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ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Δ | 4 MACCABEES - Brenton|RSV | Reference |
| 1 | Ὡς δὲ καὶ οὗτος ταῖς βασάνοις καταικισθεὶς ἐναπέθανεν, ὁ πέμπτος παρεπήδησεν λέγων |
When this one died also, after being cruelly tortured, the fifth leaped up, saying, | |
| 2 | Οὐ μέλλω, τύραννε, πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς βασανισμὸν παραιτεῖσθαι, |
"I will not refuse, tyrant, to be tortured for the sake of virtue. | |
| 3 | αὐτὸς δ' ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ παρῆλθον, ὅπως κἀμὲ κατακτείνας περὶ πλειόνων ἀδικημάτων ὀφειλήσῃς τῇ οὐρανίῳ δίκῃ τιμωρίαν. |
I have come of my own accord, so that by murdering me you will incur punishment from the heavenly justice for even more crimes. | |
| 4 | ὦ μισάρετε καὶ μισάνθρωπε, τί δράσαντας ἡμᾶς τοῦτον πορθεῖς τὸν τρόπον; |
Hater of virtue, hater of mankind, for what act of ours are you destroying us in this way? | |
| 5 | ὅτι τὸν πάντων κτίστην εὐσεβοῦμεν καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἐνάρετον αὐτοῦ ζῶμεν νόμον; |
Is it because we revere the Creator of all things and live according to his virtuous law? | |
| 6 | ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τιμῶν, οὐ βασάνων ἐστὶν ἄξια. 9 τοιαῦτα δὲ λέγοντα οἱ δορυφόροι δήσαντες αὐτὸν εἷλκον ἐπὶ τὸν καταπέλτην, 10 ἐφ' ὃν δήσαντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατα καὶ ταῦτα ποδάγραις σιδηραῖς ἐφαρμόσαντες τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ περὶ τροχιαῖον σφῆνα κατέκαμψαν, περὶ ὃν ὅλος περὶ τὸν τροχὸν σκορπίου τρόπον ἀνακλώμενος ἐξεμελίζετο. 11 κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα στενοχωρούμενος καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀγχόμενος 12 Καλάς, ἔλεγεν, ἄκων, ὦ τύραννε, χάριτας ἡμῖν χαρίζῃ διὰ γενναιοτέρων πόνων ἐπιδείξασθαι παρέχων τὴν εἰς τὸν νόμον ἡμῶν καρτερίαν. 13 Τελευτήσαντος δὲ καὶ τούτου ὁ ἕκτος ἤγετο μειρακίσκος, ὃς πυνθανομένου τοῦ τυράννου εἰ βούλοιτο φαγὼν ἀπολύεσθαι, ὁ δὲ ἔφη 14 Ἑγὼ τῇ μὲν ἡλικίᾳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μού εἰμι νεώτερος, τῇ δὲ διανοίᾳ ἡλικιώτης· 15 εἰς ταὐτὰ γὰρ γεννηθέντες καὶ ἀνατραφέντες ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀποθνῄσκειν ὀφείλομεν ὁμοίως· 16 ὥστε εἴ σοι δοκεῖ βασανίζειν μὴ μιαροφαγοῦντα, βασάνιζε. 1 |
But these deeds deserve honours, not tortures." | |
| 9 | τοιαῦτα δὲ λέγοντα οἱ δορυφόροι δήσαντες αὐτὸν εἷλκον ἐπὶ τὸν καταπέλτην, |
While he was saying these things, the guards bound him and dragged him to the catapult; | |
| 10 | ἐφ' ὃν δήσαντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατα καὶ ταῦτα ποδάγραις σιδηραῖς ἐφαρμόσαντες τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ περὶ τροχιαῖον σφῆνα κατέκαμψαν, περὶ ὃν ὅλος περὶ τὸν τροχὸν σκορπίου τρόπον ἀνακλώμενος ἐξεμελίζετο. |
they tied him to it on his knees, and fitting iron clamps on them, they twisted his back around the wedge on the wheel, so that he was completely curled back like a scorpion, and all his members were disjointed. | |
| 11 | κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα στενοχωρούμενος καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀγχόμενος |
In this condition, gasping for breath and in anguish of body, | |
| 12 | Καλάς, ἔλεγεν, ἄκων, ὦ τύραννε, χάριτας ἡμῖν χαρίζῃ διὰ γενναιοτέρων πόνων ἐπιδείξασθαι παρέχων τὴν εἰς τὸν νόμον ἡμῶν καρτερίαν. |
