2 Maccabees 10

Μακκαβαίων Β´

1 Μακκαβαῖος δὲ καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, τοῦ Κυρίου προάγοντος αὐτοὺς, τὸ μὲν ἱερὸν ἐκομίσαντο καὶ τὴν πόλιν,

Now Maccabeus and his company, the Lord guiding them, recovered the temple and the city:

2 τοὺς δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν βωμοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων δεδημιουργημένους, ἔτι δὲ τεμένη καθεῖλον.

But the altars which the heathen had built in the open street, and also the chapels, they pulled down.

3 Καὶ τὸν νεὼν καθαρίσαντες, ἕτερον θυσιαστήριον ἐποίησαν, καὶ πυρώσαντες λίθους, καὶ πῦρ ἐκ τούτων λαβόντες, ἀνήνεγκαν θυσίαν μετὰ διετῆ χρόνον, καὶ θυμίαμα καὶ λύχνους, καὶ τῶν ἄρτων τὴν πρόθεσιν ἐποιήσαντο.

And having cleansed the temple they made another altar, and striking stones they took fire out of them, and offered a sacrifice after two years, and set forth incense, and lights, and show bread.

4 Ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσαντες ἠξίωσαν τὸν Κύριον πεσόντες ἐπὶ κοιλίαν, μηκέτι περιπεσεῖν τοιούτοις κακοῖς, ἀλλʼ ἐάν ποτε καὶ ἁμάρτωσιν, ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ μετʼ ἐπιεικείας παιδεύεσθαι, καὶ μὴ βλασφήμοις καὶ βαρβάροις ἔθνεσι παραδίδοσθαι.

When that was done, they fell flat down, and implored the Lord that they might come no more into such troubles; but if they sinned any more against him, that he himself would chasten them with mercy, and that they might not be delivered to the blasphemous and barbarous nations.

5 Ἐν ᾗ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ νεὼς ὑπὸ ἀλλοφύλων ἐβεβηλώθη, συνέβη κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν τὸν καθαρισμὸν γενέσθαι τοῦ ναοῦ, τῇ πέμπτῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς, ὅς ἐστι Χασελεῦ.

Now upon the same day that the strangers profaned the temple, on the very same day it was cleansed again, even the five and twentieth day of the same month, which is Casleu.

6 Καὶ μετʼ εὐφροσύνης ἦγον ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ σκηνωμάτων τρόπον, μνημονεύοντες ὡς πρὸ μικροῦ χρόνου τὴν τῶν σκηνῶν ἑορτὴν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις θηρίων τρόπον ἦσαν νεμόμενοι.

And they kept the eight days with gladness, as in the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long before they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts.

7 Διὸ θύρσους καὶ κλάδους ὡραίους, ἔτι δὲ φοίνικας ἔχοντες, ὕμνους ἀνέφερον τῷ εὐοδώσαντι καθαρισθῆναι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τόπον.

Therefore they bare branches, and fair boughs, and palms also, and sang psalms to him that had given them good success in cleansing his place.

8 Ἐδογμάτισαν δὲ μετὰ κοινοῦ προστάγματος καὶ ψηφίσματος παντὶ τῷ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ἄγειν τάσδε τὰς ἡμέρας.

They ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days should be kept of the whole nation of the Jews.

9 Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς Ἀντιόχου τοῦ προσαγορευθέντος Ἐπιφανοῦς τελευτῆς οὕτως εἶχε.

And this was the end of Antiochus, called Epiphanes.

10 Νυνὶ δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Εὐπάτορα Ἀντίοχον, υἱὸν δὲ τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς γενόμενον, δηλώσομεν, αὐτά συντέμνοντες τὰ τῶν πολέμων κακά.

Now will we declare the acts of Antiochus Eupator, who was the son of this wicked man, gathering briefly the calamities of the wars.

11 Αὐτὸς γὰρ παραλαβὼν βασιλείαν, ἀνέδειξεν ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων Λυσίαν τινά, κοίλης δὲ Συρίας καὶ Φοινίκης στρατηγὸν πρώταρχον.

