Primo libro dei Maccabei 14

NOVA VULGATA	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Anno centesimo septuagesi mo secundo congregavit rex Demetrius exercitumsuum et abiit in Mediam ad contrahenda sibi auxilia, ut expugnaret Tryphonem.	1 In the year one hundred and seventy-two, King Demetrius assembled his army and marched into Media to obtain help so that he could fight Trypho.
2 Et audivit Arsaces rex Persidis et Mediae, quia intravit Demetrius confinessuos, et misit unum de principibus suis, ut comprehenderet eum vivum.	2 When Arsaces, king of Persia and Media, heard that Demetrius had invaded his territory, he sent one of his generals to take him alive.
3 Et abiitet percussit castra Demetrii et comprehendit eum et duxit eum ad Arsacem etposuit eum in custodiam.	3 The general went forth and defeated the army of Demetrius; he captured him and brought him to Arsaces, who put him in prison.
4 Et siluit terra Iudae omnibus diebus Simonis; et quaesivit bona genti suae, et placuit illis potestas eius, et gloria eius omnibus diebus.	4 The land was at rest all the days of Simon, who sought the good of his nation. His people were delighted with his power and his magnificence throughout his reign.
5 Et cum omni gloria sua accepit Ioppen in portum et fecit introitum insulis maris.	5 As his crowning glory he captured the port of Joppa and made it a gateway to the isles of the sea.
6 Et dilatavit fines gentis suae et obtinuit regionem.	6 He enlarged the borders of his nation and gained control of the country.
7 Et congregavit captivitatem multam et dominatus est Gazarae et Bethsurae etarci; et abstulit immunditias ex ea, et non erat qui resisteret ei.	7 He took many enemies prisoners of war and made himself master of Gazara, Beth-zur, and the citadel. He cleansed the citadel of its impurities; there was no one to withstand him.
8 Et unusquisque colebat terram suam cum pace; et terra dabat fructus suos, et ligna camporum fructum suum.	8 The people cultivated their land in peace; the land yielded its produce and the trees of the field their fruit.
9 Seniores in plateis sedebant, omnes de bonis communiter tractabant, et iuvenes induebant se gloriam et stolas belli.	9 Old men sat in the squares, all talking about the good times, while the young men wore the glorious apparel of war.
10 Et civitatibus tribuebat alimonias et constituebat eas, ut essent vasamunitionis, quoadusque nominatum est nomen gloriae eius usque ad extremum terrae.	10 He supplied the cities with food and equipped them with means of defense, till his glorious name reached the ends of the earth.
11 Fecit pacem super terram, et laetatus est Israel laetitia magna.	11 He brought peace to the land, and Israel was filled with happiness.
12 Et sedit unusquisque sub vite sua et sub ficulnea sua, et non erat qui eos terreret.	12 Every man sat under his vine and his fig tree, with no one to disturb him.
13 Defecit impugnans eos super terram; reges contriti sunt in diebus illis.	13 No one was left to attack them in their land; the kings in those days were crushed.
14 Et confirmavit omnes humiles populi sui et legem exquisivit et abstulit omnem iniquum et malum.	14 He strengthened all the lowly among his people and was zealous for the law; he suppressed all the lawless and the wicked.
15 Sancta glorificavit et multiplicavit vasa sanctorum.	15 He made the temple splendid and enriched its equipment.
16 Et auditum est Romae quia defunctus esset Ionathas, et usque in Spartiatas,et contristati sunt valde.	16 When people heard in Rome and even in Sparta that Jonathan had died, they were deeply grieved.
17 Ut audierunt autem quod Simon frater eius factusesset summus sacerdos loco eius, et ipse obtineret regionem et civitates in ea,	17 But when the Romans heard that his brother Simon had been made high priest in his place and was master of the country and the cities,
18 scripserunt ad eum in tabulis aereis, ut renovarent cum eo amicitias etsocietatem, quam fecerant cum Iuda et cum Ionatha fratribus eius;	18 they sent him inscribed tablets of bronze to renew with him the friendship and alliance that they had established with his brothers Judas and Jonathan.
19 et lectaesunt in conspectu ecclesiae in Ierusalem. Et hoc exemplum epistularum, quasSpartiatae miserunt:	19 These were read before the assembly in Jerusalem.
