Cyrus conquered the known world because God strengthened his hand. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, God opened gates of iron before him and broke doors of brass, just as the prophet Isaiah had foretold. Cyrus captured India, Ethiopia, Arabia, the lands of the west as far as Sefarad, and the northern territories all the way to the impassable Snow Mountains.
But the king who remade the map of the ancient world met his end in the land of the Shittim. The chronicle notes that this should not surprise anyone: King Saul, anointed of God, also died in battle, as did the beloved King Josiah.
Cyrus had already defeated the Shittite king and his warriors. The survivors fled with their queen, Tamirah, and her son to their fortresses. Cyrus lured them out with a false retreat, then turned and slaughtered 300,000 warriors. Among the dead was Tamirah's son.
A mother's grief became a weapon more dangerous than any army. Tamirah wandered the mountains and valleys, lying in ambush. Cyrus, confident in his victory, let his main army march ahead while he camped between two mountains with a small guard. That night, Tamirah struck like a bereaved lioness. She destroyed the entire camp of 200,000 Persian soldiers and killed the king himself. Then she found his body, severed his head, placed it in a leather bottle filled with the blood of the slain, and spoke to the dead king: "Drink and satisfy thyself with the blood which thou hast been so fond of shedding these thirty years."
His son Cambyses succeeded him and returned to annihilate the Shittites, their queen, and all her offspring. After Cambyses came Ahasuerus, who halted all work on the Temple when the enemies of the Jews wrote new accusations against them.
LXXVIII. (1) And Cyrus reigned over all the kingdoms
of the earth, for our God strengthened his right hand
so that he subdued many nations. He (God) opened before
him the gates of iron and broke the doors of brass, and
revealed to him hidden treasures, just as He had told
through Isaiah the prophet to his people, the servants
of Jacob and Israel whom He had chosen. And the
hand of Cyrus was strengthened, and, going to battle, he
captured all the land, all the fords of India, as well as
those in the south, the whole land of Ethiopia, all the
nations dwelling in the lands of the south (Arabia), and in
the west as far as Sefarad, and in the north, the land of
Moqedon, and all the land of Kaftor and Ararat, the
whole of Alan {f?i^), Alasar (iD'PiS), and the mountains of Alaf
{^^^), i.e., the mountains of darkness, as far as the Snow
Mountains, which are impassable. The rest of his mighty
deeds and his battles, are they not written in the Book of
Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia, and in the
book of Joseph ben Gorion, the anointed priest of battle.
LXXVIII 4] 235
who was exiled from Jerusalem in the reign of Yespasianus,
and in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Eome ?
(2) Cyrus the king ended his days in battle, and died in
the land of the Shittim; but this need not cause surprise,
for we know that Saul, the anointed of the Lord, also died
in battle, as well as King Josiah, the beloved of God.
(3) When Cyrus went to the land of Shittim, he smote their
king at the edge of the sword, together with his warriors,
because they raised their hands against the king {i.e., him-
self). And when they fell, the Shittites fled with their
queen, Tamirah (.-n^Dn), and her son until they came to
their fortresses, and there they shut themselves in. As
soon as Cyrus saw that they had shut themselves in their
castles and that no one went out or in, he enticed them
out by a ruse, for he departed with all his camp as if
seeking to find an escape, whereupon the Shittites, with
' Tamirah's son, came out of their castles to pursue them.
When they had come out into the plain, Cyrus suddenly
turned upon them, and smote 300,000 of their warriors,
and among the slain was found the son of their queen
Tamirah. Cyrus then took all the Shittites prisoners,
except those who had escaped to the mountains with the
warriors. AVhen Tamyris saw that her son had been slain
with the other soldiers, she was exceedingly grieved, and
went wandering about the mountains and valleys of the
Shittites, lying in ambush. When Cyrus left the land of
the Shittites, he being confident of his victory, never
thought of any possible ambush; therefore his army passed
on before him, and, being left behind with a few followers,
he encamped between two mountains and lay there down
to sleep.
(4) On the same night he was attacked by the woman, who
was like a wild beast, like a lioness bereaved of her cubs, and
like a bereaved bear. She smote the whole camp of Cyrus,
numbering 200,000 mighty men of Persia, together with
their king. Then, strengthening herself, she went to the
dead body of Cyrus, and, cutting off his head and placing it in
a leather bottle, which she filled with the blood of the slain,
236 [LXXVIII. 5
she said, * Drink and satisfy thyself with the hlood which
thou hast been so fond of shedding these thirty years with-
out tiring.'
(5) Cyrus being thus gathered to his people, Cambisa,
his son, reigned in his stead. As soon as he was enthroned
he went to Shittim and destroyed the remainder of its
inhabitants, together with their queen, Tamirah, and all her
offspring. After him, Ahasuerus arose and abohshed all
the work of the temple, for the enemies of the Jews had
increased, and had written accusations at the beginning of
Ahasuerus' reign. Thus the service of the temple was
stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius, King
of Persia.
