as stolen by the soldiers, and Sabinus
got openly four hundred talents.

3. But this calamity of the Jews' friends, who fell in this battle,
grieved them, as did also this plundering of the money dedicated to
God in the temple. Accordingly, that body of them which continued
best together, and was the most warlike, encompassed the palace, and
threatened to set fire to it, and kill all that were in it. Yet still
they commanded them to go out presently, and promised, that if they
would do so, they would not hurt them, nor Sabinus neither; at which
time the greatest part of the king's troops deserted to them, while
Rufus and Gratus, who had three thousand of the most warlike of Herod's
army with them, who were men of active bodies, went over to the Romans.
There was also a band of horsemen under the command of Ruffis, which
itself went over to the Romans also. However, the Jews went on with the
siege, and dug mines under the palace walls, and besought those that
were gone over to the other side not to be their hinderance, now they
had such a proper opportunity for the recovery of their country's
ancient liberty; and for Sabinus, truly he was desirous of going away
with his soldiers, but was not able to trust himself with the enemy,
on account of what mischief he had already done them; and he took this
great [pretended] lenity of theirs for an argument why he should not
comply with them; and so, because he expected that Varus was coming, he
still bore the siege.

4. Now at this time there were ten thousand other disorders in Judea,
which were like tumults, because a great number put themselves into a
warlike posture, either out of hopes of gain to themselves, or out of
enmity to the Jews. In particular, two thousand of Herod's old soldiers,
who had been already disbanded, got together in Judea itself, and fought
against the king's troops, although Achiabus, Herod's first cousin,
opposed them; but as he was driven out of the plains into the
mountainous parts by the military skill of those men, he kept himself in
the fastnesses that were there, and saved what he could.

5. There was also Judas, [16] the son of that Ezekias who had been head
of the robbers; which Ezekias was a very strong man, and had with great
difficulty been caught by Herod. This Judas, having gotten together a
multitude of men of a profligate character about Sepphoris in Galilee,
made an assault upon the palace [there,] and seized upon all the weapons
th