§  1.  Now  the  Jebusites,  who  were  the  inhabit-
ants of  Jerusalem,  and  were  by  extraction
Canaanites,  shut  their  gates,  and  placed  the
blind,  and  the  lame,  and  all  their  maimed  per-
sons, upon  the  wall,  in  way  of  derision  of  the
king ;  and  said,  that  the  very  lame  themselves
would  hinder  his  entrance  into  it.  This  they
did  out  of  contempt  of  his  power,  and  as
depending  on  the  strength  of  their  walls.  David
was  hereby  enraged,  and  began  the  siege  of
Jerusalem,  and  employed  his  utmost  diligence
and  alacrity  therein,  as  intending,  by  the  taking
of  this  place,  to  demonstrate  his  power,  and  to
intimidate  all  others  that  might  be  of  the  like
[evil]  disjiosition  towards  him:  so  he  took  the
lower  city  by  force,  but  the  citadel  held  out
stUl ;  X  whence  it  was  that  the  king,  knowing
that  the  proposal  of  dignities  and  rewards  would
encourage  the  soldiers  to  greater  actions,  pro-
mised that  he  who  should  first  go  over  the
ditches  that  were  beneath  the  citadel,  and  should
ascend  to  the  citadel  itself  and  take  it,  should
have  the  command  of  tlie  entire  people  conferred
upon  him.  So  they  all  were  ambitious  to  as-
cend, and  thought  no  pains  too  great  in  order  to
ascend  thither,  out  of  their  desii-e  of  the  chief

t  These  words  of  Josephus,  "who  foreknew  what  was
to  come  hereafter,"  are  best  paraphrased  by  the  parallel
text,  (1  Chron.  xii.  32,) — "  Wlio  had  understanding  of
the  times,  to  know  what  Israel  ought  to  do  ;"  that  is.
Who  had  so  much  knowledge  in  astroiiomy  as  to  make
calendars  for  the  Israelites.