20 “ Spartianorum principes et civitas Simoni sacerdotimagno et senioribus et sacerdotibus et reliquo populo Iudaeorum fratribussalutem.	20 This is a copy of the letter that the Spartans sent: "The rulers and the citizens of Sparta send greetings to Simon the high priest, the elders, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers.
21 Legati, qui missi sunt ad populum nostrum, nuntiaverunt nobis devestra gloria et honore, et gavisi sumus in introitu eorum	21 The envoys you sent to our people have informed us of your glory and fame, and we were happy that they came.
22 et scripsimus,quae ab eis erant dicta in conciliis populi sic: “Numenius Antiochi etAntipater Iasonis filius, legati Iudaeorum, venerunt ad nos renovantes nobiscumamicitiam”.	22 In accordance with what they said we have recorded the following in the public decrees: Since Numenius, son of Antiochus, and Antipater, son of Jason, envoys of the Jews, have come to us to renew their friendship with us,
23 Et placuit populo excipere viros gloriose et ponere exemplumsermonum eorum in segregatis populi libris, ut sit ad memoriam populoSpartiatarum. Exemplum autem horum scripsimus Simoni magno sacerdoti ”.	23 the people have voted to receive the men with honor, and to deposit a copy of their words in the public archives, so that the people of Sparta may have a record of them. A copy of this decree has been made for Simon the high priest."
24 Post haec autem misit Simon Numenium Romam habentem clipeum aureum magnum pondominarum mille ad statuendam cum eis societatem.	24 After this, Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a great gold shield weighing a thousand minas, to confirm the alliance with the Romans.
25 Cum autem audisset populus sermones istos, dixerunt: “ Quam gratiarumactionem reddemus Simoni et filiis eius?	25 When the people heard of these things, they said, "How can we thank Simon and his sons?
26 Invaluit enim ipse et fratres eiuset domus patris eius et expugnavit inimicos Israel ab eis; et statuerunt eilibertatem ”. Et descripserunt in tabulis aereis et posuerunt in titulis inmonte Sion.	26 He and his brothers and his father's house have stood firm and repulsed Israel's enemies. They have thus preserved its liberty." So they made an inscription on bronze tablets, which they affixed to pillars on Mount Zion.
27 Et hoc est exemplum scripturae: “ Octava decima die Elul, annocentesimo septuagesimo secundo, anno tertio sub Simone sacerdote magno, inAsaramel,	27 The following is a copy of the inscription: "On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the year one hundred and seventy-two, that is, the third year under Simon the high priest in Asaramel,
28 in conventu magno sacerdotum et populi et principum gentis etseniorum regionis nota facta sunt nobis haec:	28 in a great assembly of priests, people, rulers of the nation, and elders of the country, the following proclamation was made:
29 Quoniam frequenter facta suntproelia in regione, Simon autem filius Matthathiae, filius ex filiis Ioarib, etfratres eius dederunt se periculo et restiterunt adversariis gentis suae, utstarent sancta ipsorum et lex; et gloria magna glorificaverunt gentem suam.	29 "'Since there have often been wars in our country, Simon, son of the priest Mattathias, descendant of Joarib, and his brothers have put themselves in danger and resisted the enemies of their nation, so that their sanctuary and law might be maintained, and they have thus brought great glory to their nation.
30 Et congregavit Ionathas gentem suam et factus est illis sacerdos magnus etappositus est ad populum suum.	30 After Jonathan had rallied his nation and become their high priest, he was gathered to his kinsmen.
31 Et voluerunt inimici eorum calcare et atterereregionem ipsorum et extendere manus in sancta eorum.	31 When the enemies of the Jews sought to invade and devastate their country and to lay hands on their temple,
32 Tunc restitit Simon etpugnavit pro gente sua et erogavit pecunias multas et armavit viros virtutisgentis suae et dedit illis stipendia.	32 Simon rose up and fought for his nation, spending large sums of his own money to equip the men of his nation's armed forces and giving them their pay.
33 Et munivit civitates Iudaeae etBethsuram, quae erat in finibus Iudaeae, ubi erant arma hostium antea, et posuitillic praesidium viros Iudaeos;	33 He fortified the cities of Judea, especially the frontier city of Beth-zur, where he stationed a garrison of Jewish soldiers, and where previously the enemy's arms had been stored.
34 et Ioppen munivit, quae erat ad mare, etGazaram, quae est in finibus Azoti, in qua hostes antea habitabant, etcollocavit illic Iudaeos et, quaecumque apta erant ad correptionem eorum, posuitin eis.	34 He also fortified Joppa by the sea and Gazara on the border of Azotus, a place previously occupied by the enemy; these cities he resettled with Jews, and furnished them with all that was necessary for their restoration.
