4 Maccabees 6

Thomson · Brenton · Greek · public domain

Thomson 1808

Brenton 1851

Greek · Brenton

Thomson—

BrentonWhen Eleazar had in this manner answered the exhortations of the tyrant, the spearbearers came up, and rudely haled Eleazar to the instruments of torture.

GreekΤοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἀντιρητορεύσαντα ταῖς τοῦ τυράννου παρηγορίαις, παραστάντες οἱ δορυφόροι πικρῶς ἔσυραν ἐπὶ τὰ βασανιστήρια τὸν Ἐλεάζαρον.

Thomson—

BrentonAnd first, they stripped the old man, adorned as he was with the comeliness of piety.

GreekΚαὶ πρῶτον μὲν περιέδυσαν τὸν γηραιὸν ἐκκεκοσμημένον περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν εὐσχημοσύνην.

Thomson—

BrentonThen tying back his arms and hands, they disdainfully used him with stripes;

GreekἜπειτα περιαγκωνίσαντες ἑκατέρωθεν, μάστιξιν κατῇκιζον·

Thomson—

Brentona herald opposite crying out, Obey the commands of the king.

Greekπείσθητι ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐντολαῖς, ἑτέρωθεν κήρυκος ἐπιβοῶντος.

Thomson—

BrentonBut Eleazar, the high-minded and truly noble, as one tortured in a dream, regarded it not at all.

GreekὉ δὲ μεγαλόφρων καὶ εὐγενὴς ὡς ἀληθῶς Ἐλεάζαρος, ὥσπερ ἐν ὀνείρω βασανιζόμενος κατʼ οὐδένα τρόπον μετετρέπετο.

Thomson—

BrentonBut raising his eyes on high to heaven, the old man's flesh was stripped off by the scourges, and his blood streamed down, and his sides were pierced through.

GreekἈλλὰ ὑψηλοὺς ἀνατείνας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, ἀπεξαίνετο ταῖς μάστιξιν τὰς σάρκας ὁ γέρων, καὶ κατεῤῥεῖτο τῷ αἵματι,

Thomson—

BrentonAnd falling upon the ground, from his body having no power to support the pains, he yet kept his reasoning upright and unbending.

Greekκαὶ τὰ πλευρὰ κατετιτρώσκετο, καὶ πίπτων εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος, ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ φέρειν τὸ σῶμα τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, ὀρθὸν εἶχεν καὶ ἀκλινῆ τὸν λογισμόν.

Thomson—

BrentonThen one of the harsh spearbearers leaped upon his belly as he was falling, to force him upright.

GreekΛὰξ γέ τοι τῶν πικρῶν τις δορυφόρων, εἰς τοὺς κενεῶνας ἐναλλόμενος ἔτυπτεν, ὅπως ἐξανίσταιτο πίπτων.

Thomson—

BrentonBut he endured the pains, and despised the cruelty, and persevered through the indignities;

GreekὉ δὲ ὑπέμενεν τοὺς πόνους, καὶ περιεφρόνει τῆς ἀνάγκης, καὶ διεκαρτέρει τοὺς αἰκισμοὺς,

Thomson—

Brentonand like a noble athlete, the old man, when struck, vanquished his torturers.

Greekκαὶ καθάπερ γενναῖος ἀθλητὴς τυπτόμενος ἐνίκα τοὺς βασανίζοντας ὁ γέρων.

Thomson—

BrentonHis countenance sweating, and he panting for breath, he was admired by the very torturers for his courage.

GreekἹδρῶν γέ τοι τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐπασθμαίνων σφοδρῶς, καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν βασανιζόντων ἐθαυμάζετο ἐπὶ τῇ εὐτυχίᾳ.

Thomson—

BrentonWherefore, partly in pity for his old age,

GreekὍθεν τὰ μὲν ἐλεοῦντες τὰ τοῦ γήρως αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ἐν συμπαθείᾳ τῆς συνηθείας ὄντες,

Thomson—

Brentonpartly from the sympathy of acquaintance, and partly in admiration of his endurance, some of the attendants of the king said,

Greekτὰ δὲ ἐν θαυμαστῷ τῆς καρτερίας προσιόντες αὐτῷ τινὲς τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ἔλεγον,

Thomson—

BrentonWhy do you unreasonably destroy yourself, O Eleazar, with these miseries?

Greekτί τοῖς κακοῖς τούτοις σεαντὸν ἀλογίστως ἀπολλεῖς,

Thomson—

BrentonWe will bring you some meat cooked by yourself, and do you save yourself by pretending that you have eaten swine's flesh.

GreekἘλεάζαρ; ἡμεῖς μὲν τῶν ἡψημένων βρωμάτων παραθήσομεν· σὺ δὲ ὑποκρινόμενος τῶν ὑείων ἀπογεύσασθαι, σώθητι.

Thomson—

BrentonAnd Eleazar, as though the advice more painfully tortured him, cried out,

GreekΚαὶ ὁ Ἐλεάζαρος, ὥσπερ πικρότερον διὰ τῆς συμβουλίας αἰκισθεὶς, ἀνεβόησεν,

Thomson—

BrentonLet not us who are children of Abraham be so evil advised as by giving way to make use of an unbecoming pretence;

Greekμὴ οὕτως κακῶς φρονήσαιμεν οἱ Ἁβραὰμ παῖδες, ὥστε μαλακοψυχήσαντας ἀπρεπὲς ἡμῖν δρᾶμα ὑποκρίνασθαι.

