**Agrippos** [the king died during the time of Claudius, and Hordos his brother reigned in his place for 3 years (Yuchsin, Ma'amar 5, section 6). And I do not know this Hordos, and he is not mentioned in Tzeda].

**Agrippos** the Second, son of Agrippos the First [(in Rashi Sotah 41a it says his mother was from Yisrael, and Rambam disputes this in Ein Yaakov saying his mother was not from Yisrael, and so too Tosafot in Bava Batra chapter 1)], was the 4th king of the House of Hordos, and he reigned in year 3804. The land did not rest for 20 years from the wars of Yisrael with the Romans, and there was pillaging and plundering in Edom and Yehudah.

At first he was a merciful king, pleasing to most of his people, until the zealots sinned against him [(Tzeda). And in Pesachim (127b) Rashi explains he was a kosher king from the Chashmona'i kings. And Tosafot wrote this is not precise, for in Sotah (41a) they say when he reached "You shall not place upon yourself a foreign king" his eyes streamed with tears, etc. And Tosefot Yom Tov in Bikkurim chapter 3 section 9 wrote in the name of the Rambam that among the kings of the Second Temple he had a great soul and much authority.

And it is written in Lechem Shamayim that in chapter 7 of Sotah it implies he was a kosher king with a humble soul, and he also passed before the bride]. He was a great scholar, expert in languages, and reigned for 21 years. In his days the Temple was destroyed [(as Rashi Sotah 41a writes, he was present when the Temple was destroyed in his days, and Sha'ar HaDorot and Tzeda wrote that he was killed 3 years before the destruction)], and then Chananya the Kohen was a Tzeduki [(Yuchsin Ma'amar 5 end of section 6).

And in Sha'ar HaDorot 25 it says Agrippos son of Aristobulus son of Alexander, brother of Archelaus from another wife, son of Hordos the Elder, the first who was made king over Yisrael through Tiberius Caesar of Rome, and he reigned 22 years. Vespasian and Titus came against him and killed him, and Munbaz his son ruled 3 and a half years before the destruction of the Temple, and then the Tamid offering was abolished, etc.

He omitted Agrippos the Second and did not mention him at all. In my opinion there is a scribal omission here, and it should read: and he reigned 22 years (meaning Agrippos the First, and he died in year 3804) and afterward Agrippos the Second was made king (meaning in year 3804) and he reigned 21 years, and Vespasian and Titus killed him 3 years before the destruction (which was year 3828, for 3804 plus 21 and 3 years complete year 3828, and so it is in Tzeda, see year 3828).

A similar error is in Yuchsin Ma'amar 5 end of section 6 where he wrote that Hordos Tetrarch died and Agrippos son of Agrippos reigned in his place for 21 years - behold, he omitted Agrippos the First, and it is easily understood].

**Munbaz** the King and Hilani the Queen (his mother) are mentioned in the first chapter of Bava Batra [(Yoma 2b)] and Yerushalmi first chapter of Peah. In Bereishit Rabbah chapter 46, Munbaz and Bazutos were sons of King Talmai. In Ma'aseh Nissim chapter 51, 52 it says they were converts [(and so in Rabbah, end of chapter 46, mentioned there)].

Therefore do not confuse this Munbaz with Munbaz son of Agrippos [(the Second, see year 3825)]. This was around year 3804 [Tzeda, (and in Aruch, entry "malbaz," in the chapter HaMemuneh, Munigaz the king made all the handles of the vessels - explained as "malboz" in Old French meaning Munbaz in the Talmud, and in Musaf Aruch he was the king of Hadiva). See Sefer Dovev Siftei Yeshenim (26): "My fathers inherited from below" (first chapter of Bava Batra) - how amazing is this regarding his fathers, and the resolution is that he was a convert, and from Rashi's words (there) it appears he was from the seed of the Chashmona'im.

In Yuchsin it says he was a convert, and certainly Rashi disagrees with him, etc.].

**Hilani** the Queen was the wife of a certain king from the kingdom of Hadiva near the kingdom of Madai whose name was Munbaz. Hilani was his wife and his sister. One night while he was in bed with his wife, his hand was on her belly and he heard a voice speaking to him: "Remove your hand from her belly, for the child that will be born to you from your wife will be a great king, and a good future and hope will be his." He rejoiced at this.

