top 4 Maccabees ch 16

Chapter 16

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]
1 Εἰ δὲ τοίνυν καὶ γυνὴ καὶ γεραιὰ καὶ ἑπτὰ παίδων μήτηρ ὑπέμεινεν τὰς μέχρι θανάτου βασάνους τῶν τέκνων ὁρῶσα, ὁμολογουμένως αὐτοκράτωρ ἐστὶν τῶν παθῶν ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμός. 1 If, then, even a woman, and that an aged one, and the mother of seven children, endured to see her children’s torments even unto death, confessedly religious reasoning is master even of the passions.
2 ἀπέδειξα οὖν ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἄνδρες τῶν παθῶν ἐκράτησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυνὴ τῶν μεγίστων βασάνων ὑπερεφρόνησεν. 2 I have proved, then, that not only men have obtained the mastery of their passions, but also that a woman despised the greatest torments.
3 καὶ οὐχ οὕτως οἱ περὶ Δανιὴλ λέοντες ἦσαν ἄγριοι οὐδὲ ἡ Μισαὴλ ἐκφλεγομένη κάμινος λαβροτάτῳ πυρί, ὡς ἡ τῆς φιλοτεκνίας περιέκαιεν ἐκείνην φύσις ὁρῶσαν αὐτῆς οὕτως ποικίλως βασανιζομένους τοὺς ἑπτὰ υἱούς. 3 And not so fierce were the lions round Daniel, nor the furnace of Misael burning with most vehement fires as that natural love of children burned within her, when she beheld her seven sons tortured.
4 ἀλλὰ τῷ λογισμῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας κατέσβεσεν τὰ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα πάθη ἡ μήτηρ. 4 But with the reasoning of religion the mother quenched passions so great and powerful.
5 καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐπιλογίσασθε, ὅτι δειλόψυχος εἰ ἦν ἡ γυνὴ καίπερ μήτηρ οὖσα ὠλοφύρετο ἄν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἴσως ἄν ταῦτα εἶπεν 5 For we must consider also this: that, had the woman been faint hearted, as being their other, she would have lamented over them; and perhaps might have spoken thus:
6 ὦ μελέα ἔγωγε καὶ πολλάκις τρισαθλία, ἥτις ἑπτὰ παῖδας τεκοῦσα οὐδενὸς μήτηρ γεγένημαι. 6 Ah! wretched I, and many times miserable; who having born seven sons, have become the mother of none.
7 ὦ μάταιοι ἑπτὰ κυοφορίαι καὶ ἀνόνητοι ἑπτὰ δεκάμηνοι καὶ ἄκαρποι τιθηνίαι καὶ ταλαίπωροι γαλακτοτροφίαι. 7 O seven useless childbirths, and seven profitless periods of labour, and fruitless givings of suck, and miserable nursings at the breast.
8 μάτην δὲ ἐφ᾿ ὑμῖν, ὦ παῖδες, πολλὰς ὑπέμεινα ὠδῖνας καὶ χαλεπωτέρας φροντίδας ἀνατροφῆς. 8 Vainly, for your sakes, O sons, have I endured many pangs, and the more difficult anxieties of rearing.
9 ὦ τῶν ἐμῶν παίδων οἱ μὲν ἄγαμοι οἱ δὲ γήμαντες ἀνόνητοι· οὐκ ὄψομαι ὑμῶν τέκνα οὐδὲ μάμμη κληθεῖσα μακαρισθήσομαι. 9 Alas, of my children, some of you unmarried, and some who have married to no profit, I shall not see your children, nor be felicitated as a grandmother.
10 ὦ ἡ πολύπαις καὶ καλλίπαις ἐγὼ γυνὴ χήρα καὶ μόνη πολύθρηνος· 10 Ah, that I who had many and fair children, should be a lone widow full of sorrows!
11 οὐδ᾿ ἄν ἀποθάνω, θάπτοντα τῶν υἱῶν ἕξω τινά. 11 Nor, should I die, shall I have a son to bury me. But with such a lament is this the holy and God-fearing mother bewailed none of them.
12 ἀλλὰ τούτῳ τῷ θρήνῳ οὐδένα ὠλοφύρετο ἡ ἱερὰ καὶ θεοσεβὴς μήτηρ οὐδ᾿ ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνωσιν ἀπέτρεπεν αὐτῶν τινα οὐδ᾿ ὡς ἀποθνῃσκόντων ἐλυπήθη, 12 Nor did she divert any of them from death, nor grieve for them as for the dead.