Thomson—

Brentonfor it were irrational, if having lived up to old age in all truth, and having scrupulously guarded our character for it, we should now turn back,

GreekΚαὶ γὰρ ἀλόγιστον, εἰ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ζήσαντες τὸν μέχρι γήρως βίον, καὶ τὴν ἐπʼ αὐτῶν δόξαν νομίμως φυλάσσοντες, νῦν μεταβαλοίμεθα,

Thomson—

Brentonand ourselves should become a pattern of impiety to the young, as being an example of pollution eating.

Greekκαὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἡμεῖς γενοίμεθα τοῖς νέοις ἀσεβείας τύπος, ἵνα παράδειγμα γενώμεθα τῆς μιεροφαγίας.

Thomson—

BrentonIt would be disgraceful if we should live on some short time, and that scorned by all men for cowardice,

GreekΑἰσχρὸν γὰρ εἰ ἐπιβιώσωμεν ἀλίγον χρόνον,

Thomson—

Brentonand be condemned by the tyrant for unmanliness, by not contending to the death for our divine law.

Greekκαὶ τοῦτον καταγελώμενοι πρὸς ἁπάντων ἐπὶ δειλίᾳ· καὶ ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ τυράννου καταφρονηθῶμεν ὡς ἄνανδροι, τὸν δὲ θεῖον ἡμῶν νόμον μέχρι θανάτου μὴ προασπίσαιμεν.

Thomson—

BrentonWherefore do you, O children of Abraham, die nobly for your religion.

GreekΠρὸς ταῦτα ὑμεῖς μὲν, ὦ Ἁβραὰμ παῖδες, εὐγενῶς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας τελευτᾶτε.

Thomson—

BrentonYe spearbearers of the tyrant, why do ye linger?

GreekΟἱ δὲ τοῦ τυράννου δορυφόροι, τί μέλλετε;

Thomson—

BrentonBeholding him so high-minded against misery, and not changing at their pity, they led him to the fire:

GreekΠρὸς τὰς ἀνάγκας οὕτως μεγαλοφρονοῦντα αὐτὸν ἰδόντες καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς τὸν οἰκτιρμὸν αὐτῶν μεταβαλλόμενον, ἐπὶ πῦρ αὐτὸν ἤγαγον.

Thomson—

Brentonthen with their wickedly-contrived instruments they burnt him on the fire, and poured stinking fluids down into his nostrils.

GreekἜνθα διὰ κακοτέχνων ὀργάνων καταφλέγοντες αὐτὸν ὑπερέπτοσαν, καὶ δυσώδεις χυλοὺς εἰς τοὺς μυκτῆρας αὐτοῦ κατέχεον.

Thomson—

BrentonAnd he being at length burnt down to the bones, and about to expire, raised his eyes God-ward, and said,

GreekὉ δὲ μέχρι τῶν ὀστέων ἤδη κατακεκαυμένος καὶ μέλλων λιποθυμεῖν, ἀνέτεινεν τὰ ὄμματα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εἶπεν, σὺ οἶσθα, Θεὲ, παρόν μοι σώζεσθαι,

Thomson—

BrentonThou knowest, O God, that when I might have been saved, I am slain for the sake of the law by tortures of fire.

Greekβασάνοις καυστικαῖς ἀποθνήσκω διὰ τὸν νόμον.

Thomson—

BrentonBe merciful to thy people, and be satisfied with the punishment of me on their account.

GreekἽλεως γενοῦ τῷ ἔθνει σου, ἀρκεσθεὶς τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ περὶ αὐτῶν δίκῃ.

Thomson—

BrentonLet my blood be a purification for them, and take my life in recompense for theirs.

GreekΚαθάρσιον αὐτῶν ποίησον τὸ ἐμὸν αἷμα, καὶ ἀντίψυχον αὐτῶν λαβὲ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχήν.

Thomson—

BrentonThus speaking, the holy man departed, noble in his torments, and even to the agonies of death resisted in his reasoning for the sake of the law.

GreekΚαὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ ἱερὸς ἀνὴρ εὐγενῶς ταῖς βασάνοις ἐναπέθανεν, καὶ μέχρι τῶν τοῦ θανάτου βασάνων ἀντέστη τῷ λσγισμῷ διὰ τὸν νόμον.

Thomson—

BrentonConfessedly, therefore, religious reasoning is master of the passions.

GreekὉμολογουμένως οἶν δεσπότης ἐστὶν τῶν παθῶν ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμός.

Thomson—

BrentonFor had the passions been superior to reasoning, I would have given them the witness of this mastery.

GreekΕἰ γὰρ τὰ πάθη τοῦ λογισμοῦ κεκρατήκει, τούτοις ἂν ἀπεδόμην τὴν τῆς ἐπικρατείας μαρτυρίαν.

Thomson—

BrentonBut now, since reasoning conquered the passions, we befittingly award it the authority of first place.

GreekΝυνὶ δὲ τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὰ πάθη νικήσαντος, αὐτῷ προσηκόντως τὴν τῆς ἡγεμονίας προσνέμομεν ἐξουσίαν.

Thomson—

BrentonAnd it is but fair that we should allow, that the power belongs to reasoning, since it masters external miseries.

GreekΚαὶ δίκαιόν ἐστιν ὁμολογεῖν ἡμᾶς, τὸ κράτος εἶναι τοῦ λογισμοῦ, ὅπου γε καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπικρατεῖ.

Thomson—

BrentonRidiculous would it be were it not so; and I prove that reasoning has not only mastered pains, but that it is also superior to the pleasures, and withstands them.

GreekἘπεὶ καὶ γελοῖον· καὶ οὐ μόνον τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπιδείκνυμι κεκρατηκέναι τὸν λογισμὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἡδονῶν κρατεῖν, μηδὲ αὐταῖς ὑπείκειν.