4 Maccabees · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
4 Maccabees 5 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 Προκαθίσας γέ τοι μετὰ τῶν συνέδρων ὁ τύραννος Ἀντίοχος ἐπί τινος ὑψηλοῦ τόπου,
1 The tyrant Antiochus, therefore, sitting in public state with his assessors upon a certain lofty place, with his armed troops standing in a circle around him,
2 καὶ τῶν στρατευμάτων αὐτῶν ἐνόπλων κυκλόθεν παρεστηκότων παρεκέλευεν τοῖς δορυφόροις ἕνα ἕκαστον τῶν Ἑβραίων περισπᾶσθαι καὶ κρεῶν ὑείων καὶ εἰδωλοθύτων ἀναγκάζειν ἀπογεύεσθαι.
2 commanded his spearbearers to seize every one of the Hebrews, and to compel them to taste swine’s flesh and things offered to idols.
3 Εἰ δὲ τινες μὴ θέλοιεν μιαροφαγῆσαι, τούτους τροχισθέντας ἀναιρεθῆναι.
3 Should any of them be unwilling to eat the accursed food, they were to be tortured on the wheel and so killed.
4 Πολλῶν δὲ συναρπασθέντων, εἷς πρῶτος ἐκ τῆς ἀγέλης Ἑβραῖος ὀνόματι Ἐλεάζαρος, τὸ γένος ἱερεὺς, τὴν ἐπιστήμην νομικὸς, καὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν προήκων, καὶ πολλοῖς τῶν περὶ τὸν τύραννον διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν γνώριμος, παρήχθη πλησίον αὐτοῦ.
4 When many had been seized, a foremost man of the assembly, a Hebrew, by name Eleazar, a priest by family, by profession a lawyer, and advanced in years, and for this reason known to many of the king’s followers, was brought near to him.
5 Καὶ αὐτὸν ἰδὼν ὁ Ἀντίοχος, ἔφη,
5 Antiochus, seeing him, said,
6 ἐγὼ πρὶν ἂρξασθαι τῶν κατὰ σοῦ βασάνων, ὦ πρεσβύτα, συμβουλεύσαιμʼ ἄν σοι ταῦτα ὅπως ἀπογευσάμενος τῶν ὑείων σώζοιο· αἰδοῦμαι γάρ σου τὴν ἡλικίαν καὶ τὴν πολιὰν, ἥν μετὰ τοσοῦτον ἔχων χρόνον, οὔ μοι δοκεῖς φιλοσοφεῖν, τῇ Ἰουδαιων χρώμενος θρησκείᾳ.
6 “I would counsel you, old man, before your tortures begin, to taste the swine’s flesh, and save your life; for I feel respect for your age and hoary head, which since you have had so long, you appear to me to be no philosopher in retaining the superstition of the Jews.
7 Διατί γὰρ τῆς φύσεως κεχαρισμένης καλλίστην τὴν τοῦδε τοῦ ζώου σαρκοφαγίαν βδελύττῃ;
7 For therefore, since nature has conferred upon you the most excellent flesh of this animal, do you loathe it?
8 Καὶ γὰρ ἀνόητον τοῦτο τὸ μὴ ἀπολαύειν τῶν χωρὶς ὀνείδους ἡδέων, καὶ διʼ ἄδικον ἀποστρέφεσθαι τὰς τῆς φύσεως χάριτας.
8 It seems senseless not to enjoy what is pleasant, yet not disgraceful; and from notions of sinfulness, to reject the gifts of nature.
9 Σὺ δέ μοι καὶ ἀνοητότερον ποιήσειν δοκεῖς, εἰ κενοδοξῶν περὶ τὸ ἀληθὲς,
9 You will be acting, I think, still more senselessly, if you follow vain conceits about the truth.
10 ἔτι κᾀμοῦ καταφρονήσεις ἐπὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ τιμωρίᾳ· οὐκ ἐξυπνώσεις ἀπὸ τῆς φλυάρου φιλοσοφίας ὑμῶν;
10 You will, moreover, be despising me to your own punishment.
11 Καὶ ἀποσκεδάσεις ψῶν λογισμῶν σου τὸν λῆρον, καὶ ἄξιον τῆς ἡλικίας ἀναλαβῶν νοῦν φιλοσοφήσεις τήν τοῦ συμφέροντος ἀλήθειαν;
11 Won’t you awake from your trifling philosophy, give up the folly of your notions, and regaining understanding worthy of your age, search into the truth of an expedient course?
