Ptolemy, that he might relieve his mother and brothers. So he laid siege
to the fortress and was superior to Ptolemy in other respects; but he was
defeated through his natural affection. For when Ptolemy was distressed,
he brought Hyrcanus's mother and his brothers and set them upon the wall
and beat them with rods in the sight of all and threatened that unless
Hyrcanus went away immediately, he would throw them down headlong. At this
sight Hyrcanus's pity and concern overcame his anger.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 2:4d]
And since the siege was delayed in this way, the year of rest came on,
during which the Jews rest every seventh year as they do on every seventh
day. In this year, therefore, Ptolemy was freed from being besieged. He
also slew the brothers of Hyrcanus with their mother, and fled to Zeno,
who was the tyrant of Philadelphia.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 2:5]
And now Antiochus [Sidetes] was so angry at what he had suffered from
Simon that he made an expedition into Judea and laid siege to Jerusalem
and shut up Hyrcanus. But Hyrcanus opened the tomb of David, who was the
richest of all kings, took from there more than three thousand talents of
money and induced Antiochus upon the promise of three thousand talents to
raise the siege. Moreover he was the first of the Jews who had plenty of
money, and so began to hire foreign mercenaries.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 2:6]
At another time, when Antiochus had gone upon an expedition against the
Medes and thus given Hyrcanus an opportunity to be revenged upon him,
Hyrcanus made an attack upon the cities of Syria, thinking, as proved to
be the case, that he would find them empty of good troops. So he took
Medeba and Samaga with their surrounding towns; likewise Shechem and Mount