A son was born to him and he called his name Izatis. The king loved him more than all his other sons from other women. One older son that he had from Hilani his wife and sister was named Munbaz. His brothers were jealous of him when they saw that their father loved him with great love.

His father sent him to a certain king close to them named Abumiribo, king of Ishpasianu, as a gift, and he received him warmly and gave him his daughter as a wife, and he rejoiced greatly. He gave him a beautiful province from which he derived wealth and honor. While Izatis was in this province, a Yehudi came to him from the land of Yehudah named Chananyah, who taught Izatis the ways of the Torah and its character.

When he reached the commandment of circumcision, he wanted to circumcise himself, but his mother and Chananyah his teacher would not allow him. His mother prevented him for fear that if the great men of the kingdom heard he had changed his religion and his custom, they would abandon him and hate him. Chananyah prevented him saying that if they heard he had circumcised his foreskin they would say he taught him and would kill him.

Therefore he said: "HaShem sees the heart and your good intention, and if, Heaven forbid, you sin in your action, it is under duress and you have no guilt in this." Meanwhile his father Munbaz, close to his death, commanded his wife that his beloved son Izatis should sit on his throne, and he died at a good old age. His mother Hilani sent to call the great men of the kingdom, the secondary rulers and the officers, to agree to the kingship of Izatis, and they agreed.

They added to this saying she should bring all the brothers and relatives to the prison house so that the kingdom would be established in his hand. She was pleased at this matter and sent and called her son Izatis from the city where he was.

Meanwhile she placed her elder son Munbaz over the kingdom temporarily until his brother came, and so she did. When his brother Izatis came, he handed the kingdom over to him and did not do any wickedness or transgression in any way. Izatis entered the city and all received him peacefully and harmoniously as one man. He sent and called his brothers and relatives and brought them out of the prison house and sent some of them to Rome.

It happened that one day while he was in the kingdom with his mother and Chananyah his teacher, a certain Yehudi sage named El'azar came to him and found him reading the book of Torah of God. He said to him: "What benefit is there in reading the Torah if you do not perform its commandments and laws? How can you, being uncircumcised and impure, observe the holiness of the precious Written Law? This is my advice: circumcise yourself and your deeds will be perfected completely." When he heard this, he entered an inner chamber and sent and called a surgeon and circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

When his mother and Chananyah his teacher heard, they were saddened. But they placed their trust in God, blessed be He. It came to pass one day that men of Persia rebelled against the Caesar who was named Artaban, king of Persia. He came with a thousand men to King Izatis, who formerly had been under his authority along with other kings, for the king of Persia was Caesar over them.

One day Izatis went out to hunt and Artaban came against him. At first he did not recognize him, but afterward he did. He fell from the chariot before Artaban and said to him: "What is this, my lord the king?" He said to him: "Know, my brother, that time changes in every part, endless variations, and now while I was peacefully in my house and my friends in my palace, my brothers and friends have crowned an evildoer.

They despised me and drove me from my kingdom. Now if you desire to save me, do, and perform a good deed, and the sons of iniquity will no longer afflict kings." Artaban entreated Izatis to mount his horse and do this thing. He mounted his horse and both went to the house of Izatis. Izatis sent a letter to the great men of the Persian kingdom to accept their king and he would forgive them their sins.

They replied that they had already given the crown to Sinamov, and they could not change their word. Then Izatis wrote to Sinamov to give the kingdom to Artaban and not be ungrateful to his master. Sinamov replied that Artaban should come and he would hand over the kingdom to him. Artaban went with Izatis, and Sinamov came out to meet him and removed the crown from his head and gave it to Artaban, and the great men of the kingdom received him warmly.

Artaban gave Izatis permission to place a dagger called "changar" on his right side in the manner of Persian kings, and to lie on a bed of gold and silver, and gave him a beautiful province called Natzivin. Afterward, the officers of the kingdom of Izatis and its great men planned evil against their king saying he had changed his religion and abandoned the custom. But they saw that all his deeds HaShem made prosper in his hand and they could not harm him.

