2 Maccabees 9
King James Version with ApocryphaTranslation
King James Version with Apocrypha
Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), second edition
1About that time came Antiochus with dishonour out of the country of Persia
1Τί μέλλεις, ὦ τύραννε; ἕτοιμοι γάρ ἐσμεν ἀποθνήσκειν ἢ παραβαίνειν τὰς πατρίους ἡμῶν ἐντολάς·
2For he had entered the city called Persepolis, and went about to rob the temple, and to hold the city; whereupon the multitude running to defend themselves with their weapons put them to flight; and so it happened, that Antiochus being put to flight of the inhabitants returned with shame.
2αἰσχυνόμεθα γὰρ τοὺς προγόνους ἡμῶν εἰκότως, εἰ μὴ τῇ τοῦ νόμου εὐπειθείᾳ καὶ συμβούλῳ Μωσῇ χρησαίμεθα.
3Now when he came to Ecbatane, news was brought him what had happened unto Nicanor and Timotheus.
3σύμβουλε τύραννε παρανομίας, μὴ ἡμᾶς μισῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς ἐλέει.
4Then swelling with anger. he thought to avenge upon the Jews the disgrace done unto him by those that made him flee. Therefore commanded he his chariotman to drive without ceasing, and to dispatch the journey, the judgment of God now following him. For he had spoken proudly in this sort, That he would come to Jerusalem and make it a common burying place of the Jews.
4χαλεπώτερον γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θανάτου νομίζομεν εἶναί σου τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ παρανόμῳ σωτηρίᾳ ἡμῶν ἔλεον.
5But the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, smote him with an incurable and invisible plague: or as soon as he had spoken these words, a pain of the bowels that was remediless came upon him, and sore torments of the inner parts;
5ἐκφοβεῖς δὲ ἡμᾶς τὸν διὰ τῶν βασάνων ἡμῖν θάνατον ἀπειλῶν, ὥσπερ οὐχὶ πρὸ βραχέος παρὰ Ἐλεαζάρου μαθών.
6And that most justly: for he had tormented other men’s bowels with many and strange torments.
6εἰ δ' οἱ γέροντες τῶν Ἑβραίων διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν καὶ βασανισμοὺς ὑπομείναντες εὐσέβησαν, ἀποθάνοιμεν ἂν δικαιότερον ἡμεῖς οἱ νέοι, τὰς βασάνους τῶν σῶν ἀναγκῶν ὑπεριδόντες, ἃς καὶ ὁ παιδευτὴς ἡμῶν γέρων ἐνίκησε.
7Howbeit he nothing at all ceased from his bragging, but still was filled with pride, breathing out fire in his rage against the Jews, and commanding to haste the journey: but it came to pass that he fell down from his chariot, carried violently; so that having a sore fall, all the members of his body were much pained.
7πείραζε τοιγαροῦν, τύραννε· καὶ τὰς ἡμῶν ψυχὰς εἰ θανατώσεις διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, μὴ νομίσῃς ἡμᾶς βλάπτειν βασανίζων.
8And thus he that a little afore thought he might command the waves of the sea, (so proud was he beyond the condition of man) and weigh the high mountains in a balance, was now cast on the ground, and carried in an horselitter, shewing forth unto all the manifest power of God.
8ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ διὰ τῆσδε τῆς κακοπαθείας καὶ ὑπομονῆς τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἆθλα ἕξομεν καὶ ἐσόμεθα παρά Θεῷ, δι' ὃν καὶ πάσχομεν·
9So that the worms rose up out of the body of this wicked man, and whiles he lived in sorrow and pain, his flesh fell away, and the filthiness of his smell was noisome to all his army.
9σὺ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἡμῶν μιαιφονίαν αὐτάρκη καρτερήσεις ὑπὸ τῆς θείας δίκης αἰώνιον βάσανον διὰ πυρός.
10And the man, that thought a little afore he could reach to the stars of heaven, no man could endure to carry for his intolerable stink.
