Secondo libro dei Maccabei 15

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Nicanor autem, ut comperit eos, qui cum Iuda erant, in locis esse iuxtaSamariam, cogitavit requietionis die cum omni securitate eos aggredi.	1 Nicanor heard that Judas and his men were in the neighbourhood of Samaria, so he decided to attackthem, at no risk to himself, on the day of rest.
2 Iudaeisvero, qui illum per necessitatem sequebantur, dicentibus: “ Ne ita ferociteret barbare disperdas, sed honorem tribue praehonoratae diei cum sanctificationeab eo, qui universa conspicit ”,	2 Those Jews who had been compel ed to follow him, said, 'Do not massacre them in such a savage,barbarous way. Respect the day on which the All-seeing has conferred a special holiness.'
3 ille infelix interrogavit, si est potens incaelo, qui imperavit agi diem sabbatorum.	3 At this the triple-dyed scoundrel asked if there were in heaven a sovereign who had ordered thekeeping of the Sabbath day.
4 Et respondentibus illis: “ EstDominus vivus ipse in caelo potens, qui iussit colere septimam diem ”;	4 When they answered, 'The living Lord himself, the Heavenly Sovereign, has ordered the observanceof the seventh day,'
5 atille ait: “ Et ego potens sum super terram, qui impero sumi arma et negotiaregis impleri ”. Tamen non obtinuit, ut nefarium consilium perficeret.	5 he retorted, 'And I, as sovereign on earth, order you to take up arms and do the king's business.' Foral that, he did not manage to carry out his wicked plan.
6 Et Nicanor quidem cum summa superbia cervicem erigens cogitaverat communetrophaeum statuere de iis, qui cum Iuda erant.	6 While Nicanor, in his unlimited boastfulness and pride, was planning to erect a general trophy with thespoils taken from Judas and his men,
7 Maccabaeus autem sineintermissione confidebat cum omni spe auxilium se consequi a Domino;	7 Maccabaeus remained firm in his confident conviction that the Lord would stand by him.
8 ethortabatur suos, ne formidarent adventum nationum, sed in mente habentesadiutoria sibi facta de caelo et nunc sperarent ab Omnipotente sibi affuturamvictoriam.	8 He urged his men not to be dismayed by the foreigners' attacks but, keeping in mind the help that hadcome to them from Heaven in the past, to be confident that this time too victory would be theirs with the help ofthe Almighty.
9 Et allocutus eos de Lege et Prophetis, admonens eos etiam decertaminibus, quae perfecerant, promptiores constituit eos.	9 He put fresh heart into them by citing the Law and the Prophets and, by stirring up memories of thebattles they had already won, he fil ed them with new enthusiasm.
10 Et, animis eorumexcitatis, denuntiavit simul ostendens gentium fallaciam et iuramentorumpraevaricationem.	10 Having thus aroused their courage, he ended his exhortation by demonstrating the treachery of theforeigners and how they had violated their oaths.
11 Cum autem singulos illorum armavisset, non tam clipeorum ethastarum munitione quam per bonos sermones exhortatione, cumque somnium fidedignum exposuisset, supra modum universos laetificavit.	11 Having armed each one of them not so much with the safety given by shield and lance as with thatconfidence which springs from noble language, he encouraged them al by describing to them a convincingdream -- a vision, as it were.
12 Erat autem huiuscemodi visus eius: Oniam, qui fuerat summus sacerdos, virumhonestum et bonum, verecundum occursu, modestum moribus et eloquium digneproferentem et qui a puero omnes virtutes domesticas exercuerat, manusprotendentem orare pro omni populo Iudaeorum.	12 What he had seen was this: Onias, the former high priest, that paragon of men, modest of bearingand gentle of manners, suitably eloquent and trained from boyhood in the practice of every virtue -- Onias wasstretching out his hands and praying for the whole Jewish community.
13 Post hoc sic apparuisse virumcanitie et gloria praestantem et mirabilem quandam et magni decoris esseeminentiam circa illum.	13 Next, there appeared a man equal y remarkable for his great age and dignity and invested with amarvel ous and impressive air of majesty.
