**Alexander** son of King Yochanan, brother of Aristobulus, and called Hyrkanos the third in his father's name, reigned in year 3670, the 7th of the Chashmona'im. And he was a mighty warrior and fought all his enemies and conquered many provinces. And he loved the Perushim (Pharisees). And on the day of the willow, one of the Kohanim threw etrogim at him as a way of rejoicing, and there was a quarrel, and they said to the king that he was a challal and that his mother was captured in Har HaModiyit [(but in Kiddushin (66b) it says another matter - after he conquered 60 cities and rejoiced greatly, he called all the sages of Israel, etc., and they ate.

And there was a certain evil man, a scoffer and worthless fellow named Elazar ben Poirah, who said to the Perushim 'you should establish for him a plate between his eyes.' And there was a certain elder named Yehudah ben Gedidim who said to the king: 'The crown of kingship is sufficient for you, leave the crown of Kehunah to the seed of Aharon,' etc. (see above year 3647)]]. And 6,000 were killed in the king's courtyard by the palace, and the king became a Tzaduki.

And there was war for 6 years between him and the Perushim, and he killed 50,000, and all the sages except Shimon ben Shetach fled [(Tzeda). And according to Rashi (Kiddushin 66) his wife's brother was there, for his wife was the daughter of Rabbi Shimon (it should be daughter of Shetach, Bereishit). And this is not seen in Josephus. And likewise Rabbi Shem HaDuran chapter 2 from Magen Avot chapter 4 says that Alexander's wife Yanai was the sister of Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach.

And perhaps she was Shaltzion the queen who is mentioned in the chapter of Shabbat and chapter 2 of the fast and in Megillat Ta'anit (see above year 3622) - Shaltzion wife of Yanai the wicked and she was righteous (Yuchsin in Seder HaDorot)]. And Yehoshua ben Perachya his colleague fled, and Shimon ben Shetach asked the king and brought him back. And the king wanted to repent when he sat upon him, but the Perushim did not want to accept him.

And the war increased and many fell between them with a multitude. And they captured 800 of the great Perushim and ordered them all to be hanged. And he died of fever in the 18th year of his reign [(Tzeda). And in Josephus that he reigned 27 years (and likewise in Seder Olam Zuta, Yuchsin at the end)].