2 Maccabees 8

1But Judas, also called Maccabeus, and those with him secretly infiltrated the villages and summoned their kinsmen. They called together those who had continued in the Jewish religion and took them as companions. So they gathered about six thousand men.

Ιουδας δὲ ὁ καὶ Μακκαβαῖος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ παρεισπορευόμενοι λεληθότως εἰς τὰς κώμας προσεκαλοῦντο τοὺς συγγενεῖς καὶ τοὺς μεμενηκότας ἐν τῷ Ιουδαϊσμῷ προσλαμβανόμενοι συνήγαγον εἰς ἑξακισχιλίους

2They invoked the Lord to look upon the people, who were trampled underfoot by all, to have compassion on the temple, which had been profaned by ungodly men,

καὶ ἐπεκαλοῦντο τὸν κύριον ἐπιδεῖν τὸν ὑπὸ πάντων καταπατούμενον λαόν οἰκτῖραι δὲ καὶ τὸν ναὸν τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀνθρώπων βεβηλωθέντα

3to have mercy on the city, which was being destroyed and was about to be leveled to the ground, and to hearken to the blood that cried out to Him.

ἐλεῆσαι δὲ καὶ τὴν καταφθειρομένην πόλιν καὶ μέλλουσαν ἰσόπεδον γίνεσθαι καὶ τῶν καταβοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν αἱμάτων εἰσακοῦσαι

4They also invoked Him to remember the lawless destruction of the sinless babies and the blasphemies committed against His name, and to show His hatred of evil.

μνησθῆναι δὲ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀναμαρτήτων νηπίων παρανόμου ἀπωλείας καὶ περὶ τῶν γενομένων εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ βλασφημιῶν καὶ μισοπονηρῆσαι

5As soon as Maccabeus had his army in order, he was not to be withstood by the Gentiles, for the wrath of the Lord had turned to mercy.

γενόμενος δὲ ὁ Μακκαβαῖος ἐν συστέματι ἀνυπόστατος ἤδη τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐγίνετο τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἔλεον τραπείσης

6He came without notice to towns and villages and set them on fire. At opportune times he regained places and put to flight not a few of the enemy.

πόλεις δὲ καὶ κώμας ἀπροσδοκήτως ἐρχόμενος ἐνεπίμπρα καὶ τοὺς ἐπικαίρους τόπους ἀπολαμβάνων οὐκ ὀλίγους τῶν πολεμίων τροπούμενος

7He found the night the best time for such hostilities. So talk of his manliness spread everywhere.

μάλιστα τὰς νύκτας πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας ἐπιβολὰς συνεργοὺς ἐλάμβανεν καὶ λαλιὰ τῆς εὐανδρίας αὐτοῦ διηχεῖτο πανταχῆ

8When Philip realized that Judas was making progress little by little and that he was advancing with more frequent efficiency, he wrote to Ptolemy, the governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, for aid to the king's government.

συνορῶν δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος κατὰ μικρὸν εἰς προκοπὴν ἐρχόμενον τὸν ἄνδρα πυκνότερον δὲ ἐν ταῖς εὐημερίαις προβαίνοντα πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Κοίλης Συρίας καὶ Φοινίκης στρατηγὸν ἔγραψεν ἐπιβοηθεῖν τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως πράγμασιν

9And Ptolemy quickly appointed Nicanor the son of Patroclus, the foremost of his friends. He sent him in command of no fewer than twenty thousand Gentiles of all nations to get rid of all the people of Judea. He sent Gorgias with him, a general and a man experienced in the affairs of war.

ὁ δὲ ταχέως προχειρισάμενος Νικάνορα τὸν τοῦ Πατρόκλου τῶν πρώτων φίλων ἀπέστειλεν ὑποτάξας παμφύλων ἔθνη οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν δισμυρίων τὸ σύμπαν τῆς Ιουδαίας ἐξᾶραι γένος συνέστησεν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Γοργίαν ἄνδρα στρατηγὸν καὶ ἐν πολεμικαῖς χρείαις πεῖραν ἔχοντα

10Nicanor determined to make up for the king the taxes due to the Romans—two thousand talents—from the capture of the Jews.

