4 Maccabees 8

Thomson · Brenton · Greek · public domain

Thomson 1808

Brenton 1851

Greek · Brenton

Thomson—

BrentonThen, indeed, vehemently swayed with passion, he commanded to bring others of the adult Hebrews, and if they would eat of the unclean thing, to let them go when they had eaten; but if they objected, to torment them more grievously.

GreekΤὸ δὲ δὴ σφόδρα περιπαθῶς ἐκέλευσεν ἄλλους ἐκ τῆς ἠλικίας τῶν Ἑβραίων ἀγαγεῖν· καὶ εἰ μὲν μιεροφαγήσαιεν, ἀπολύειν φάγοντας· εἰ δὲ ἀντιλέγοιεν, πικρότερον βασανίζειν.

Thomson—

BrentonThe tyrant having given this charge, seven brethren were brought into his presence, along with their aged mother, handsome, and modest, and well-born, and altogether comely.

GreekΤαῦτα διαδεξαμένου τοῦ τυράννου, παρῆσαν ἀγόμενοι μετὰ γηραιᾶς μητρὸς ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοὶ, καλοί τε καὶ αἰδήμονες καὶ γενναῖοι καὶ ἐν παντὶ χαριέντες.

Thomson—

BrentonWhom, when the tyrant beheld, encircling their mother as in a dance, he was pleased at them; and being struck with their becoming and ingenuous mien, smiled upon them, and calling them near, said,

GreekΟὓς ἰδὼν ὁ τύραννος καθάπερ ἐν χορῷ περιέχοντας μέσην τὴν μητέρα, ἤσθετο ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς, καὶ τῆς εὐπρεπείας ἐκπλαγεὶς καὶ τῆς εὐγενείας προσεμειδίασεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ πλησίον καλέσας, ἔφη,

Thomson—

BrentonO youths, with favourable feelings, I admire the beauty of each of you; and greatly honouring so numerous a band of brethren, I not only counsel you not to share the madness of the old man who has been tortured before,

GreekὮ νεανίαι φιλοφρόνως ἐγὼ καθʼ ἐνὸς ἑκάστου ὑμῶν θαυμάζω τὸ κάλλος· καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τοσούτων ἀδελφῶν ὑπερτιμῶν, οὐ μόνον συμβουλεύω μὴ μανῆναι τὴν αὐτὴν τῷ προβασανισθέντι γέροντι μανίαν·

Thomson—

Brentonbut I do beg you to yield, and to enjoy my friendship; for I possess the power, not only of punishing those who disobey my commands, but of doing good to those who obey them.

Greekἀλλὰ καὶ παρακαλῶ συνείξαντας τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαῦσαι φιλίας· δυναίμην γὰρ ὥσπερ κολάζειν τοὺς ἐπιτάγμασιν, σὕτως καὶ εὐεργετεῖν τοὺς εὐπειθοῦντάς μοι.

Thomson—

BrentonPut confidence in me, then, and you shall receive places of authority in my government, if you forsake your national ordinance,

GreekΠιστεύσατε οὖν, καὶ ἀρχὰς ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμῶν πραγμάτων ἡγεμονικὰς λήψεσθε, ἀρνησάμενοι τὸν πάτριον ἡμῶν τῆς πολιτείας θεσμόν·

Thomson—

Brentonand, conforming to the Greek mode of life, alter your rule, and revel in youth's delights.

Greekκαὶ μεταλαβόντες Ἑλληνικοῦ βίου, καὶ μεταδιαιτηθέντες ἐντρυφήσατε ταῖς νεότησιν ὑμῶν.

Thomson—

BrentonFor if you provoke me by your disobedience, you will compel me to destroy you, every one, with terrible punishments by tortures.

GreekἘπεὶ ἐὰν ὀργίλως με διάθησθε διὰ τῆς ἀπειθείας ὑμῶν, ἀναγκάσετέ με ἐπὶ δειναῖς κολάσεσιν ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμῶν διὰ τῶν βασάνων ἀπολέσαι.

Thomson—

BrentonHave mercy, then, upon your own selves, whom I, although an enemy, compassionate for your age and comeliness.

GreekΚατελεήσατε οὖν ἑαυτοὺς, οὕς καὶ ὁ πολέμιος ἔγωγε καὶ τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ τῆς εὐμορφίας οἰκτείρομαι.

Thomson—

BrentonWill you not reason upon this—that if you disobey, there will be nothing left for you but to die in tortures?

GreekΟὐ διαλογιεῖσθε τοῦτο, ὅτι οὐδὲν ὑμῖν ἀπειθήσασιν πλὴν τοῦ μετὰ στρεβλῶν ἀποθανεῖν ἀπόκειται;

Thomson—

BrentonThus speaking, he ordered the instruments of torture to be brought forward, that very fear might prevail upon them to eat unclean meat.

GreekΤαῦτα δὲ λέγων, ἐκέλευσεν εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν προτεθῆναι τὰ βασανιστήρια, ὅπως καὶ διὰ τοῦ φόβου πείσειεν αὐτοὺς μιεροφαγῆσαι.

