permit the agreements to be executed.
At this Pompey was very angry, and put Aristobulus into prison, and
came himself to the city, which was strong on every side, excepting the
north, which was not so well fortified, for there was a broad and deep
ditch that encompassed the city [5] and included within it the temple,
which was itself encompassed about with a very strong stone wall.

2. Now there was a sedition of the men that were within the city, who
did not agree what was to be done in their present circumstances, while
some thought it best to deliver up the city to Pompey; but Aristobulus's
party exhorted them to shut the gates, because he was kept in prison.
Now these prevented the others, and seized upon the temple, and cut off
the bridge which reached from it to the city, and prepared themselves to
abide a siege; but the others admitted Pompey's army in, and delivered
up both the city and the king's palace to him. So Pompey sent his
lieutenant Piso with an army, and placed garrisons both in the city and
in the palace, to secure them, and fortified the houses that joined to
the temple, and all those which were more distant and without it. And in
the first place, he offered terms of accommodation to those within; but
when they would not comply with what was desired, he encompassed all the
places thereabout with a wall, wherein Hyrcanus did gladly assist him
on all occasions; but Pompey pitched his camp within [the wall], on the
north part of the temple, where it was most practicable; but even on
that side there were great towers, and a ditch had been dug, and a deep
valley begirt it round about, for on the parts towards the city were
precipices, and the bridge on which Pompey had gotten in was broken
down. However, a bank was raised, day by day, with a great deal of
labor, while the Romans cut down materials for it from the places round
about. And when this bank was sufficiently raised, and the ditch filled
up, though but poorly, by reason of its immense depth, he brought his
mechanical engines and battering-rams from Tyre, and placing them on the
bank, he battered the temple with the stones that were thrown against
it. And had it not been our practice, from the days of our forefathers,
to rest on the seventh day, this bank could never have been perfected,
by reason of the opposition the Jews would have made; for though our
law gives us leave then to defend ourselves against those that begin to
fight with us and as