prison-house because he had ventured freely to chide and reprove him for
entering into a covenant with the king of Armenia.

(18:25) Other examples might be cited, tending to prove that religion
gained more harm than good by such freedom, not to speak of the further
consequence, that if the prophets had retained their rights, great
civil wars would have resulted.

(26) III. It is remarkable that during all the period, during which the
people held the reins of power, there was only one civil war, and that one
was completely extinguished, the conquerors taking such pity on the
conquered, that they endeavoured in every way to reinstate them in their
former dignity and power. (27) But after that the people, little accustomed
to kings, changed its first form of government into a monarchy, civil war
raged almost continuously; and battles were so fierce as to exceed all
others recorded; in one engagement (taxing our faith to the utmost)
five hundred thousand Israelites were slaughtered by the men of Judah, and
in another the Israelites slew great numbers of the men of Judah (the
figures are not given in Scripture), almost razed to the ground the walls of
Jerusalem, and sacked the Temple in their unbridled fury. (28) At length,
laden with the spoils of their brethren, satiated with blood, they took
hostages, and leaving the king in his well-nigh devastated kingdom, laid
down their arms, relying on the weakness rather than the good faith of their
foes. (29) A few years after, the men of Judah, with recruited strength,
again took the field, but were a second time beaten by the Israelites, and
slain to the number of a hundred and twenty thousand, two hundred thousand
of their wives and children were led into captivity, and a great booty again
seized. (30) Worn out with these and similar battles set forth at length in
their histories, the Jews at length fell a prey to their enemies.