the first (6) day of the lunar month Xanthicus. They then made a
public funeral for her, at a great expense. She was buried upon a
certain mountain, which they call Sin: and when they had mourned
for her thirty days, Moses purified the people after this manner:
He brought a heifer that had never been used to the plough or to
husbandry, that was complete in all its parts, and entirely of a
red color, at a little distance from the camp, into a place
perfectly clean. This heifer was slain by the high priest, and
her blood sprinkled with his finger seven times before the
tabernacle of God; after this, the entire heifer was burnt in
that state, together with its skin and entrails; and they threw
cedar-wood, and hyssop, and scarlet wool, into the midst of the
fire; then a clean man gathered all her ashes together, and laid
them in a place perfectly clean. When therefore any persons were
defiled by a dead body, they put a little of these ashes into
spring water, with hyssop, and, dipping part of these ashes in
it, they sprinkled them with it, both on the third day, and on
the seventh, and after that they were clean. This he enjoined
them to do also when the tribes should come into their own land.

7. Now when this purification, which their leader made upon the
mourning for his sister, as it has been now described, was over,
he caused the army to remove and to march through the wilderness
and through Arabia; and when he came to a place which the
Arabians esteem their metropolis, which was formerly called Arce,
but has now the name of Petra, at this place, which was
encompassed with high mountains, Aaron went up one of them in the
sight of the whole army, Moses having before told him that he was
to die, for this place was over against them. He put off his
pontifical garments, and delivered them to Eleazar his son, to