The Book of Josippon (Hebrew Version)

The Death of Herod

In those days, King Herod became ill, and his illness lay heavily upon him, and he wrote in a will and testament that his son Antipas should reign after him. And he summoned his sister Salome [Shulamit] and gave her much silver and gold and ordered her to carry out his wishes in respect to the nobles and their children, whom he had incarcerated in the Hippodrome, namely, to slay them, so that many would weep at the death of the king.

Now, the king was seventy years old when he became ill, and his malady turned worse day by day, and he sought to wreak vengeance upon Antipater before he died, but he was waiting for the messengers whom he had sent to speak to Augustus concerning Acme, the maidservant of Julia, wife of Augustus, for Acme was in league with Antipater. Accordingly, the king sent word to tell Augustus to take revenge upon Acme and subsequently upon Antipater.

And it happened one day, when the disease pressed heavily upon him, that he was exceedingly distressed, hated his life, and desired death. He said to his servants, “Bring me a sweet apple and place it in my hand.” And his servants did so.

Then the king said, “Give me the knife, and I will cleanse it with my hand, as that is the way in which I delight to eat.”

They placed the knife in his hand, and he arose slightly, strengthened himself, leaned on his left arm, raised a sword in his right hand—the one he had used to cleanse the apple—and wanted to thrust it into his belly. But Achiabus ran and seized his right hand, took the knife from his hand, and saved him. And all those standing in the presence of the king raised their voices and wept, and likewise all the servants of the king and all the people of his household cried out aloud in weeping. The sound could be heard at a great distance, and a rumor spread that the king had died.

Antipater rejoiced at the sound of the people crying out, and he said to the officer who had been put in charge of the prison, “Release me, and I shall go!” But the officer not only did not release him but also came before the king and related the words of Antipater to him.

Then the king cried out in fierce anger, saying, “Will the murderer rejoice and be happy at my downfall and death?” He gave orders to the executioners, and they slew him [Antipater] at the king’s command. Antipater perished and was buried in a city called Hyrcania, as the king had commanded. He erased Antipater’s name from the will and testament by which he had designated him as king and designated Archelaus as king [instead] and inscribed him in the will and testament to be king after himself.

The king survived for five days after slaying Antipater. He died and was buried with his ancestors. Herod reigned over the whole of Judea for thirty-seven years and died a successful man. And would that, once God granted him success externally and from all around, he had shown forbearance to the people of his own household! But within his household he was a man of strife! He was also successful from his youth, for he had no entitlement to kingship from his ancestors, and not only that, he reigned for many years and even bequeathed the kingdom to his son, which he [Herod] had not inherited from his father.

He died leaving his household weeping and in lamentation, as he had slain his sons. But as for the decree that he decreed upon Salome and her husband Alexander, adjuring them to slay the nobles of the nation, and their children, in order that many people would weep at his death, Salome did not do this. Salome spoke to the troops, saying, “The king ordered that the Hippodrome be opened and that the nobles of the nation and their children, be released, as the king relented from the evil that he had said he would do to them.” They released them, and they went to their homes.