top 4 Maccabees ch 6

Chapter 6

Verses: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
1 Τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἀντιρρητορεύσαντα ταῖς τοῦ τυράννου παρηγορίαις παραστάντες οἱ δορυφόροι πικρῶς ἔσυραν ἐπὶ τὰ βασανιστήρια τὸν Ἐλεάζαρον. 1 When Eleazar had in this manner answered the exhortations of the tyrant, the spearbearers came up, and rudely haled Eleazar to the instruments of torture.
2 καὶ πρῶτον μὲν περιέδυσαν τὸν γεραιὸν ἐγκοσμούμενον τῇ περὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν εὐσχημοσύνῃ· 2 And first, they stripped the old man, adorned as he was with the comeliness of piety.
3 ἔπειτα περιαγκωνίσαντες ἑκατέρωθεν μάστιξιν κατῄκιζον, 3 Then tying back his arms and hands, they disdainfully used him with stripes;
4 πείσθητι ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐντολαῖς, ἑτέρωθεν κήρυκος ἐπιβοῶντος. 4 a herald opposite crying out, Obey the commands of the king.
5 ὁ δὲ μεγαλόφρων καὶ εὐγενὴς ὡς ἀληθῶς Ἐλεάζαρος ὥσπερ ἐν ὀνείρῳ βασανιζόμενος κατ᾿ οὐδένα τρόπον μετετρέπετο, 5 But Eleazar, the high-minded and truly noble, as one tortured in a dream, regarded it not all.
6 ἀλλὰ ὑψηλοὺς ἀνατείνας εἰς οὐρανὸν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀπεξαίνετο ταῖς μάστιξιν τὰς σάρκας ὁ γέρων καὶ κατερρεῖτο τῷ αἵματι καὶ τὰ πλευρὰ κατετιτρώσκετο. 6 But 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.
7 καὶ πίπτων εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ φέρειν τὸ σῶμα τὰς ἀλγηδόνας ὀρθὸν εἶχεν καὶ ἀκλινῆ τὸν λογισμόν. 7 And falling upon the ground, from his body having no power to support the pains, he yet kept his reasoning upright and unbending.
8 λάξ γέ τοι τῶν πικρῶν τις δορυφόρων εἰς τοὺς κενεῶνας ἐναλλόμενος ἔτυπτεν, ὅπως ἐξανίσταιτο πίπτων. 8 then one of the harsh spearbearers leaped upon his belly as he was falling, to force him upright.
9 ὁ δὲ ὑπέμενε τοὺς πόνους καὶ περιεφρόνει τῆς ἀνάγκης καὶ διεκαρτέρει τοὺς αἰκισμούς, 9 But he endured the pains, and despised the cruelty, and persevered through the indignities;
10 καὶ καθάπερ γενναῖος ἀθλητὴς τυπτόμενος ἐνίκα τοὺς βασανίζοντας ὁ γέρων· 10 and like a noble athlete, the old man, when struck, vanquished his torturers.
11 ἱδρῶν γέ τοι τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ἐπασθμαίνων σφοδρῶς καὶ ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν τῶν βασανιζόντων ἐθαυμάζετο ἐπὶ τῇ εὐψυχίᾳ. 11 His countenance sweating, and he panting for breath, he was admired by the very torturers for his courage.
12 ὅθεν τὰ μὲν ἐλεῶντες τὰ τοῦ γήρως αὐτοῦ, 12 Wherefore, partly in pity for his old age,
13 τὰ δὲ ἐν συμπαθείᾳ τῆς συνηθείας ὄντες, τὰ δὲ ἐν θαυμασμῷ τῆς καρτερίας προσιόντες αὐτῷ τινες τοῦ βασιλέως ἔλεγον 13 partly from the sympathy of acquaintance, and partly in admiration of his endurance, some of the attendants of the king said,
14 τί τοῖς κακοῖς τούτοις σεαυτὸν ἀλογίστως ἀπόλλεις, Ἐλεάζαρ; 14 Why do you unreasonably destroy yourself, O Eleazar, with these miseries?
15 ἡμεῖς μέν τοι τῶν ἡψημένων βρωμάτων παραθήσομεν, σὺ δὲ ὑποκρινόμενος τῶν ὑείων ἀπογεύεσθαι σώθητι. 15 We will bring you some meat cooked by yourself, and do you save yourself by pretending that you have eaten swine’s flesh.
16 καὶ ὁ Ἐλεάζαρος ὥσπερ πικρότερον διὰ τῆς συμβουλίας αἰκισθεὶς ἀνεβόησεν 16 And Eleazar, as though the advice more painfully tortured him, cried out,
17 μὴ οὕτως κακῶς φρονήσαιμεν οἱ Ἁβραὰμ παῖδες ὥστε μαλακοψυχήσαντας ἀπρεπὲς ἡμῖν δρᾶμα ὑποκρίνασθαι. 17 Let not us who are children of Abraham be so evil advised as by giving way to make use of an unbecoming pretence;
18 καὶ γὰρ ἀλόγιστον εἰ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ζήσαντες τὸν μέχρι γήρως βίον καὶ τὴν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ δόξαν νομίμως φυλάσσοντες νῦν μεταβαλοίμεθα 18 for 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,
19 καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἡμεῖς γενοίμεθα τοῖς νέοις ἀσεβείας τύπος, ἵνα παράδειγμα γενώμεθα τῆς μιαροφαγίας. 19 and ourselves should become a pattern of impiety to the young, as being an example of pollution eating.