14 Respondentem vero Oniam dixisse: “ Hic est fratrumamator, qui multum orat pro populo et sancta civitate, Ieremias propheta Dei ”.	14 Onias began to speak: 'This is a man', he said, 'who loves his brothers and prays much for thepeople and the holy city-Jeremiah, the prophet of God.'
15 Protendentem autem Ieremiam dextram dedisse Iudae gladium aureum et, cumdaret, dixisse haec:	15 Jeremiah then stretched out his right hand and presented Judas with a golden sword, saying as hegave it,
16 “ Accipe sanctum gladium munus a Deo, in quoconfringes adversarios ”.	16 'Take this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you wil shatter the enemy.'
17 Exhortati itaque Iudae sermonibus bonis valde, et qui poterant ad virtutemincitare et animos iuvenum confortare, statuerunt castra non tendere, sedfortiter inferri et cum omni virtute confligentes de negotiis iudicare, eo quodcivitas et sancta et templum periclitarentur.	17 Encouraged by the noble words of Judas, which had the power to inspire valour and give the youngthe spirit of mature men, they decided not to entrench themselves in a camp, but bravely to take the offensiveand, in hand-to-hand fighting, to commit the result to the fortune of war, since the city, their holy religion and theTemple were in danger.
18 Erat enim timor pro uxoribus etfiliis itemque pro fratribus et cognatis in minore parte iacens, maximus vero etprimus pro sanctificato templo.	18 Their concern for their wives and children, their brothers and relatives, had shrunk to minuteimportance; their chief and greatest fear was for the consecrated Temple.
19 Sed et eos, qui in civitate erantcomprehensi, non minima sollicitudo habebat propter illum sub aperto concursum.	19 Those left behind in the city felt a similar anxiety, alarmed as they were about the forthcomingencounter in the open country.
20 Et, cum iam omnes exspectarent iudicium futurum, hostesque iam committerent,atque exercitus esset ordinatus, et bestiae opportuno in loco constitutae, etequitatus dispositus,	20 Everyone now awaited the coming issue. The enemy had already concentrated their forces andstood formed up in order of battle, with the elephants drawn up in a strategic position and the cavalry disposedon the wings.
21 considerans Maccabaeus adventum multitudinis etapparatum varium armorum et ferocitatem bestiarum, extendens manus in caelumprodigia facientem Dominum invocavit, sciens quoniam non est per arma, sed proutab ipso iudicatum fuerit dignis tribuit victoriam.	21 Maccabaeus took note of these masses confronting him, the glittering array of armour and the fierceaspect of the elephants; then, raising his hands to heaven, he called on the Lord who works miracles, in theknowledge that it is not by force of arms but as he sees fit to decide, that victory is granted by him to such asdeserve it.
22 Dixit autem invocans hocmodo: “ Tu, Domine, qui misisti angelum tuum sub Ezechia rege Iudaeae, etinterfecit de castris Sennacherib ad centum octoginta quinque milia,	22 His prayer was worded thus: 'You, Master, sent your angel in the days of Hezekiah king of Judaea,and he destroyed no less than one hundred and eighty-five thousand of Sennacherib's army;
23 et nunc,Dominator caelorum, mitte angelum bonum ante nos in timorem et tremorem;	23 now, once again, Sovereign of heaven, send a good angel before us to spread terror and dismay.
24 magnitudine brachii tui exterreantur, qui cum blasphemia veniunt adversussanctum populum tuum ”. Et hic quidem in his finem fecit.	24 May these men be struck down by the might of your arm, since they have come with blasphemy ontheir lips to attack your holy people.' And on these words he finished.
25 Qui autem cum Nicanore erant, cum tubis et canticis admovebant;	25 Nicanor and his men advanced to the sound of trumpets and war songs,
26 hi veroqui erant cum Iuda, cum invocatione et orationibus congressi sunt cum hostibus.	26 but the men of Judas closed with the enemy uttering invocations and prayers.