So when he was come to the crown, he set one Lysias over the affairs of his realm, and appointed him his chief governor of Celosyria and Phenice.

12 Πτολεμαῖος γὰρ ὁ καλούμενος Μάκρων τὸ δίκαιον συντηρεῖν προηγούμενος εἰς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους διὰ τὴν γεγονυῖαν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἀδικίαν, καί ἐπειρᾶτο τὰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰρηνικῶς διεξάγειν.

For Ptolemeus, that was called Macron, choosing rather to do justice to the Jews for the wrong that had been done to them, endeavoured to continue peace with them.

13 Ὅθεν κατηγορούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων πρὸς τὸν Εὐπάτορα, καὶ προδότης παρέκαστα ἀκούων, διὰ τὸ τὴν Κύπρον ἐμπιστευθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ Φιλομήτορος ἐκλιπεῖν, καὶ πρὸς Ἀντίοχον τὸν Ἐπιφανῆ ἀναχωρῆσαι, μήτʼ εὐγενῆ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχων, ὑπʼ ἀθυμίας φαρμακεύσας ἑαυτὸν ἐξέλιπε τὸν βίον.

Whereupon being accused of the king's friends before Eupator, and called traitor at every word because he had left Cyprus, that Philometor had committed to him, and departed to Antiochus Epiphanes, and seeing that he was in no honourable place, he was so discouraged, that he poisoned himself and died.

14 Γοργίας δὲ γενόμενος στρατηγὸς τῶν τόπων, ἐξενοτρόφει, καὶ παρέκαστα πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐπολεμοτρόφει,

But when Gorgias was governor of the holds, he hired soldiers, and nourished war continually with the Jews:

15 Ὁμοῦ δὲ τούτῳ καὶ οἱ Ἰδουμαῖοι ἐγκρατεῖς ἐπικαίρων ὀχυρωμάτων ὄντες, ἐγύμναζον τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καὶ τοὺς φυγαδευθέντας ἀπὸ Ἰεροσολύμων προσλαβόμενοι πολεμοτροφεῖν ἐπεχείρουν.

And therewithal the Idumeans, having gotten into their hands the most commodious holds, kept the Jews occupied, and receiving those that were banished from Jerusalem, they went about to nourish war.

16 Οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Μακκαβαῖον, ποιησάμενοι λιτανείαν, καὶ ἀξιώσαντες τὸν Θεὸν σύμμαχον αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι, ἐπὶ τὰ τῶν Ἰδουμαίων ὀχυρώματα ὥρμησαν,

Then they that were with Maccabeus made supplication, and implored God that he would be their helper; and so they ran with violence upon the strong holds of the Idumeans,

17 οἷς καὶ προσβαλόντες εὐρώστως, ἐγκρατεῖς ἐγένοντο τῶν τόπων, πάντας τε τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ τείχει μαχομένους ἠμύναντο· κατέσφαζόν δε τοὺς ἐμπίπτοντας, ἀνεῖλον δὲ οὐχ ἧττον τῶν δισμυρίων.

And assaulting them strongly, they won the holds, and kept off all that fought upon the wall, and killed all that fell into their hands, and killed no fewer than twenty thousand.

18 Συμφυγόντων δὲ οὐκ ἔλαττον τῶν ἐννακισχιλίων εἰς δύο πύργους ὀχυροὺς εὖ μάλα, καὶ πάντα τὰ πρὸς πολιορκίαν ἔχοντας,

And because certain, who were no less than nine thousand, were fled together into two very strong castles, having all manner of things convenient to sustain the siege,

19 ὁ Μακκαβαῖος εἰς ἐπείγοντας τόπους ἀπολιπὼν Σίμωνα καὶ Ἰώσηφον, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Ζακχαῖον καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἱκανοὺς πρὸς τὴν τούτων πολιορκίαν, αὐτὸς ἐχωρίσθη.

Maccabeus left Simon and Joseph, and Zaccheus also, and them that were with him, who were enough to besiege them, and departed himself to those places which more needed his help.

