[Sidenote: Joel 2:21-24] Fear not, O land, exult, And rejoice for Jehovah hath done great things. Fear not, O beasts of the field, For the pastures of the wilderness are putting forth new grass, For the trees bear their fruit, Fig tree and vine yield their strength. Be glad, then, ye sons of Zion, And rejoice in Jehovah your God, For he hath given you the early rain in just measure, And poured down upon you the winter rain, And sent the latter rain as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. [Sidenote: Joel 2:25-27] I will make restoration to you for the years which the swarmer hath eaten, The devourer, the destroyer, and the shearer, My great army which I sent among you, And ye shall eat your food and be satisfied, And praise the name of Jehovah your God, Who hath dealt so wonderfully by you, And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, That I am Jehovah your God and none else, And my people shall nevermore be abashed. [Sidenote: Joel 2:28, 29] And it shall come to pass afterwards, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions, And even upon thy male and female slaves, In those days I will pour out my spirit. [Sidenote: (Jos. Ant. XI, 7:1)] When Eliashib the high priest was dead, his son Judas succeeded him in the high priesthood. Then, when he was dead, his son Johanan assumed that dignity. It was on his account that Bagoses, the general of Artaxerxes [Mnemon], desecrated the temple and imposed tribute on the Jews, that at public expense they should pay for every lamb fifty shekels. The reason for this was as follows: Jeshua was the brother of Johanan. Bagoses, who was Jeshua's friend, promised to secure for him the high priesthood. Trusting, therefore, in this support, Jeshua quarrelled with Johanan in The temple and so provoked his brother that, in his anger, Johanan slew him. On this account the people were enslaved and the temple desecrated by the Persians. For when Bagoses, the general of Artaxerxes, knew that Johanan, the high priest of the Jews had slain his own brother Jeshua in the temple, he immediately came against the Jews and began in anger to say to them, Have you dared commit a murder in your temple! And when he attempted to go into the temple they tried to prevent him doing so; but he said to them, Am I not purer than he who was slain in the temple? And when he had said these words, he went into the temple. Thus Bagoses made use of this pretext and punished the Jews seven years for the murder of Jeshua.