Whereupon the children of Dan took their swords and spears and bows, and prepared themselves to depart from the land of Israel; for we saw that it was not possible to remain there. They said: ‘Let us go now, and find a resting-place; for if we wait till the end, they will destroy us.’ We took counsel, and determined to go to Egypt to lay it waste, and to destroy all its inhabitants. But our princes said to us: ‘Is it not written: “Ye shall see them again no more for ever?”[65] How then can ye prosper?’ Then they said: ‘Let us go against Amalek, or against Edom, or against Ammon and Moab, to destroy them, that we may dwell in their place.’ But our princes replied: ‘It is written in the Torah that the Holy One restrained the Israelites from passing through their border.’[66] Finally they took counsel to go to Egypt, but not by the way our fathers had gone, nor to lay it waste, but in order to pass to the river Pishon, to the land of Cush. And it came to pass, when we drew near to Egypt, that trembling seized hold upon the Egyptians. And they sent word to us: ‘Are ye for war or for peace?’ We replied: ‘For peace: we shall pass through your land to the river Pishon, for there we shall find a resting-place.’ And it came to pass, because they did not believe us, that all the Egyptians stood on their watch until we had passed through their land and reached the land of Cush, which we found to be a good and fertile land, having fields, vineyards, gardens, and parks. The inhabitants of Cush did not prevent the children of Dan from dwelling with them, for we took the land by force. And it came to pass, because we wanted to slay all of them, that they became tributaries, paying taxes to the Israelites. And we dwelt with them many years, until we were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. And we had great wealth. VIII. JOSIPPON [A historical book written in biblical style. Although ascribed to the famous historian Josephus, it is a production of the ninth century at the earliest.] Mattathias Charges His Sons Before His Death, and Appoints Judah Who Is Called Maccabæus as Leader in His Stead[67]