12 καὶ προσκυνήσας μου τὴν φιλάνθρωπον παρηγορίαν οἰκτειρήσεις τὸ σεαυτοῦ γῆρας;
12 Won’t you respect my kindly admonition and have pity on your own years?
13 καὶ γὰρ ἐνθυμήθητι, ὡς εἰ καί τις ἐστιν τῆσδε τῆς θρησκείας ἐποπτικὴ δύναμις, συγνωμονήσειν σοι ἐπὶ πᾶσιν διʼ ἀνάγκην παρανομίᾳ γεινομένῃ.
13 For bear in mind that if there is any power which watches over this religion of yours, it will pardon you for all transgressions of the law which you commit through compulsion.”
14 Τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐπὶ τὴν ἔκθεσμον σαρκοφαγίαν ἐποτρύνοντος τοῦ τυράννου, λόγον ᾔτησεν ὁ Ἐλεάζαρος.
14 While the tyrant incited him in this manner to the unlawful eating of meat, Eleazar begged permission to speak.
15 Καὶ λαβὼν τοῦ λέγειν ἐξουσίαν, ἤρξατο δημηγορεῖν οὕτως·
15 Having received permission to speak, he began to address the people as follows:
16 ἡμεῖς, Αντίοχε, θείῳ πεπεισμένοι νόμῳ πολιτευεσθαι, οὐδεμίαν ἀνάγκην βιαιοτέραν εἶναι νομίζομεν τῆς πρὸς τὸν νόμον ἡμῶν εὐπειθείας.
16 “We, O Antiochus, who are persuaded that we live under a divine law, consider no compulsion to be so forcible as obedience to that law.
17 Διὸ δὲ κατʼ οὐδένα τρόπον παρανομεῖν ἀξιοῦμεν.
17 Therefore we consider that we ought not to transgress the law in any way.
18 Καί τοι εἰ καὶ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν μὴ ἦν ὁ νόμος ἡμῶν, ὡς σὺ ὑπολαμβάνεις, θεῖος, (ἄλλως δὲ νομίζομεν αὐτὸν εἶναι θεῖον) οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐξὸν ἡμῖν ἦν τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ δόκαν ἀκυρῶσαι.
18 Indeed, were our law (as you suppose) not truly divine, and if we wrongly think it divine, we would have no right even in that case to destroy our sense of religion.
19 Μὴ μικρὰν οὖν εἶναι νομίσῃς ταύτην, εἰ μιαροφαγήσεμεν, ἁμαρτίαν.
19 Don’t think that eating unclean meat is a trifling offense.
20 Τὸ γὰρ ἐν μικροῖς καὶ ἐν μεγάλοις παρανομεῖν ἰσοδύναμόν ἐστιν·
20 For transgression of the law, whether in small or great matters, is of equal importance;
21 διʼ ἑκατέρου γὰρ ὡς ὁμοίως ὁ νόμος ὑπερηφανεῖται.
21 for in either case the law is equally slighted.
22 Χλευάζεις δὲ ἡμῶν τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, ὥσπερ οὐ μετὰ εὐλογιστίας ἐν αὐτῇ βιούντων.
22 But you deride our philosophy, as though we lived in it irrationally.
23 Σωφροσύνην τε γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐκδιδάσκει, ὥστε πασῶν τῶν ἡδονῶν καὶ ἐπιθυμιῶν κρατεῖν, καὶ ἀνδρείαν ἐξασκεῖν, ὥστε πάντα πόνον ἑκουσίως ὑπομένειν·
23 Yet it instructs us in self-control, so that we are superior to all pleasures and lusts; and it trains us in courage, so that we cheerfully undergo every grievance.
24 καὶ δικαιοσύνην παιδεύει, ὥστε διὰ πάντων τῶν ἠθῶν ἰσονομεῖν καὶ εὐσέβειαν διδάσκειν, ὥστε μόνον τὸν ὄντα Θεὸν σέβειν μεγαλοπρεπῶς.
