The First Book of Maccabees, Chapter 13ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΩΝ Α′ ΙΓ′

καὶ ἤκουσεν Σιμων ὅτι συνήγαγεν Τρύφων δύναμιν πολλὴν τοῦ ἐλθεῖν εἰς γῆν Ιουδα καὶ ἐκτρῖψαι αὐτήν

And Simon heard that Tryphon had gathered a large force to come into the land of Judah and to destroy it.

καὶ εἶδεν τὸν λαόν ὅτι ἔντρομός ἐστιν καὶ ἔκφοβος καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἤθροισεν τὸν λαὸν

And he saw that the people were trembling and terrified, and he went up to Jerusalem and assembled the people.

καὶ παρεκάλεσεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς αὐτοὶ οἴδατε ὅσα ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός μου ἐποιήσαμεν περὶ τῶν νόμων καὶ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ τοὺς πολέμους καὶ τὰς στενοχωρίας ἃς εἴδομεν

And he encouraged them and said to them, 'You yourselves know how much I and my brothers and my father's house have done for the laws and the holy things, and the wars and the distresses that we have seen.'

τούτου χάριν ἀπώλοντο οἱ ἀδελφοί μου πάντες χάριν τοῦ Ισραηλ καὶ κατελείφθην ἐγὼ μόνος

For this reason all my brothers perished for the sake of Israel, and I alone have been left.

καὶ νῦν μή μοι γένοιτο φείσασθαί μου τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ θλίψεως οὐ γάρ εἰμι κρείσσων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου

And now, far be it from me to spare my life in any time of distress, for I am not better than my brothers.

πλὴν ἐκδικήσω περὶ τοῦ ἔθνους μου καὶ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ περὶ τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τέκνων ὑμῶν ὅτι συνήχθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐκτρῖψαι ἡμᾶς ἔχθρας χάριν

Nevertheless, I will take vengeance for my nation and for the holy things and for your wives and children, because all the nations have gathered to destroy us out of hatred.

καὶ ἀνεζωπύρησεν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ λαοῦ ἅμα τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι τῶν λόγων τούτων

And the spirit of the people was rekindled as soon as they heard these words.

καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγοντες σὺ εἶ ἡμῶν ἡγούμενος ἀντὶ Ιουδου καὶ Ιωναθου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου

And they answered with a loud voice, saying, 'You are our leader in place of Judas and Jonathan your brother.'

πολέμησον τὸν πόλεμον ἡμῶν καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν εἴπῃς ἡμῖν ποιήσομεν

Fight our battle, and everything that you may tell us, we will do.

καὶ συνήγαγεν πάντας τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς πολεμιστὰς καὶ ἐτάχυνεν τοῦ τελέσαι τὰ τείχη Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ὠχύρωσεν αὐτὴν κυκλόθεν

And he gathered all the fighting men and hastened to complete the walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it all around.

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ιωναθαν τὸν τοῦ Αψαλωμου καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ δύναμιν ἱκανὴν εἰς Ιοππην καὶ ἐξέβαλεν τοὺς ὄντας ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐκεῖ ἐν αὐτῇ

And he sent Jonathan son of Absalom, and with him a sufficient force, to Joppa; and he drove out those who were in it and remained there in it.

καὶ ἀπῆρεν Τρύφων ἀπὸ Πτολεμαίδος μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς ἐλθεῖν εἰς γῆν Ιουδα καὶ Ιωναθαν μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐν φυλακῇ

And Tryphon set out from Ptolemais with a large force to come into the land of Judah, and Jonathan was with him in custody.

Σιμων δὲ παρενέβαλεν ἐν Αδιδοις κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ πεδίου

But Simon encamped at Adida opposite the plain.

καὶ ἐπέγνω Τρύφων ὅτι ἀνέστη Σιμων ἀντὶ Ιωναθου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅτι συνάπτειν αὐτῷ μέλλει πόλεμον καὶ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς αὐτὸν πρέσβεις λέγων

And Tryphon learned that Simon had risen up in place of Jonathan his brother and that he was about to join battle with him, and he sent ambassadors to him, saying,

περὶ ἀργυρίου οὗ ὤφειλεν Ιωναθαν ὁ ἀδελφός σου εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν δι' ἃς εἶχεν χρείας συνέχομεν αὐτόν

'It is because of the money that Jonathan your brother owed to the royal treasury, for the offices that he held, that we are detaining him.'

