Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Joseph. AJ]. | ||
<<Joseph. AJ 2.275 | Joseph. AJ 2.296 (Greek) | >>Joseph. AJ 2.311 |
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
BUT when the king despised the words of Moses, and had no regard at all to them, grievous plagues seized the Egyptians; every one of which I will describe, both because no such plagues did ever happen to any other nation as the Egyptians now felt, and because I would demonstrate that Moses did not fail in any one thing that he foretold them; and because it is for the good of mankind, that they may learn this caution - Not to do anything that may displease God, lest he be provoked to wrath, and avenge their iniquities upon them. For the Egyptian river ran with bloody water at the command of God, insomuch that it could not be drunk, and they had no other spring of water neither; for the water was not only of the color of blood, but it brought upon those that ventured to drink of it, great pains and bitter torment. Such was the river to the Egyptians; but it was sweet and fit for drinking to the Hebrews, and no way different from what it naturally used to be. As the king therefore knew not what to do in these surprising circumstances, and was in fear for the Egyptians, he gave the Hebrews leave to go away; but when the plague ceased, he changed his mind again, end would not suffer them to go.
2.296But when God saw that he was ungrateful, and upon the ceasing of this calamity would not grow wiser, he sent another plague upon the Egyptians: - An innumerable multitude of frogs consumed the fruit of the ground; the river was also full of them, insomuch that those who drew water had it spoiled by the blood of these animals, as they died in, and were destroyed by, the water; and the country was full of filthy slime, as they were born, and as they died: they also spoiled their vessels in their houses which they used, and were found among what they eat and what they drank, and came in great numbers upon their beds. There was also an ungrateful smell, and a stink arose from them, as they were born, and as they died therein. Now, when the Egyptians were under the oppression of these miseries, the king ordered Moses to take the Hebrews with him, and be gone. Upon which the whole multitude of the frogs vanished away; and both the land and the river returned to their former natures. But as soon as Pharaoh saw the land freed from this plague, he forgot the cause of it, and retained the Hebrews; and, as though he had a mind to try the nature of more such judgments, he would not yet suffer Moses and his people to depart, having granted that liberty rather out of fear than out of any good consideration. note
2.300Accordingly, God punished his falseness with another plague, added
to the former; for there arose out of the bodies of the Egyptians an innumerable
quantity of lice, by which, wicked as they were, they miserably perished,
as not able to destroy this sort of vermin either with washes or with ointments.
At which terrible judgment the king of
Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Joseph. AJ]. | ||
<<Joseph. AJ 2.275 | Joseph. AJ 2.296 (Greek) | >>Joseph. AJ 2.311 |