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ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Δ | 4 MACCABEES - Brenton|RSV | Reference |
| 1 | Ἔλεγον δὲ καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων τινὲς ὅτι ὡς ἔμελλεν συλλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ αὐτὴ πρὸς θάνατον, ἵνα μὴ ψαύσειέν τις τοῦ σώματος αὐτῆς, ἑαυτὴν ἔρριψε κατὰ τῆς πυρᾶς. |
Some of the guards said that when she also was about to be seized and put to death she threw herself into the flames so that no one might touch her body. | |
| 2 | Ὦ μήτηρ σὺν ἑπτὰ παισὶν καταλύσασα τὴν τοῦ τυράννου βίαν καὶ ἀκυρώσασα τὰς κακὰς ἐπινοίας αὐτοῦ καὶ δείξασα τὴν τῆς πίστεως γενναιότητα. |
O mother, who with your seven sons nullified the violence of the tyrant, frustrated his evil designs,and showed the courage of your faith! | |
| 3 | καθάπερ γὰρ σὺ στέγη ἐπὶ τοὺς στύλους τῶν παίδων γενναίως ἱδρυμένη ἀκλινὴς ὑπήνεγκας τὸν διὰ τῶν βασάνων σεισμόν. |
Nobly set like a roof on the pillars of your sons, you held firm and unswerving against the earthquake of the tortures. | |
| 4 | θάρρει τοιγαροῦν, ὦ μήτηρ ἱερόψυχε, τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ὑπομονῆς βεβαίαν ἔχουσα πρὸς τὸν θεόν. |
Take courage, therefore, O holy-minded mother, maintaining firm an enduring hope in God. | |
| 5 | οὐχ οὕτως σελήνη κατ' οὐρανὸν σὺν ἄστροις σεμνὴ καθέστηκεν, ὡς σὺ τοὺς ἰσαστέρους ἑπτὰ παῖδας φωταγωγήσασα πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἔντιμος καθέστηκας θεῷ καὶ ἐστήρισαι σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐν οὐρανῷ· |
The moon in heaven, with the stars, does not stand so august as you, who, after lighting the way of your star-like seven sons to piety, stand in honour before God and are firmly set in heaven with them. | |
| 6 | ἦν γὰρ ἡ παιδοποιία σου ἀπὸ Αβρααμ τοῦ πατρός. |
For your children were true descendants of father Abraham. | |
| 7 | Εἰ δὲ ἐξὸν ἡμῖν ἦν ὥσπερ ἐπί τινος ζωγραφῆσαι τὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας σου ἱστορίαν, οὐκ ἂν ἔφριττον οἱ θεωροῦντες ὁρῶντες μητέρα ἑπτὰ τέκνων δι' εὐσέβειαν ποικίλας βασάνους μέχρι θανάτου ὑπομείνασαν; |
If it were possible for us to paint the history of your piety as an artist might, would not those who first beheld it have shuddered as they saw the mother of the seven children enduring their varied tortures to death for the sake of religion? | MEDITATION. 4Mace.17.7-18.24 |
| 8 | καὶ γὰρ ἄξιον ἦν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐπιταφίου ἀναγράψαι καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθνους εἰς μνείαν λεγόμενα |
Indeed it would be proper to inscribe upon their tomb these words as a reminder to the people of our nation: | |
| 9 | Ἑνταῦθα γέρων ἱερεὺς καὶ γυνὴ γεραιὰ καὶ ἑπτὰ παῖδες ἐγκεκήδευνται διὰ τυράννου βίαν τὴν Εβραίων πολιτείαν καταλῦσαι θέλοντος, |
"Here lie buried an aged priest and an aged woman and seven sons, because of the violence of thetyrant who wished to destroy the way of life of the Hebrews. | |
| 10 | οἳ καὶ ἐξεδίκησαν τὸ γένος εἰς θεὸν ἀφορῶντες καὶ μέχρι θανάτου τὰς βασάνους ὑπομείναντες. |
They vindicated their nation, looking to God and enduring torture even to death." | |
| 11 | Ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἦν ἀγὼν θεῖος ὁ δι' αὐτῶν γεγενημένος. |
Truly the contest in which they were engaged was divine, | |
| 12 | ἠθλοθέτει γὰρ τότε ἀρετὴ δι' ὑπομονῆς δοκιμάζουσα. τὸ νῖκος ἀφθαρσία ἐν ζωῇ πολυχρονίῳ. |
for on that day virtue gave the awards and tested them for their endurance. The prize was immortality in endless life. | |
| 13 | Ελεαζαρ δὲ προηγωνίζετο, ἡ δὲ μήτηρ τῶν ἑπτὰ παίδων ἐνήθλει, οἱ δὲ ἀδελφοὶ ἠγωνίζοντο· |
Eleazar was the first contestant, the mother of the seven sons entered the competition, and the brothers contended. | |
| 14 | ὁ τύραννος ἀντηγωνίζετο· ὁ δὲ κόσμος καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος ἐθεώρει· |
The tyrant was the antagonist, and the world and the human race were the spectators. | |
| 15 | θεοσέβεια δὲ ἐνίκα τοὺς ἑαυτῆς ἀθλητὰς στεφανοῦσα. |
Reverence for God was victor and gave the crown to its own athletes. | |
| 16 | τίνες οὐκ ἐθαύμασαν τοὺς τῆς θείας νομοθεσίας ἀθλητάς; τίνες οὐκ ἐξεπλάγησαν; |
Who did not admire the athletes of the divine legislation? Who were not amazed? | |
| 17 | Αὐτός γέ τοι ὁ τύραννος καὶ ὅλον τὸ συμβούλιον ἐθαύμασαν αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπομονήν, |
The tyrant himself and all his council marveled at their endurance, | |
| 18 | δι' ἣν καὶ τῷ θείῳ νῦν παρεστήκασιν θρόνῳ καὶ τὸν μακάριον βιοῦσιν αἰῶνα. |
because of which they now stand before the divine throne and live through blessed eternity. | |
| 19 | καὶ γάρ φησιν ὁ Μωϋσῆς Καὶ πάντες οἱ ἡγιασμένοι ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖράς σου. |
For Moses says, "All who are consecrated are under your hands." | |
| 20 | καὶ οὗτοι οὖν ἁγιασθέντες διὰ θεὸν τετίμηνται, οὐ μόνον ταύτῃ τῇ τιμῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ δι' αὐτοὺς τὸ ἔθνος ἡμῶν τοὺς πολεμίους μὴ ἐπικρατῆσαι |
These, then, who have been consecrated for the sake of God, are honoured, not only with this honour, but also by the fact that because of them our enemies did not rule over our nation, | |
| 21 | καὶ τὸν τύραννον τιμωρηθῆναι καὶ τὴν πατρίδα καθαρισθῆναι, ὥσπερ ἀντίψυχον γεγονότας τῆς τοῦ ἔθνους ἁμαρτίας. |
the tyrant was punished, and the homeland purified - they having become, as it were, a ransom for the sin of our nation. | |
| 22 | καὶ διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου τοῦ θανάτου αὐτῶν ἡ θεία πρόνοια τὸν Ισραηλ προκακωθέντα διέσωσεν. |
And through the blood of those devout ones and their death as an expiation, divine Providence preserved Israel that previously had been afflicted. | |
| 23 | Πρὸς γὰρ τὴν ἀνδρείαν αὐτῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ ταῖς βασάνοις αὐτῶν ὑπομονὴν ὁ τύραννος ἀπιδὼν ἀνεκήρυξεν ὁ Ἀντίοχος τοῖς στρατιώταις αὐτοῦ εἰς ὑπόδειγμα τὴν ἐκείνων ὑπομονὴν |
For the tyrant Antiochus, when he saw the courage of their virtue and their endurance under the tortures, proclaimed them to his soldiers as an example for their own endurance, | |
| 24 | ἔσχεν τε αὐτοὺς γενναίους καὶ ἀνδρείους εἰς πεζομαχίαν καὶ πολιορκίαν καὶ ἐκπορθήσας ἐνίκησεν πάντας τοὺς πολεμίους. |
and this made them brave and courageous for infantry battle and siege, and he ravaged and conquered all his enemies. | |
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