4 Maccabees 4

For a certain man named Simon, who was in opposition to Onias, who once held the high priesthood for life, and was an honourable and good man, after that by slandering him in every way, he could not injure him with the people, went away as an exile, with the intention of betraying his country.

Σίμων γάρ τις πρὸς Ὀνίαν ἀντιπολιτεύομενος τόν ποτε τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ἔχοντα διὰ βίου, καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα, ἐπειδὴ πάντα τρόπον διαβάλλων ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἔθνους οὐκ ἰσχυσεν κακῶσαι, φυγὰς ᾤχετο, τὴν πατρίδα προδώσων.

Whence coming to Apollonius, the military governor of Syria, and Phœnicia, and Cilicia, he said,

Ὅθεν ἥκων πρὸς Ἀπολλώνιος, τὸν Συρίας τε καὶ Φοινίκης καὶ Κιλικίας στρατηγὸν, ἔλεγεν,

Having good will to the king's affairs, I am come to inform thee that infinite private wealth is laid up in the treasuries of Jerusalem which do not belong to the temple, but pertain to king Seleucus.

εὔνους ὢν τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως πράγμασιν ἥκω, μηνύων πολλὰς ἰδιωτικῶν χρημάτων μυριάδας ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμων γαζοφυλακίοις τεθησαύρισται, τῷ ἱερῷ μὴ ἐπικοινωνούσας, ἀλλὰ προσήκειν ταῦτα Σελεύκῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ.

Apollonius, acquainting himself with the particulars of this, praised Simon for his care of the king's interests, and going up to Seleucus informed him of the treasure;

Τούτων ἕκαστα γνοὺς ὁ Ἀπολλώνιος, τὸν μὲν Σίμωνα τῆς εἰς τὸν βασιλέα κηδεμονίας ἐπαινεῖ, πρὸς δὲ τὸν Σέλευκον ἀναβὰς κατεμήνυε τὸν τῶν χρημάτων θησαυρόν·

and getting authority about it, and quickly advancing into our country with the accursed Simon and a very heavy force,

καὶ λαβὼν τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν ἐξουσίαν, ταχὺ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ἡμῶν μετὰ τοῦ καταράτου Σίμωνος καὶ βαρυτάτου στρατοῦ προσελθὼν,

he said that he came with the commands of the king that he should take the private money of the treasury.

ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐντολαῖς ἥκειν ἔλεγεν, ὅπως τὰ ἰδιωτικὰ τοῦ γαζοφυλακίου λάβοι χρήματα.

And the nation, indignant at this proclamation, and replying to the effect that it was extremely unfair that those who had committed deposits to the sacred treasury should be deprived of them, resisted as well as they could.

Καὶ τοῦ ἔθνους πρὸς τὸν λόγον σχετλιάζοντος, ἀντιλέγοντός τε, πάνδεινον εἶναι νομίσαντες, εἰ οἱ τὰς παρακαταθήκας πιστεύσαντας τῷ ἱερῷ θησαυρῷ στερηθήσονται, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν ἐκώλυον.

But Apollonius went away with threats into the temple.

Μετὰ ἀπειλῆς δὲ ὁ Ἀπολλώνιος ἀπῄει εἰς τὸ ἱερόν.

And the priests, with the women and children, having supplicated God to throw his shield over the holy, despised place,

Τῶν δὲ ἱερέων μετὰ γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἱκετευσάντων τὸν Θεὸν ὑπερασπίσαι τοῦ ἱεροῦ καταφρονουμένου τόπου.

and Apollonius going up with his armed force to the seizure of the treasure,—there appeared from heaven angels riding on horseback, all radiant in armour, filling them with much fear and trembling.

Ἀνιόντος τε μετὰ καθωπλισμένης τῆς στρατιᾶς τοῦ Ἀπολλωνίου πρὸς τὴν τῶν χρημάτων ἀρπαγὴν οὐρανόθεν ἔφιπποι προϋφάνησαν ἄγγελοι περιαστράπτοντες τοῖς ὅπλοις, καὶ πολὺν αὐτοῖς φόβον τε καὶ τρόμον ἐνιόντες.

And Apollonius fell down half dead upon the court which is open to all nations, and extended his hands to heaven, and implored the Hebrews, with tears, to pray for him, and propitiate the heavenly host.

Καταπεσὼν γέ τοι ἡμιθανὴς ὁ Ἀπολλώνιος ἐπὶ τὸν πάμφυλον τοῦ ἱεροῦ περίβολον, τὰς χεῖρας ἐξέτεινεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, μετὰ διακρύων τοὺς Ἑβραίους παρεκάλει, ὅπως περὶ αὐτοῦ εὐξόμενοι, τὸν ἐπουράνιον ἐξευμενίσωνται στρατόν.

For he said that he had sinned, so as to be consequently worthy of death; and that if he were saved, he would celebrate to all men the blessedness of the holy place.

