3 Maccabees 4

1Wherever this decree arrived, a feast at public expense was arranged for the Gentiles with shouting and rejoicing, as the hatred they had harbored against the Jews before now appeared openly.

πάντῃ δέ ὅπου προσέπιπτεν τοῦτο τὸ πρόσταγμα δημοτελὴς συνίστατο τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐωχία μετὰ ἀλαλαγμῶν καὶ χαρᾶς ὡς ἂν τῆς προκατεσκιρωμένης αὐτοῖς πάλαι κατὰ διάνοιαν μετὰ παρρησίας νῦν ἐκφαινομένης ἀπεχθείας

2But for the Jews, there was unceasing sorrow and lamentable crying with tears; everywhere their hearts burned, and with groans they bewailed the unexpected destruction that was suddenly inflicted on them.

τοῖς δὲ Ιουδαίοις ἄληκτον πένθος ἦν καὶ πανόδυρτος μετὰ δακρύων βοὴ στεναγμοῖς πεπυρωμένης πάντοθεν αὐτῶν τῆς καρδίας ὀλοφυρομένων τὴν ἀπροσδόκητον ἐξαίφνης αὐτοῖς ἐπικριθεῖσαν ὀλεθρίαν

3But was there any district or city, or any inhabited place whatsoever, or any streets, that were not filled with their mourning and wailing?

τίς νομὸς ἢ πόλις ἢ τίς τὸ σύνολον οἰκητὸς τόπος ἢ τίνες ἀγυιαὶ κοπετοῦ καὶ γόων ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐνεπιπλῶντο

4For they were being sent off by the commanders of the city in such a bitter and ruthless spirit that even when some of their enemies saw them receive such unusual punishments before their eyes, they considered them a common object of pity, and wept for their miserable expulsion and the uncertainty of their lives.

οὕτως γὰρ μετὰ πικρίας ἀνοίκτου ψυχῆς ὑπὸ τῶν κατὰ πόλιν στρατηγῶν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐξαπεστέλλοντο ὥστε ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐξάλλοις τιμωρίαις καί τινας τῶν ἐχθρῶν λαμβάνοντας πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὸν κοινὸν ἔλεον καὶ λογιζομένους τὴν ἄδηλον τοῦ βίου καταστροφὴν δακρύειν αὐτῶν τὴν δυσάθλιον ἐξαποστολήν

5A large group of old men, covered with gray hair, was forced to march swiftly, despite the sluggishness of their old age. With shameless violence they were driven on a harsh journey.

ἤγετο γὰρ γεραιῶν πλῆθος πολιᾷ πεπυκασμένων τὴν ἐκ τοῦ γήρως νωθρότητα ποδῶν ἐπίκυφον ἀνατροπῆς ὁρμῇ βιαίας ἁπάσης αἰδοῦς ἄνευ πρὸς ὀξεῖαν καταχρωμένων πορείαν

6Young women who had just stepped into their bridal chamber to enter married life exchanged delight for wailing. With their perfumed hair sprinkled with dust, they openly raised a lamentation instead of wedding hymns, as they were carried away together by the violence of the Gentiles.

αἱ δὲ ἄρτι πρὸς βίου κοινωνίαν γαμικὸν ὑπεληλυθυῖαι παστὸν νεάνιδες ἀντὶ τέρψεως μεταλαβοῦσαι γόους καὶ κόνει τὴν μυροβρεχῆ πεφυρμέναι κόμην ἀκαλύπτως δὲ ἀγόμεναι θρῆνον ἀνθ᾿ ὑμεναίων ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐξῆρχον ὡς ἐσπαραγμέναι σκυλμοῖς ἀλλοεθνέσιν

7In shackles and in view of the public, they were dragged along violently to the boat of embarkation.

δέσμιαι δὲ δημοσίᾳ μέχρι τῆς εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ἐμβολῆς εἵλκοντο μετὰ βίας

8Their husbands, in their vigorous youthful prime and with nooses encircling their necks instead of flowers, passed the remaining days of their wedding feast in lamentations rather than feasting and youthful celebration, as they saw the grave already before their feet.

οἵ τε τούτων συνζυγεῖς βρόχοις ἀντὶ στεφέων τοὺς αὐχένας περιπεπλεγμένοι μετὰ ἀκμαίας νεανικῆς ἡλικίας ἀντὶ εὐωχίας καὶ νεωτερικῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τὰς ἐπιλοίπους τῶν γάμων ἡμέρας ἐν θρήνοις διῆγον παρὰ πόδας ἤδη τὸν ᾅδην ὁρῶντες κείμενον

9But they were brought on board like wild animals in iron-bound restraints, some fastened by their necks to the benches of the ships, others with their feet secured in unbreakable fetters.

κατήχθησαν δὲ θηρίων τρόπον ἀγόμενοι σιδηροδέσμοις ἀνάγκαις οἱ μὲν τοῖς ζυγοῖς τῶν πλοίων προσηλωμένοι τοὺς τραχήλους οἱ δὲ τοὺς πόδας ἀρρήκτοις κατησφαλισμένοι πέδαις

10In addition they had the thick deck above them; thus, darkness covered their eyes on all sides, and they were treated like betrayers during the entire voyage.

ἔτι καὶ τῷ καθύπερθε πυκνῷ σανιδώματι διακειμένῳ ὅπως πάντοθεν ἐσκοτισμένοι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀγωγὴν ἐπιβούλων ἐν παντὶ τῷ κατάπλῳ λαμβάνωσιν

11When they were brought to the place called Schedia and their voyage was completed according to the king's decree, he directed that they be confined outside the city in the hippodrome, which had an immense outside perimeter. He also commanded that at the appointed time, they be made a public example for those returning to the city and those going from the city to the country. Thus they could not communicate with the king's forces, or in any way claim to be within the boundaries of the city.