27 Et manibus quidem pugnantes, sed Dominum cordibus orantes, prostraverunt nonminus triginta quinque milia, praesentia Dei magnifice delectati.	27 Fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they cut down at least thirty-fivethousand men and were greatly cheered by this manifestation of God.
28 Cumquecessassent ab opere et cum gaudio redirent, cognoverunt Nicanorem proruisse cumarmis suis;	28 When the engagement was over and they were withdrawing in triumph, they recognised Nicanor,lying dead in ful armour.
29 facto itaque clamore et tumultu, patria voce omnipotentem Dominumbenedicebant.	29 With shouting and confusion all around, they blessed the sovereign Master in their ancestral tongue.
30 Et praecepit ille, qui per omnia corpore et animo primus fueratin certamine pro civibus, qui iuventutis benevolentiam in suam gentemconservaverat, caput Nicanoris abscindi et manum cum umero, ac Hierosolymamperferri.	30 He who, as protagonist, had devoted himself, body and soul, to his fel ow-citizens, and hadpreserved the love he felt even in youth for those of his own race, gave orders for Nicanor's head to be cut off,with his arm up to the shoulder, and taken to Jerusalem.
31 Quo cum pervenisset, convocatis contribulibus et sacerdotibus, antealtare stans accersiit eos, qui in arce erant;	31 When he arrived there himself, he cal ed his countrymen together, stationed the priests in front of thealtar and then sent for the people from the Citadel.
32 et, ostenso capite iniquiNicanoris et manu nefarii, quam extendens contra domum sanctam omnipotentis Deimagnifice gloriatus est,	32 He showed them the head of the abominable Nicanor, and the hand which this infamous man hadstretched out so insolently against the holy House of the Almighty.
33 linguam etiam impii Nicanoris praecisam dixitparticulatim avibus daturum, pretia autem dementiae contra templum suspendere.	33 Then, cutting out godless Nicanor's tongue, he gave orders for it to be fed piecemeal to the birds,and for the salary of his folly to be hung up in front of the Temple.
34 Omnes igitur in caelum benedixerunt manifestum Dominum dicentes: “Benedictus, qui locum suum incontaminatum servavit! ”.	34 At this, everyone sent blessings heavenwards to the glorious Lord, saying, 'Blessed be he who haspreserved his holy place from pol ution!'
35 Alligavit autemNicanoris caput de summa arce evidens omnibus et manifestum signum auxiliiDomini.	35 He hung Nicanor's head from the Citadel, a clear and evident sign to al of the help of the Lord.
36 Itaque omnes communi consilio decreverunt nullo modo diem istumabsque celebritate praeterire, habere autem celebrem tertiam decimam diem,mensis duodecimi — Adar dicitur voce Syriaca — pridie Mardochaei diei.	36 They al decreed by public vote never to let that day go by unobserved, but to celebrate thethirteenth day of the twelfth month, cal ed Adar in Aramaic, the eve of what is called the Day of Mordecai.
37 Igitur his erga Nicanorem sic gestis, et ex illis temporibus ab Hebraeiscivitate possessa, ego quoque hic faciam finem sermonis.	37 So ends the episode of Nicanor, and as, since then, the city has remained in the possession of theHebrews, I shal bring my own work to an end here too.
38 Et, si quidem beneet apte compositioni, hoc et ipse volebam; sin autem exigue et modice, hoc est,quod assequi poteram.	38 If it is wel composed and to the point, that is just what I wanted. If it is worthless and mediocre, thatis al I could manage.
39 Sicut enim vinum solummodo bibere, similiter autemrursus et aquam, contrarium est, quemadmodum autem vinum aquae contemperatum iamet delectabilem gratiam perficit, huiusmodi etiam structura sermonis delectataures eorum, quibus contingat compositionem legere. Hic autem erit finis.	39 Just as it is injurious to drink wine by itself, or again water alone, whereas wine mixed with water ispleasant and produces a delightful sense of wel -being, so skil in presenting the incidents is what delights theunderstanding of those who read the book. And here I close.