Ἔλεγεν γὰρ ἡμαρτηκὼς, ὥστε καὶ ἀποθανεῖν ἄξιος ὑπάρχειν, πᾶσίν τε ἀνθρώποις ὑμνήσειν σωθεὶς τὴν τοῦ ἱεροῦ τόπου μακαριότητα.

Onias the high priest, induced by these words, although for other reasons anxious that king Seleucus should not suppose that Apollonius was slain by human device and not by Divine punishment, prayed for him;

Τούτοις ἐπαχθεὶς τοῖς λόγοις Ὀνίας ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, καίπερ ἄλλως εὐλαβηθεὶς, μή ποτε νομίσειεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Σέλευκος ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης ἐπιβουλῆς καὶ μὴ θείας δίκης ἀνῃρήσασθαι τὸν Ἀπωλλώνιον, ηὔξατο περὶ αὐτοῦ.

and he being thus unexpectedly saved, departed to manifest to the king what had happened to him.

Καὶ ὁ μὲν παραδὸξως διασωθεὶς ᾤχετο, δηλώσων τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ.

But on the death of Seleucus the king, his son Antiochus Epiphanes succeeds to the kingdom: a man of haughty pride and terrible.

Τελευτήσαντος δὲ Σελεύκου τοῦ βασιλέως διαδέχεται τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Ἀντίοχος Ἐπιφανὴς, ἀνὴρ ὑπερήφανος καὶ δεινὸς.

Who having deposed Onias from the high priesthood, appointed his brother Jason to be high priest:

Ὃς καταλύσας τὸν Ὀνίαν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης,

who had made a covenant, if he would give him this authority, to pay yearly three thousand six hundred and sixty talents.

Ἰάσονα τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ κατέστησεν ἀρχιερέα, συνθέμενον δώσειν, εἰ ἐπιτρέψειεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν, κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν τρισχίλια ἐξακόσια ἑξήκοντα τάλαντα.

And he committed to him the high priesthood and rulership over the nation.

Ὁ δὲ ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτῷ ἀρχιερᾶσθαι καὶ τοῦ ἔθνους ἀφηγεῖσθαι.

And he both changed the manner of living of the people, and perverted their civil customs into all lawlessness.

Ὃς καὶ ἐξεζήτησεν τὸ ἔθνος, καὶ ἐξεπολίτευσεν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν παρανομίαν.

So that he not only erected a gymnasium on the very citadel of our country, [but neglected] the guardianship of the temple.

Ὥστε μὴ μόνον ἐπʼ αὐτῇ τῆ ἄκρᾳ τῆς πατρίδος ἡμῶν γυμνάσιον κατασκευάσαι, τὴν τοῦ ἱεροῦ κηδεμονίαν.

At which Divine vengeance being grieved, instigated Antiochus himself against them.

Ἐφʼ οἷς ἀγανακτήσασα ἡ θεία δίκη αὐτόν τοι τὸν Ἀντίοχον ἐπολέμησεν.

For being at war with Ptolemy in Egypt, he heard that on a report of his death being spread abroad, the inhabitants of Jerusalem had exceedingly rejoiced, and he quickly marched against them.

Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολεμῶν ἦν κατʼ Αἴγυπ τον Πτολεμαίῳ, ἤκουσέν τε, ὅτι φήμης διαδοθείσης περὶ τιῦ τεθνάναι αὐτὸν, ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα χαίροιεν οἱ Ἱεροσολυμῖται, ταχέως ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἀνέζευξεν.

And having subdued them, he established a decree that if any of them lived according to the laws of his country, he should die.

Καὶ ὡς ἐπόρθσεν αὐτοὺς, δόγμα ἔθετο, ὅπως εἴ τινες αὐτῶν φάνοιεν τῷ πατρίῳ πολιτευόμενοι νόμῳ θάνοιεν.

And when he could by no means destroy by his decrees the obedience to the law of the nation, but saw all his threats and punishments without effect,

Καὶ ἐπεὶ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον ἴσχυεν καταλῦσαι διὰ τῶν δογμάτων τὴν τοῦ ἔθνους εὔνοιαν, ἀλλὰ πάσας τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ἀπειλὰς καὶ τιμωρίας ἑώρα καταλυομένας,

for even women, because they continued to circumcise their children, were flung down a precipice along with them, knowing beforehand of the punishment.

ὥστε καὶ γυναῖκας, ὅτι περιέτεμον τὰ παιδία, μετὰ τῶν βρεφῶν κατακρημνισθῆναι, προειδυίας ὅτι τοῦτο πείσονται·

When, therefore, his decrees were disregarded by the people, he himself compelled by means of tortures every one of this race, by tasting forbidden meats, to abjure the Jewish religion.

ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ δόγματα αὑτοῦ κατεφρονεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ, αὐτὸς διὰ βασάνων ἕνα ἕκαστον τούτου ἔθνους ἠνάγκαζεν μικρῶν ἀπογευομένους τροφῶν, ἐξόμνυσθαι τὸν Ἰουδαϊσμόν.