4 Maccabees 18
O Israelitish children, descendants of the seed of Abraham, obey this law, and in every way be religious.
Ω τῶν ῾Αβραμιαίων σπερμάτων ἀπόγονοι παῖδες ᾿Ισραηλῖται, πείθεσθε τῷ νόμῳ τούτῳ καὶ πάντα τρόπον εὐσεβεῖτε,
Knowing that religious reasoning is lord of the passions, and those not only inward but outward.
γινώσκοντες ὅτι τῶν παθῶν δεσπότης ἐστὶν ὁ εὐσεβὴς λογισμὸς καὶ οὐ μόνον τῶν ἔνδοθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν πόνων·
When those persons giving up their bodies to pains for the sake of religion, were not only admired by men, but were deemed worthy of a divine portion.
ἀνθ’ ὧν διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν προέμενοι τὰ σώματα τοῖς πόνοις ἐκεῖνοι, οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐθαυμάσθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θείας μερίδος κατηξιώθησαν.
And the nation through them obtained peace, and having renewed the observance of the law in their country, drove the enemy out of the land.
καὶ δι’ αὐτοὺς εἰρήνευσε τὸ ἔθνος, καὶ τὴν εὐνομίαν τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἀνανεωσάμενοι ἐκπεπολιορκήκασιν τοὺς πολεμίους.
And the tyrant Antiochus was both punished upon earth, and is punished now he is dead; for when he was quite unable to compel the Israelites to adopt foreign customs, and to desert the manner of life of their fathers,
καὶ ὁ τύραννος ᾿Αντίοχος καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς τετιμώρηται καὶ ἀποθανὼν κολάζεται· ὡς γὰρ οὐδὲν οὐδαμῶς ἴσχυσεν ἀναγκάσαι τοὺς ῾Ιεροσολυμίτας ἀλλοφυλῆσαι καὶ τῶν πατρίων ἐθῶν ἐκδιαιτηθῆναι, τότε δὴ ἀπάρας ἀπὸ τῶν ῾Ιεροσολύμων ἐστρατοπέδευσεν ἐπὶ Πέρσας.
then, departing from Jerusalem, he made war against the Persians.
ἔλεγε δὲ ἡ μήτηρ τῶν ἑπτὰ παίδων καὶ ταῦτα τὰ δικαιώματα τοῖς τέκνοις·
And the righteous mother of the seven children spake also as follows to her offspring: I was a pure virgin, and went not beyond my father’s house; but I took care of the built-up rib.
ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐγεννήθην παρθένος ἁγνὴ καὶ οὐχ ὑπερέβην τὸν πατρικὸν οἶκον, ἐφύλασσον δὲ τὴν ᾠκοδομημένην πλευράν.
No destroyer of the desert, or ravisher of the plain, injured me; nor did the destructive, deceitful snake, make spoil of my chaste virginity; and I remained with my husband during the period of my prime.
οὐδὲ ἔφθειρέ με λυμεὼν ἐρημίας φθορεὺς ἐν πεδίῳ, οὐδὲ ἐλυμήνατό μου τὰ ἁγνὰ τῆς παρθενίας λυμεὼν ἀπατηλὸς ὄφις· ἔμεινα δὲ χρόνον ἀκμῆς σὺν ἀνδρί.
And these my children, having arrive at maturity, their father died: blessed was he! for having sought out a life of fertility in children, he was not grieved with a period of loss of children.
τούτων δὲ ἐνηλίκων γενομένων ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν, μακάριος μὲν ἐκεῖνος, τὸν γὰρ τῆς εὐτεκνίας βίον ἐπιζήσας τὸν τῆς ἀτεκνίας οὐκ ὠδυνήθη καιρόν.
And he used to teach you, when yet with you, the law and the prophets.
ὃς ἐδίδασκεν ὑμᾶς, ἔτι ὢν σὺν ὑμῖν, τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας.
He used to read to you the slaying of Abel by Cain, and the offering up of Isaac, and the imprisonment of Joseph.