20 Οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Σίμωνα φιλαργυρήσαντες ὑπό τινων τῶν ἐν τοῖς πύργοις ἐπείσθησαν ἀργυρίῳ· ἑπτάκις δὲ μυριάδας δραχμὰς λαβόντες, εἴασάν τινας διαῤῥυῆναι.

Now they that were with Simon, being led with covetousness, were persuaded for money through certain of those that were in the castle, and took seventy thousand drachmas, and let some of them escape.

21 Προσαγγελθέντος δὲ τῷ Μακκαβαίῳ περὶ τοῦ γεγονότος, συναγαγὼν τοὺς ἡγουμένους τοῦ λαοῦ, κατηγόρησεν ὡς ἀργυρίου πεπράκασι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, τοὺς πολεμίους κατʼ αὐτῶν ἀπολύσαντες.

But when it was told Maccabeus what was done, he called the governors of the people together, and accused those men, that they had sold their brethren for money, and set their enemies free to fight against them.

22 Τούτους μὲν οὖν προδότας γενομένους ἀπέκτεινε, καὶ παραχρῆμα τοὺς δύο πύργους κατελάβετο.

So he killed those that were found traitors, and immediately took the two castles.

23 Τοῖς δὲ ὅπλοις τὰ πάντα ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν εὐοδούμενος, ἀπώλεσεν ἐν τοῖς δυσὶν ὀχυρώμασι πλείους τῶν δισμυρίων.

And having good success with his weapons in all things he took in hand, he killed in the two holds more than twenty thousand.

24 Τιμόθεος δὲ ὁ πρότερον ἡττηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, συναγαγὼν ξένας δυνάμεις παμπληθεῖς, καὶ τοὺς τῆς Ἀσίας γενομένους ἵππους συναθροίσας οὐκ ὀλίγους, παρῆν ὡς δοριάλωτον ληψόμενος τὴν Ἰουδαίαν.

Now Timotheus, whom the Jews had overcome before, when he had gathered a great multitude of foreign forces, and horses out of Asia not a few, came as though he would take Jewry by force of arms.

25 Οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Μακκαβαῖον, συνεγγίζοντος αὐτοῦ, πρὸς ἱκετείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐτράπησαν, γῇ τὰς κεφαλὰς καταπάσαντες, καὶ τὰς ὀσφύας σάκκοις ζώσαντες,

But when he drew near, they that were with Maccabeus turned themselves to pray to God, and sprinkled earth upon their heads, and girded their loins with sackcloth,

26 ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπέναντι τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου κρηπίδα προσπεσόντες, ἠξίουν ἵλεων αὐτοῖς γενόμενον ἐχθρεῦσαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀντικεῖσθαι τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις, καθὼς ὁ νόμος διασαφεῖ.

And fell down at the foot of the altar, and implored him to be merciful to them, and to be an enemy to their enemies, and an adversary to their adversaries, as the law declares.

27 Γενόμενοι δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς δεήσεως, ἀναλαβόντες τὰ ὅπλα, προῆγον ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ πλεῖον· συνεγγίσαντες δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἐφʼ ἑαυτῶν ἦσαν.

So after the prayer they took their weapons, and went on further from the city: and when they drew near to their enemies, they kept by themselves.

28 Ἄρτι δὲ τῆς ἀνατολῆς διαδεχομένης, προσέβαλον ἑκάτεροι· οἱ μὲν ἔγγυον ἔχοντες εὐημερίας καὶ νίκης μετʼ ἀρετῆς τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον καταφυγὴν, οἱ δὲ καθηγεμόνα τῶν ἀγώνων ταττόμενοι τὸν θυμόν.

