4 Maccabees · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
4 Maccabees 8 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 Τὸ δὲ δὴ σφόδρα περιπαθῶς ἐκέλευσεν ἄλλους ἐκ τῆς ἠλικίας τῶν Ἑβραίων ἀγαγεῖν· καὶ εἰ μὲν μιεροφαγήσαιεν, ἀπολύειν φάγοντας· εἰ δὲ ἀντιλέγοιεν, πικρότερον βασανίζειν.
1 then, indeed, vehemently swayed with emotion, he commanded to bring others of the adult Hebrews, and if they would eat of the unclean thing, to let them go when they had eaten; but if they objected, to torment them more grievously.
2 Ταῦτα διαδεξαμένου τοῦ τυράννου, παρῆσαν ἀγόμενοι μετὰ γηραιᾶς μητρὸς ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοὶ, καλοί τε καὶ αἰδήμονες καὶ γενναῖοι καὶ ἐν παντὶ χαριέντες.
2 The tyrant having given this charge, seven kindred were brought into his presence, along with their aged mother. They were handsome, modest, well-born, and altogether comely.
3 Οὓς ἰδὼν ὁ τύραννος καθάπερ ἐν χορῷ περιέχοντας μέσην τὴν μητέρα, ἤσθετο ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς, καὶ τῆς εὐπρεπείας ἐκπλαγεὶς καὶ τῆς εὐγενείας προσεμειδίασεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ πλησίον καλέσας, ἔφη,
3 When the tyrant saw them encircling their mother as in a dance, he was pleased with them. Being struck with their becoming and innocent manner, smiled at them, and calling them near, said,
4 Ὦ νεανίαι φιλοφρόνως ἐγὼ καθʼ ἐνὸς ἑκάστου ὑμῶν θαυμάζω τὸ κάλλος· καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τοσούτων ἀδελφῶν ὑπερτιμῶν, οὐ μόνον συμβουλεύω μὴ μανῆναι τὴν αὐτὴν τῷ προβασανισθέντι γέροντι μανίαν·
4 “O youths, with favorable feelings, I admire the beauty of each of you. Greatly honouring so numerous a band of kindred, I not only counsel you not to share the madness of the old man who has been tortured before,
5 ἀλλὰ καὶ παρακαλῶ συνείξαντας τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαῦσαι φιλίας· δυναίμην γὰρ ὥσπερ κολάζειν τοὺς ἐπιτάγμασιν, σὕτως καὶ εὐεργετεῖν τοὺς εὐπειθοῦντάς μοι.
5 but I beg you to yield, and to enjoy my friendship; for I possess the power, not only of punishing those who disobey my commands, but of doing good to those who obey them.
6 Πιστεύσατε οὖν, καὶ ἀρχὰς ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμῶν πραγμάτων ἡγεμονικὰς λήψεσθε, ἀρνησάμενοι τὸν πάτριον ἡμῶν τῆς πολιτείας θεσμόν·
6 Put confidence in me, then, and you will receive places of authority in my government, if you forsake your national way of life,
7 καὶ μεταλαβόντες Ἑλληνικοῦ βίου, καὶ μεταδιαιτηθέντες ἐντρυφήσατε ταῖς νεότησιν ὑμῶν.
7 and, conforming to the Greek way of life, alter your rule and revel in youth’s delights.
8 Ἐπεὶ ἐὰν ὀργίλως με διάθησθε διὰ τῆς ἀπειθείας ὑμῶν, ἀναγκάσετέ με ἐπὶ δειναῖς κολάσεσιν ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμῶν διὰ τῶν βασάνων ἀπολέσαι.
8 For if you provoke me by your disobedience, you will compel me to destroy every one of you with terrible punishments by tortures.
9 Κατελεήσατε οὖν ἑαυτοὺς, οὕς καὶ ὁ πολέμιος ἔγωγε καὶ τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ τῆς εὐμορφίας οἰκτείρομαι.
9 Have mercy, then, upon your own selves, whom I, although an enemy, am compassionate for your age and attractive appearance.
10 Οὐ διαλογιεῖσθε τοῦτο, ὅτι οὐδὲν ὑμῖν ἀπειθήσασιν πλὴν τοῦ μετὰ στρεβλῶν ἀποθανεῖν ἀπόκειται;
10 Won’t you consider this: that if you disobey, there will be nothing left for you but to die in torture?”
11 Ταῦτα δὲ λέγων, ἐκέλευσεν εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν προτεθῆναι τὰ βασανιστήρια, ὅπως καὶ διὰ τοῦ φόβου πείσειεν αὐτοὺς μιεροφαγῆσαι.
11 When he had said this, he ordered the instruments of torture to be brought forward, that fear might prevail upon them to eat unclean meat.