Thomson—

BrentonAnd when the spearman brought forward the wheels, and the racks, and hooks, and catapeltæ, and caldrons, pans, and finger-racks, and iron hands, and wedges, and bellows, the tyrant continued:

GreekὩς δὲ τροχούς τε καὶ ἀρθενβόλους στρεβλωτήρια, καὶ τροχαντῆρας καὶ καταπέλτας καὶ λέβητας, τήγανά τε καὶ δακτυλήθρας, καὶ χεῖρας σιδηρᾶς καὶ σφῆνας, καὶ τὰ ζώπυρα τοῦ πυρὸς οἱ δορυφόροι προέθησαν, ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ τύραννος, ἔφη, μειράκια φοβήθητε,

Thomson—

BrentonFear, young men, and the Righteousness which ye worship will be merciful to you if you err from compulsion.

Greekκαὶ ἥν σέβεσθε δίκην, ἵλεως ὑμῖν ἔσται διʼ ἀνάγκην παρανομήσασιν.

Thomson—

BrentonNow they having listened to these words of persuasion, and seeing the fearful instruments, not only were not afraid, but even answered the arguments of the tyrant, and through their good reasoning destroyed his power.

GreekΟἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες ἐπαγωγὰ, καὶ ὁρῶντες δεινὰ, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐφοβήθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντεφιλοσόφῃσαν τῷ τυράννῳ, καὶ διὰ τῆς εὐλογιστίας τὴν τυραννίδα αὐτοῦ κατέλυσαν.

Thomson—

BrentonNow let us consider the matter: had any of them been weak-spirited and cowardly among them, what reasonings would they have employed but such as these?

GreekΚαί τοι λογισώμεθα· εἰ δειλόψυχοί τινες ἦσαν, καὶ ἄνανδροι ἐν αὐτοῖς, ποίοις ἂν ἐχρήσαντο λόγοις; οὐχὶ τούτοις;

Thomson—

BrentonO wretched that we are, and exceeding senseless! when the king exhorts us, and calls us to his bounty, should we not obey him?

GreekὮ τάλανες ἡμεῖς, καὶ λίαν ἀνόητοι· βασιλέως ἡμᾶς παρακαλοῦντος, καὶ ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ φωνοῦντος, μὴ πεισθείημεν αὐτῷ;

Thomson—

BrentonWhy do we cheer ourselves with vain counsels, and venture upon a disobedience bringing death?

GreekΤί βουλήμασιν κενοῖς ἐαυτοὺς εὐφραίνομεν, καὶ θανατηφόρον ἀπείθειαν τολμῶμεν;

Thomson—

BrentonShall we not fear, O brethren, the instruments of torture, and weigh the threatenings of torment, and shun this vain-glory and destructive pride?

GreekΟὐ φοβησόμεθα, ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, τὰ βασανιστήρια, καὶ λογιούμεθα τὰς τῶν βασάνων ἀπειλὰς, καὶ φευξόμεθα τὴν κενοδοξίαν ταύτην καὶ ὀλεθροφόρον ἀλαζονείαν;

Thomson—

BrentonLet us have compassion upon our age and relent over the years of our mother.

GreekἘλεήσωμεν τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἡλικίας, καὶ κατοικτειρήσωμεν τὸ τῆς μητρὸς γῆρας·

Thomson—

BrentonAnd let us bear in mind that we shall be dying as rebels.

Greekκαὶ ἐνθυμηθῶμεν, ὅτι ἀπειθοῦντες τεθνηξόμεθα.

Thomson—

BrentonAnd Divine Justice will pardon us if we fear the king through necessity.

GreekΣυγγνώσεται δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ ἡ θεία δίκη διʼ ἀνάγκην τὸν βασιλὲα φοβηθεῖσιν.

Thomson—

BrentonWhy withdraw ourselves from a most sweet life, and deprive ourselves of this pleasant world?

GreekΤί ἐξάγομεν ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ ἡδίστου βίου, καὶ ἐπιστεροῦμεν ἐαυτοὺς τοῦ γλυκέος κόσμου;

Thomson—

BrentonLet us not oppose necessity, nor seek vain-glory by our own excruciation.

GreekΜὴ βιαζώμεθα τὴν ἀνάγκην, μηδὲ κενοδοξήσωμεν ἐπʼ τῇ ἑαυτῶν στρέβλῃ.

Thomson—

BrentonThe law itself is not forward to put us to death, if we dread torture.

GreekΟὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ ναὸς ἑκουσίως ἡμᾶς θανατοῖ φοβηθέντας τὰ βασανιστήρια.

Thomson—

BrentonWhence has such angry zeal taken root in us, and such fatal obstinacy approved itself to us, when we might live unmolested by giving ear to the king?

GreekΠόθεν ἡμῖν ἡ τοσαύτη ἐντέηκεν φιλονεικία, καὶ ἡ θανατεφόρος ἀρέσκει καρτερία, παρὸν μετὰ ἀταραξίας χρὴ τῷ βασιλεῖ πεισθέντας;

Thomson—

BrentonBut nothing of this kind did the young men say or think when about to be tortured.

GreekἈλλὰ τούτων οὐδὲν εἶπον οἱ νεανίαι βασανίζεσθαι μέλλοντες, οὐδὲ ἐνεθυμήθησαν.

Thomson—

BrentonFor they were well aware of the sufferings, and masters of the pains. So that as soon as the tyrant had ceased counselling them to eat the unclean, they altogether with one voice, as from the same heart, said:

GreekἮσαν γὰρ περιφρονες τῶν παθῶν, καὶ αὐτηκράτορες τῶν ἀλγηδόνων. Ὥστε ἅμα τῷ παύσασθαι τὸν τύραννον συμβουλεύοντα αὐτοῖς μιεροφαγῆσαι, πάντες διὰ μιᾶς φωνῆς ὁμοῦ, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ψυχῆς, εἶπον,