My LORD’s Bible3 Maccabees 7
1“King Ptolemy Philopator to the commanders throughout Egypt, and to all who are set over affairs, joy and strength.
βασιλεὺς πτολεμαῖος φιλοπάτωρ τοῖς κατ' αἴγυπτον στρατηγοῖς καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς τεταγμένοις ἐπὶ πραγμάτων χαίρειν καὶ ἐρρῶσθαι
2We, too, and our children are well. God has directed our affairs as we wish.
ἐρρώμεθα δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν κατευθύναντος ἡμῖν τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ τὰ πράγματα καθὼς προαιρούμεθα
3Certain of our friends out of malice vehemently urged us to punish the Jews of our realm in a body, with the infliction of a monstrous punishment.
τῶν φίλων τινὲς κατὰ κακοήθειαν πυκνότερον ἡμῖν παρακείμενοι συνέπεισαν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν ιουδαίους συναθροίσαντας σύστημα κολάσασθαι ξενιζούσαις ἀποστατῶν τιμωρίαις
4They pretended that our affairs would never be in a good state till this took place. Such, they said, was the hatred borne by the Jews to all other people.
προφερόμενοι μηδέποτε εὐσταθήσειν τὰ πράγματα ἡμῶν δι' ἣν ἔχουσιν οὗτοι πρὸς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη δυσμένειαν μέχρι ἂν συντελεσθῇ τοῦτο
5They brought them fettered in grievous chains as slaves, no, as traitors. Without enquiry or examination they endeavored to annihilate them. They buckled themselves with a savage cruelty, worse than Scythian custom.
οἳ καὶ δεσμίους καταγαγόντες αὐτοὺς μετὰ σκυλμῶν ὡς ἀνδράποδα μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς ἐπιβούλους ἄνευ πάσης ἀνακρίσεως καὶ ἐξετάσεως ἐπεχείρησαν ἀνελεῖν νόμου σκυθῶν ἀγριωτέραν ἐμπεπορπημένοι ὠμότητα
6For this cause we severely threatened them; yet, with the clemency which we usually extend to all men, we at length permitted them to live. Finding that the God of heaven cast a shield of protection over the Jews so as to preserve them, and that he fought for them as a father always fights for his sons,
ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις σκληρότερον διαπειλησάμενοι καθ' ἣν ἔχομεν πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ἐπιείκειαν μόγις τὸ ζῆν αὐτοῖς χαρισάμενοι καὶ τὸν ἐπουράνιον θεὸν ἐγνωκότες ἀσφαλῶς ὑπερησπικότα τῶν ιουδαίων ὡς πατέρα ὑπὲρ υἱῶν διὰ παντὸς συμμαχοῦντα
7and taking into consideration their constancy and fidelity toward us and toward our ancestors, we have, as we ought, acquitted them of every sort of charge.
τήν τε τοῦ φίλου ἣν ἔχουσιν βεβαίαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ τοὺς προγόνους ἡμῶν εὔνοιαν ἀναλογισάμενοι δικαίως ἀπολελύκαμεν πάσης καθ' ὁντινοῦν αἰτίας τρόπον
8We have dismissed them to their several homes, telling all men everywhere to do them no wrong, or unrighteously revile them about the past.
καὶ προστετάχαμεν ἑκάστῳ πάντας εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἐπιστρέφειν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ μηθενὸς αὐτοὺς τὸ σύνολον καταβλάπτοντος μήτε ὀνειδίζειν περὶ τῶν γεγενημένων παρὰ λόγον
9For know this, that should we conceive any evil design, or in any way aggrieve them, we shall ever have as our adversary, not man, but the highest God, the ruler of all might. From Him there will be no escape, as the avenger of such deeds. Farewell.”
γινώσκετε γὰρ ὅτι κατὰ τούτων ἐάν τι κακοτεχνήσωμεν πονηρὸν ἢ ἐπιλυπήσωμεν αὐτοὺς τὸ σύνολον οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ἀλλὰ τὸν πάσης δεσπόζοντα δυνάμεως θεὸν ὕψιστον ἀντικείμενον ἡμῖν ἐπ' ἐκδικήσει τῶν πραγμάτων κατὰ πᾶν ἀφεύκτως διὰ παντὸς ἕξομεν ἔρρωσθε
10When they had received this letter, they didn’t hurry to depart immediately. They petitioned the king to be allowed to inflict fitting punishment upon those of their race who had willingly transgressed the holy god, and the law of God.
λαβόντες δὲ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ταύτην οὐκ ἐσπούδασαν εὐθέως γενέσθαι περὶ τὴν ἄφοδον ἀλλὰ τὸν βασιλέα προσηξίωσαν τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ γένους τῶν ιουδαίων τὸν ἅγιον θεὸν αὐθαιρέτως παραβεβηκότας καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν νόμον τυχεῖν δι' αὐτῶν τῆς ὀφειλομένης κολάσεως
11They alleged that men who had for their bellies’ sake transgressed the ordinances of God, would never be faithful to the interests of the king.
προφερόμενοι τοὺς γαστρὸς ἕνεκεν τὰ θεῖα παραβεβηκότας προστάγματα μηδέποτε εὐνοήσειν μηδὲ τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως πράγμασιν
12The king admitted the truth of this reasoning, and commended them. Full power was given them, without warrant or special commission, to destroy those who had transgressed the law of God boldly in every part of the king’s dominions.