he said, "Tyrant, they are splendid favours that you grant us against your will, because through these noble sufferings you give us an opportunity to show our endurance for the law." | |
| 13 | Τελευτήσαντος δὲ καὶ τούτου ὁ ἕκτος ἤγετο μειρακίσκος, ὃς πυνθανομένου τοῦ τυράννου εἰ βούλοιτο φαγὼν ἀπολύεσθαι, ὁ δὲ ἔφη |
After he too had died, the sixth, a mere boy, was led in. When the tyrant inquired whether he was willing to eat and be released, he said, | |
| 14 | Ἑγὼ τῇ μὲν ἡλικίᾳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μού εἰμι νεώτερος, τῇ δὲ διανοίᾳ ἡλικιώτης· |
"I am younger in age than my brothers, but I am their equal in mind. | |
| 15 | εἰς ταὐτὰ γὰρ γεννηθέντες καὶ ἀνατραφέντες ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀποθνῄσκειν ὀφείλομεν ὁμοίως· |
Since to this end we were born and bred, we ought likewise to die for the same principles. | |
| 16 | ὥστε εἴ σοι δοκεῖ βασανίζειν μὴ μιαροφαγοῦντα, βασάνιζε. |
So if you intend to torture me for not eating defiling foods, go on torturing!" | |
| 17 | ταῦτα αὐτὸν εἰπόντα παρῆγον ἐπὶ τὸν τροχόν, |
When he had said this, they led him to the wheel. | |
| 18 | ἐφ' οὗ κατατεινόμενος ἐπιμελῶς καὶ ἐκσπονδυλιζόμενος ὑπεκαίετο. |
He was carefully stretched tight upon it, his back was broken, and he was roasted from underneath. | |
| 19 | καὶ ὀβελίσκους ὀξεῖς πυρώσαντες τοῖς νώτοις προσέφερον καὶ τὰ πλευρὰ διαπείραντες αὐτοῦ τὰ σπλάγχνα διέκαιον. |
To his back they applied sharp spits that had been heated in the fire, and pierced his ribs so that his entrails were burned through. | |
| 20 | ὁ δὲ βασανιζόμενος Ὦ ἱεροπρεποῦς ἀγῶνος, ἔλεγεν, ἐφ' ὃν διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν εἰς γυμνασίαν πόνων ἀδελφοὶ τοσοῦτοι κληθέντες οὐκ ἐνικήθημεν. |
While being tortured he said, "O contest befitting holiness, in which so many of us brothers have been summoned to an arena of sufferings for religion, and in which we have not been defeated! | |
| 21 | ἀνίκητος γάρ ἐστιν, ὦ τύραννε, ἡ εὐσεβὴς ἐπιστήμη. |
For religious knowledge, O tyrant, is invincible. | |
| 22 | καλοκἀγαθίᾳ καθωπλισμένος τεθνήξομαι κἀγὼ μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου |
I also, equipped with nobility, will die with my brothers, | |
| 23 | μέγαν σοὶ καὶ αὐτὸς προσβάλλων ἀλάστορα, καινουργὲ τῶν βασάνων καὶ πολέμιε τῶν ἀληθῶς εὐσεβούντων. |
and I myself will bring a great avenger upon you, you inventor of tortures and enemy of those who are truly devout. | |
| 24 | ἓξ μειράκια καταλελύκαμέν σου τὴν τυραννίδα· |
We six boys have paralyzed your tyranny! | |
| 25 | τὸ γὰρ μὴ δυνηθῆναί σε μεταπεῖσαι τὸν λογισμὸν ἡμῶν μήτε βιάσασθαι πρὸς τὴν μιαροφαγίαν οὐ κατάλυσίς ἐστίν σου; |
Since you have not been able to persuade us to change our mind or to force us to eat defiling foods, is not this your downfall? | |
| 26 | τὸ πῦρ σου ψυχρὸν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἄπονοι οἱ καταπέλται, καὶ ἀδύνατος ἡ βία σου. |
Your fire is cold to us, and the catapults painless, and your violence powerless. | |
| 27 | οὐ γὰρ τυράννου, ἀλλὰ θείου νόμου προεστήκασιν ἡμῶν οἱ δορυφόροι· διὰ τοῦτο ἀνίκητον ἔχομεν τὸν λογισμόν. |
For it is not the guards of the tyrant but those of the divine law that are set over us; therefore, unconquered, we hold fast to reason." | |
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