4 Maccabees · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
4 Maccabees 15 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 Ὦ λογίσμε τέκνων, παθῶν τύραννε, καὶ εὐσέβεια μητρὶ τέκνων ποθεινοτέρα.
1 O reasoning of the sons, lord over the emotions, and religion more desirable to a mother than children!
2 Μήτηρ δυοῖν προκειμένων εὐσεβείας, καὶ τῆς ἑπτὰ υἱῶν σωτηρίας προκαίρους κατὰ τὴν τοῦ τυράννου ὑπόσχεσιν·
2 The mother, when two things were set before her, religion and the safety of her seven sons for a time, on the conditional promise of a tyrant,
3 τὴν εὐσέβειαν μᾶλλον ἠγάπησεν τὴν σώζουσαν εἰς αἰώνιον ζωὴν κατὰ Θεόν.
3 rather elected the religion which according to God preserves to eternal life.
4 Ὦ τίνα τρόπον ἠθολογήσαιμι φιλότεκνα γονέων πάθη, ψυχῆς τε καὶ μορφῆς ὁμοιότητα εἰς μικρὸν παιδὸς χαρακτῆρα θαυμάσιον ἐναπεσφράγιζον, μάλιστα διὰ τὸν τῶν παθῶν τοῖς γεννηθεῖσιν τὰς μητέρας καθεστάναι συμπαθευτέρας.
4 In what way can I describe ethically the affections of parents toward their children, the resemblance of soul and of form impressed into the small type of a child in a wonderful manner, especially through the greater sympathy of mothers with the feelings of those born of them!
5 Ὅσῳ γὰρ καὶ ἀσθενόψυχοι καὶ πολυγονώτεραι ὑπάρχουσιν μητέρες, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλόν εἰσιν φιλοτεκνότεραι.
5 For by how much mothers are by nature weak in disposition and prolific in offspring, by so much the fonder they are of children.
6 Πασῶν δὲ τῶν μητέρων ἐγένετο ἡ τῶν ἑπτὰ μήτηρ φιλοτεκνοτέρα, ἥ τις ἑπτὰ κυοφορίαις τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπιφυτευομένη φιλοστοργία,
6 Of all mothers, the mother of the seven was the fondest of children, who in seven childbirths had deeply engendered love toward them.
7 καὶ διὰ πολλὰς τὰς καθʼ ἔκαστον αὐτῶν ὠδῖνας ἠναγκασμένην τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἔχειν συμπάθειαν,
7 Through her many pains undergone in connection with each one, she was compelled to feel sympathy with them;
8 διὰ τὸν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν φόβον ὑπερεῖδεν τὴν τῶν τέκνων πρόσκαιρον σωτηρίαν.
8 yet, through fear of God, she neglected the temporary salvation of her children.
9 Οὐ μὴν δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν καλοκᾳγαθίαν τῶν υἱῶν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν νόμον αὐτῶν εὐπείθειαν, μείζων τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔσχεν φιλοστοργίαν.
9 Not only so, but on account of the excellent disposition to the law, her maternal affection toward them was increased.
10 Δίκαιοί τε γὰρ ἦσαν, καὶ σώφρονες, καὶ σώφρονες, καὶ ἀνδρεῖοι, καὶ μεγαλόψυχοι, καὶ φιλάδελφοι, καὶ μεγαλόψυχοι, καὶ μεψαλόψυχοι, καὶ φιλάδελφοι, καὶ φιλομήτορες οὕτως, ὥστε καὶ μέχρι θανάτου τὰ νόμιμα φυλάσσοντες πείθεσθαι αὐτῇ.
10 For they were both just and temperate, and courageous, high-minded, fond of their kindred, and so fond of their mother that even to death they obeyed her by observing the law.
11 Ἀλλʼ ὅμως, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοσούτων ὄντων τῶν περὶ φιλοτεκνίαν εἰς συμπάθειαν ἑλκόντων τὴν μητέρα, ἐπʼ οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν τὸν λογισμὸν αὐτῆς αἱ παμποίκιλοι ἴσχυσαν μετατρέψαι.
11 Yet, though there were so many circumstances connected with love of children to draw on a mother to sympathy, in the case of none of them were the various tortures able to pervert her principle.
12 Ἀλλὰ καἰ καθʼ ἔνα παῖδα καὶ ὁμοῦ πάντας ἡ μήτηρ ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας προετρέπετο θάνατον.
12 But she inclined each one separately and all together to death for religion.
13 Ὦ φύσις ἱερὰ, καὶ φίλτρα γονέων καὶ γονεῦσιν φιλόστοργε, καὶ τροφεῖα, καὶ μητέρων ἀδάμαστα πάθη.
13 O holy nature and parental feeling, and reward of bringing up children, and unconquerable maternal affection!
14 Καθʼ ἕνα στρεβλούμενον καὶ φλεγόμενον ὁρῶσα υήτηρ, οὐ μετεβάλετο διὰ τὴν εὐσέβεβειαν.
14 At the racking and roasting of each one of them, the observant mother was prevented by religion from changing.
15 Τὰς σάρκας τῶν τέκνων ἑώρα περὶ τὸ πῦρ τηκομένας, καὶ τοὺς τὼν ποδῶν καὶ χειρῶν δακτύλους ἐπὶ γῆς σπαίροντας, καὶ τὰς τῶν κεφαλῶν μέχρι τῶν περὶ τὰ γένεια σάρκας, ὥσπερ προσωπεῖα προκειμένας.
15 She saw her children’s flesh dissolving around the fire, and their extremities quivering on the ground, and the flesh of their heads dropped forward down to their beards, like masks.
