| 15 |
ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Δ | 4 MACCABEES - Brenton|RSV | Reference |
| 1 | Ὦ λογισμὲ τέκνων παθῶν τύραννε καὶ εὐσέβεια μητρὶ τέκνων ποθεινοτέρα. |
O reason of the children, tyrant over the emotions! O religion, more desirable to the mother than her children! | |
| 2 | μήτηρ δυεῖν προκειμένων, εὐσεβείας καὶ τῆς ἑπτὰ υἱῶν σωτηρίας προσκαίρου κατὰ τὴν τοῦ τυράννου ὑπόσχεσιν, |
Two courses were open to this mother, that of religion, and that of preserving her seven sons for a time, as the tyrant had promised. | |
| 3 | τὴν εὐσέβειαν μᾶλλον ἠγάπησεν τὴν σῴζουσαν εἰς αἰωνίαν ζωὴν κατὰ θεόν. |
She loved religion more, religion that preserves them for eternal life according to God's promise. | |
| 4 | ὦ τίνα τρόπον ἠθολογήσαιμι φιλότεκνα γονέων πάθη. ψυχῆς τε καὶ μορφῆς ὁμοιότητα εἰς μικρὸν παιδὸς χαρακτῆρα θαυμάσιον ἐναποσφραγίζομεν, μάλιστα διὰ τὸ τῶν παθῶν τοῖς γεννηθεῖσιν τὰς μητέρας τῶν πατέρων καθεστάναι συμπαθεστέρας. |
In what manner might I express the emotions of parents who love their children? We impress upon the character of a small child a wondrous likeness both of mind and of form. Especially is this true of mothers, who because of their birthpangs have a deeper sympathy toward their offspring than do the fathers. | |
| 5 | ὅσῳ γὰρ καὶ ἀσθενόψυχοι καὶ πολυγονώτεραι ὑπάρχουσιν αἱ μητέρες, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλόν εἰσιν φιλοτεκνότεραι. |
Considering that mothers are the weaker sex and give birth to many, they are more devoted to their children. | |
| 6 | πασῶν δὲ τῶν μητέρων ἐγένετο ἡ τῶν ἑπτὰ παίδων μήτηρ φιλοτεκνοτέρα, ἥτις ἑπτὰ κυοφορίαις τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπιφυτευομένη φιλοστοργίαν |
The mother of the seven boys, more than any other mother, loved her children. In seven pregnancies she had implanted in herself tender love toward them, | |
| 7 | καὶ διὰ πολλὰς τὰς καθ' ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ὠδῖνας ἠναγκασμένη τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἔχειν συμπάθειαν, |
and because of the many pains she suffered with each of them she had sympathy for them; | |
| 8 | διὰ τὸν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν φόβον ὑπερεῖδεν τὴν τῶν τέκνων πρόσκαιρον σωτηρίαν. |
yet because of the fear of God she disdained the temporary safety of her children. | |
| 9 | οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν καλοκἀγαθίαν τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν νόμον αὐτῶν εὐπείθειαν μείζω τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔσχεν φιλοστοργίαν. |
Not only so, but also because of the nobility of her sons and their ready obedience to the law she felt a greater tenderness toward them. | |
| 10 | δίκαιοί τε γὰρ ἦσαν καὶ σώφρονες καὶ ἀνδρεῖοι καὶ μεγαλόψυχοι καὶ φιλάδελφοι καὶ φιλομήτορες οὕτως ὥστε καὶ μέχρι θανάτου τὰ νόμιμα φυλάσσοντας πείθεσθαι αὐτῇ. |
For they were righteous and self-controlled and brave and magnanimous, and loved their brothers and their mother, so that they obeyed her even to death in keeping the ordinances. | |
