
the first day of the month, may be doubted, because the Latin copies say it was
on the tenth, and so say the Jewish calendars also, as Dr. Bernard assures us.
It is said her sepulcher is still extant near Petra, the old capital city of
Arabia Petraea, at this day; as also that of Aaron, not far off.
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