10Ταῦτα αὐτῶν εἰπόντων, οὐ μόνον ὡς κατὰ ἀπειθούντων ἐχαλέπαινεν ὁ τύραννος, ἀλλ' ὡς καὶ κατὰ ἀχαρίστων ὠργίσθη.
11Here therefore, being plagued, he began to leave off his great pride, and to come to the knowledge of himself by the scourge of God, his pain increasing every moment.
11ὅθεν τὸν πρεσβύτατον αὐτῶν κελευθέντες παρήγαγον οἱ ὑπασπισταὶ καὶ διαρρήξαντες τὸν χιτῶνα διέδησαν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς βραχίονας ἱμᾶσιν ἑκατέρωθεν.
12And when he himself could not abide his own smell, he said these words, It is meet to be subject unto God, and that a man that is mortal should not proudly think of himself if he were God.
12ὡς δὲ τύπτοντες ταῖς μάστιξιν ἐκοπίασαν μηδὲν ἀνύοντες, ἀνέβαλον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν τροχόν.
13This wicked person vowed also unto the Lord, who now no more would have mercy upon him, saying thus,
13περὶ ὃν κατατεινόμενος ὁ εὐγενὴς νεανίας ἔξαρθρος ἐγίνετο.
14That the holy city (to the which he was going in haste to lay it even with the ground, and to make it a common buryingplace,) he would set at liberty:
14καὶ κατὰ πᾶν μέλος κλώμενος ἐκακηγόρει λέγων·
15And as touching the Jews, whom he had judged not worthy so much as to be buried, but to be cast out with their children to be devoured of the fowls and wild beasts, he would make them all equals to the citizens of Athens:
15τύραννε μιαρώτατε καὶ τῆς οὐρανίου δίκης ἐχθρὲ καὶ ὠμόφρον, οὐκ ἀνδροφονήσαντά με τοῦτον καταικίζεις τὸν τρόπον, οὐδὲ ἀσεβήσαντα, ἀλλὰ θείου νόμου προασπίζοντα.
16And the holy temple, which before he had spoiled, he would garnish with goodly gifts, and restore all the holy vessels with many more, and out of his own revenue defray the charges belonging to the sacrifices:
16καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων λεγόντων· ὁμολόγησον φαγεῖν, ὅπως ἀπαλλαγῇς τῶν βασάνων,
17Yea, and that also he would become a Jew himself, and go through all the world that was inhabited, and declare the power of God.
17αὐτὸς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· οὐχ οὕτως ἰσχυρὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν ὁ τροχός, ᾦ μιαροὶ διάκονοι, ὥστε μου τὸν λογισμὸν ἄγξαι· τέμνετέ μου τὰ μέλη καὶ πυροῦτε τὰς σάρκας καὶ στρεβλοῦτε τὰ ἄρθρα.
18But for all this his pains would not cease: for the just judgment of God was come upon him: therefore despairing of his health, he wrote unto the Jews the letter underwritten, containing the form of a supplication, after this manner:
18διὰ πασῶν γὰρ ὑμᾶς πείσω τῶν βασάνων, ὅτι μόνοι παῖδες Ἑβραίων ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς εἰσιν ἀνίκητοι.
19Antiochus, king and governor, to the good Jews his citizens wisheth much joy, health, and prosperity:
19ταῦτα λέγοντι πῦρ ὑπέστρωσαν καὶ διηρέθισαν τὸν τροχὸν προσεπικατατείνοντες·
20If ye and your children fare well, and your affairs be to your contentment, I give very great thanks to God, having my hope in heaven.
20ἐμολύνετο δὲ πάντοθεν αἵματι ὁ τροχός, καὶ ὁ σωρὸς τῆς ἀνθρακιᾶς τῆς τῶν ἰχώρων ἐσβέννυτο σταλαγμοῖς, καὶ περὶ τοὺς ἄξονας τοῦ ὀργάνου περιέρρεον αἱ σάρκες.
21As for me, I was weak, or else I would have remembered kindly your honour and good will returning out of Persia, and being taken with a grievous disease, I thought it necessary to care for the common safety of all:
21καὶ περιτετμημένον ἤδη ἔχων τὸ τῶν ὀστέων πῆγμα ὁ μεγαλόφρων καὶ Ἁβραμιαῖος νεανίας οὐκ ἐστέναξεν.