διεστήσατο δὲ ὁ Νικάνωρ τὸν φόρον τῷ βασιλεῖ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὄντα ταλάντων δισχιλίων ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ιουδαίων αἰχμαλωσίας ἐκπληρώσειν

11He immediately sent word to the cities by the sea, inviting them to buy Jewish slaves and promising to hand over ninety slaves for a talent, not expecting that the judgment of the Almighty was about to fall upon him.

εὐθέως δὲ εἰς τὰς παραθαλασσίους πόλεις ἀπέστειλεν προκαλούμενος ἐπ᾿ ἀγορασμὸν Ιουδαίων σωμάτων ὑπισχνούμενος ἐνενήκοντα σώματα ταλάντου παραχωρήσειν οὐ προσδεχόμενος τὴν παρὰ τοῦ παντοκράτορος μέλλουσαν παρακολουθήσειν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ δίκην

12Now word came to Judas concerning Nicanor's impending attack; and when he told those with him about the arrival of the army,

τῷ δὲ Ιουδα προσέπεσεν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Νικάνορος ἐφόδου καὶ μεταδόντος τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ στρατοπέδου

13those who were cowardly and distrustful of God's justice ran off and removed themselves from that place.

οἱ δειλανδροῦντες καὶ ἀπιστοῦντες τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δίκην διεδίδρασκον ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἐξετόπιζον

14Others sold all their remaining property, and at the same time entreated the Lord to rescue those sold by the ungodly Nicanor before he even met them.

οἱ δὲ τὰ περιλελειμμένα πάντα ἐπώλουν ὁμοῦ δὲ τὸν κύριον ἠξίουν ῥύσασθαι τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς Νικάνορος πρὶν συντυχεῖν πεπραμένους

15They entreated Him, not for their own sake, but for the sake of the covenants made with their fathers, and because they were called by His holy and magnificent name.

καὶ εἰ μὴ δι᾿ αὐτούς ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰς πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν διαθήκας καὶ ἕνεκα τῆς ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἐπικλήσεως τοῦ σεμνοῦ καὶ μεγαλοπρεποῦς ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ

16But Maccabeus gathered those around him, six thousand in number, and exhorted them neither to be panic-stricken by the enemy nor to fear the great multitude of Gentiles who were unjustly coming against them, but to contend bravely.

συναγαγὼν δὲ ὁ Μακκαβαῖος τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν ὄντας ἀριθμὸν ἑξακισχιλίους παρεκάλει μὴ καταπλαγῆναι τοῖς πολεμίοις μηδὲ εὐλαβεῖσθαι τὴν τῶν ἀδίκως παραγινομένων ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἐθνῶν πολυπλήθειαν ἀγωνίσασθαι δὲ γενναίως

17He also exhorted them to keep before their eyes the lawless outrage committed against the holy place by the Gentiles, and the torture of the mocked city, and still more the dissolution of their ancestral way of life.

πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν λαβόντας τὴν ἀνόμως εἰς τὸν ἅγιον τόπον συντετελεσμένην ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν ὕβριν καὶ τὸν τῆς ἐμπεπαιγμένης πόλεως αἰκισμόν ἔτι δὲ τὴν τῆς προγονικῆς πολιτείας κατάλυσιν

18'For they trust in arms and bold acts,' he said, 'but we trust in Almighty God, who with only one nod is able to overthrow both those who come against us and the entire world.'

οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὅπλοις πεποίθασιν ἅμα καὶ τόλμαις ἔφησεν ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ παντοκράτορι θεῷ δυναμένῳ καὶ τοὺς ἐρχομένους ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς καὶ τὸν ὅλον κόσμον ἑνὶ νεύματι καταβαλεῖν πεποίθαμεν

19He also spoke to them of the times help came to their forefathers, how the one hundred and eighty-five thousand perished under Sennacherib,

προσαναλεξάμενος δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων γενομένας ἀντιλήμψεις καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ Σενναχηριμ ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδες ὡς ἀπώλοντο

20and how in the time when the battle took place in Babylonia against the Galatians, eight thousand in all entered the fray, along with four thousand Macedonians. But when the Macedonians were perplexed, the eight thousand destroyed the one hundred and twenty thousand because of the help that came to them from heaven. Then they took many spoils.

καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ Βαβυλωνίᾳ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς Γαλάτας παράταξιν γενομένην ὡς οἱ πάντες ἐπὶ τὴν χρείαν ἦλθον ὀκτακισχίλιοι σὺν Μακεδόσιν τετρακισχιλίοις τῶν Μακεδόνων ἀπορουμένων οἱ ὀκτακισχίλιοι τὰς δώδεκα μυριάδας ἀπώλεσαν διὰ τὴν γινομένην αὐτοῖς ἀπ᾿ οὐρανοῦ βοήθειαν καὶ ὠφέλειαν πολλὴν ἔλαβον

21With these words he gave them good courage and prepared them to die on behalf of their laws and their homeland. Then he divided his forces into four parts.

ἐφ᾿ οἷς εὐθαρσεῖς αὐτοὺς παραστήσας καὶ ἑτοίμους ὑπὲρ τῶν νόμων καὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἀποθνῄσκειν τετραμερές τι τὸ στράτευμα ἐποίησεν

22He appointed his brothers, Simon and Joseph and Jonathan, each to command a division, putting fifteen hundred soldiers under each.

τάξας καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ προηγουμένους ἑκατέρας τάξεως Σιμωνα καὶ Ιωσηπον καὶ Ιωναθην ὑποτάξας ἑκάστῳ χιλίους πρὸς τοῖς πεντακοσίοις

23In addition, he appointed Eleazar to read aloud from the holy book and gave the watchword, 'The help of God.' Then he led the first division himself and joined battle with Nicanor.

ἔτι δὲ καὶ Ελεαζαρον παραναγνοὺς τὴν ἱερὰν βίβλον καὶ δοὺς σύνθημα θεοῦ βοηθείας τῆς πρώτης σπείρας αὐτὸς προηγούμενος συνέβαλε τῷ Νικάνορι

24When the Almighty became their ally, they slew more than nine thousand of the enemy, and wounded and crippled most of Nicanor's army, and forced them all to flee.

γενομένου δὲ αὐτοῖς τοῦ παντοκράτορος συμμάχου κατέσφαξαν τῶν πολεμίων ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐνακισχιλίους τραυματίας δὲ καὶ τοῖς μέλεσιν ἀναπείρους τὸ πλεῖον μέρος τῆς τοῦ Νικάνορος στρατιᾶς ἐποίησαν πάντας δὲ φυγεῖν ἠνάγκασαν

25They seized the money of those who came to buy them as slaves. After they pursued them for some distance, they were compelled to return because of the hour;

τὰ δὲ χρήματα τῶν παραγεγονότων ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγορασμὸν αὐτῶν ἔλαβον συνδιώξαντες δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐφ᾿ ἱκανὸν ἀνέλυσαν ὑπὸ τῆς ὥρας συγκλειόμενοι

26for they did not continue their pursuit because it was the day before the Sabbath.

ἦν γὰρ ἡ πρὸ τοῦ σαββάτου δι᾿ ἣν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐμακροτόνησαν κατατρέχοντες αὐτούς

27So when they had collected their arms and stripped the spoils from their enemy, they kept the Sabbath, greatly blessing and giving thanks to the Lord, who had brought them safely through the day and appointed it for them as a beginning of mercy.

ὁπλολογήσαντες δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ σκῦλα ἐκδύσαντες τῶν πολεμίων περὶ τὸ σάββατον ἐγίνοντο περισσῶς εὐλογοῦντες καὶ ἐξομολογούμενοι τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ διασώσαντι εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην ἀρχὴν ἐλέους τάξαντος αὐτοῖς

28Then after the Sabbath they gave a portion of the spoils to those who were tortured and to the widows and orphans, and distributed the rest among themselves and their children.

μετὰ δὲ τὸ σάββατον τοῖς ᾐκισμένοις καὶ ταῖς χήραις καὶ ὀρφανοῖς μερίσαντες ἀπὸ τῶν σκύλων τὰ λοιπὰ αὐτοὶ καὶ τὰ παιδία διεμερίσαντο

29When they had done this, they made a common supplication and besought the merciful Lord to be reconciled at last with His servants.

