וּרְאִיתִ֞יו מַגִּ֣יעַ ׀ אֵ֣צֶל הָאַ֗יִל וַיִּתְמַרְמַ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ וַיַּ֣ךְ אֶת־הָאַ֔יִל וַיְשַׁבֵּר֙ אֶת־שְׁתֵּ֣י קְרָנָ֔יו וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה כֹ֛חַ בָּאַ֖יִל לַעֲמֹ֣ד לְפָנָ֑יו וַיַּשְׁלִיכֵ֤הוּ אַ֙רְצָה֙ וַֽיִּרְמְסֵ֔הוּ וְלֹא־הָיָ֥ה מַצִּ֛יל לָאַ֖יִל מִיָּדֽוֹ׃
Aku melihat kambing itu sampai di dekat domba jantan itu. Dengan geram ia menyerangnya, menghantam domba jantan itu dan mematahkan kedua tanduknya. Domba jantan itu tidak berdaya untuk bertahan di hadapannya. Kambing itu menghempaskannya ke tanah dan menginjak-injaknya, dan tidak ada yang dapat melepaskan domba jantan itu dari kuasanya.
Ezra ben Solomon
Israel underwent subjugation to these nations in accord with the following order. Senacherib, king of Assyria, who was also king of Medea, exiled the ten tribes. “He settled them in Halah, along the Habor [and] the river Gozan, and in the towns of Media” [II Kings 18:11]. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, at the appointed time, exiled Judah and Benjamin. Isaiah the prophet forecast the downfall of Babylon by the hands of the Medeans, just as he forecasted Cyrus’ command for Israel’s manumission. “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who do not value silver or delight in gold” [Isa. 13:17]. At the prophecy’s conclusion he states: “And when the Lord has given you rest from your sorrow and trouble, and from the hard service that you were made to serve, you shall recite this song of scorn over the king of Babylon” [Isa. 14:3–4]. Then follows the song’s content until it comes to its conclusion “I will rise up against them … and will wipe out of Babylon name and remnant, kith and kin …” [Isa. 14:22]. Isaiah similarly prophesied regarding Cyrus’ decree concerning Israel: “So says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I strengthened” [Isa. 45:1], “He will build my city” [Isa. 45:13]. We find similarly in Daniel [5:30–6:1]: “During that very night Belshazzar the King was killed and Darius the Mede received the kingdom.” He reigned one year to complete the seventy years apportioned to the sovereignty of Babylon.143See Megillah 12a. During the first year of Cyrus’ reign, the decree concerning Israel was issued and Israel came under the jurisdiction of the kingdom of Medea. Afterwards, the kingdom of Greece arose, that is, Alexander the Macedonian, the three-year old goat and Daniel’s tzfir ‘izim.144See p. 96 above. He fought with the ram [Dan. 8:7], these being the kings of Medea, Darius the Persian, putting him to the sword, as it is written: “There was no one to rescue the ram from his power” [Dan. 8:7]. Israel, both those in Babylon and those in Jerusalem during the period of the second Temple, came under the rule of the king of Greece. The rule of the kings of Greece lasted one hundred and eighty years, as it states in the tractate Avodah Zarah [9a]. At that time war broke out between Greece and Rome, as our sages taught in Avodah Zarah [8b]: “The Romans engaged in thirty-two battles with Greeks and were not able to overcome them until Israel allied itself with Rome.” Israel revolted against the Greeks during the period of the second Temple, coming under Roman authority and keeping faithful alliance with them for twenty-six years. Then the Romans turned against them, destroyed the second Temple, and the kingdom of Greece was subjugated by the Romans. Nor will the son of David come until the dominion of the kingdom of Rome spreads over the entire world for nine months, just as the other three kingdoms spread over the entire world. For this reason, our sages ordained the drinking of four cups of wine,145On the eve of Passover, celebrating the first redemption but anticipating the last. corresponding to the four terms for redemption appearing in the pericope Va‘era [Exod. 6:6–7], conveying the glad tidings to Israel that they will go forth from their subjugation to the four kingdoms.