4 Maccabees 10

Μακκαβαίων Δ´

1 Καὶ τούτου τὸν ἀοίδιμον θάνατον καρτερήσαντος, ὁ τρίτος ἤγετο παρακαλούμενος πολλὰ ὑπὸ πολλῶν, ὅπως ἀπογευσάμενος σῴζοιτο.

Now this one, having endured this praiseworthy death, the third was brought along, and exhorted by many to taste and save his life.

2 ὁ δὲ ἀναβοήσας ἔφη· ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε ὅτι ὁ αὐτός με τοῖς ἀποθανοῦσιν ἔσπειρε πατήρ, καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ μήτηρ ἐγέννησε, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀνετράφημεν δόγμασιν;

But he cried out and said, Know you⌃ not, that the father of those who are dead, became the father of me also; and that the same mother bare me; and that I was brought up in the same tenets?

3 οὐκ ἐξόμνυμαι τὴν εὐγενῆ τῆς ἀδελφότητός μου συγγένειαν.

I abjure not the noble relationship of my brethren.

4 πρὸς ταῦτα εἴ τι ἔχετε κολαστήριον προσαγάγετε τῷ σώματί μου· τῆς γὰρ ψυχῆς μου, οὐδ' ἂν θέλητε ἅψασθαι, δύνασθε.

Now then, whatever instrument of vengeance you⌃ have, apply it to my body, for you⌃ are not able to touch, even if you⌃ wish it, my soul.

5 οἱ δὲ πικρῶς ἐνέγκαντες τὴν παρρησίαν τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἀρθρεμβόλοις ὀργάνοις τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς πόδας ἐξήρθρουν καὶ ἐξ ἁρμῶν ἀναμοχλεύοντες ἐξεμέλιζον,

But they, highly incensed at his boldness of speech, dislocated his hands and feet with racking engines, and wrenching them from their sockets, dismembered him.

6 καὶ τοὺς δακτύλους καὶ τοὺς βραχίονας καὶ τὰ σκέλη καὶ τοὺς ἀγκῶνας περιέκλων.

And they dragged round his fingers, and his arms, and his legs, and his ankles.

7 καὶ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον ἰσχύοντες αὐτὸν ἄγξαι περισύραντες τό δέρμα σὺν ἄκραις ταῖς τῶν δακτύλων κορυφαῖς ἀπεσκύθιζον· καὶ εὐθέως ἦγον ἐπὶ τὸν τροχόν,

And not being able by any means to strangle him, they tore off his skin, together with the extreme tips of his fingers, flayed him, and then haled him to the wheel;

8 περὶ ὃν ἐκ σπονδύλων ἐκμελιζόμενος ἑώρα τὰς ἑαυτοῦ σάρκας περιλακιζομένας καὶ κατὰ σπλάγχνων σταγόνας αἵματος ἀπορρεούσας.

around which his vertebral joints were loosened, and he saw his own flesh torn to shreds, and streams of blood flowing from his entrails.

9 μέλλων δὲ ἀποθνήσκειν ἔφη·

And when about to die, he said,

10 ἡμεῖς μέν, ὦ μιαρώτατε τύραννε, διὰ παιδείαν καὶ ἀρετὴν Θεοῦ ταῦτα πάσχομεν·

We, O accursed tyrant, suffer this for the sake of Divine education and virtue.

11 σὺ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ μιαιφονίαν ἀκαταλύτους καρτερήσεις βασάνους.

But you, for your impiety and blood shedding, shall endure indissoluble torments.

12 Καὶ τούτου θανόντος ἀδελφοπρεπῶς, τὸν τέταρτον ἐπεσπῶντο λέγοντες·

And thus having died worthily of his brethren, they dragged forward the fourth, saying,

13 μὴ συμμανῇς καὶ σὺ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς σου τὴν αὐτὴν μανίαν, ἀλλὰ πεισθεὶς τῷ βασιλεῖ, σῷζε σεαυτόν.

Do not you share the madness of your brethren: but give regard to the king, and save yourself.

14 ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἔφη· οὐχ οὕτως καυστικώτερον ἔχετε κατ' ἐμοῦ τὸ πῦρ ὥστε με δειλανδρῆσαι.

But he said to them, You have not a fire so scorching as to make me play the coward.

15 μὰ τὸν μακάριον τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου θάνατον καὶ τὸν αἰώνιον τοῦ τυράννου ὄλεθρον καὶ τὸν ἀΐδιον τῶν εὐσεβῶν βίον οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι τὴν εὐγενῆ ἀδελφότητα.

By the blessed death of my brethren, and the eternal punishment of the tyrant, and the glorious life of the pious, I will not repudiate the noble brotherhood.

16 ἐπινόει, τύραννε, βασάνους, ἵνα καὶ διὰ τούτων μάθῃς, ὅτι ἀδελφός εἰμι τῶν προβασανισθέντων.

Invent, O tyrant, tortures; that you may learn, even through them, that I am the brother of those tormented before.

17 ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ αἱμοβόρος καὶ φονώδης καὶ παμμιαρώτατος Ἀντίοχος, ἐκέλευσε τὴν γλῶτταν αὐτοῦ ἐκτεμεῖν.

When he had said this, the blood-thirsty, and murderous, and unhallowed Antiochus ordered his tongue to be cut out.

18 ὁ δὲ ἔφη· κἂν ἀφέλῃς τὸ τῆς φωνῆς ὄργανον, καὶ σιωπώντων ἀκούει ὁ Θεός·

But he said, Even if you take away the organ of speech, yet God hears the silent.

19 ἰδοὺ προκεχάλασται ἡ γλῶσσα, τέμνε, οὐ γὰρ παρά τοῦτο τὸν λογισμὸν ἡμῶν γλωσσοτομήσεις.

Behold, my tongue is extended, cut it off; for not for that halt you extirpate our reasoning.

20 ἡδέως ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ τοῦ σώματος μέλη ἀκρωτηριαζόμεθα.

Gladly do we lose our limbs in behalf of God.

21 σὲ δὲ ταχέως μετελεύσεται ὁ Θεός, τὴν γὰρ τῶν θείων ὕμνων μελῳδὸν γλῶτταν ἐκτέμνεις.

But God shall speedly find you, since you cut off the tongue, the instrument of divine melody.

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.