ταῦτα δὲ διαπραξάμενοι καὶ κοινὴν ἱκετείαν ποιησάμενοι τὸν ἐλεήμονα κύριον ἠξίουν εἰς τέλος καταλλαγῆναι τοῖς αὑτοῦ δούλοις

30Moreover, of the forces on the side of Timothy and Bacchides, who contended against them, they killed more than twenty thousand of them and became the masters of exceedingly high fortresses. They divided a great many spoils, giving shares equal to their own to those who had been tortured and to the orphans and widows, and also to the aged.

καὶ τοῖς περὶ Τιμόθεον καὶ Βακχίδην συνερίσαντες ὑπὲρ τοὺς δισμυρίους αὐτῶν ἀνεῖλον καὶ ὀχυρωμάτων ὑψηλῶν εὖ μάλα ἐγκρατεῖς ἐγένοντο καὶ λάφυρα πλείονα ἐμερίσαντο ἰσομοίρους αὑτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ᾐκισμένοις καὶ ὀρφανοῖς καὶ χήραις ἔτι δὲ καὶ πρεσβυτέροις ποιήσαντες

31After they collected the enemy's weapons, they organized them all carefully in convenient places, and carried the rest of the spoils to Jerusalem.

ὁπλολογήσαντες δὲ αὑτοὺς ἐπιμελῶς πάντα συνέθηκαν εἰς τοὺς ἐπικαίρους τόπους τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τῶν σκύλων ἤνεγκαν εἰς Ιεροσόλυμα

32They killed the commander of Timothy's forces, a most unholy man and one who had greatly troubled the Jews.

τὸν δὲ φυλάρχην τῶν περὶ Τιμόθεον ἀνεῖλον ἀνοσιώτατον ἄνδρα καὶ πολλὰ τοὺς Ιουδαίους ἐπιλελυπηκότα

33While they were celebrating the victory in the city of their fathers, they burned those who had set fire to the temple gates: Callisthenes and some others, who had fled into one small house; so they received a recompense worthy of their impiety.

ἐπινίκια δὲ ἄγοντες ἐν τῇ πατρίδι τοὺς ἐμπρήσαντας τοὺς ἱεροὺς πυλῶνας καὶ Καλλισθένην ὑφῆψαν εἰς ἓν οἰκίδιον πεφευγότα καὶ τὸν ἄξιον τῆς δυσσεβείας ἐκομίσατο μισθόν

34The thrice-sinful Nicanor had brought the thousand merchants for the purchase of the Jews,

ὁ δὲ τρισαλιτήριος Νικάνωρ ὁ τοὺς χιλίους ἐμπόρους ἐπὶ τὴν πρᾶσιν τῶν Ιουδαίων ἀγαγὼν

35but he was humbled with the help of the Lord by the opponents he regarded as of the least account. Thus, after he succeeded primarily in the destruction of his own army, he took off his glorious military apparel and made his way inland alone like a fugitive until he reached Antioch.

ταπεινωθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν κατ᾿ αὐτὸν νομιζομένων ἐλαχίστων εἶναι τῇ τοῦ κυρίου βοηθείᾳ τὴν δοξικὴν ἀποθέμενος ἐσθῆτα διὰ τῆς μεσογείου δραπέτου τρόπον ἔρημον ἑαυτὸν ποιήσας ἧκεν εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν ὑπὲρ ἅπαν εὐημερηκὼς ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ στρατοῦ διαφθορᾷ

36There, he who had undertaken to establish taxes for the Romans by the capture of the people of Jerusalem proclaimed that the Jews had a Defender, and therefore were invulnerable, because they followed the laws appointed beforehand by Him.

καὶ ὁ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἀναδεξάμενος φόρον ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἐν Ιεροσολύμοις αἰχμαλωσίας κατορθώσασθαι κατήγγελλεν ὑπέρμαχον ἔχειν τοὺς Ιουδαίους καὶ διὰ τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον ἀτρώτους εἶναι τοὺς Ιουδαίους διὰ τὸ ἀκολουθεῖν τοῖς ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ προτεταγμένοις νόμοις