35 Et vidit populus fidem Simonis et gloriam, quam cogitabat faceregenti suae; et posuerunt eum ducem suum et principem sacerdotum, eo quod ipsefecerat haec omnia et iustitiam et fidem, quam conservavit genti suae, etexquisivit omni modo exaltare populum suum.	35 When the Jewish people saw Simon's loyalty and the glory he planned to bring to his nation, they made him their leader and high priest because of all he had accomplished and the loyalty and justice he had shown his nation. In every way he sought to exalt his people.
36 Et in diebus eius prosperatum estin manibus eius, ut tollerentur gentes de regione ipsorum et, qui in civitateDavid erant in Ierusalem, qui fecerant sibi arcem, de qua procedebant etcontaminabant omnia, quae in circuitu sanctorum sunt, et inferebant plagammagnam castitati;	36 "'In his time and under his guidance they succeeded in driving the Gentiles out of their country, especially those in the City of David in Jerusalem, who had built for themselves a citadel from which they used to sally forth to defile the environs of the temple and inflict grave injury on its purity.
37 et collocavit in ea viros Iudaeos et munivit eam adtutamentum regionis et civitatis et exaltavit muros Ierusalem.	37 In this citadel he stationed Jewish soldiers, and he strengthened its fortifications for the defense of the land and the city, while he also raised the wall of Jerusalem to a greater height.
38 Et rexDemetrius statuit illi summum sacerdotium secundum haec	38 Consequently, King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood,
39 et fecit eum amicumsuum et glorificavit eum gloria magna.	39 made him one of his Friends, and conferred the highest honors on him.
40 Audivit enim quod appellati suntIudaei a Romanis amici et socii et fratres, et quia susceperunt legatos Simonisgloriose;	40 He had indeed heard that the Romans had addressed the Jews as friends, allies, and brothers and that they had received Simon's envoys with honor.
41 et quia Iudaei et sacerdotes consenserunt eum esse ducem suum etsummum sacerdotem in aeternum, donec surgat propheta fidelis,	41 "'The Jewish people and their priest have, therefore, made the following decisions. Simon shall be their permanent leader and high priest until a true prophet arises.
42 et ut sit supereos dux, et ut cura esset illi pro sanctis, ut constitueret per eum super operaeorum et super regionem et super arma et super praesidia;	42 He shall act as governor general over them, and shall have charge of the temple, to make regulations concerning its functions and concerning the country, its weapons and strongholds,
43 et cura sit illi desanctis, et ut audiatur ab omnibus; et scribantur in nomine eius omnesconscriptiones in regione, et ut operiatur purpura et aurum portet;	43 he shall be obeyed by all. All contracts made in the country shall be dated by his name. He shall have the right to wear royal purple and gold ornaments.
44 et neliceat ulli ex populo et ex sacerdotibus irritum facere aliquid horum etcontradicere his, quae ab eo dicuntur, aut convocare conventum in regione sineipso et vestiri purpura et uti fibula aurea;	44 It shall not be lawful for any of the people or priests to nullify any of these decisions, or to contradict the orders given by him, or to convene an assembly in the country without his consent, to be clothed in royal purple or wear an official gold brooch.
45 qui autem fecerit extra haec autirritum fecerit aliquid horum, reus erit.	45 Whoever acts otherwise or violates any of these prescriptions shall be liable to punishment.
46 Et complacuit omni populo statuereSimoni facere secundum verba ista.	46 "'All the people approved of granting Simon the right to act in accord with these decisions,
47 Et suscepit Simon et placuit ei, ut summosacerdotio fungeretur et esset dux et princeps gentis Iudaeorum et sacerdotum etpraeesset omnibus ”.	47 and Simon accepted and agreed to act as high priest, governor general, and ethnarch of the Jewish people and priests and to exercise supreme authority over all.'"
48 Et scripturam istam dixerunt ponere in tabulis aereiset ponere eas in peribolo sanctorum in loco celebri;	48 It was decreed that this inscription should be engraved on bronze tablets, to be set up in a conspicuous place in the precincts of the temple,
49 exemplum autem eorumponere in aerario, ut habeat Simon et filii eius.	49 and that copies of it should be deposited in the treasury, where they would be available to Simon and his sons.