20 αἰσχρὸν δὲ εἰ ἐπιβιώσομεν ὀλίγον χρόνον καὶ τοῦτον καταγελώμενοι πρὸς ἁπάντων ἐπὶ δειλίᾳ 20 It would be disgraceful if we should live on some short time, and that scorned by all men for cowardice,
21 καὶ ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ τυράννου καταφρονηθῶμεν ὡς ἄνανδροι, τὸν δὲ θεῖον ἡμῶν νόμον μέχρι θανάτου μὴ προασπίσαιμεν. 21 and be condemned by the tyrant for unmanliness, by not contending to the death for our divine law.
22 πρὸς ταῦτα ὑμεῖς μέν, ὦ Ἁβραὰμ παῖδες, εὐγενῶς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας τελευτᾶτε. 22 Wherefore do you, O children of Abraham, die nobly for your religion.
23 οἱ δὲ τοῦ τυράννου δορυφόροι, τί μέλλετε; 23 Ye spearbearers of the tyrant, why do ye linger?
24 πρὸς τὰς ἀνάγκας οὕτως μεγαλοφρονοῦντα αὐτὸν ἰδόντες καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς τὸν οἰκτιρμὸν αὐτῶν μεταβαλλόμενον ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸν ἀνῆγον· 24 Beholding him so high-minded against misery, and not changing at their pity, they led him to the fire:
25 ἔνθα διὰ κακοτέχνων ὀργάνων καταφλέγοντες αὐτὸν ὑπερρίπτοσαν, καὶ δυσώδεις χυλοὺς εἰς τοὺς μυκτῆρας αὐτοῦ κατέχεον. 25 then with their wickedly-contrived instruments they burnt him on the fire, and poured stinking fluids down into his nostrils.
26 ὁ δὲ μέχρι τῶν ὀστέων ἤδη κατακεκαυμένος καὶ μέλλων λιποθυμεῖν ἀνέτεινε τὰ ὄμματα πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ εἶπεν 26 And he being at length burnt down to the bones, and about to expire, raised his eyes Godward, and said,
27 σὺ οἶσθα, θεέ, παρόν μοι σῴζεσθαι βασάνοις καυστικαῖς ἀποθνῄσκω διὰ τὸν νόμον. 27 Thou knowest, O God, that when I might have been saved, I am slain for the sake of the law by tortures of fire.
28 ἵλεως γενοῦ τῷ ἔθνει σου ἀρκεσθεὶς τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν δίκῃ. 28 Be merciful to thy people, and be satisfied with the punishment of me on their account.
29 καθάρσιον αὐτῶν ποίησον τὸ ἐμὸν αἷμα καὶ ἀντίψυχον αὐτῶν λαβὲ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχήν. 29 Let my blood be a purification for them, and take my life in recompense for theirs.
30 καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ ἱερὸς ἀνὴρ εὐγενῶς ταῖς βασάνοις ἐναπέθανεν καὶ μέχρι τῶν τοῦ θανάτου βασάνων ἀντέστη τῷ λογισμῷ διὰ τὸν νόμον. 30 Thus 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.
31 ὁμολογουμένως οὖν δεσπότης τῶν παθῶν ἐστιν ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμός. 31 Confessedly, therefore, religious reasoning is master of the passions.
32 εἰ γὰρ τὰ πάθη τοῦ λογισμοῦ κεκρατήκει, τούτοις ἄν ἀπέδομεν τὴν τῆς ἐπικρατείας μαρτυρίαν· 32 For had the passions been superior to reasoning, I would have given them the witness of this mastery.
33 νυνὶ δὲ τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὰ πάθη νικήσαντος αὐτῷ προσηκόντως τὴν τῆς ἡγεμονίας προσνέμομεν ἐξουσίαν. 33 But now, since reasoning conquered the passions, we befittingly awarded it the authority of first place.
34 καὶ δίκαιόν ἐστιν ὁμολογεῖν ἡμᾶς τὸ κράτος εἶναι τοῦ λογισμοῦ, ὅπου γε καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπικρατεῖ, ἐπεὶ καὶ γελοῖον. 34 And it is but fair that we should allow, that the power belongs to reasoning, since it masters external miseries.
35 καὶ οὐ μόνον τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπιδείκνυμι κεκρατηκέναι τὸν λογισμόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἡδονῶν κρατεῖν καὶ μηδὲν αὐταῖς ὑπείκειν. 35 Ridiculous 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.