ὁ δὲ τἀληθὲς αὐτοὺς λέγειν παραδεξάμενος καὶ παραινέσας ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἄδειαν πάντων ὅπως τοὺς παραβεβηκότας τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν νόμον ἐξολεθρεύσωσιν κατὰ πάντα τὸν ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τόπον μετὰ παρρησίας ἄνευ πάσης βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας καὶ ἐπισκέψεως
13Their priests, then, as it was appropriate, saluted him with good wishes, and all the people echoed with the “Hallelujah!” Then they joyfully departed.
τότε κατευφημήσαντες αὐτόν ὡς πρέπον ἦν οἱ τούτων ἱερεῖς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος ἐπιφωνήσαντες τὸ αλληλουια μετὰ χαρᾶς ἀνέλυσαν
14Then they punished and shamefully destroyed every polluted Jew that fell in their way,
οὕτως τε τὸν ἐμπεσόντα τῶν μεμιαμμένων ὁμοεθνῆ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐκολάζοντο καὶ μετὰ παραδειγματισμῶν ἀνῄρουν
15slaying this way, in that day, more than three hundred men, and esteeming this destruction of the wicked a season of joy.
ἐκείνῃ δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀνεῖλον ὑπὲρ τοὺς τριακοσίους ἄνδρας ἣν καὶ ἤγαγον εὐφροσύνην μετὰ χαρᾶς βεβήλους χειρωσάμενοι
16They themselves having held closely to their God to death, and having enjoyed a full deliverance, departed from the city garlanded with sweet-flowered wreaths of every kind. Uttering exclamations of joy, with songs of praise, and melodious hymns, they thanked the God of their fathers, the eternal Savior of Israel.
αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ μέχρι θανάτου τὸν θεὸν ἐσχηκότες παντελῆ σωτηρίας ἀπόλαυσιν εἰληφότες ἀνέζευξαν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως παντοίοις εὐωδεστάτοις ἄνθεσιν κατεστεμμένοι μετ' εὐφροσύνης καὶ βοῆς ἐν αἴνοις καὶ παμμελέσιν ὕμνοις εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ θεῷ τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν αἰωνίῳ σωτῆρι τοῦ ισραηλ
17Having arrived at Ptolemais, called from the specialty of that district “Rose-bearing”, where the fleet, in accordance with the general wish, waited for them seven days,
παραγενηθέντες δὲ εἰς πτολεμαίδα τὴν ὀνομαζομένην διὰ τὴν τοῦ τόπου ἰδιότητα ῥοδοφόρον ἐν ᾗ προσέμεινεν αὐτοὺς ὁ στόλος κατὰ κοινὴν αὐτῶν βουλὴν ἡμέρας ἑπτά
18they partook of a banquet of deliverance, for the king generously granted them all the means of securing a return home.
ἐκεῖ ἐποίησαν πότον σωτήριον τοῦ βασιλέως χορηγήσαντος αὐτοῖς εὐψύχως τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἄφιξιν πάντα ἑκάστῳ ἕως εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν οἰκίαν
19They were accordingly brought back in peace, while they gave utterance to appropriate thanks; and they determined to observe these days during their sojourn as days of joyfulness.
καταχθέντες δὲ μετ' εἰρήνης ἐν ταῖς πρεπούσαις ἐξομολογήσεσιν ὡσαύτως κἀκεῖ ἔστησαν καὶ ταύτας ἄγειν τὰς ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς παροικίας αὐτῶν χρόνον εὐφροσύνους
20These they registered as sacred upon a pillar, when they had dedicated the place of their festivity to be one of prayer. They departed unharmed, free, abundant in joy, preserved by the king’s command, by land, by sea, and by river, each to his own home.
ἃς καὶ ἀνιερώσαντες ἐν στήλῃ κατὰ τὸν τῆς συμποσίας τόπον προσευχῆς καθιδρύσαντες ἀνέλυσαν ἀσινεῖς ἐλεύθεροι ὑπερχαρεῖς διά τε γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης καὶ ποταμοῦ ἀνασῳζόμενοι τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιταγῇ ἕκαστος εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν
21They had more weight than before among their enemies, and were honored and feared. No one in any way robbed them of their goods.
καὶ πλείστην ἢ ἔμπροσθεν ἐν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἐξουσίαν ἐσχηκότες μετὰ δόξης καὶ φόβου τὸ σύνολον ὑπὸ μηδενὸς διασεισθέντες τῶν ὑπαρχόντων
22Every man received back his own, according to inventory, those who had obtained their goods, giving them up with the greatest terror. For the greatest God made perfect wonders for their salvation.
καὶ πάντα τὰ ἑαυτῶν πάντες ἐκομίσαντο ἐξ ἀπογραφῆς ὥστε τοὺς ἔχοντάς τι μετὰ φόβου μεγίστου ἀποδοῦναι αὐτοῖς τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ μεγίστου θεοῦ ποιήσαντος τελείως ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ αὐτῶν
23Blessed be the Redeemer of Israel forever! Amen.
εὐλογητὸς ὁ ῥύστης ισραηλ εἰς τοὺς ἀεὶ χρόνους αμην