4 Maccabees 17

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

4 Maccabees 17

1And some of the spearbearers said, that when she herself was about to be seized for the purpose of being put to death, she threw herself upon the pile, rather than they should touch her person.Ἔλεγον δὲ καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων τινὲς, ὡς ὅτε ἔμελλεν καὶ αὐτὴ συλλαμβάνεσθαι πρὸς θάνατον, ἵνα μὴ ψαύσειέν τι τοῦ σώματος ἑαυτῆς, ἑαυτὴν ἔῤῥιψεν κατὰ τῆς πυρᾶς.

2O you mother, who together with seven children did destroy the violence of the tyrant, and render void his wicked intentions, and exhibit the nobleness of faith!Ὦ μήτηρ σὺν ἑπτὰ παισὶν καταλύσασα τὴν τοῦ τυράννου βίαν, καὶ ἀκυρώσασα τὰς κακὰς ἐπινοίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπιδείξασα τὴν τῆς πίστεως γενναιότητα.

3For you, as an house bravely built upon the pillar of your children, did bear without swaying, the shock of tortures.Καθάπερ γὰρ σὺ στέγη ἐπὶ τοῦ στύλου τῶν παίδων γενναίως ἱδρυμένη, ἀκλινῶς ὑπήνεγκας τὸν διὰ τῶν βασάνων σεισμόν.

4Be of good cheer, therefore, O holy-minded mother! holding the firm substance of the hope of your steadfastness with God.Θάῤῥει τοιγαροῦν, ὦ μήτηρ ἱερόψυχε, τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ὑπομονῆς γενναίως ἔχουσα πρὸς Θεόν.

5Not so gracious does the moon appear with the stars in heaven, as you are established honorable before God, and fixed in the firmament with your sons who you did illuminate with religion to the stars.Οὐχ οὕτω σελήνη κατʼ οὐρανὸν σὺν ἄστροις σεμνὴ καθέστηκεν, ὡς σὺ τοὺς εἰς ἀστέρας ἑπτὰ παῖδας φωταγωγήσασα πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἔντιμος καθέστηκας Θεῷ, καὶ ἐστήρισαι ἐν οὐρανῷ σὺν αὐτοῖς.

6For your bearing of children was after the fashion of a child of Abraham.Ἦν γὰρ ἡ παιδοποιΐα σου ἀπὸ Ἁβραὰμ τοῦ παιδός.

7And, were it lawful for us to paint as on a tablet the religion of your story, the spectators would not shudder at beholding the mother of seven children enduring for the sake of religion various tortures even to death.Εἰ δὲ ἐξὸν ἡμῖν ἦν, ὥσπερ τινὸς ζωγραφῆσαι τὴν τῆς ἱστορίας σου εὐσέβειαν, οὐκ ἂν ἔφριττον οἱ θεωροῦντες μητέρα ἑπτὰ τέκνων διʼ εὐσέβειαν ποικίλας βασάνους μέχρι θανάτου ὑπομείνασαν.

8And it had been a worth thing to have inscribed upon the tomb itself these words as a memorial to those of the nation,Καὶ γὰρ ἄξιον ἦν καὶ ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐπιταφίου ἀναγράψαι καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔθνους εἰς μνείαν λεγόμενα.

9Here an aged priest, and an aged woman, and seven sons, are buried through the violence of a tyrant, who wished to destroy the polity of the Hebrews.Ἐνταῦθα γέρων ἱερεὺς, καὶ γυμὴ γεραιὰ καὶ ἑπτὰ παῖδες ἐγκεκήδευνται διὰ τυράννου βίαν, τὴν Ἑβραίων πολιτείαν καταλῦσαι θέλοντος.

10These also avenged their nation, looking to God, and enduring torments to death.Οἳ καὶ ἐξεδίκησαν τὸ ἔθνος εἰς Θεὸν ἀφορῶντες, καὶ μέχρι θανάτου τὰς βασάνους ὑπομείναντες.

11For it was truly a divine contest which was carried through by them.Ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἦν ἀγῶν θεῖος ὁ διʼ αὐτῶν γεγενημένος.

12For at that time virtue presided over the contest, approving the victory through endurance, namely, immortality, eternal life.Ἠθλότει γὰρ τότε ἀρετὴ διʼ ὑπομονῆς δοκιμάζουσα τὸ νῖκος ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ ἐν ζωῇ πολυχρονίῳ.

13Eleazar was the first to contend: and the mother of the seven children entered the contest; and the brethren contended.Ἐλεάζαρ δὲ προηγωνίζετο· ἡ δὲ μήτηρ τῶν ἑπτὰ παίδων ἐνήθλει·

14The tyrant was the opposite; and the world and living men were the spectators.οἱ δὲ ἀδελφοὶ ἠγωνίζοντο· ὁ τύραννος ἀντηγωνίζετο· ὁ δὲ κόσμος καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος ἐθεώρει.

15And reverence for God conquered, and crowned her own athletes.Θεοσέβεια δὲ ἐνίκα, τοὺς ἑαυτῆς ἀθλητὰς στεφανοῦσα.

16Who did not admire those champions of true legislation? who were not astonied?Τίνες οὐκ ἐθαύμασαν τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας νομοθεσίας ἀθλητὰς; τίνες οὐκ ἐξεπλάγησαν;

17The tyrant himself, and all their council, admired their endurance;Αὐτός γέ τοι ὁ τύραννος καὶ ὅλον τὸν συνέδριον αὐτῶν ἐξεθαύμασαν αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπομονήν.

18through which, also, they now stand beside the divine throne, and live a blessed life.Διʼ ἣν καὶ τῷ θείῳ νῦν παρεστήκασιν θρόνῳ, καὶ τὸν μακάριον βιοῦσιν αἰῶνα.

19For Moses says, And all the saints are under your hands.Καὶ γάρ φησιν ὁ Μωσῆς, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἡγιασμένοι ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖράς σου.

20These, therefore, having been sanctified through God, have been honored not only with this honor, but that also by their means the enemy did not overcome our nation;Καὶ οὗτοι οὖν ἁγιασθέντες διὰ Θεὸν τετίμηνται οὐ μόνον οὖν ταύτῃ τῇ τιμῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ διʼ αὐτοὺς τὸ ἔθνος ἡμῶν τοὺς πολεμίους μὴ ἐπικρατήσας,

21and that the tyrant was punished, and their country purified.καὶ τὸν τύραννον τιμωρηθῆναι, καὶ τὴν πατρίδα καθαρισθῆναι,

22For they became the ransom to the sin of the nation; and the Divine Providence saved Israel, aforetime afflicted, by the blood of those pious ones, and the propitiatory death.ὥσπωρ ἀντίψυχον γεγονότας τῆς τοῦ ἔθνους ἁμαρτίας, καὶ διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἐκείνων, καὶ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου θανάτου αὐτῶν, ἡ θεία πρόνοια τὸν Ἰσραὴλ προκακωθέντα διέσωσεν.

23For the tyrant Antiochus, looking to their manly virtue, and to their endurance in torture, proclaimed that endurance as an example to his soldiers.Πρὸς γὰρ τὴν ἀνδρείαν αὐτῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ ταῖς βασάνοις αὐτῶν ὑπομονὴν ὁ τύραννος ἀφιδὼν Ἀντίοχος ἀνεκήρυξεν τοῖς στρατιώταις αὐτοῦ εἰς ὑπόδειγμα τὴν ἐκείνων ὑπομονήν.

24And they proved to be to him noble and brave for land battles and for sieges; and he conquered and stormed the towns of all his enemies.Ἔσχεν τε αὐτοὺς γενναίους καὶ ἀνδρείους εἰς πεζομαχίαν καὶ πολιορκίαν· καὶ ἐκπορθήσας ἐνίκησεν πάντας τοὺς πολεμίους.