1When they arrived at the place called Schedia, near Alexandria, the king scheduled the following forty days.
2The deadline was for the scribes to count all the Jews present, from the oldest to the nursing infants.
3They would be taken to Schedia and there would be crushed under the feet of elephants.
4When word reached the king that the Jews from other parts of the city were still leaving in secret.
5They were departing during the night to lament the miserable fate of their condemned brothers.
6He then ordered that all be treated in the same manner as those.
7That they be registered and led to Schedia, so that all might be executed on a single day.
8The registration proceeded with all haste and bitter zeal, from sunrise to sunset.
9Of forty days, still thirteen remained when the papyrus and pens ran out.
10The order for registration had been given by the king so that in one day they could destroy them.
11God Almighty, however, intervened and changed the heart of the king.
12When Hermon came to prepare the elephants, a deep sleep unexpectedly came upon the king.
13By the providence of God, who governs all things, this sleep detained the destructive plan.
14The women, who implored, continued in tears, together with the men and children.
15But the elephants became useless, for they also fell asleep.
16The terrible fate, prepared against all the people, was thus frustrated once again.
17The following night, the king could not fall asleep.
18In the morning he called Hermon and ordered that the elephants be prepared.
19Hermon prepared five huge elephants and got them drunk with pure wine and much incense.
20He did this early in the morning, intending to release them against the Jews.
21But the Lord once again sent sleep upon those who plotted against the righteous.
22The king himself was seized by a deep forgetfulness.
23Thus, neither kings nor elephants could execute what they had planned.
24Hermon, however, who never gave up, prepared everything again.
25He thought: This time there will be no failure.
26He ordered that the elephants be prepared at dusk.
27The king, awakening, took position at the gates of the hippodrome.