καὶ νῦν ἀπόστειλον ἀργυρίου τάλαντα ἑκατὸν καὶ δύο τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ ὅμηρα ὅπως μὴ ἀφεθεὶς ἀποστατήσῃ ἀφ' ἡμῶν καὶ ἀφήσομεν αὐτόν

'And now send one hundred talents of silver and two of his sons as hostages, so that when he is released he may not revolt from us, and we will release him.'

καὶ ἔγνω Σιμων ὅτι δόλῳ λαλοῦσιν πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ πέμπει τοῦ λαβεῖν τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὰ παιδάρια μήποτε ἔχθραν ἄρῃ μεγάλην πρὸς τὸν λαὸν

And Simon knew that they were speaking deceitfully to him, yet he sent for the money and the boys, lest he bring great hostility upon the people.

λέγοντες ὅτι οὐκ ἀπέστειλα αὐτῷ τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὰ παιδάρια ἀπώλετο

They would say, 'Because I did not send him the money and the boys, he perished.'

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὰ παιδάρια καὶ τὰ ἑκατὸν τάλαντα καὶ διεψεύσατο καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν τὸν Ιωναθαν

And he sent the boys and the one hundred talents, but Tryphon broke his word and did not release Jonathan.

καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἦλθεν Τρύφων τοῦ ἐμβατεῦσαι εἰς τὴν χώραν καὶ ἐκτρῖψαι αὐτήν καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν ὁδὸν τὴν εἰς Αδωρα καὶ Σιμων καὶ ἡ παρεμβολὴ αὐτοῦ ἀντιπαρῆγεν αὐτῷ εἰς πάντα τόπον οὗ ἂν ἐπορεύετο

And after these things Tryphon came to invade the country and destroy it, and they made a circuit by the road toward Adora; and Simon and his camp moved along opposite him to every place where he went.

οἱ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας ἀπέστελλον πρὸς Τρύφωνα πρεσβευτὰς κατασπεύδοντας αὐτὸν τοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ ἀποστεῖλαι αὐτοῖς τροφάς

But those from the citadel kept sending ambassadors to Tryphon, urging him to come to them through the wilderness and to send them provisions.

καὶ ἡτοίμασεν Τρύφων πᾶσαν τὴν ἵππον αὐτοῦ ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ἦν χιὼν πολλὴ σφόδρα καὶ οὐκ ἦλθεν διὰ τὴν χιόνα καὶ ἀπῆρεν καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Γαλααδῖτιν

And Tryphon prepared all his cavalry to come, but in that night there was a very great snowfall, and he did not come because of the snow, and he set out and came into Gileaditis.

ὡς δὲ ἤγγισεν τῆς Βασκαμα ἀπέκτεινεν τὸν Ιωναθαν καὶ ἐτάφη ἐκεῖ

And when he came near to Baskama, he killed Jonathan, and he was buried there.

καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν Τρύφων καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ

And Tryphon turned back and went away to his own land.

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Σιμων καὶ ἔλαβεν τὰ ὀστᾶ Ιωναθου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔθαψεν αὐτὸν ἐν Μωδεϊν πόλει τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ

And Simon sent and took the bones of Jonathan his brother and buried him at Modein, the city of his fathers.

καὶ ἐκόψαντο αὐτὸν πᾶς Ισραηλ κοπετὸν μέγαν καὶ ἐπένθησαν αὐτὸν ἡμέρας πολλάς

And all Israel lamented him with a great lamentation and mourned him many days.

καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν Σιμων ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὕψωσεν αὐτὸν τῇ ὁράσει λίθῳ ξεστῷ ἐκ τῶν ὄπισθεν καὶ ἔμπροσθεν

And Simon built over the tomb of his father and of his brothers, and he raised it up so that it was visible, with dressed stone behind and in front.

καὶ ἔστησεν ἑπτὰ πυραμίδας μίαν κατέναντι τῆς μιᾶς τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῇ μητρὶ καὶ τοῖς τέσσαρσιν ἀδελφοῖς

And he erected seven pyramids, one facing another, for his father and mother and the four brothers.

καὶ ταύταις ἐποίησεν μηχανήματα περιθεὶς στύλους μεγάλους καὶ ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ τοῖς στύλοις πανοπλίας εἰς ὄνομα αἰώνιον καὶ παρὰ ταῖς πανοπλίαις πλοῖα ἐγγεγλυμμένα εἰς τὸ θεωρεῖσθαι ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν πλεόντων τὴν θάλασσαν

And for these he made ornamental constructions, setting around them great columns, and upon the columns he made suits of armor for an everlasting memorial, and beside the suits of armor carved ships, to be seen by all who sail the sea.