Now the sun being newly risen, they joined both together; the one part having together with their virtue their refuge also to the Lord for a pledge of their success and victory: the other side making their rage leader of their battle

29 Γενομένης δὲ καρτερᾶς μάχης, ἐφάνησαν τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐφʼ ἵππων χρυσοχαλίνων ἄνδρες πέντε διαπρεπεῖς, καὶ ἀφηγούμενοι τῶν Ἰουδαίων οἱ δύο,

But when the battle waxed strong, there appeared to the enemies from heaven five comely men upon horses, with bridles of gold, and two of them led the Jews,

30 καὶ τὸν Μακκαβαῖον μέσον λαβόντες, καὶ σκεπάζοντες ταῖς ἑαυτῶν πανοπλίαις, ἄτρωτον διεφύλαττον· εἰς δὲ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους τοξεύματα καὶ κεραυνοὺς ἐξεῤῥίπτουν· διὸ συγχυθέντες ἀορασίᾳ, κατεκόπτοντο ταραχῆς πεπληρωμένοι.

And took Maccabeus between them, and covered him on every side weapons, and kept him safe, but shot arrows and lightnings against the enemies: so that being confounded with blindness, and full of trouble, they were killed.

31 Κατεσφάγησαν δὲ δισμύριοι πρὸς τοῖς πεντακοσίοις, ἱππεῖς δὲ ἑξακόσιοι.

And there were slain of footmen twenty thousand and five hundred, and six hundred horsemen.

32 Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Τιμόθεος συνέφυγεν εἰς Γάζαρα λεγόμενον ὀχύρωμα, εὖ μάλα φρούριον, στρατηγοῦντος ἐκεῖ Χαιρέου.

As for Timotheus himself, he fled into a very strong hold, called Gazara, where Chereas was governor.

33 Οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Μακκαβαῖον ἄσμενοι περιεκάθισαν τὸ φρούριον ἡμέρας τέσσαρας.

But they that were with Maccabeus laid siege against the fortress courageously four days.

34 Οἱ δὲ ἔνδον τῇ ἐρυμνότητι τοῦ τόπου πεποιθότες, ὑπεράγαν ἐβλασφήμουν, καὶ λόγους ἀθεμίτους προΐοντο.

And they that were within, trusting to the strength of the place, blasphemed exceedingly, and uttered wicked words.

35 Ὑποφαινούσης δὲ τῆς πέμπτης ἡμέρας, εἴκοσι νεανίαι τῶν περὶ τὸν Μακκαβαῖον πυρωθέντες τοῖς θυμοῖς διὰ τὰς βλασφημίας, προσβαλόντες τῷ τείχει, ἀῤῥενωδῶς καὶ θηριώδει θυμῷ τὸν ἐμπίπτοντα ἔκοπτον,

Nevertheless upon the fifth day early twenty young men of Maccabeus' company, inflamed with anger because of the blasphemies, assaulted the wall manly, and with a fierce courage killed all that they met withal.

36 ἕτεροι δὲ ὁμοίως προσαναβάντες ἐν τῷ περισπασμῷ πρὸς τοὺς ἔνδον, ἐνεπίμπρων τοὺς πύργους, καὶ πυρὰς ἀνάψαντες ζῶντας τοὺς βλασφήμους κατέκαιον· οἱ δὲ τὰς πύλας διέκοπτον, εἰσδεξάμενοι δὲ τὴν λοιπὴν τάξιν, προκατελάβοντο τὴν πόλιν,

Others likewise ascending after them, while they were busied with them that were within, burnt the towers, and kindling fires burnt the blasphemers alive; and others broke open the gates, and, having received in the rest of the army, took the city,

37 καὶ τὸν Τιμόθεον ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἔν τινι λάκκῳ κατέσφαξαν, καὶ τὸν τούτου ἀδελφὸν Χαιρέαν, καὶ τὸν Ἀπολλοφάνη.

And killed Timotheus, that was hid in a certain pit, and Chereas his brother, with Apollophanes.

38 Ταῦτα δὲ διαπραξάμενοι, μεθʼ ὕμνων καὶ ἐξομολογήσεων εὐλόγουν τῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ μεγάλως εὐεργετοῦντι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τὸ νῖκος αὐτοῖς διδόντι.

When this was done, they praised the Lord with psalms and thanksgiving, who had done so great things for Israel, and given them the victory.

Greek: the Septuagint as the Orthodox Media Network published it (Mount Athos); 2 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh from Brenton's edition (1851). English: Brenton's translation (1851), its spelling updated by Michael Paul Johnson; public domain. About these texts.