And so they sent to Abias king of the Arabs to wage war against Izatis. When he came against him, all the officers of the kingdom fled like fugitives from the sword. Izatis was left alone and they killed him. The king of the Arabs arranged his soldiers and gathered his warriors and came with a great army, and the camp of Izatis was greatly distressed.

When they began to fight face to face, the army officers of Izatis abandoned their king and fled. Izatis strengthened himself in the name of HaShem and entered his camp and took vengeance upon some who knew that the hand of the officers and governors had been treacherous, and some fled and escaped to the city. Afterward Izatis went out and waged war against the Arabs, and HaShem gave them into his hand and they fled before him.

They were trapped in one city and he burned it with fire and bound all its officers in chains. He sought Abias king of the Arabs but did not find him, for he had killed himself and fallen on his sword lest they abuse him. Izatis returned to his city happy and glad of heart and gave thanks to HaShem, blessed be His name. He took the remaining officers whose hand had been treacherous and hanged them on a tree.

But even so, their evil thought did not rest. Others stood in their place and betrayed him. They sent a letter to Bolgizio king of Persia, grandson of Artaban, to come to their kingdom and destroy Izatis. Afterward he would take the entire kingdom and place over it a servant of his servants, and they would accept him over them, for Izatis had abandoned their religion and they would abandon his kingdom.

When the king of Persia heard, he gathered all his soldiers and came to the mountain of Persia. He sent to Izatis saying: "Upon whom have you trusted that you have abandoned the religion of your people and gone after a people you did not know? Now I will chastise you with the rod of men and we will see if the god you have chosen will save you from my hand. And now, instead of the honor that my grandfather my elder did for you, I will remove you from your greatness and you will not lie on a bed of gold and you will not place the dagger on your side." When Izatis heard this evil matter, he was greatly distressed.

He placed his wife and children in a fortress with food, provisions, and sufficient water. He said to the kings that he was prepared to wage war. Izatis went to one room where he prayed every day and put on sackcloth beneath his garments, removed the crown, put ashes on his head, and prayed to HaShem saying: "HaShem God, now You know that I was killed because of You and because I knocked on Your doors and cleaved to Your laws, rise against this uncircumcised one who has blasphemed the armies of the living God.

Now You know that I am not able to fight against this huge multitude and my strength is not sufficient to stand against them.

Therefore, HaShem God, behold all are as nothing and their kingdom is as dust before You. Act for the sake of Your great name that is blasphemed by this uncircumcised one, and all the peoples of the earth will know that whoever trusts in HaShem will be surrounded by kindness." At the time Izatis rose from kneeling, the king of Persia heard that enemies had entered his land, and he returned in shame to his land.

From that day and forward, the kingdom was established in his hand without breach or departure. His mother Hilani the Queen resolved to go to Yerushalayim and to dwell there for several years. She took herself and went, she and her elder son Munbaz, to Yerushalayim and found the city in famine and lack of everything. She rose and emptied all her treasuries and sent to Alexandria in Egypt to bring wheat, and to Cyprus for dried figs and summer fruits, and distributed to all the poor.

This is Munbaz the King who is mentioned in Bava Batra, for he rose and emptied all his treasuries in years of drought. King Izatis also opened his treasuries and sent to Yerushalayim and distributed to the poor and the destitute. Hilani the Queen, our Sages of blessed memory say she was a Nazirite for 7 years and made a golden candelabrum [(meaning a menorah over the entrance of the Heichal, and a tablet on which the portion of Sotah was written, first chapter of Yoma)].

The sons of her house helped Yisrael at the time of the destruction of the Temple to help HaShem among the mighty [(Munbaz and Izatis are mentioned in Rabbah Parshat Lech Lecha as Munbaz and Bazutos)]. After the death of Izatis, she returned to her city, and Munbaz his elder brother reigned in his place. In time she also died there, and King Munbaz sent her bones to Yerushalayim along with the bones of his brother Izatis and buried them with great honor in Yerushalayim in the tomb that she made while she was in Yerushalayim, three parasangs from Yerushalayim [(Yuchsin Ma'amar 5, section 6, and see Ma'aseh Nissim chapter 51)].