τὸν ἀναιρεθέντα ῎Αβελ ὑπὸ Κάϊν, ἀνεγίνωσκε τε ὑμῖν καὶ τὸν ὁλοκαρπούμενον ᾿Ισαὰκ καὶ τὸν ἐν φυλακῇ ᾿Ιωσήφ.
And he used to tell you of the zealous Phinehas; and informed you of Ananias and Azarias, and Misael in the fire.
ἔλεγε δὲ ὑμῖν τὸν ζηλωτὴν Φινεές, ἐδίδασκέ τε ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐν πυρὶ ᾿Ανανίαν καὶ ᾿Αζαρίαν καὶ Μισαήλ.
And he used to glorify Daniel, who was in the den of lions, and pronounce him blessed.
ἐδόξαζε δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐν λάκκῳ λεόντων Δανιήλ, ὃν καὶ ἐμακάριζεν.
And he used to put you in mind of the scripture of Esaias, which saith, Even if thou pass through the fire, it shall not burn thee.
ὑπεμίμνησκε δὲ ὑμᾶς καὶ τὴν ῾Ησαΐου γραφὴν τὴν λέγουσαν· κἂν διὰ πυρὸς διέλθῃς, φλὸξ οὐ κατακαύσει σε.
He chanted to you David, the hymn-writer, who saith, Many are the afflictions of the just.
τὸν ὑμνογράφον ἐμελῴδει ὑμῖν Δαυὶδ τὸν λέγοντα· πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος.
He declared the proverbs of Solomon, who saith, He is a tree of life to all those who do His will.
τὸν Σαλομῶντα ἐπαροιμίαζεν ὑμῖν τὸν λέγοντα· ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτοῦ τὸ θέλημα.
He used to verify Ezekiel, who said, Shall these dry bones live?
τὸν ᾿Ιεζεκιὴλ ἐπιστοποιεῖτο τὸν λέγοντα· εἰ ζήσεται τὰ ὀστᾶ τὰ ξηρὰ ταῦτα;
For he did not forget the song which Moses taught, proclaiming, I will kill, and I will make to live.
ᾠδὴν μὲν γάρ, ἣν ἐδίδαξε Μωϋσῆς, οὐκ ἐπελάθετο τὴν διδάσκουσαν καὶ λέγουσαν· ἐγὼ ἀποκτενῶ καὶ ζῆν ποιήσω·
O that bitter, and yet not bitter, day when the bitter tyrant of the Greeks, quenching fire with fire in his cruel caldrons, brought with boiling rage the seven sons of the daughter of Abraham to the catapult, and to all his torments!
῏Ω πικρᾶς τῆς τότε ἡμέρας καὶ οὐ πικρᾶς, ὅτε ὁ πικρὸς ῾Ελλήνων τύραννος πῦρ φλέξας λέβησιν ὠμοῖς καὶ ζέουσι θυμοῖς ἀγαγὼν ἐπὶ τὸν καταπέλτην καὶ πάσας τὰς βασάνους αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἑπτὰ παῖδας τῆς ῾Αβρααμίτιδος
He pierced the balls of their eyes, and cut out their tongues, and put them to death with varied tortures.
καὶ τὰς τῶν ὀμμάτων κόρας ἐπήρωσε καὶ γλώσσας ἐξέτεμε καὶ βασάνοις ποικίλαις ἀπέκτεινεν.
Wherefore divine retribution pursued and will pursue the pestilent wretch.
ὑπὲρ ὧν ἡ θεία δίκη μετῆλθε καὶ μετελεύσεται τὸν ἀλάστορα τύραννον.
But the children of Abraham, with their victorious mother, are assembled together to the choir of their fathers; having received pure and immortal souls from God.
οἱ δὲ ῾Αβραμιαῖοι παῖδες σὺν τῇ ἀθλοφόρῳ μητρὶ εἰς πατέρων χορὸν συναγελάζονται ψυχὰς ἁγνὰς καὶ ἀθανάτους ἀπειληφότες παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ,