3. The elders from the elders of the great Sanhedrin delivered to him, and read before him, the ceremonial of the day; and they said to him, “My Lord High Priest, read with thy mouth, perchance thou hast forgotten, or perchance thou hast not learned.”(195) On the eve of the day of atonement, toward dawn, they placed him in the eastern gate (of the Temple), and they caused to pass before him bullocks, rams, and lambs, that he might be skilled and expert in his ministry. 4. All the seven days they did not withhold from him food and drink; the eve of the day of atonement, with the beginning of darkness, they did not permit him to eat much, since food induces sleep. 5. The elders of the great Sanhedrin delivered him to the elders of the priesthood, who brought him to the upper chamber of the house Abtinas. And they administered to him the oath,(196) and they left him and departed. And they said to him, “My Lord High Priest, we are ambassadors of the great Sanhedrin, and thou art our ambassador, and the ambassador of the great Sanhedrin. We adjure thee by Him, whose Name dwells in this house, that thou wilt not change aught of all which we have said to thee.” He went apart and wept. They went apart and wept.(197) 6. If he were a learned man, he expounded; but if not, the disciples of the learned expounded before him. If he were skilled in reading, he read; but if not, they read before him. “And in what did they read before him?” “In Job, and in Ezra, and in Chronicles.” Zachariah, the son of Kebutal, said, “I often read before him in Daniel.” 7. If he desired to sleep, the young priests filliped with the first finger(198) before him, and said to him, “My Lord High Priest, stand up and refresh thyself(199) once on the pavement,” and they kept him occupied(200) until the time approached for slaying (the victims). 8. Every day they cleansed the altar at cockcrow, or at its approach, intermediate before or after it; and on the day of atonement(201) at midnight; and in the three great feasts, at the first watch. And before cockcrow the court was crowded with Israel. Chapter II 1. At first everyone who wished to (cleanse) the altar, cleansed it. When they were many, they ran and mounted the ascent, and each one, who at the middle outstripped his companion by four cubits, won it. If two were equal the president said to them, “lift your fingers.”(202) “And what is that?” “They lifted one or two fingers, but no one lifted the thumb in the Sanctuary.” 2. It happened that two were equal, and running and mounting the ascent, one of them thrust his companion, so that he fell, and his leg was broken. And when the great Sanhedrin saw that they were getting into danger, they decreed that they should not cleanse the altar save by lot. There were four lots, and this was the first lot.