Thus ended the life of him, who is handed down to posterity as one of the most wretched beings recorded in the annals of Jewish history; and it is worthy of notice how God punishes the wicked. He who had shed so much innocent blood, that his own blood was made to flow from him until he breathed his last; an example as well as a warning to those who were in the service of this wicked man, and who were following the same sinful career as their cruel master. Aristobulus was succeeded by his brother Alexander; he began his reign by putting his brother to death, because of some attempt to supplant him in the government. Alexander immediately set about arranging all matters relating to the home department, and then commenced to attack his neighbors around him without any reserve. At this time Ptolemy Lathyrus was heir to the crown of Egypt; Alexander behaved very deceitfully toward him, which caused much enmity and ill feeling to exist on both sides; and the result was, a very severe battle between them, near the river Jordan. Alexander and his army were completely routed, with the loss of about thirty thousand men. There is a very cruel and barbarous action charged to Lathyrus on this occasion. On the evening after the victory, he marched his men from the field of battle to take up quarters in the adjacent villages, which were all crowded with the wives and children of the vanquished army. He gave orders to kill all of them, without any distinction; their bodies to be cut in pieces and boiled in cauldrons. It is supposed that he did this with a view of creating terror among all the surrounding nations, and to cause a belief that his men fed on human flesh. After this, Lathyrus ranged at liberty all over the country, plundering and destroying it in a very lamentable manner; for Alexander after this battle, was not in a condition to resist him. In this dilemma, Alexander fortunately met with assistance from Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. Cleopatra, fearing lest Lathyrus, her eldest son, should become possessed of Judea, and might be induced to take Egypt out of her hands, agreed with her youngest son to support Alexander.