οὗτος ὁ τάφος ὃν ἐποίησεν ἐν Μωδεϊν ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης

This is the tomb that he made in Modein, and it remains until this day.

ὁ δὲ Τρύφων ἐπορεύετο δόλῳ μετὰ Ἀντιόχου τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ νεωτέρου καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτὸν

But Tryphon proceeded treacherously with Antiochus the younger king and killed him.

καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ καὶ περιέθετο τὸ διάδημα τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ ἐποίησεν πληγὴν μεγάλην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

And he reigned in his place and put on the diadem of Asia and inflicted a great blow upon the land.

καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν Σιμων τὰ ὀχυρώματα τῆς Ιουδαίας καὶ περιετείχισεν πύργοις ὑψηλοῖς καὶ τείχεσιν μεγάλοις καὶ πύλαις καὶ μοχλοῖς καὶ ἔθετο βρώματα ἐν τοῖς ὀχυρώμασιν

And Simon built the strongholds of Judea and fortified them with high towers and great walls and gates and bars, and he stored provisions in the strongholds.

καὶ ἐπέλεξεν Σιμων ἄνδρας καὶ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς Δημήτριον τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἄφεσιν τῇ χώρᾳ ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ πράξεις Τρύφωνος ἦσαν ἁρπαγαί

And Simon chose men and sent them to Demetrius the king to grant remission to the country, because all the acts of Tryphon had been acts of plunder.

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῷ Δημήτριος ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ καὶ ἔγραψεν αὐτῷ ἐπιστολὴν τοιαύτην

And King Demetrius sent to him in reply to these words and answered him and wrote him a letter such as this:

βασιλεὺς Δημήτριος Σιμωνι ἀρχιερεῖ καὶ φίλῳ βασιλέων καὶ πρεσβυτέροις καὶ ἔθνει Ιουδαίων χαίρειν

King Demetrius to Simon the high priest and friend of kings, and to the elders and nation of the Jews, greetings.

τὸν στέφανον τὸν χρυσοῦν καὶ τὴν βαί̈νην ἣν ἀπεστείλατε κεκομίσμεθα καὶ ἕτοιμοί ἐσμεν τοῦ ποιεῖν ὑμῖν εἰρήνην μεγάλην καὶ γράφειν τοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν χρειῶν τοῦ ἀφιέναι ὑμῖν τὰ ἀφέματα

We have received the golden crown and the palm branch that you sent, and we are ready to make great peace with you and to write to the officials concerning the remissions, that they should grant them to you.

καὶ ὅσα ἐστήσαμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἕστηκεν καὶ τὰ ὀχυρώματα ἃ ᾠκοδομήσατε ὑπαρχέτω ὑμῖν

And whatever arrangements we have established in your regard remain in force, and the strongholds that you have built shall belong to you.

ἀφίεμεν δὲ ἀγνοήματα καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν στέφανον ὃν ὠφείλετε καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο ἐτελωνεῖτο ἐν Ιερουσαλημ μηκέτι τελωνείσθω

Moreover, we remit oversights and the offenses up to this very day, and the crown-tax that you owed; and if anything else was being collected as a duty in Jerusalem, let it no longer be collected.

καὶ εἴ τινες ἐπιτήδειοι ὑμῶν γραφῆναι εἰς τοὺς περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐγγραφέσθωσαν καὶ γινέσθω ἀνὰ μέσον ἡμῶν εἰρήνη

And if any of you are fit to be enrolled among our associates, let them be enrolled, and let there be peace between us.

ἔτους ἑβδομηκοστοῦ καὶ ἑκατοστοῦ ἤρθη ὁ ζυγὸς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ισραηλ

In the one hundred seventieth year the yoke of the nations was lifted from Israel.

καὶ ἤρξατο ὁ λαὸς γράφειν ἐν ταῖς συγγραφαῖς καὶ συναλλάγμασιν ἔτους πρώτου ἐπὶ Σιμωνος ἀρχιερέως μεγάλου καὶ στρατηγοῦ καὶ ἡγουμένου Ιουδαίων

And the people began to write in documents and contracts, "Year one under Simon, the great high priest and commander and leader of the Jews."

ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις παρενέβαλεν ἐπὶ Γαζαρα καὶ ἐκύκλωσεν αὐτὴν παρεμβολαῖς καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑλεόπολιν καὶ προσήγαγεν τῇ πόλει καὶ ἐπάταξεν πύργον ἕνα καὶ κατελάβετο

In those days he encamped against Gazara and surrounded it with camps, and he made a siege-engine and brought it up to the city and struck one tower and captured it.

καὶ ἐξήλλοντο οἱ ἐν τῇ ἑλεοπόλει εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἐγένετο κίνημα μέγα ἐν τῇ πόλει

And those in the siege-engine jumped into the city, and there was a great commotion in the city.

καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ ἐν τῇ πόλει σὺν γυναιξὶν καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος διερρηχότες τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν καὶ ἐβόησαν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἀξιοῦντες Σιμωνα δεξιὰς αὐτοῖς δοῦναι

And those in the city went up upon the wall with their women and children, having torn their garments, and they cried out with a loud voice, begging Simon to give them pledges of safety.

καὶ εἶπαν μὴ ἡμῖν χρήσῃ κατὰ τὰς πονηρίας ἡμῶν ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ ἔλεός σου

And they said, "Do not deal with us according to our wicked deeds, but according to your mercy."

καὶ συνελύθη αὐτοῖς Σιμων καὶ οὐκ ἐπολέμησεν αὐτούς καὶ ἐξέβαλεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἐκαθάρισεν τὰς οἰκίας ἐν αἷς ἦν τὰ εἴδωλα καὶ οὕτως εἰσῆλθεν εἰς αὐτὴν ὑμνῶν καὶ εὐλογῶν

And Simon came to terms with them and did not fight against them, but he expelled them from the city and cleansed the houses in which the idols had been, and thus he entered into it with hymns and blessing.

καὶ ἐξέβαλεν ἐξ αὐτῆς πᾶσαν ἀκαθαρσίαν καὶ κατῴκισεν ἐν αὐτῇ ἄνδρας οἵτινες τὸν νόμον ποιήσωσιν καὶ προσωχύρωσεν αὐτὴν καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἑαυτῷ ἐν αὐτῇ οἴκησιν

And he expelled from it every impurity and settled in it men who would keep the law, and he fortified it further and built himself a residence in it.

οἱ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἐκωλύοντο ἐκπορεύεσθαι καὶ εἰσπορεύεσθαι εἰς τὴν χώραν ἀγοράζειν καὶ πωλεῖν καὶ ἐπείνασαν σφόδρα καὶ ἀπώλοντο ἐξ αὐτῶν ἱκανοὶ τῷ λιμῷ

But those from the citadel in Jerusalem were prevented from going out and coming into the country to buy and sell, and they were very hungry, and many of them perished by famine.

καὶ ἐβόησαν πρὸς Σιμωνα δεξιὰς λαβεῖν καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξέβαλεν αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἐκαθάρισεν τὴν ἄκραν ἀπὸ τῶν μιασμάτων

And they cried out to Simon to receive pledges of safety, and he granted them, and he expelled them from there and cleansed the citadel from its pollutions.

καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς αὐτὴν τῇ τρίτῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ δευτέρου μηνὸς ἔτους πρώτου καὶ ἑβδομηκοστοῦ καὶ ἑκατοστοῦ μετὰ αἰνέσεως καὶ βαί̈ων καὶ ἐν κινύραις καὶ ἐν κυμβάλοις καὶ ἐν νάβλαις καὶ ἐν ὕμνοις καὶ ἐν ᾠδαῖς ὅτι συνετρίβη ἐχθρὸς μέγας ἐξ Ισραηλ

And they entered into it on the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year, with praise and palm branches and with harps and cymbals and lyres and hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed out of Israel.

καὶ ἔστησεν κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν τοῦ ἄγειν τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην μετὰ εὐφροσύνης καὶ προσωχύρωσεν τὸ ὄρος τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὸ παρὰ τὴν ἄκραν καὶ ᾤκει ἐκεῖ αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ παρ' αὐτοῦ

And he established it as an annual observance to celebrate this day with rejoicing, and he fortified further the hill of the sanctuary beside the citadel, and he himself dwelt there with those who were with him.

καὶ εἶδεν Σιμων τὸν Ιωαννην υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἀνήρ ἐστιν καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἡγούμενον τῶν δυνάμεων πασῶν καὶ ᾤκει ἐν Γαζαροις

And Simon saw that John his son was a man, and he appointed him commander over all the forces, and he dwelt in Gazara.