11 ἐκεῖνος
μὲν
οὖν
τῇ
κατὰ
τὸ
παρὸν
εὐημερίᾳ
γεγαυρωμένος
καὶ
οὐ
καθορῶν
τὸ
τοῦ
μεγίστου
θεοῦ
κράτος,
ὑπολαμβάνων
δὲ
διηνεκῶς
ἐν
τῇ
αὐτῇ
διαμενεῖν
βουλῇ,
ἔγραψεν
κατ᾿
αὐτῶν
ἐπιστολὴν
τήνδε
|
11 Now the king, elated with his prosperous fortune, and not regarding the superior power of God, but thinking to persevere in his present purpose, wrote the following letter to the prejudice of the Jews.
|
12 βασιλεὺς
Πτολεμαῖος
Φιλοπάτωρ
τοῖς
κατ᾿
Αἴγυπτον
καὶ
κατὰ
τόπον
στρατηγοῖς
καὶ
στρατιώταις
χαίρειν
καὶ
ἐρρῶσθαι·
|
12 King Ptolemy Philopater, to the commanders and soldiers in Egypt, and in all places, health and happiness!
|
13 ἔρρωμαι
δὲ
καὶ
αὐτὸς
ἐγὼ
καὶ
τὰ
πράγματα
ἡμῶν.
|
13 I am right well; and so, too, are my affairs.
|
14 τῆς
εἰς
τὴν
Ἀσίαν
γενομένης
ἡμῖν
ἐπιστρατείας,
ἧς
ἴστε
καὶ
αὐτοί,
τῇ
τῶν
θεῶν
ἀπροπτώτῳ
συμμαχίᾳ
κατὰ
λόγον
ἐπὶ
τέλος
ἀχθείσης
|
14 Since our Asiatic campaign, the particulars of which ye know, and which by the aid of the gods, not lightly given, and by our own vigour, has been brought to a successful issue according to our expectation,
|
15 ἡγησάμεθα
μὴ
βίᾳ
δόρατος,
ἐπιεικείᾳ
δὲ
καὶ
πολλῇ
φιλανθρωπίᾳ
τιθηνήσασθαι
τὰ
κατοικοῦντα
Κοίλην-Συρίαν
καὶ
Φοινίκην
ἔθνη
εὖ
ποιῆσαί
τε
ἀσμένως.
|
15 we resolved, not with strength of spear, but with gentleness and much humanity, as it were to nurse the inhabitants of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, and to be their willing benefactors.
|
16 καὶ
τοῖς
κατὰ
πόλιν
ἱεροῖς
ἀπονείμαντες
προσόδους
πλείστας
προήχθημεν
καὶ
εἰς
τὰ
Ἰεροσόλυμα
ἀναβάντες
τιμῆσαι
τὸ
ἱερὸν
τῶν
ἀλιτηρίων
καὶ
μηδέποτε
ληγόντων
τῆς
ἀνοίας.
|
16 So, having bestowed considerable sums of money upon the temples of the several cities, we proceeded even as far as Jerusalem; and went up to honour the temple of these wretched beings who never cease from their folly.
|
17 οἱ
δὲ
λόγῳ
μὲν
τὴν
ἡμετέραν
ἀποδεξάμενοι
παρουσίαν,
τῷ
δὲ
πράγματι
νόθως,
προθυμηθέντων
ἡμῶν
εἰσελθεῖν
εἰς
τὸν
ναὸν
αὐτῶν
καὶ
τοῖς
ἐκπρεπέσιν
καὶ
καλλίστοις
ἀναθήμασιν
τιμῆσαι
|
17 To outward appearance they received us willingly; but belied that appearance by their deeds. When we were eager to enter their temple, and to honour it with the most beautiful and exquisite gifts,
|
18 τύφοις
φερόμενοι
παλαιοτέροις
εἶρξαν
ἡμᾶς
τῆς
εἰσόδου
λειπόμενοι
τῆς
ἡμετέρας
ἀλκῆς
δι᾿
ἣν
ἔχομεν
πρὸς
ἅπαντας
ἀνθρώπους
φιλανθρωπίαν.
