SECT. I. The manner of their casting lots, for every mans several imployment.
THEN did the President call upon them to go and cast lots, to decide and appoint what work every one must go about. The place where they were to do this, was in the building Gazith, namely in that room of it that stood within the Court: for some part of it stood within the Court, and that part upon some occasions was as the Chappel of the Temple, and some part of it stood out into the chel 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and in that there sate the great Sanhedrin.
* 1.1 Being come together into the place, they all stand round, and conclude upon a num∣ber that they will count, as threescore, fourscore, or a hundred, or what they thought good. Then the President of the lottery takes off some one of their caps, and puts it on again, and Here (saith he) will I begin to count: Now put up your fingers: They put up their fingers, one, or two, or three, as they pleased: and he begins at him whose cap he had taken off, and tells the fingers that were held up round: He at whose fingers the tale or sum agreed upon is up, he is the man on whom the lot is faln, and to him doth that particular service accrew, for which the lot was cast.
‖ 1.2 The first lotting was to determine who should first cleanse the burnt offering Altar of its ashes. They had used to run and scramble for this service, and first come to the Al∣tar, first do it: But (besides the roughness and irreverence this manner of doing carried with it) a special occurrence and inconvenience that befel at one time, (which was, that one of the Priests thus shuffling for this business, was thrust down by his fellow from off the rise off the Altar, and brake his leg) did cause the Sanhedrin to take order that the work should be done with more reverence and calmness, and therefore they decreed that the lottery should appoint who should do it, and this was the first imployment that they lotted for, and he at whom the number agreed upon is up, must have it.