τούτων δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν λεγομένην Σχεδίαν ἀχθέντων καὶ τοῦ παράπλου περανθέντος καθὼς ἦν δεδογματισμένον τῷ βασιλεῖ προσέταξεν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἱπποδρόμῳ παρεμβαλεῖν ἀπλάτῳ καθεστῶτι περιμέτρῳ καὶ πρὸς παραδειγματισμὸν ἄγαν εὐκαιροτάτῳ καθεστῶτι πᾶσι τοῖς καταπορευομένοις εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τούτων εἰς τὴν χώραν στελλομένοις πρὸς ἐκδημίαν πρὸς τὸ μηδὲ ταῖς δυνάμεσιν αὐτοῦ κοινωνεῖν μηδὲ τὸ σύνολον καταξιῶσαι περιβόλων

12But as this took place, the king heard that their Jewish compatriots from the city often went out secretly to lament the shameful suffering of their brothers.

ὡς δὲ τοῦτο ἐγενήθη ἀκούσας τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ὁμοεθνεῖς κρυβῇ ἐκπορευομένους πυκνότερον ἀποδύρεσθαι τὴν ἀκλεῆ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ταλαιπωρίαν

13Growing furious, he commanded that these visitors be treated in precisely the same way as the others, so they would not be spared any of their punishment.

διοργισθεὶς προσέταξεν καὶ τούτοις ὁμοῦ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἐπιμελῶς ὡς ἐκείνοις ποιῆσαι μὴ λειπομένοις κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον τῆς ἐκείνων τιμωρίας

14He further commanded that every tribe be registered by name, not for the toilsome servitude just mentioned, but so they would suffer the prescribed tortures and be put to death in a single day.

ἀπογραφῆναι δὲ πᾶν τὸ φῦλον ἐξ ὀνόματος οὐκ εἰς τὴν ἔμπροσθεν βραχεῖ προδεδηλωμένην τῶν ἔργων κατάπονον λατρείαν στρεβλωθέντας δὲ ταῖς παρηγγελμέναις αἰκίαις τὸ τέλος ἀφανίσαι μιᾶς ὑπὸ καιρὸν ἡμέρας

15Their registration took place, then, with bitter haste and zealous diligence. It took forty days from sunrise to sunset, yet still remained incomplete.

ἐγίνετο μὲν οὖν ἡ τούτων ἀπογραφὴ μετὰ πικρᾶς σπουδῆς καὶ φιλοτίμου προσεδρείας ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου μέχρι δυσμῶν ἀνήνυτον λαμβάνουσα τὸ τέλος ἐπὶ ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα

16The king was filled with great and constant joy as he established banquets to extol all his idols, with a mind that wandered far away from the truth. With a profane mouth, he praised mute things that were unable to speak or offer help, and spoke improper things against the Almighty God.

μεγάλως δὲ καὶ διηνεκῶς ὁ βασιλεὺς χαρᾷ πεπληρωμένος συμπόσια ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν εἰδώλων συνιστάμενος πεπλανημένῃ πόρρω τῆς ἀληθείας φρενὶ καὶ βεβήλῳ στόματι τὰ μὲν κωφὰ καὶ μὴ δυνάμενα αὐτοῖς λαλεῖν ἢ ἀρήγειν ἐπαινῶν εἰς δὲ τὸν μέγιστον θεὸν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα λαλῶν

17But after the aforementioned interval of time, the scribes suggested to him that he would no longer be able to accomplish the registration of the Jews because their number was so large.

μετὰ δὲ τὸ προειρημένον τοῦ χρόνου διάστημα προσηνέγκαντο οἱ γραμματεῖς τῷ βασιλεῖ μηκέτι ἰσχύειν τὴν τῶν Ιουδαίων ἀπογραφὴν ποιεῖσθαι διὰ τὴν ἀμέτρητον αὐτῶν πληθὺν

18They said that although there were still many of them in the country, some of whom were gathered in their houses and others elsewhere in the region, it was impossible for all the commanders in Egypt to register them.

καίπερ ὄντων ἔτι κατὰ τὴν χώραν τῶν πλειόνων τῶν μὲν κατὰ τὰς οἰκίας ἔτι συνεστηκότων τῶν δὲ καὶ κατὰ τόπον ὡς ἀδυνάτου καθεστῶτος πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐπ᾿ Αἴγυπτον στρατηγοῖς

19But the king threatened the scribes more harshly, claiming they were bribed to provide the Jews a mechanism of escape. But he was clearly convinced

ἀπειλήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῖς σκληρότερον ὡς δεδωροκοπημένοις εἰς μηχανὴν τῆς ἐκφυγῆς συνέβη σαφῶς αὐτὸν περὶ τούτου πιστωθῆναι

20when they proved what they said, for they showed him that the paper and writing pens they used were depleted.

λεγόντων μετὰ ἀποδείξεως καὶ τὴν χαρτηρίαν ἤδη καὶ τοὺς γραφικοὺς καλάμους ἐν οἷς ἐχρῶντο ἐκλελοιπέναι

21This was the activity of God's invincible providence helping the Jews from heaven.

τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ἐνέργεια τῆς τοῦ βοηθοῦντος τοῖς Ιουδαίοις ἐξ οὐρανοῦ προνοίας ἀνικήτου