16 Ὦ πικροτέρων μὲν νῦν μήτηρ πόνων πειρασθεῖσα, ἤπερ τῶν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ὠδίνων.
16 O you mother, who was tried at this time with bitterer pangs than those at birth!
17 Ὦ μόνη γυνὴ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ὁλόκληρον ἀποκυήσασα.
17 O you only woman who have produced perfect holiness!
18 Οὐ μετέρεψέν σε πρωτότοκος ἀποπνέων· οὐδὲ δεύτερον εἰς οἶκτρον βλέπων ἐν βασάνοις· οὐδὲ τρίτος ἀποψύχων.
18 Your firstborn, expiring, didn’t turn you, nor the second, looking miserable in his torments, nor the third, breathing out his soul.
19 Οὐδὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑνὸς ἑκάστου θεωροῦσα ταυρηδὸν ἐπὶ τῶν βασάνων ὁρῶντας τὸν αὐτὸν αἰκισμὸν, καὶ τοὺς μυκτῆρας προσημειουμένους αὐτῶν τὸν θάνατον, οὐκ ἔκλαυσας.
19 You didn’t weep when you saw each of their eyes looking sternly at their tortures, and their nostrils foreboding death!
20 Ἐπὶ σαρξὶν τέκνων ὁρῶσα σάρκας τέκνων ἀποκεκομμένας, καὶ ἐπὶ κεφαλαῖς κεφαλὰς ἀποδειροτομουμένας, καὶ ἐπὶ νεκροῖς νεκροὺς πίπτοντας, καὶ πολυάνδριον ὁρῶσα τῶν τέκνων χορεῖον διὰ τῶν βασάνων, οὐκ ἐδάκρυσας.
20 When you saw children’s flesh heaped upon children’s flesh that had been torn off, heads decapitated upon heads, dead falling upon the dead, and a choir of children turned through torture into a burying ground, you didn’t lament.
21 Οὐχ οὕτως σειρήνιοι μελῳδίαι, οὐδὲ κύκνειοι πρὸς φιληκοΐαν φωναὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐφέλκονται, ὦ τέκνων φωναὶ μετὰ βασάνων μητέρα φωνούντων.
21 Not so do siren melodies or songs of swans attract the hearers to listening, O voices of children calling on your mother in the midst of torments!
22 Πηλίκαις καὶ πόσαις τότε ἡ μήτηρ, τῶν υἱῶν βασανιζομένων τροχοῖς τε καὶ καυτερίοις ἐβασανίζετο βασάνοις;
22 With what and what manner of torments was the mother herself tortured, as her sons were undergoing the wheel and the fires!
23 Ἀλλὰ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτῆς ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμὸς ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς πάθεσιν ἀνδρειώσας ἐπέτεινεν τὴν πρόσκαιρον φιλοτεκνίαν παριδεῖν.
23 But religious reasoning, having strengthened her courage in the midst of sufferings, enabled her to forego, for the time, parental love.
24 Καίπερ ἑπτὰ τέκνων ὁρῶσα ἀπώλειαν· ἀσπάσασα ἡ γενναῖα μήτηρ ἐξέδσεν διὰ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν πίστιν.
24 Although seeing the destruction of seven children, the noble mother, after one embrace, stripped off her feelings through faith in God.
25 Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν βουλευτηρίῳ τῇ ἑαυτῆς ψυχῇ δεινοὺς ὁρῶσα συμβούλους, φύσιν καὶ γένεσιν καὶ φιλοτεκνίαν καὶ τέκνων στρέβλαν.
25 For just as in a council room, seeing in her own soul vehement counselors, nature and parentage and love of her children, and the racking of her children,
26 Δύο ψήφους κρατοῦσα μήτηρ, θανατηφόρον τε καὶ σωτήριον ὑπὲρ τένων·
26 she holding two votes, one for the death, the other for the preservation of her children,
27 Οὐκ ἐπέγνω τὴν σώζουσαν ἑπτὰ υἱοὺς πρὸς ὀλίγον χρόνον σωτηρίαν.
27 didn’t lean to that which would have saved her children for the safety of a brief space.
28 Ἀλλὰ τῆς θεοσεβοῦς Ἁβραὰμ καρτερίας ἡ θυγάτηρ ἐμνήσθη.
28 But this daughter of Abraham remembered his holy fortitude.
29 Ὦ μήτηρ ἔθνους, ἔκδικε τοῦ νόμου, καὶ ὑπερασπίστεια τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ τοῦ διὰ σπλάγχνων ἀγῶνος ἀθλοφόρε.
29 O holy mother of a nation, avenger of the law, defender of religion, and prime bearer in the battle of the affections!
30 Ὦ ἀῤῥένων πρὸς καρτερίαν γενναιοτέρα, καὶ ἀνδρῶν πρὸς ὑπομονὴν ἀνδρειοτέρα.
30 O you nobler in endurance than males, and more courageous than men in perseverance!
31 Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ Νῶε κιβωτὸς ἐν τῷ κοσμοπληθεῖ κατακλυσμῷ κοσμοφοροῦσα καρτεροὺς ὑπήνεγκεν τοὺς κλύδωνας·
31 For like Noah’s ship, bearing the world in the world-filling flood, bore up against the waves,
32 οὕτως σὺ, ἡ νομοφύλαξ, πανταχόθεν ἐν τῷ τῶν παθῶν περιαντλουμένη κατακλυσμῷ, καὶ καρτεροῖς ἂν λοιμοῖς ταῖς τῶν υἱῶν βασάνοις συνεχομένη, γενναίως ὑπέμεινας τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας χειμῶνας.
32 so you, the guardian of the law, when surrounded on every side by the flood of emotions, and assaulted by violent storms which were the torments of your children, bore up nobly against the storms against religion.