4 Maccabees 15

O reasoning of the sons, lord over the passions, and religion more desirable to a mother than progeny!

Ὦ λογίσμε τέκνων, παθῶν τύραννε, καὶ εὐσέβεια μητρὶ τέκνων ποθεινοτέρα.

The mother, when two things were set before her, religion and the safety of her seven sons for a time, on the conditional promise of a tyrant,

Μήτηρ δυοῖν προκειμένων εὐσεβείας, καὶ τῆς ἑπτὰ υἱῶν σωτηρίας προκαίρους κατὰ τὴν τοῦ τυράννου ὑπόσχεσιν·

rather elected the religion which according to God preserves to eternal life.

τὴν εὐσέβειαν μᾶλλον ἠγάπησεν τὴν σώζουσαν εἰς αἰώνιον ζωὴν κατὰ Θεόν.

O in what way can I describe ethically the affections of parents toward their children, the resemblance of soul and of form engrafted into the small type of a child in a wonderful manner, especially through the greater sympathy of mothers with the feelings of those born of them!

Ὦ τίνα τρόπον ἠθολογήσαιμι φιλότεκνα γονέων πάθη, ψυχῆς τε καὶ μορφῆς ὁμοιότητα εἰς μικρὸν παιδὸς χαρακτῆρα θαυμάσιον ἐναπεσφράγιζον, μάλιστα διὰ τὸν τῶν παθῶν τοῖς γεννηθεῖσιν τὰς μητέρας καθεστάναι συμπαθευτέρας.

for by how much mothers are by nature weak in disposition and prolific in offspring, by so much the fonder they are of children.

Ὅσῳ γὰρ καὶ ἀσθενόψυχοι καὶ πολυγονώτεραι ὑπάρχουσιν μητέρες, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλόν εἰσιν φιλοτεκνότεραι.

And of all mothers the mother of the seven was the fondest of children, who in seven childbirths had deeply engendered love toward them;

Πασῶν δὲ τῶν μητέρων ἐγένετο ἡ τῶν ἑπτὰ μήτηρ φιλοτεκνοτέρα, ἥ τις ἑπτὰ κυοφορίαις τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπιφυτευομένη φιλοστοργία,

and through her many pains undergone in connection with each one, was compelled to feel sympathy with them;

καὶ διὰ πολλὰς τὰς καθʼ ἔκαστον αὐτῶν ὠδῖνας ἠναγκασμένην τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἔχειν συμπάθειαν,

yet, through fear of God, she neglected the temporary salvation of her children.

διὰ τὸν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν φόβον ὑπερεῖδεν τὴν τῶν τέκνων πρόσκαιρον σωτηρίαν.

Not but that, on account of the excellent disposition of her sons, and their obedience to the law, her maternal affection toward them was increased.

Οὐ μὴν δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν καλοκᾳγαθίαν τῶν υἱῶν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν νόμον αὐτῶν εὐπείθειαν, μείζων τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔσχεν φιλοστοργίαν.

For they were both just and temperate, and manly, and high-minded, and fond of their brethren, and so fond of their mother that even unto death they obeyed her by observing the law.

Δίκαιοί τε γὰρ ἦσαν, καὶ σώφρονες, καὶ σώφρονες, καὶ ἀνδρεῖοι, καὶ μεγαλόψυχοι, καὶ φιλάδελφοι, καὶ μεγαλόψυχοι, καὶ μεψαλόψυχοι, καὶ φιλάδελφοι, καὶ φιλομήτορες οὕτως, ὥστε καὶ μέχρι θανάτου τὰ νόμιμα φυλάσσοντες πείθεσθαι αὐτῇ.

And yet, though there were so many circumstances connected with love of children to draw on a mother to sympathy, in the case of none of them were the various tortures able to pervert her principle.

Ἀλλʼ ὅμως, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοσούτων ὄντων τῶν περὶ φιλοτεκνίαν εἰς συμπάθειαν ἑλκόντων τὴν μητέρα, ἐπʼ οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν τὸν λογισμὸν αὐτῆς αἱ παμποίκιλοι ἴσχυσαν μετατρέψαι.

But she inclined each one separately and all together to death for religion.

Ἀλλὰ καἰ καθʼ ἔνα παῖδα καὶ ὁμοῦ πάντας ἡ μήτηρ ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας προετρέπετο θάνατον.

O holy nature and parental feeling, and reward of bringing up children, and unconquerable maternal affection!

Ὦ φύσις ἱερὰ, καὶ φίλτρα γονέων καὶ γονεῦσιν φιλόστοργε, καὶ τροφεῖα, καὶ μητέρων ἀδάμαστα πάθη.

At the racking and roasting of each one of them, the observant mother was prevented by religion from changing.

Καθʼ ἕνα στρεβλούμενον καὶ φλεγόμενον ὁρῶσα υήτηρ, οὐ μετεβάλετο διὰ τὴν εὐσέβεβειαν.

She beheld her children's flesh dissolving around the fire; and their extremities quivering on the ground, and the flesh of their heads dropped forwards down to their beards, like masks.

Τὰς σάρκας τῶν τέκνων ἑώρα περὶ τὸ πῦρ τηκομένας, καὶ τοὺς τὼν ποδῶν καὶ χειρῶν δακτύλους ἐπὶ γῆς σπαίροντας, καὶ τὰς τῶν κεφαλῶν μέχρι τῶν περὶ τὰ γένεια σάρκας, ὥσπερ προσωπεῖα προκειμένας.

O thou mother, who wast tried at this time with bitterer pangs than those of parturition!

