| 1 - Allora Giovanni uscì di Gazerà, ed annunziò a Simone suo padre quel che faceva Cendebeo nel loro popolo. | 1 John went up from Gazara and reported to Simon his father what Cendebeus had done. |
| 2 Simone chiamò i due figli maggiori Giuda e Giovanni, e disse loro: « io ed i miei fratelli, e la stirpe del padre mio, abbiam combattuto i nemici d'Israele, dalla mia giovinezza inaino ad oggi, ed abbiamo avuto qualche volta la ventura di liberar Israele. | 2 And Simon called in his two older sons Judas and John, and said to them: "I and my brothers and the house of my father have fought the wars of Israel from our youth until this day, and things have prospered in our hands so that we have delivered Israel many times. |
| 3 Ora però son vecchio; ma siate voi in mio luogo, e miei fratelli; uscite a combatter per la nostra nazione, e l’aiuto del cielo sla con voi ». | 3 But now I have grown old, and you by His mercy are mature in years. Take my place and my brother's, and go out and fight for our nation, and may the help which comes from Heaven be with you." |
| 4 E scelse dalla regione ventimila uomini di guerra, e cavalieri. Essi mossero incontro a Cendebeo, e pernottarono in Modili. | 4 So John * chose out of the country twenty thousand warriors and horsemen, and they marched against Cendebeus and camped for the night in Modein. |
| 5 Al mattino, si levarono, e s’avanzaron nella pianura. Ed ecco di contro a loro un esercito copioso di fanti e di cavalieri, ed un torrente li divideva. | 5 Early in the morning they arose and marched into the plain, and behold, a large force of infantry and horsemen was coming to meet them; and a stream lay between them. |
| 6 [Giovanni] mosse le file direttamente contro a loro, egli e la sua gente; e vedendo che la turba esitava a valicar il torrente, lo valicò egli per primo; i suoi uomini lo videro, e passaron dietro a lui. | 6 Then he and his army lined up against them. And he saw that the soldiers were afraid to cross the stream, so he crossed over first; and when his men saw him, they crossed over after him. |
| 7 Allora divise la sua gente, e pose i cavalieri in mezzo ai pedoni, perchè la cavalleria nemica era numerosissima. | 7 Then he divided the army and placed the horsemen in the midst of the infantry, for the cavalry of the enemy were very numerous. |
| 8 Poi dettero flato alle trombe sacre, e Cendebeo e le sue schiere furon messi in fuga ; molti ne caddero trafitti, ed i rimanenti fuggirono nella fortezza. | 8 And they sounded the trumpets, and Cendebeus and his army were put to flight, and many of them were wounded and fell; the rest fled into the stronghold. |
| 9 Restò ferito Giuda fratello di Giovanni; Giovanni poi inseguì i fuggiaschi, così che giunse a Gedor che [Cendebeo] aveva ricostruita. | 9 At that time Judas the brother of John was wounded, but John pursued them until Cendebeus * reached Kedron, which he had built. |
| 10 Quelli fuggirono sino alle torri del piano d’Azoto, e Giovanni v’appiccò il fuoco; vi morirono duemila uomini, ed egli se ne tornò in Giudea senz’ostacoli. | 10 They also fled into the towers that were in the fields of Azotus, and John * burned it with fire, and about two thousand of them fell. And he returned to Judea safely. |
| 11 Ora, Tolomeo figlio di Abobi era stato messo a capo della regione di Gerico, ed avevan argento ed oro in gran quantità, | 11 Now Ptolemy the son of Abubus had been appointed governor over the plain of Jericho, and he had much silver and gold, |
| 12 essendo genero del sommo sacerdote. | 12 for he was son-in-law of the high priest. |
| 13 Ma s’inorgoglì, ed ambiva d’esser signore della regione, e meditava insidie contro Simone e i suoi figli, per toglierli di mezzo. | 13 His heart was lifted up; he determined to get control of the country, and made treacherous plans against Simon and his sons, to do away with them. |
| 14 Simone dunque, visitando le città del territorio della Giudea per prenderne cura, venne a Gerico, egli, e Matatia e Giuda suoi figli, l’anno centosettantasette, l’undecimo mese, e mese di Sabat. | 14 Now Simon was visiting the cities of the country and attending to their needs, and he went down to Jericho with Mattathias and Judas his sons, in the one hundred and seventy-seventh year, * in the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat. |
| 15 Il figlio d’Abobi, per ingannarli, li ricevè in una piccola fortezza da lui edificata, detta Doch. Fece loro un gran convito, e vi mise uomini in agguato. | 15 The son of Abubus received them treacherously in the little stronghold called Dok, which he had built; he gave them a great banquet, and hid men there. |
| 16 Quando Simone e i suoi figli fu reno rallegrati dal vino, Tolomeo si levò co' suoi uomini, presero le armi, irruppero nella sala del convito ed uccisero Simone e i suol due figli, ed alcuni del suo seguito | 16 When Simon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men rose up, took their weapons, and rushed in against Simon in the banquet hall, and they killed him and his two sons and some of his servants. |
| 17 facendo una gran perfidia In Israele, e rendendo male per bene. | 17 So he committed an act of great treachery and returned evil for good. |
| 18 Di poi, Tolomeo scrisse al re queste cose, e mandò a chiedergli che gli mandasse in aiuto un esercito, e gli desse signoria sulla regione e le città e i tributi. | 18 Then Ptolemy wrote a report about these things and sent it to the king, asking him to send troops to aid him and to turn over to him the cities and the country. |
| 19 Altri mandò in Gazara per levar di mezzo Giovanni; ed al tribuni di lui inviò lettere perchè passassero dalla sua parte, che egli darebbe loro argento ed oro e regali. | 19 He sent other men to Gazara to do away with John; he sent letters to the captains asking them to come to him so that he might give them silver and gold and gifts; |
| 20 Altri poi mandò ad occupare Gerusalemme ed il monte del tempio. | 20 and he sent other men to take possession of Jerusalem and the temple hill. |
| 21 Ma uno corse avanti, ed annunziò a Giovanni in Gazara che il padre ed i fratelli eran morti, e che: «Ora manda ad uccidere anche te ». | 21 But some one ran ahead and reported to John at Gazara that his father and brothers had perished, and that "he has sent men to kill you also." |
| 22 Quando ciò seppe, s’intimorì grandemente; e fatti prendere quelli ch’eran venuti a’ suoi danni, li mise a morte. Conobbe infatti che cercavan d'uccider lui. | 22 When he heard this, he was greatly shocked; and he seized the men who came to destroy him and killed them, for he had found out that they were seeking to destroy him. |
| 23 Quanto agli altri eventi di Giovanni, ed alle sue guerre, ed alle imprese da lui fortemente condotte, ed alle mura da lui ricostruite, e le altre sue geste, | 23 The rest of the acts of John and his wars and the brave deeds which he did, and the building of the walls which he built, and his achievements, |
| 24 ecco che sono scritte nelle cronache del suo sacerdozio, da che fu fatto principe de' sacerdoti dopo il padre suo. | 24 behold, they are written in the chronicles of his high priesthood, from the time that he became high priest after his father. |
