4 Maccabees 12
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LXX
Septuagint (lxxmorph-unicode, surface forms)
WEB
World English Bible
1
ὡς δὲ καὶ οὗτος μακαρίως ἀπέθανεν καταβληθεὶς εἰς λέβητα ὁ ἕβδομος παρεγίνετο πάντων νεώτερος
When he, too, had undergone blessed martyrdom, and died in the caldron into which he had been thrown, the seventh, the youngest of all, came forward:
2
ὃν κατοικτίρας ὁ τύραννος καίπερ δεινῶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ κακισθείς ὁρῶν ἤδη τὰ δεσμὰ περικείμενα πλησιέστερον αὐτὸν μετεπέμψατο καὶ παρηγορεῖν ἐπειρᾶτο λέγων
whom the tyrant pitying, though he had been dreadfully reproached by his brethren,
3
τῆς μὲν τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ἀπονοίας τὸ τέλος ὁρᾷς διὰ γὰρ ἀπείθειαν στρεβλωθέντες τεθνᾶσιν
seeing him already encompassed with chains, had him brought nearer, and endeavoured to counsel him, saying,
4
σὺ δὲ εἰ μὲν μὴ πεισθείης τάλας βασανισθεὶς καὶ αὐτὸς τεθνήξῃ πρὸ ὥρας
You see the end of the madness of your brethren: for they have died in torture through disobedience; and you, if disobedient, having been miserably tormented, will yourself perish prematurely.
5
πεισθεὶς δὲ φίλος ἔσῃ καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἀφηγήσῃ πραγμάτων
But if you obey, you shall be my friend, and have a charge over the affairs of the kingdom.
6
καὶ ταῦτα παρακαλῶν τὴν μητέρα τοῦ παιδὸς μετεπέμψατο ὅπως αὐτὴν ἐλεήσας τοσούτων υἱῶν στερηθεῖσαν παρορμήσειεν ἐπὶ τὴν σωτήριον εὐπείθειαν τὸν περιλειπόμενον
And having thus exhorted him, he sent for the mother of the boy; that, by condoling with her for the loss of so many sons, he might incline her, through the hope of safety, to render the survivor obedient.
7
ὁ δὲ τῆς μητρὸς τῇ Εβραΐδι φωνῇ προτρεψαμένης αὐτόν ὡς ἐροῦμεν μετὰ μικρὸν ὕστερον
And he, after his mother had urged him on in the Hebrew tongue, (as we shall soon relate) says,
8
λύσατέ μέ φησιν εἴπω τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ φίλοις πᾶσιν
Release me that I may speak to the king and all his friends.
9
καὶ ἐπιχαρέντες μάλιστα ἐπὶ τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ τοῦ παιδὸς ταχέως ἔλυσαν αὐτόν
And they, rejoicing exceedingly at the promise of the youth, quickly let him go.
10
καὶ δραμὼν ἐπὶ πλησίον τῶν τηγάνων
And he, running up to the pans, said,
11
ἀνόσιέ φησιν καὶ πάντων πονηρῶν ἀσεβέστατε τύραννε οὐκ ᾐδέσθης παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λαβὼν τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν τοὺς θεράποντας αὐτοῦ κατακτεῖναι καὶ τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀσκητὰς στρεβλῶσαι
Impious tyrant, and most blasphemous man, were you not ashamed, having received prosperity and a kingdom from God, to kill His servants, and to rack the doers of godliness?
12
ἀνθ' ὧν ταμιεύσεταί σε ἡ δίκη πυκνοτέρῳ καὶ αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ καὶ βασάνοις αἳ εἰς ὅλον τὸν αἰῶνα οὐκ ἀνήσουσίν σε
Wherefore the divine vengeance is reserving you for eternal fire and torments, which shall cling to you for all time.
13
οὐκ ᾐδέσθης ἄνθρωπος ὤν θηριωδέστατε τοὺς ὁμοιοπαθεῖς καὶ ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν γεγονότας στοιχείων γλωττοτομῆσαι καὶ τοῦτον καταικίσας τὸν τρόπον βασανίσαι
Were you not ashamed, man as you are, yet most savage, to cut out the tongues of men of like feeling and origin, and having thus abused to torture them?
14
ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν εὐγενῶς ἀποθανόντες ἐπλήρωσαν τὴν εἰς τὸν θεὸν εὐσέβειαν σὺ δὲ κακῶς οἰμώξεις τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀγωνιστὰς ἀναιτίως ἀποκτεῖνας
But they, bravely dying, fulfilled their religion towards God.
15
ὅθεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποθνῄσκειν μέλλων ἔφη
But you shall groan according to your deserts for having slain without cause the champions of virtue.
16
οὐκ ἀπαυτομολῶ τῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου ἀριστείας
Wherefore, he continued, I myself, being about to die,
17
ἐπικαλοῦμαι δὲ τὸν πατρῷον θεὸν ὅπως ἵλεως γένηται τῷ ἔθνει ἡμῶν
will not forsake my brethren.
18
σὲ δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν βίῳ καὶ θανόντα τιμωρήσεται
And I call upon the God of my fathers to be merciful to my race.
19
καὶ ταῦτα κατευξάμενος ἑαυτὸν ἔρριψε κατὰ τῶν τηγάνων καὶ οὕτως ἀπέδωκεν
But you, both living and dead, he will punish.
20
—
Thus having prayed, he hurled himself into the pans; and so expired.
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