|
18 they were so carried away by their old arrogance, as to forbid us the entrance; while we, out of our forbearance toward all men, refrained from exercising our power upon them.
|
19 τὴν
δὲ
αὐτῶν
εἰς
ἡμᾶς
δυσμένειαν
ἔκδηλον
καθιστάντες
ὡς
μονώτατοι
τῶν
ἐθνῶν
βασιλεῦσιν
καὶ
τοῖς
ἑαυτῶν
εὐεργέταις
ὑψαυχενοῦντες
οὐδὲν
γνήσιον
βούλονται
φέρειν.
|
19 And thus, exhibiting their enmity against us, they alone among the nations lift up their heads against kings and benefactors, as men unwilling to submit to any thing reasonable.
|
20 ἡμεῖς
δὲ
τῇ
τούτων
ἀνοίᾳ
συμπεριενεχθέντες
καὶ
μετὰ
νίκης
διακομισθέντες
εἰς
τὴν
Αἴγυπτον
τοῖς
πᾶσιν
ἔθνεσιν
φιλανθρώπως
ἀπαντήσαντες
καθὼς
ἔπρεπεν
ἐποιήσαμεν,
|
20 We then, having endeavoured to make allowance for the madness of these persons, and on our victorious return treating all people in Egypt courteously, acted in a manner which was befitting.
|
21 ἐν
δὲ
τούτοις
πρὸς
τοὺς
ὁμοφύλους
αὐτῶν
ἀμνησικακίαν
ἅπασιν
γνωρίζοντες·
διά
τε
τὴν
συμμαχίαν
καὶ
τὰ
πεπιστευμένα
μετὰ
ἁπλότητος
αὐτοῖς
ἀρχῆθεν
μύρια
πράγματα
τολμήσαντες
ἐξαλλοιῶσαι
ἐβουλήθημεν
καὶ
πολιτείας
αὐτοὺς
Ἀλεξανδρέων
καταξιῶσαι
καὶ
μετόχους
τῶν
ἀεὶ
ἱερῶν
καταστῆσαι.
|
21 Accordingly, bearing no ill-will against their kinsmen [at Jerusalem,] but rather remembering our connection with them, and the numerous matters with sincere heart from a remote period entrusted to them, we wished to venture a total alteration of their state, by bestowing upon them the rights of citizens of Alexandria, and to admit them to the everlasting rites of our solemnities.
|
22 οἱ
δὲ
τοὐναντίον
ἐκδεχόμενοι
καὶ
τῇ
συμφύτῳ
κακοηθείᾳ
τὸ
καλὸν
ἀπωσάμενοι,
διηνεκῶς
δὲ
εἰς
τὸ
φαῦλον
ἐκνεύοντες
|
22 All this, however, they have taken in a very different spirit. With their innate malignity, they have spurned the fair offer; and constantly inclining to evil,
|
23 οὐ
μόνον
ἀπεστρέψαντο
τὴν
ἀτίμητον
πολιτείαν,
ἀλλὰ
καὶ
βδελύσσονται
λόγῳ
τε
καὶ
σιγῇ
τοὺς
ἐν
αὐτοῖς
ὀλίγους
πρὸς
ἡμᾶς
γνησίως
διακειμένους
παρ᾿
ἕκαστα
ὑφορώμενοι
μετὰ
τῆς
δυσκλεεστάτης
ἐμβιώσεως
διὰ
τάχους
ἡμᾶς
καταστρέψαι
τὰ
πράγματα.
|
23 have rejected the inestimable rights. Not only so, but by using speech, and by refraining from speech, they abhor the few among them who are heartily disposed towards us; ever deeming that their ignoble course of procedure will force us to do away with our reform.