13 ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ ἀδαμάντινον ἔχουσα τὸν νοῦν καὶ εἰς ἀθανασίαν ἀνατίκτουσα τὸν τῶν υἱῶν ἀριθμὸν μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον αὐτοὺς προετρέπετο ἱκετεύουσα. 13 But as one possessed with an adamantine mind, and as one bringing forth again her full number of sons to immortality, she rather with supplication exhorted them to death in behalf of religion.
14 ὦ μῆτερ δι᾿ εὐσέβειαν θεοῦ στρατιῶτι πρεσβῦτι καὶ γύναι, διὰ καρτερίαν καὶ τύραννον ἐνίκησας καὶ ἔργοις δυνατωτέρα καὶ λόγοις εὑρέθης ἀνδρός. 14 O woman, soldier of God for religion, thou, aged and a female, hast conquered through endurance even a tyrant; and though but weak, hast been found more powerful in deeds and words.
15 καὶ γὰρ ὅτε συνελήμφθης μετὰ τῶν παίδων, εἱστήκεις τὸν Ἐλεάζαρον ὁρῶσα βασανιζόμενον καὶ ἔλεγες τοῖς παισὶν ἐν τῇ Ἑβραΐδι φωνῇ 15 For when thou wast seized along with thy children, thou stoodest looking upon Eleazar in torments, and saidst to thy sons in the Hebrew tongue,
16 ὦ παῖδες, γενναῖος ὁ ἀγών, ἐφ᾿ ὃν κληθέντες ὑπὲρ τῆς διαμαρτυρίας τοῦ ἔθνους ἐναγωνίσασθε προθύμως ὑπὲρ τοῦ πατρῴου νόμου· 16 O sons, noble is the contest; to which you being called as a witness for the nation, strive zealously for the laws of your country.
17 καὶ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν τὸν μὲν γέροντα τοῦτον ὑπομένειν τὰς διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀλγηδόνας, ὑμᾶς δὲ τοὺς νεανίσκους καταπλαγῆναι τὰς βασάνους. 17 For it were disgraceful that this old man should endure pains for the sake of righteousness, and that you who are younger should be afraid of the tortures.
18 ἀναμνήσθητε ὅτι διὰ τὸν θεὸν τοῦ κόσμου μετελάβετε καὶ τοῦ βίου ἀπελαύσατε, 18 Remember that through God ye obtained existence, and have enjoyed it.
19 καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὀφείλετε πάντα πόνον ὑπομένειν διὰ τὸν θεόν, 19 And on this second account ye ought to bear every affliction because of God.
20 δι᾿ ὃν καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν Ἁβραὰμ ἔσπευδεν τὸν ἐθνοπάτορα υἱὸν σφαγιάσαι Ἰσαάκ, καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν χεῖρα ξιφηφόρον καταφερομένην ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ὁρῶν οὐκ ἔπτηξεν. 20 For whom also our father Abraham was forward to sacrifice Isaac our progenitor, and shuddered not at the sight of his own paternal hand descending down with the sword upon him.
21 καὶ Δανιὴλ ὁ δίκαιος εἰς λέοντας ἐβλήθη, καὶ Ἀνανίας καὶ Ἀζαρίας καὶ Μισαὴλ εἰς κάμινον πυρὸς ἀπεσφενδονήθησαν καὶ ὑπέμειναν διὰ τὸν θεόν. 21 And the righteous Daniel was cast unto the lions; and Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, were slung out into a furnace of fire; yet they endured through God.
22 καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν τὴν αὐτὴν πίστιν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἔχοντες μὴ χαλεπαίνετε. 22 You, then, having the same faith towards God, be not troubled.
23 ἀλόγιστον γὰρ εἰδότας εὐσέβειαν μὴ ἀνθίστασθαι τοῖς πόνοις. 23 For it is unreasonable that they who know religion should not stand up against troubles.
24 διὰ τούτων τῶν λόγων ἡ ἑπταμήτωρ ἕνα ἕκαστον τῶν υἱῶν παρακαλοῦσα ἀποθανεῖν ἔπεισεν μᾶλλον ἢ παραβῆναι τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, 24 With these arguments, the mother of seven, exhorting each of her sons, over-persuaded them from transgressing the commandment of God.
25 ἔτι δὲ καὶ ταῦτα εἰδότες ὅτι οἱ διὰ τὸν θεὸν ἀποθνῄσκοντες ζῶσιν τῷ θεῷ ὥσπερ Ἁβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ πάντες οἱ πατριάρχαι. 25 And they saw this, too, that they who die for God, live to God; as Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the patriarchs.