| 11 | ἀλλ' ὅμως καίπερ τοσούτων ὄντων τῶν περὶ τὴν φιλοτεκνίαν εἰς συμπάθειαν ἑλκόντων τὴν μητέρα, ἐπ' οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν τὸν λογισμὸν αὐτῆς αἱ παμποίκιλοι βάσανοι ἴσχυσαν μετατρέψαι, |
Nevertheless, though so many factors influenced the mother to suffer with them out of love for her children, in the case of none of them were the various tortures strong enough to pervert her reason. | |
| 12 | ἀλλὰ καὶ καθ' ἕνα παῖδα καὶ ὁμοῦ πάντας ἡ μήτηρ ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας προετρέπετο θάνατον. |
Instead, the mother urged them on, each child singly and all together, to death for the sake of religion. | |
| 13 | ὦ φύσις ἱερὰ καὶ φίλτρα γονέων καὶ γένεσι φιλόστοργε καὶ τροφεία καὶ μητέρων ἀδάμαστα πάθη. |
O sacred nature and affection of parental love, yearning of parents toward offspring, nurture and indomitable suffering by mothers! | |
| 14 | καθένα στρεβλούμενον καὶ φλεγόμενον ὁρῶσα μήτηρ οὐ μετεβάλλετο διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν. |
This mother, who saw them tortured and burned one by one, because of religion did not change her attitude. | |
| 15 | τὰς σάρκας τῶν τέκνων ἑώρα περὶ τὸ πῦρ τηκομένας καὶ τοὺς τῶν ποδῶν καὶ χειρῶν δακτύλους ἐπὶ γῆς σπαίροντας καὶ τὰς τῶν κεφαλῶν μέχρι τῶν περὶ τὰ γένεια σάρκας ὥσπερ προσωπεῖα προκειμένας. |
She watched the flesh of her children consumed by fire, their toes and fingers scattered on the ground, and the flesh of the head to the chin exposed like masks. | |
| 16 | ὦ πικροτέρων νῦν πόνων πειρασθεῖσα μήτηρ ἤπερ τῶν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ὠδίνων. |
O mother, tried now by more bitter pains than even the birth-pangs you suffered for them! | |
| 17 | ὦ μόνη γύναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν ὁλόκληρον ἀποκυήσασα. |
O woman, who alone gave birth to such complete devotion! | |
| 18 | οὐ μετέτρεψέν σε πρωτοτόκος ἀποπνέων οὐδὲ δεύτερος εἰς σὲ οἰκτρὸν βλέπων ἐν βασάνοις, οὐ τρίτος ἀποψύχων, |
When the first-born breathed his last it did not turn you aside, nor when the second in torments looked at you piteously nor when the third expired; | |
| 19 | οὐδὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑνὸς ἑκάστου θεωροῦσα ταυρηδὸν ἐπὶ τῶν βασάνων ὁρῶντας τὸν αὐτὸν αἰκισμὸν καὶ τοὺς μυκτῆρας προσημειουμένους τὸν θάνατον αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔκλαυσας. |
nor did you weep when you looked at the eyes of each one in his tortures gazing boldly at the same agonies, and saw in their nostrils the signs of the approach of death. | |
| 20 | ἐπὶ σαρξὶν τέκνων ὁρῶσα σάρκας τέκνων ἀποκαιομένας καὶ ἐπὶ χερσὶν χεῖρας ἀποτεμνομένας καὶ ἐπὶ κεφαλαῖς κεφαλὰς ἀποδειροτομουμένας καὶ ἐπὶ νεκροῖς νεκροὺς πίπτοντας καὶ πολυάνδριον ὁρῶσα τῶν τέκνων τὸ χωρίον διὰ τῶν βασάνων οὐκ ἐδάκρυσας. |
When you saw the flesh of children burned upon the flesh of other children, severed hands upon hands, scalped heads upon heads, and corpses fallen on other corpses and when you saw the place filled with many spectators of the torturings, you did not shed tears. | |
| 21 | οὐχ οὕτως σειρήνιοι μελῳδίαι οὐδὲ κύκνειοι πρὸς φιληκοίαν φωναὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐφέλκονται ὡς τέκνων φωναὶ μετὰ βασάνων μητέρα φωνούντων. |