|
24 διὸ
καὶ
τεκμηρίοις
καλῶς
πεπεισμένοι
τούτους
κατὰ
πάντα
δυσνοεῖν
ἡμῖν
τρόπον
καὶ
προνοούμενοι
μήποτε
αἰφνιδίου
μετέπειτα
ταραχῆς
ἐνστάσης
ἡμῖν
τοὺς
δυσσεβεῖς
τούτους
κατὰ
νώτου
προδότας
καὶ
βαρβάρους
ἔχωμεν
πολεμίους
|
24 Having then, received certain proofs that these [Jews] bear us every sort of ill-will, we must look forward to the possibility of some sudden tumult among ourselves, when these impious men may turn traitors and barbarous enemies.
|
25 προστετάχαμεν
ἅμα
τῷ
προσπεσεῖν
τὴν
ἐπιστολὴν
τήνδε
αὐθωρὶ
τοὺς
ἐννεμομένους
σὺν
γυναιξὶ
καὶ
τέκνοις
μετὰ
ὕβρεων
καὶ
σκυλμῶν
ἀποστεῖλαι
πρὸς
ἡμᾶς
ἐν
δεσμοῖς
σιδηροῖς
πάντοθεν
κατακεκλεισμένους,
εἰς
ἀνήκεστον
καὶ
δυσκλεῆ
πρέποντα
δυσμενέσι
φόνον.
|
25 As soon, therefore, as the contents of this letter become known to you, in that same hour we order those [Jews] who dwell among you, with wives and children, to be sent to us, vilified and abused, in chains of iron, to undergo a death, cruel and ignominious, suitable to men disaffected.
|
26 τούτων
γὰρ
ὁμοῦ
κολασθέντων
διειλήφαμεν
εἰς
τὸν
ἐπίλοιπον
χρόνον
τελείως
ἡμῖν
τὰ
πράγματα
ἐν
εὐσταθείᾳ
καὶ
τῇ
βελτίστῃ
διαθέσει
κατασταθήσεσθαι.
|
26 For by the punishment of them in one body we perceive that we have found the only means of establishing our affairs for the future on a firm and satisfactory basis.
|
27 ὃς
δ᾿
ἄν
σκεπάσῃ
τινὰ
τῶν
Ἰουδαίων
ἀπὸ
γεραιοῦ
μέχρι
νηπίου
καὶ
μέχρι
τῶν
ὑπομαστιδίων,
αἰσχίσταις
βασάνοις
ἀποτυμπανισθήσεται
πανοικίᾳ.
|
27 Whosoever shall shield a Jew, whether it be old man, child, or suckling, shall with his whole house be tortured to death.
|
28 μηνύειν
δὲ
τὸν
βουλόμενον,
ἐφ᾿
ᾧ
τὴν
οὐσίαν
τοῦ
ἐμπίπτοντος
ὑπὸ
τὴν
εὔθυναν
λήμψεται
καὶ
ἐκ
τοῦ
βασιλικοῦ
ἀργυρίου
δραχμὰς
δισχιλίας
καὶ
τῇ
ἐλευθερίᾳ
στεφανωθήσεται.
|
28 Whoever shall inform against the [Jews,] besides receiving the property of the person charged, shall be presented with two thousand drachmae from the royal treasury, shall be made free, and shall be crowned.
|
29 πᾶς
δὲ
τόπος,
οὗ
ἐὰν
φωραθῇ
τὸ
σύνολον
σκεπαζόμενος
Ἰουδαῖος,
ἄβατος
καὶ
πυριφλεγὴς
γινέσθω
καὶ
πάσῃ
θνητῇ
φύσει
καθ᾿
ἅπαν
ἄχρηστος
φανήσεται
εἰς
τὸν
ἀεὶ
χρόνον.
|
29 Whatever place shall shelter a Jew, shall, when he is hunted forth, be put under the ban of fire, and be for ever rendered useless to every living being for all time to come.
|