12 Ὡς δὲ τροχούς τε καὶ ἀρθενβόλους στρεβλωτήρια, καὶ τροχαντῆρας καὶ καταπέλτας καὶ λέβητας, τήγανά τε καὶ δακτυλήθρας, καὶ χεῖρας σιδηρᾶς καὶ σφῆνας, καὶ τὰ ζώπυρα τοῦ πυρὸς οἱ δορυφόροι προέθησαν, ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ τύραννος, ἔφη, μειράκια φοβήθητε,
12 When the spearman brought forward the wheels, the racks, the hooks, caldrons, pans, finger-racks, iron hands and wedges, and bellows, the tyrant continued:
13 καὶ ἥν σέβεσθε δίκην, ἵλεως ὑμῖν ἔσται διʼ ἀνάγκην παρανομήσασιν.
13 “Fear, young men, and the righteousness which you worship will be merciful to you if you transgress because of compulsion.”
14 Οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες ἐπαγωγὰ, καὶ ὁρῶντες δεινὰ, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐφοβήθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντεφιλοσόφῃσαν τῷ τυράννῳ, καὶ διὰ τῆς εὐλογιστίας τὴν τυραννίδα αὐτοῦ κατέλυσαν.
14 Now they having listened to these words of persuasion, and seeing the fearful instruments, not only were not afraid, but even answered the arguments of the tyrant, and through their good reasoning destroyed his power.
15 Καί τοι λογισώμεθα· εἰ δειλόψυχοί τινες ἦσαν, καὶ ἄνανδροι ἐν αὐτοῖς, ποίοις ἂν ἐχρήσαντο λόγοις; οὐχὶ τούτοις;
15 Now let’s consider the matter. Had any of them been weak-spirited and cowardly among them, what reasoning would they have employed but these?
16 Ὦ τάλανες ἡμεῖς, καὶ λίαν ἀνόητοι· βασιλέως ἡμᾶς παρακαλοῦντος, καὶ ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ φωνοῦντος, μὴ πεισθείημεν αὐτῷ;
16 “O wretched that we are, and exceedingly senseless! When the king exhorts us, and calls us to his bounty, should we not obey him?
17 Τί βουλήμασιν κενοῖς ἐαυτοὺς εὐφραίνομεν, καὶ θανατηφόρον ἀπείθειαν τολμῶμεν;
17 Why do we cheer ourselves with vain counsels, and venture upon a disobedience bringing death?
18 Οὐ φοβησόμεθα, ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, τὰ βασανιστήρια, καὶ λογιούμεθα τὰς τῶν βασάνων ἀπειλὰς, καὶ φευξόμεθα τὴν κενοδοξίαν ταύτην καὶ ὀλεθροφόρον ἀλαζονείαν;
18 Shall we not fear, O kindred, the instruments of torture and weigh the threatenings of torment and shun this vain-glory and destructive pride?
19 Ἐλεήσωμεν τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἡλικίας, καὶ κατοικτειρήσωμεν τὸ τῆς μητρὸς γῆρας·
19 Let’s have compassion upon our age and relent over the years of our mother.
20 καὶ ἐνθυμηθῶμεν, ὅτι ἀπειθοῦντες τεθνηξόμεθα.
20 Let’s bear in mind that we will be dying as rebels.
21 Συγγνώσεται δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ ἡ θεία δίκη διʼ ἀνάγκην τὸν βασιλὲα φοβηθεῖσιν.
21 Divine Justice will pardon us if we fear the king through necessity.
22 Τί ἐξάγομεν ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ ἡδίστου βίου, καὶ ἐπιστεροῦμεν ἐαυτοὺς τοῦ γλυκέος κόσμου;
22 Why withdraw ourselves from a most sweet life, and deprive ourselves of this pleasant world?
23 Μὴ βιαζώμεθα τὴν ἀνάγκην, μηδὲ κενοδοξήσωμεν ἐπʼ τῇ ἑαυτῶν στρέβλῃ.
23 Let’s not oppose necessity, nor seek vain-glory by our own torture.
24 Οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ ναὸς ἑκουσίως ἡμᾶς θανατοῖ φοβηθέντας τὰ βασανιστήρια.
24 The law itself wouldn’t arbitrarily put us to death because we dread torture.
25 Πόθεν ἡμῖν ἡ τοσαύτη ἐντέηκεν φιλονεικία, καὶ ἡ θανατεφόρος ἀρέσκει καρτερία, παρὸν μετὰ ἀταραξίας χρὴ τῷ βασιλεῖ πεισθέντας;
25 Why has such angry zeal taken root in us, and such fatal obstinacy approved itself to us, when we might live unmolested by the king?”
26 Ἀλλὰ τούτων οὐδὲν εἶπον οἱ νεανίαι βασανίζεσθαι μέλλοντες, οὐδὲ ἐνεθυμήθησαν.
26 But the young men didn’t say or think anything of this kind when about to be tortured.
27 Ἦσαν γὰρ περιφρονες τῶν παθῶν, καὶ αὐτηκράτορες τῶν ἀλγηδόνων. Ὥστε ἅμα τῷ παύσασθαι τὸν τύραννον συμβουλεύοντα αὐτοῖς μιεροφαγῆσαι, πάντες διὰ μιᾶς φωνῆς ὁμοῦ, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ψυχῆς, εἶπον,
27 For they were well aware of the sufferings, and masters of the pains. 28 So that as soon as the tyrant had ceased counselling them to eat the unclean, they all with one voice, as from the same heart said: