Secondo libro dei Maccabei 8

BIBBIA MARTINI	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 A Giuda Maccabeo, e quelli, che si stavano con lui, andavan segretamente pei castelli, e convocando i parenti e gli amici, e prendendo seco quelli, che si erano tenuti costanti nel Giudaismo, messer insieme fino a sei mila uomini.	1 Then Judas Maccabeus, and they that were with him, went privily into the towns, and called their kinsfolks together, and took unto them all such as continued in the Jews' religion, and assembled about six thousand men.
2 E invocavano il Signore, affinchè volgesse il suo sguardo a quel popolo calpestato da tutti, e avesse pietà del suo tempio profanato dagli empj.	2 And they called upon the Lord, that he would look upon the people that was trodden down of all; and also pity the temple profaned of ungodly men;
3 E avesse compassione dello sterminio della città, la quale ben presto sarebbe agguagliata al suolo, e ascoltasse la voce del sangue, che alzava le grida a lui:	3 And that he would have compassion upon the city, sore defaced, and ready to be made even with the ground; and hear the blood that cried unto him,
4 E si ricordasse della ingiustissima strage de' pargoletti innocenti, e delle bestemmie scagliate contro il suo nome, e ne facesse vendetta.	4 And remember the wicked slaughter of harmless infants, and the blasphemies committed against his name; and that he would shew his hatred against the wicked.
5 Ma Maccabeo, radunata molta gente, si rendeva terribile alle nazioni: perocché l'ira del Signore si volse in misericordia.	5 Now when Maccabeis had his company about him, he could not be withstood by the heathen: for the wrath of the Lord was turned into mercy.
6 Ed egli giungendo repentinamente sopra i castelli, e le città, vi metteva il fuoco, e occupando i siti vantaggiosi faceva stragi non piccole de' nemici:	6 Therefore he came at unawares, and burnt up towns and cities, and got into his hands the most commodious places, and overcame and put to flight no small number of his enemies.
7 Principalmente di notte tempo faceva egli queste scorrerie, e la fama del suo valore si spargeva per ogni dove.	7 But specially took he advantage of the night for such privy attempts, insomuch that the fruit of his holiness was spread every where.
8 Ma Filippo veggendo, che quest'uomo appoco appoco andava facendo progressi, e che il più delle volte le cose gli riuscivan felicemente, scrìsse a Tolomeo Governatore della Celesiria, e della Fenicia, che mandasse aiuti per sostenere il partito del re.	8 So when Philip saw that this man increased by little and little, and that things prospered with him still more and more, he wrote unto Ptolemeus, the governor of Celosyria and Phenice, to yield more aid to the king's affairs.
9 E quegli mandò speditamente Nicanore di Patroclo, uno dei principali signori, e suo amico, dandogli non meno di venti mila armati di varie nazioni, affinchè sterminasse tutta la stirpe Giudea, unendo con lui anche Gorgia uomo di guerra, e molto sperimentato nelle imprese militari.	9 Then forthwith choosing Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of his special friends, he sent him with no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations under him, to root out the whole generation of the Jews; and with him he joined also Gorgias a captain, who in matters of war had great experience.
10 E Nicanore fece il conto di supplire al tributo di duemila talenti, che il re dovea dare ai Romani, colla vendita degli schiavi Giudei:	10 So Nicanor undertook to make so much money of the captive Jews, as should defray the tribute of two thousand talents, which the king was to pay to the Romans.
11 E tosto mandò pelle città marittime a invitare alla compra di schiavi Ebrei promettendo di dare novanta schiavi per un talento, senza riflettere al gastigo dell'Onnipotente, che dovea piombare sopra di lui.	11 Wherefore immediately he sent to the cities upon the sea coast, proclaiming a sale of the captive Jews, and promising that they should have fourscore and ten bodies for one talent, not expecting the vengeance that was to follow upon him from the Almighty God.
12 Ma Giuda subito che ne fu informato fece sapere a' Giudei, che eran seco, la venuta di Nicanore.	12 Now when word was brought unto Judas of Nicanor's coming, and he had imparted unto those that were with him that the army was at hand,
13 De' quali alcuni paurosi non fidandosi della giustizia di Dio, si davano a fuggire:	13 They that were fearful, and distrusted the justice of God, fled, and conveyed themselves away.
14 Altri poi vendevano tutto quel, che lor rimaneva, e insieme pregavano il Signore, che gli liberasse dall'empio Nicanore, il quale prima di averli veduti in viso gli avea venduti:	14 Others sold all that they had left, and withal besought the Lord to deliver them, sold by the wicked Nicanor before they met together:
15 E ciò facesse se non per amore di essi, almen per riguardo al testamento fatto in favore de' padri loro, e perché dal nome di lui grande, e magnifico avean essi nome.	15 And if not for their own sakes, yet for the covenants he had made with their fathers, and for his holy and glorious name's sake, by which they were called.
16 Or Maccabeo, raunati i settemila uomini, che eran con lui, gli scongiurò di non venire a patti co' nemici, e a non temere la moltitudine di quelli, che venivano contro di loro, ma combattessero virilmente,	16 So Maccabeus called his men together unto the number of six thousand, and exhorted them not to be stricken with terror of the enemy, nor to fear the great multitude of the heathen, who came wrongly against them; but to fight manfully,
17 Mettendosi davanti agli occhi le indegnità commesse da quelli contro del luogo santo, e le ingiurie, e gli insulti fatti alla città, e le instituzioni stesse de' maggiori abolite.	17 And to set before their eyes the injury that they had unjustly done to the holy place, and the cruel handling of the city, whereof they made a mockery, and also the taking away of the government of their forefathers:
18 Imperocché quelli nelle armi confidano (diss'egli), e nell'audacia; ma noi nel Signore onnipotente confidiamo, il quale può ad un cenno e questi, che vengono contro di noi, e il mondo tutto distruggere:	18 For they, said he, trust in their weapons and boldness; but our confidence is in the Almighty who at a beck can cast down both them that come against us, and also all the world.
19 E rammentò loro come Dio avea soccorsi i padri loro, e come a tempo, di Sennacherib perirono cento ottantacinque mila uomini:	19 Moreover, he recounted unto them what helps their forefathers had found, and how they were delivered, when under Sennacherib an hundred fourscore and five thousand perished.
20 E come nella guerra contro i Calati in Babilonia, allorché si venne alle mani, i Macedoni confederati essendo disanimati, eglino soli in numero di sei mila uccisero cento venti mila uomini mediante l'aiuto dato loro dal cielo, e perciò ottennero grandissimi privilegj.	20 And he told them of the battle that they had in Babylon with the Galatians, how they came but eight thousand in all to the business, with four thousand Macedonians, and that the Macedonians being perplexed, the eight thousand destroyed an hundred and twenty thousand because of the help that they had from heaven, and so received a great booty.
21 Tali ragionamenti li renderon costanti, e pronti a morire per le leggi, e per la patria.	21 Thus when he had made them bold with these words, and ready to die for the law and the country, he divided his army into four parts;
22 Egli pertanto diede il comando di una parte de' soldati a ciascuno de' suoi fratelli, Simone, Giuseppe, e Gionata, assegnando loro mille cinquecento uomini per ciascheduno.	22 And joined with himself his own brethren, leaders of each band, to wit Simon, and Joseph, and Jonathan, giving each one fifteen hundred men.
23 E oltre a ciò lesse ad essi Esdra il libro santo, e dato per segno l'aiuto di Dio, stando egli stesso alla testa dell'esercito, attaccò la zuffa con Nicanore.	23 Also he appointed Eleazar to read the holy book: and when he had given them this watchword, The help of God; himself leading the first band,
24 E aiutati dall'Onnipotente uccisero più di nove mila uomini, e messero in fuga l'esercito di Nicanore, la maggior parte rifinito per le ferite.	24 And by the help of the Almighty they slew above nine thousand of their enemies, and wounded and maimed the most part of Nicanor's host, and so put all to flight;
25 E tolto il denaro di quelli che eran venuti per comperarli, inseguirono il nemico per lungo tratto.	25 And took their money that came to buy them, and pursued them far: but lacking time they returned:
26 Ma stretti dall'ora tarda tornaron indietro, perche era la vigilia del sabato, e perciò non continuarono ad inseguirli.	26 For it was the day before the sabbath, and therefore they would no longer pursue them.
27 Ma raunate le armi, e le spoglie dei nemici, celebrarono il sabato, bene dicendo il Signore, il quale gli avea quel dì liberati, gettando sopra di essi una stilla di sua misericordia.	27 So when they had gathered their armour together, and spoiled their enemies, they occupied themselves about the sabbath, yielding exceeding praise and thanks to the Lord, who had preserved them unto that day, which was the beginning of mercy distilling upon them.
28 E dopo il sabato fecer parte delle spoglie agli stroppiati, agli orfani, e alle vedove, e il rimanente fu per loro, e pella loro gente.	28 And after the sabbath, when they had given part of the spoils to the maimed, and the widows, and orphans, the residue they divided among themselves and their servants.
29 Dopo tali cose fatta in comune l'orazione pregavano il misericordioso Signore, che si placasse per sempre co' servi suoi.	29 When this was done, and they had made a common supplication, they besought the merciful Lord to be reconciled with his servants for ever.
30 Ed essendo stati assaliti dall'esercito di Timoteo, e di Bacehide, ne uccisero più di venti mila uomini, e si impadronirono di altissime fortezze, e fecero gran bottino, dandone ugual porzione agli invalidi, ai pupilli, e alle vedove, e anche ai vecchi.	30 Moreover of those that were with Timotheus and Bacchides, who fought against them, they slew above twenty thousand, and very easily got high and strong holds, and divided among themselves many spoils more, and made the maimed, orphans, widows, yea, and the aged also, equal in spoils with themselves.
31 E raunate tutte le armi de' nemici diligentemente, le riposero in luoghi opportuni; il resto poi delle spoglie le portarono a Gerusalemme:	31 And when they had gathered their armour together, they laid them up all carefully in convenient places, and the remnant of the spoils they brought to Jerusalem.
32 E fecer morire Filarche, che avea seguitato Timoteo, ed era uomo scellerato, che molto male avea fatto a' Giudei.	32 They slew also Philarches, that wicked person, who was with Timotheus, and had annoyed the Jews many ways.
33 E quando furono in Gerusalemme a render grazie per la vittoria, essendosi quel Callistene, che avea brugiate le porte sante, rifugiato in una certa casa, ve l'abbrugiarono, rendendogli giusta mercede delle sue empietà.	33 Furthermore at such time as they kept the feast for the victory in their country they burnt Callisthenes, that had set fire upon the holy gates, who had fled into a little house; and so he received a reward meet for his wickedness.
34 E lo scelleratissiino Nicanore, il quale avea condotti seco mille mercatanti per vender loro i Giudei,	34 As for that most ungracious Nicanor, who had brought a thousand merchants to buy the Jews,
35 Umiliato col divino aiuto da quelli, ch'ei credeva uomini da nulla, deposte le splendide vesti fuggendo dalla parte del mare, arrivò solo ad Antiochia, ridotto a somma infelicità per la distruzione del suo esercito.	35 He was through the help of the Lord brought down by them, of whom he made least account; and putting off his glorious apparel, and discharging his company, he came like a fugitive servant through the midland unto Antioch having very great dishonour, for that his host was destroyed.
36 Ed egli che avea promesso di pagare il tributo a' Romani colla vendita i degli schiavi Gerosolimitani, adesso dicea pubblicamente, che i Giudei avean, Dio per protettore, ed erano invulnerabili, perché seguivan le leggi date da lui.	36 Thus he, that took upon him to make good to the Romans their tribute by means of captives in Jerusalem, told abroad, that the Jews had God to fight for them, and therefore they could not be hurt, because they followed the laws that he gave them.