24 It instructs us in justice, so that in all our dealings we give what is due. It teaches us piety, so that we properly worship the one and only God.
25 Διὸ οὐ μιαροφαγοῦμεν· πιστεύοντες γὰρ Θεοῦ καθεστᾶναι τὸν νόμον, οἴδαμεν ὅτι καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἡμῖν συμπαθεῖ νομοθετῶν ὁ τοῦ κόσμου κτίστης·
25 That is why we don’t eat the unclean; for believing that the law was established by God, we are convinced that the Creator of the world, in giving his laws, sympathizes with our nature.
26 τὰ μὲν οἰκειωθωσόμενα ἡμῶν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐπέτρεψεν ἐσθίειν, τὰ δὲ ἐναντιωθησόμενα ἐκώλυσεν σαρκοφαγεῖν.
26 Those things which are suitable for our souls, he has directed us to eat; but those which are not, he has forbidden.
27 Τυραννικὸν δὲ, οὐ μόνον ἀναγκάζεις ἡμᾶς παρανομεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐσθίειν, ὅπως τῇ ἐχθίστῃ ἡμῶν μιαροφαγίᾳ ταύτῃ ἔτι ἐγγελάσῃς.
27 But, tyrant-like, you not only force us to break the law, but also to eat, that you may ridicule us as we thus profanely eat.
28 Ἀλλʼ οὐ γελάσεις κατʼ ἐμοῦ τοῦτον τὸν γέλωτα·
28 But you won’t have this cause of laughter against me,
29 οὔτε τοὺς ἱεροὺς τῶν προγόνων περὶ τοῦ φυλάξαι τὸν νόμον ὅρκους οὐ παρήσω.
29 nor will I transgress the sacred oaths of my forefathers to keep the law.
30 Οὐδʼ ἂν ἐκκόψεις μου τὰ ὄμματα, καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα μου τήξεις.
30 No, not if you pluck out my eyes, and consume my entrails.
31 Οὐχ οὕτως εἰμὶ γέρων ἐγὼ καὶ ἄνανδρος, ὥστε μοι διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν μὴ νεάζειν τὸν λογισμόν.
31 I am not so old, and void of courage as to not be youthful in reason and in defense of my religion.
32 Πρὸς ταῦτα τροχοὺς εὐτρέπιζε, καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἐκφύσα σφοδρότερον.
32 Now then, prepare your wheels, and kindle a fiercer flame.
33 Οὐχ οὕτως οἰκτειρήσω τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ γῆρας, ὥστε με διʼ ἐμαυτοῦ τὸν πάτριον καταλῦσαι νόμον.
33 I will not so pity my old age, as on my account to break the law of my country.
34 Οὐ ψεύσομαί σε, παιδευτὰ νόμε, οὐδὲ φεύξομαί σε, φίλη ἐγκράτεια.
34 I will not play false to you, O law, my instructor, or forsake you, O beloved self-control!
35 Οὐδὲ καταισχυνῶ σε, φιλόσοφε λόγε, οὐδὲ ἐξαρνήσεμαί σε, ἱερωσύνη τιμία, καὶ νομοθεσίας ἐπιστήμη·
35 I will not put you to shame, O philosopher Reason, or deny you, O honored priesthood and knowledge of the law.
36 οὐδὲ μιανεῖς μου τὸ σεμνὸν γήρηως στόμα, οὐδὲ νομίμου βίου ἡλικίαν.
36 Mouth! You shall not pollute my old age, nor the full stature of a perfect life.
37 Ἁγνόν με οἱ πατέρες προσδέξονται, μὴ φοβηθέντα σου τὰς μέχρι θανάτου ἀνάγκας.
37 My ancestors will receive me as pure, not having feared your compulsion, even to death.
38 Ἀσεβῶν μὲν γὰρ τυραννήσεις· τῶν δὲ ἐμῶν περὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας λογισμῶν οὔτε λόγοις δεσπόσεις, οὔτε διʼ ἔργων.
38 For you will rule like a tyrant over the ungodly, but you will not lord it over my thoughts about religion, either by your arguments, or through deeds.”