4 Maccabees · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
4 Maccabees 14 Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Notes on this text (1)
- Ezra and Nehemiah form one book (2 Esdras) in this edition; the reader shows them as Ezra 1–10 and Nehemiah 1–13.
1 Προσέτι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν αἰκισμὸν ἐποτρύνοντες, ὡς μὴ μόνον τῶν ἀλγηδόνων περιφρονῆσαι αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν φιλαδελφίας παθῶν κρατῆσαι.
1 More that this, they even urged them on to this mistreatment; so that they not only despised pains themselves, but they even got the better of their affections of brotherly love.
2 Ὦ βασιλέως λογισμοὶ βασιλικώτεροι καὶ ἐλευθέρων ἐλευθερώτεροι.
2 Reasoning is more royal than a king, and freer than freemen!
3 Ἱερὰς καὶ ἐναρμόστους περὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀδελφῶν συμφωνίας.
3 What a sacred and harmonious concert of the seven kindred as concerning piety!
4 Οὐδεὶς ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ μειρακίων ἐδειλίασεν, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸν θάνατον ὤκνησεν.
4 None of the seven youths turned cowardly or shrank back from death.
5 Ἀλλὰ πάντες, ὥσπερ ἐπʼ ἀθανασίας ὁδὸν τρέχοντες, ἐπὶ τὸν διὰ τῶν βασάνων θάνατον ἔσπευδον.
5 But all of them, as though running the road to immortality, hastened on to death through tortures.
6 Καθάπερ γὰρ χεῖρες καὶ πόδες συμφώνως τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀφηγήμασιν κινοῦνται· οὕτως οἱ ἱεροὶ μείρακες ἐκεῖνοι ὡς ὑπὸ ψυχῆς ἀθανάτου τῆς εὐσεβείας, πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς συνεφώνησαν θάνατον.
6 For just as hands and feet are moved sympathetically with the directions of the soul, so those holy youths agreed to death for religion’s sake, as through the immortal soul of religion.
7 Ὦ παναγία ἡ συμφώνον ἀδελφῶν ἐβδομάς· καθάπερ γὰρ ἑπτὰ τῆς κοσμοποιΐας ἡμέραι περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν,
7 O holy seven of harmonious kindred! For as the seven days of creation, about religion,
8 οὕτος περὶ τὴν ἑβδομάδα χορεύοντες οἱ μείρακες ἐκύκλουν τὸν τῶν βασάνων φόβον καταλύοντες.
8 so the youths, circling around the number seven, annulled the fear of torments.
9 Νῦν ἡμεῖς ἀκούοντες τῆν θλίψιν τῶν νεανίων ἐκείνων, φρίττομεν· οἱ δὲ οὐ μόνον ὁρῶντες, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μόνον ἀκούοντες τὸν παραχρῆμα ἀπειλῆς λόγον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσχοντες, ἐκαρτέρουν καὶ τοῦτο ταῖς διὰ πυρὸς ὀδύναις.
9 We now shudder at the recital of the affliction of those young men; but they not only saw, and not only heard the immediate execution of the threat, but undergoing it, persevered; and that through the pains of fire.
10 Ὧν τί γένοιτο ἐπαλγέστερον; ὀξεῖα γὰρ καὶ σύντομος ἡ τοῦ πυρὸς οὖσα δύναμις, ταχέως διέλυσε τὰ σώματα.
10 What could be more painful? For the power of fire, being sharp and quick, speedily dissolved their bodies.
11 Καὶ μὴ θαυμαστὸν ἡγεῖσθε, εἰ ὁ λογισμὸς περιεκράτησεν τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων ἐν ταῖς βασάνοις, ὅπου γε καὶ γυναικὸς νοῦς πολυτροπωτέρον ὑπερεφρόνησεν ἀλγηδόνων.
11 Don’t think it wonderful that reasoning ruled over those men in their torments, when even a woman’s mind despised more manifold pains.
12 Ἡ μήτηρ γὰρ τῶν ἑπτὰ νεανίσκων ὑπήνεγκεν τὰς ἐφʼ ἑνὶ ἐκάστῳ τῶν τέκνων στρέβλας.
12 For the mother of those seven youths endured the rackings of each of her children.
13 Θεωρεῖτε δὲ πῶς πολύπλοκός ἐστιν ἡ τῆς φιλοτεκνίας στοργὴ, ἕλκουσα πάντα πρὸς τὴν τῶν σπλάγχνων συμπάθειαν.
13 Consider how comprehensive is the love of offspring, which draws every one to sympathy of affection,
14 Ὅπου γε καὶ τὰ ἄλογα ζῶα ὁμοίαν τὴν πρὸς τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν γεννώμενα συμπάθειαν καὶ στοργὴν ἔχει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις.
14 where irrational animals possess a similar sympathy and love for their offspring with men.
15 Καὶ γὰρ τῶν πετεινῶν, τὰ μὲν ἥμερα κατὰ τὰς οἰκίας ὀροφοιτοῦντα προασπίζει τῶν νεοττῶν.
15 The tame birds frequenting the roofs of our houses defend their fledglings.
16 Τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὰς κορυφὰς ὀρέων καὶ φαράγγων ἀποῤῥῶγας καὶ δένδρων ὀπὰς καὶ τὰς τούτων ἄκρας νοσσοποιησάμενα ἀποτίκτει, καὶ τὸν προσιόντα κωλύει.
16 Others build their nests and hatch their young on the tops of mountains, in the precipices of valleys, and the holes and tops of trees, and keep intruders away.
17 Εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ δύναιντο κωλύειν, περιπτάμενα κυκλόθεν αὐτῶν ἀλγοῦντα τῇ στοργῇ, ἀνακαλούμενα τῇ ἰδίᾳ φωνῇ, καθʼ ὃν δύναται τρόπον βοηθεῖ τοῖς τέκνοις.
17 If not able to do this, they fly circling round them in agony of affection, calling out in their own note, and save their offspring in whatever manner they are able.
18 Καὶ τί δεῖ τὴν διὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων ἐπιδεικνύναι τὴν πρὸς τὰ τέκνα συμπάθειαν.
18 But why should we point attention to the sympathy toward children shown by irrational animals?
19 Ὅπου γε καὶ μέλισσαι περὶ τὸν τῆς κηρογονίας καιρὸν ἐπαμύνονται τοὺς προσιόντας, καὶ καθάπερ σιδήρῳ τῷ κέντρῳ πλήσσουσι τοὺς προσιόντας τῇ νοσσιᾷ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπαμύνονται ἕως θανάτου.
19 Even bees, at the season of honey-making, attack all who approach, and pierce with their sting, as with a sword, those who draw near their hive, and repel them even to death.
20 Ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ τὴν Ἁβραὰμ ὁμόψυχον τῶν νεανίων μητέρα μετεκίνησεν συμπάθεια τῆς συμπαθείας τέκνων.
20 But sympathy with her children didn’t turn away the mother of the young men, who had a spirit kindred with that of Abraham.