From the Taking of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes to the Death of Herod the Great - Flavius Josephus

low. However, Pompey commanded him to give up his fortified places, and
forced him to write to every one of their governors to yield them up; they
having had this charge given them, to obey no letters but what were of his
own hand-writing. Accordingly he did what he was ordered to do; but had
still an indignation at what was done, and retired to Jerusalem, and prepared
to fight with Pompey.
6. But Pompey did not give him time to make any preparations [for a
siege], but followed him at his heels; he was also obliged to make haste in
his attempt, by the death of Mithridates, of which he was informed about
Jericho. Now here is the most fruitful country of Judea, which bears a vast
number of palm trees (2) besides the balsam tree, whose sprouts they cut
with sharp stones, and at the incisions they gather the juice, which drops
down like tears. So Pompey pitched his camp in that place one night, and
then hasted away the next morning to Jerusalem; but Aristobulus was so
aftrighted at his approach, that he came and met him by way of supplication.
He also promised him money, and that he would deliver up both himself and
the city into his disposal, and thereby mitigated the anger of Pompey. Yet did
not he perform any of the conditions he had agreed to; for Aristobulus's party
would not so much as admit Gabinius into the city, who was sent to receive
the money that he had promised.
Footnotes:
1. That this Antipater, the father of Herod the Great was an Idumean, as
Josephus affirms here, see the note on Antiq. B. XIV. ch. 15. sect. 2. It is
somewhat probable, as Hapercamp supposes, and partly Spanheim also,
that the Latin is here the truest; that Pompey did him Hyrcanus, as he
would have done the others from Aristobulus, sect. 6, although his
remarkable abstinence from the 2000 talents that were in the Jewish
temple, when he took it a little afterward, ch. 7. sect. 6, and Antiq. B.
XIV. ch. 4. sect. 4, will to Greek all which agree he did not take them.
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