22Not distrusting mine health, but having great hope to escape this sickness.
22ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν πυρὶ μετασχηματιζόμενος εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν, ὑπέμεινεν εὐγενῶς τὰς στρέβλας·
23But considering that even my father, at what time he led an army into the high countries. appointed a successor,
23μιμήσασθέ με, ἀδελφοί, λέγων, μή μου τὸν αἰῶνα λιποτακτήσητε μηδ' ἐξομόσησθέ μου τὴν τῆς εὐψυχίας ἀδελφότητα· ἱερὰν καὶ εὐγενῆ στρατείαν στρατεύσασθε ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας,
24To the end that, if any thing fell out contrary to expectation, or if any tidings were brought that were grievous, they of the land, knowing to whom the state was left, might not be troubled:
24δι' ἧς ἵλεως ἡ δικαία καὶ πάτριος ἡμῶν πρόνοια τῷ ἔθνει γενηθεῖσα τιμωρήσειεν τὸν ἀλάστορα τύραννον·
25Again, considering how that the princes that are borderers and neighbours unto my kingdom wait for opportunities, and expect what shall be the event. I have appointed my son Antiochus king, whom I often committed and commended unto many of you, when I went up into the high provinces; to whom I have written as followeth:
25καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ ἱεροπρεπὴς νεανίας ἀπέρρηξε τὴν ψυχήν.
26Therefore I pray and request you to remember the benefits that I have done unto you generally, and in special, and that every man will be still faithful to me and my son.
26Θαυμασάντων δὲ πάντων τὴν καρτεροψυχίαν αὐτοῦ, ἦγον οἱ δορυφόροι τὸν καθ' ἡλικίαν τοῦ προτέρου δεύτερον καὶ σιδηρᾶς ἐναρμοσάμενοι χεῖρας ὀξέσι τοῖς ὄνυξιν ὀργάνῳ καὶ καταπέλτῃ προσέδησαν αὐτόν.
27For I am persuaded that he understanding my mind will favourably and graciously yield to your desires.
27ὡς δὲ εἰ φαγεῖν βούλοιτο πρὶν βασανίζεσθαι πυνθανόμενοι τὴν εὐγενῆ γνώμην ἤκουσαν,
28Thus the murderer and blasphemer having suffered most grievously, as he entreated other men, so died he a miserable death in a strange country in the mountains.
28ἀπὸ τῶν τενόντων ταῖς σιδηραῖς χερσὶν ἐπισπασάμενοι μέχρι γε τῶν γενείων τὴν σάρκα πᾶσαν καὶ τὴν τῆς κεφαλῆς δορὰν οἱ παρδάλειοι θῆρες ἀπέσυραν.
29And Philip, that was brought up with him, carried away his body, who also fearing the son of Antiochus went into Egypt to Ptolemeus Philometor.
29ὁ δὲ ταύτην βαρέως τὴν ἀλγηδόνα καρτερῶν ἔλεγεν· ὡς ἡδὺς πᾶς τρόπος θανάτου διὰ τὴν πάτριον ἡμῶν εὐσέβειαν· ἔφη τε πρὸς τὸν τύραννον·
no verse 30 in this text
30οὐ δοκεῖς πάντων ὠμότατε τύραννε, πλεῖον ἐμοῦ σε νῦν βασανίζεσθαι ὁρῶν σου νικώμενον τὸν τῆς τυρανίδος ὑπερήφανον λογισμὸν ὑπὸ τῆς διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἡμῶν ὑπομονῆς;
no verse 31 in this text
31ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ταῖς διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἡδοναῖς τὸν πόνον ἐπικουφίζομαι,
no verse 32 in this text
32σὺ δὲ ἐν ταῖς τῆς ἀσεβείας ἀπειλαῖς βασανίζῃ. οὐκ ἐκφεύξῃ δέ, μιαρώτατε τύραννε, τὰς τῆς θείας ὀργῆς δίκας.
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