The history of Octavian, (the same is Augustus the son of Cesar’s brother,) and of Antony, general of his army, and of Cassius’ death.
1 When Octavian had marched into Macedonia, Cassius went out to meet him, and engaged with him; and Cassius was put to flight;
2 whom Octavian pursuing, entirely defeated and killed: and Octavian won the kingdom in place of his uncle Cesar; and he also was surnamed Ceesar, after the name of his uncle.
3 Now when the death of Cassius became known to Hyrcanus, he sent ambassadors with presents, money, and jewels, to Augustus and Antony:
4 and he wrote to him, asking for a renewal of the treaty which had been entered anto with Cesar;
5 and that he would order all the captives of Judah who were in his kingdom, and those who had been made captives in the days of Cassius, to be set free;
6 and that he would permit all the Jews who were in the country of the Greeks, and in the land of Asia, to return into the country of Judah,
7 without requiring any ransom, or redemption, or any obstacle being thrown in the way by any one.
8 So when the ambassadors of Hyrcanus came to Augustus, with their letter and presents, he honoured the ambassadors,
9 and accepted the presents, and acceded to all things which Hyrcanus had asked; writing to him a letter, of which this is the copy.
10 “From Augustus, king of kings, and Antony his colleague, to Hyrcanus king of Judah; Health be to you.
11 Your letter has even now reached us, at which we rejoiced; and we have sent that which you wished, respecting the renewal of the treaty, and the writing, to all our provinces, which extend from the country of the Indias even to the western ocean.
12 But that which delayed us from sooner writing to you concerning the renewal of the treaty was, our occupation in subduing Cassius, that filthy tyrant;
13 who, acting wickedly towards Cesar,
14 Wherefore we have contended with him with our whole strength, until the great and good God rendered us victorious, and caused him to fall into our hands;
15 whom we have put to death. We have also slain Brutus his colleague; and we have delivered the country of Asia out of his hand, after he had laid it waste, and had exterminated its inhabitants.
16 Nor did he adhere to any engagement; nor honour any temple; nor do justice to the oppressed; nor pity a Jew, or any other of our subjects:
17 but with his followers he wickedly did many evils to all men through oppression and tyranny:
18 wherefore God hath turned their malice back on their own heads, delivering them up, with those who were confederate with them.
19 Rejoice now therefore, O king Hyrcanus, and other Jews, and inhabitants of the Holy Region, and priests who are in the temple of Jerusalem:
20 and let them accept the present which we have sent to the most glorious temple, and pray for Augustus ever.
21 We have written also to all our provinces, that there remain in none of them any one of the Jews, be it servant or maid, but that all should be let go, without price and without ransom:
22 and that they should be hindered by no person from returning into the land of Judah; and this by command of Augustus, and likewise of Antony his colleague.”
23 Moreover, he wrote’ to his friends, who are at Tyre and Sidon, and in other places, to restore whatever they had taken out of the land of Judah in the days of that filthy Cassius:
24 and to treat the Jews peaceably, and not to oppose them in any thing, and to do for them whatever Cesar had decreed in his treaty with them.
25 Now Antony remained in the country of Syria; and Cleopatra queen of Egypt came to him, whom he took for his wife.
26 She was a wise woman, skilled in magical arts and properties of things: so that she enticed him, and got possession of his heart to that degree that he could deny her nothing.
27 At this same time, a hundred men of the chief of the Jews went to Antony‘, and complained of Herod and his brother Phaselus the sons of Antipater, saying;
28 They have now gotten every thing belonging to Hyrcanus, and there remains to him nothing of the kingdom except the name; and the concealment of this matter is a proof of the captivity of their lord.
29 But when Antony had inquired of Hyrcanus the truth of the things which they had mentioned to him, Hyrcanus declared that they spoke falsely; clearing Herod and his brother from that which they had laid to their charge.
30 And Antony rejoiced at this; for he was greatly inclined towards them, and loved them.
31 Moreover, other persons at another time complained to him of Herod and his brother, when he was at Tyre:
32 but he not only refused to entertain their words, but put to death some of them, and cast the rest into prison;
33 and he advanced the dignity of Herod and his brother, doing them services, and sent them back to Jerusalem with great honour. But Antony himself; going into the country of the Persians‘, defeated them, and subdued them, and returned to Rome.