10. About forty years after the crucifixion of the Christ, the Jews foolishly rebelled against the Roman authority, which brought on a terrible war. During the siege of Jerusalem, which lasted six months, over one million of the wretched inhabitants, according to Josephus, perished of the famine. The remainder were either driven into exile or sold into slavery. The city was razed to the ground, the temple destroyed, and in their eager search for gold the Romans tore up the very foundation, and ploughed up the site, so that literally there was not left one stone to stand upon another that was not thrown down.[163] Since the destruction of their city and the overthrow of their nation, the Jews have been scattered among all nations, despised, hated, oppressed, until all the evil that was prophesied of by Moses[164] concerning them--when they should turn away {367} from God and his law--came upon them. [See note 3, end of section.] 11. Miscellaneous Dispersions.--Besides the tribes of Israel that were thus dispersed, there were families of various tribes whom the Lord led away at different times into distant lands. Such as the family of Lehi of the tribe of Manasseh; and that of Ishmael of the tribe of Ephraim, both of which families, together with one Zoram--of what tribe he was is not known--the Lord led to the continent of America. The Lord also led to the same land a colony that departed from Jerusalem immediately after its destruction by king Nebuchadnezzar, in the sixth century B. C., among whom was one Mulek, one of the sons of King Zedekiah, whose people founded the city of Zarahemla, and afterwards united with the Nephites. 12. The Blood of Israel Sprinkled Among all Nations.--The Jews since the destruction of their city and nation by the Romans, have been scattered among all nations, but they have succeeded in a remarkable manner in preserving their identity as a distinct people. Still it is not to be doubted that there are instances where Jews have married and intermarried with the Gentiles among whom they lived, until they lost their identity, and thus the blood of Israel, unrecognized, is in the veins of many supposed to be Gentiles. 13. The tribes of Israel sent into Babylon, Assyria and the surrounding countries in like manner inter-mingled their blood with the people of those nations. Moreover, there are good reasons to believe that in that exodus of the ten tribes from Assyria to the north, many became discouraged and stopped by the way. Others unable to prosecute the journey also abandoned the expedition, and these that thus halted, uniting and intermarrying with the original inhabitants of the land, constituted those prolific races that over-ran the western division of the Roman Empire. 14. In this manner the blood of Israel has been sprinkled {368} almost among all the nations of the earth, until the word of the Lord which says, "I will sift the house of Israel among all nations," [165] has been literally fulfilled.