Ὦ πικροτέρων μὲν νῦν μήτηρ πόνων πειρασθεῖσα, ἤπερ τῶν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ὠδίνων.

O thou only woman who hast brought forth perfect holiness!

Ὦ μόνη γυνὴ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ὁλόκληρον ἀποκυήσασα.

Thy first-born, expiring, turned thee not; nor the second, looking miserable in his torments; nor the third, breathing out his soul.

Οὐ μετέρεψέν σε πρωτότοκος ἀποπνέων· οὐδὲ δεύτερον εἰς οἶκτρον βλέπων ἐν βασάνοις· οὐδὲ τρίτος ἀποψύχων.

Nor when thou didst behold the eyes of each of them looking sternly upon their tortures, and their nostrils foreboding death, didst thou weep!

Οὐδὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἑνὸς ἑκάστου θεωροῦσα ταυρηδὸν ἐπὶ τῶν βασάνων ὁρῶντας τὸν αὐτὸν αἰκισμὸν, καὶ τοὺς μυκτῆρας προσημειουμένους αὐτῶν τὸν θάνατον, οὐκ ἔκλαυσας.

When thou didst see children's flesh heaped upon children's flesh that had been torn off, hands upon hands cut off, heads decapitated upon heads, dead falling upon the dead, and a choir of children turned through torture into a burying-ground, thou lamentedst not.

Ἐπὶ σαρξὶν τέκνων ὁρῶσα σάρκας τέκνων ἀποκεκομμένας, καὶ ἐπὶ κεφαλαῖς κεφαλὰς ἀποδειροτομουμένας, καὶ ἐπὶ νεκροῖς νεκροὺς πίπτοντας, καὶ πολυάνδριον ὁρῶσα τῶν τέκνων χορεῖον διὰ τῶν βασάνων, οὐκ ἐδάκρυσας.

Not so do siren melodies, or songs of swans, attract the hearers to listening, O voices of children calling upon your mother in the midst of torments!

Οὐχ οὕτως σειρήνιοι μελῳδίαι, οὐδὲ κύκνειοι πρὸς φιληκοΐαν φωναὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐφέλκονται, ὦ τέκνων φωναὶ μετὰ βασάνων μητέρα φωνούντων.

With what and what manner of torments was the mother herself tortured, as her sons were undergoing the wheel and the fires!

Πηλίκαις καὶ πόσαις τότε ἡ μήτηρ, τῶν υἱῶν βασανιζομένων τροχοῖς τε καὶ καυτερίοις ἐβασανίζετο βασάνοις;

But religious reasoning, having strengthened her courage in the midst of sufferings, enabled her to forego, for the time, parental love.

Ἀλλὰ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτῆς ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμὸς ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς πάθεσιν ἀνδρειώσας ἐπέτεινεν τὴν πρόσκαιρον φιλοτεκνίαν παριδεῖν.

Although beholding the destruction of seven children, the noble mother, after one embrace, stripped off [her feelings] through faith in God.

Καίπερ ἑπτὰ τέκνων ὁρῶσα ἀπώλειαν· ἀσπάσασα ἡ γενναῖα μήτηρ ἐξέδσεν διὰ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν πίστιν.

For just as in a council-room, beholding in her own soul vehement counsellors, nature and parentage and love of her children, and the racking of her children,

Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν βουλευτηρίῳ τῇ ἑαυτῆς ψυχῇ δεινοὺς ὁρῶσα συμβούλους, φύσιν καὶ γένεσιν καὶ φιλοτεκνίαν καὶ τέκνων στρέβλαν.

she holding two votes, one for the death, the other for the preservation of her children,

Δύο ψήφους κρατοῦσα μήτηρ, θανατηφόρον τε καὶ σωτήριον ὑπὲρ τένων·

did not lean to that which would have saved her children for the safety of a brief space.

Οὐκ ἐπέγνω τὴν σώζουσαν ἑπτὰ υἱοὺς πρὸς ὀλίγον χρόνον σωτηρίαν.

But this daughter of Abraham remembered his holy fortitude.

Ἀλλὰ τῆς θεοσεβοῦς Ἁβραὰμ καρτερίας ἡ θυγάτηρ ἐμνήσθη.

O mother of a nation, avenger of the law, and defender of religion, and prime bearer in the battle of the affections!

Ὦ μήτηρ ἔθνους, ἔκδικε τοῦ νόμου, καὶ ὑπερασπίστεια τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ τοῦ διὰ σπλάγχνων ἀγῶνος ἀθλοφόρε.

O thou nobler in endurance than males, and more manly than men in patience!

Ὦ ἀῤῥένων πρὸς καρτερίαν γενναιοτέρα, καὶ ἀνδρῶν πρὸς ὑπομονὴν ἀνδρειοτέρα.

For as the ark of Noah, bearing the world in the world-filling flood, bore up against the waves,

Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ Νῶε κιβωτὸς ἐν τῷ κοσμοπληθεῖ κατακλυσμῷ κοσμοφοροῦσα καρτεροὺς ὑπήνεγκεν τοὺς κλύδωνας·

so thou, the guardian of the law, when surrounded on every side by the flood of passions, and straitened by violent storms which were the torments of thy children, didst bear up nobly against the storms against religion.

οὕτως σὺ, ἡ νομοφύλαξ, πανταχόθεν ἐν τῷ τῶν παθῶν περιαντλουμένη κατακλυσμῷ, καὶ καρτεροῖς ἂν λοιμοῖς ταῖς τῶν υἱῶν βασάνοις συνεχομένη, γενναίως ὑπέμεινας τοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας χειμῶνας.