Neither the melodies of sirens nor the songs of swans attract the attention of their hearers as did the voices of the children in torture calling to their mother. | |
| 22 | πηλίκαις καὶ πόσαις τότε ἡ μήτηρ τῶν υἱῶν βασανιζομένων τροχοῖς τε καὶ καυτηρίοις ἐβασανίζετο βασάνοις. |
How great and how many torments the mother then suffered as her sons were tortured on the wheel and with the hot irons! | |
| 23 | ἀλλὰ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτῆς ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμὸς ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς πάθεσιν ἀνδρειώσας ἐπέτεινεν τὴν πρόσκαιρον φιλοτεκνίαν παριδεῖν. |
But devout reason, giving her heart a man's courage in the very midst of her emotions, strengthened her to disregard her temporal love for her children. | |
| 24 | καίπερ ἑπτὰ τέκνων ὁρῶσα ἀπώλειαν καὶ τὴν τῶν στρεβλῶν πολύπλοκον ποικιλίαν, ἁπάσας ἡ γενναία μήτηρ ἐξέλυσεν διὰ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν πίστιν. |
Although she witnessed the destruction of seven children and the ingenious and various rackings, this noble mother disregarded all these because of faith in God. | |
| 25 | καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν βουλευτηρίῳ τῇ ἑαυτῆς ψυχῇ δεινοὺς ὁρῶσα συμβούλους φύσιν καὶ γένεσιν καὶ φιλοτεκνίαν καὶ τέκνων στρέβλας, |
For as in the council chamber of her own soul she saw mighty advocates - nature, family, parental love, and the rackings of her children - | |
| 26 | δύο ψήφους κρατοῦσα μήτηρ, θανατηφόρον τε καὶ σωτήριον, ὑπὲρ τέκνων |
this mother held two ballots, one bearing death and the other deliverance for her children. | |
| 27 | οὐκ ἐπέγνω τὴν σῴζουσαν ἑπτὰ υἱοὺς πρὸς ὀλίγον χρόνον σωτηρίαν, |
She did not approve the deliverance which would preserve the seven sons for a short time, | |
| 28 | ἀλλὰ τῆς θεοσεβοῦς Αβρααμ καρτερίας ἡ θυγάτηρ ἐμνήσθη. |
but as the daughter of God-fearing Abraham she remembered his fortitude. | |
| 29 | ὦ μήτηρ ἔθνους, ἔκδικε τοῦ νόμου καὶ ὑπερασπίστρια τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ τοῦ διὰ σπλάγχνων ἀγῶνος ἀθλοφόρε· |
O mother of the nation, vindicator of the law and champion of religion, who carried away the prize of the contest in your heart! | |
| 30 | ὦ ἀρρένων πρὸς καρτερίαν γενναιοτέρα καὶ ἀνδρῶν πρὸς ὑπομονὴν ἀνδρειοτέρα. |
O more noble than males in steadfastness, and more manly than men in endurance! | |
| 31 | καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ Νωε κιβωτὸς ἐν τῷ κοσμοπληθεῖ κατακλυσμῷ κοσμοφοροῦσα καρτερῶς ὑπέμεινεν τοὺς κλύδωνας, |
Just as Noah's ark, carrying the world in the universal flood, stoutly endured the waves, | |
| 32 | οὕτως σὺ ἡ νομοφύλαξ πανταχόθεν ἐν τῷ τῶν παθῶν περιαντλουμένη κατακλυσμῷ καὶ καρτεροῖς ἀνέμοις, ταῖς τῶν υἱῶν βασάνοις, συνεχομένη γενναίως ὑπέμεινας τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας χειμῶνας. |
so you, O guardian of the law, overwhelmed from every side by the flood of your emotions and the violent winds, the torture of your sons, endured nobly and withstood the wintry storms that assail religion. | |
| |
|
<< | 4 Maccabees: 15 | >> |
|