Secondo libro dei Maccabei 12

NOVA VULGATA	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 His factis pactionibus, Lysias pergebat ad regem, Iudaei autemagriculturae operam dabant.	1 After these agreements were made, Lysias returned to the king, and the Jews went about their farming.
2 Sed ex his, qui duces erant in singulis locis,Timotheus et Apollonius Gennaei filius, sed et Hieronymus et Demophon, super hoset Nicanor Cypriarches, non sinebant eos in silentio agere et quiete.	2 But some of the local governors, Timothy and Apollonius, son of Gennaeus, as also Hieronymus and Demophon, to say nothing of Nicanor, the commander of the Cyprians, would not allow them to live in peace.
3 Ioppitaevero tale quoddam flagitium perpetrarunt: cum rogavissent Iudaeos, cum quibushabitabant, ascendere scaphas, quas ipsi paraverant, cum uxoribus et filiis,quasi nullis inimicitiis in eos subiacentibus,	3 Some people of Joppa also committed this outrage: they invited the Jews who lived among them, together with their wives and children, to embark on boats which they had provided. There was no hint of enmity toward them;
4 secundum autem communecivitatis decretum, et ipsis acquiescentibus, utpote qui pacem obtinere cuperentet nihil suspectum haberent, eos provectos in altum submerserunt non minusducentos.	4 this was done by public vote of the city. When the Jews, not suspecting treachery and wishing to live on friendly terms, accepted the invitation, the people of Joppa took them out to sea and drowned at least two hundred of them.
5 Quam crudelitatem Iudas in suae gentis homines factam ut cognovit,praecepit viris, qui erant cum ipso, et, invocato iusto iudice Deo,	5 As soon as Judas heard of the barbarous deed perpetrated against his countrymen, he summoned his men;
6 venitadversus interfectores fratrum et portum quidem noctu succendit, scaphasexussit, eos autem, qui illuc refugerant, gladio peremit.	6 and after calling upon God, the just judge, he marched against the murderers of his kinsmen. In a night attack he set the harbor on fire, burnt the boats, and put to the sword those who had taken refuge there.
7 Et, cum conclususesset locus, discessit quasi iterum reversurus et universam Ioppitarum civitatemeradicaturus.	7 When the gates of the town were shut, he withdrew, intending to come back later and wipe out the entire population of Joppa.
8 Sed, cum cognovisset et eos, qui erant Iamniae, velle pari modofacere habitantibus secum Iudaeis,	8 On hearing that the men of Jamnia planned to give like treatment to the Jews who lived among them,
9 Iamnitis quoque nocte supervenit et portumcum navibus succendit, ita ut lumen ignis appareret Hierosolymis a stadiisducentis quadraginta.	9 he attacked the Jamnian populace by night, setting fire to the harbor and the fleet, so that the glow of the flames was visible as far as Jerusalem, thirty miles away.
10 Inde, cum iam abiissent novem stadiis et iter facerent ad Timotheum,commiserunt cum eo Arabes non minus quam quinque milia viri et equitesquingenti.	10 When the Jews had gone about a mile from there in the campaign against Timothy, they were attacked by Arabs numbering at least five thousand foot soldiers, and five hundred horsemen.
11 Cumque pugna valida fieret et hi, qui circa Iudam erant, perauxilium Dei prospere gessissent, nomades victi petebant a Iuda dextram sibidari, promittentes se pascua daturos et in ceteris profuturos eis.	11 After a hard fight, Judas and his companions, with God's help, were victorious. The defeated nomads begged Judas to make friends with them and promised to supply the Jews with cattle and to help them in every other way.
12 Iudasautem arbitratus vere in multis eos utiles promisit se pacem acturum cum eis;dextrisque acceptis, discessere ad tabernacula sua.	12 Realizing that they could indeed be useful in many respects, Judas agreed to make peace with them. After the pledge of friendship had been exchanged, the Arabs withdrew to their tents.
13 Aggressus est autem etcivitatem quandam firmam pontibus murisque circumsaeptam, quae a promiscuisgentibus habitabatur, cui nomen Caspin.	13 He also attacked a certain city called Caspin, fortified with earthworks and ramparts and inhabited by a mixed population of Gentiles.
14 Hi vero, qui intus erant, confidentesin stabilitate murorum et apparatu alimoniarum contumeliosius agebant cum eis,qui circa Iudam erant, maledictis lacessentes et blasphemantes ac loquentes,quae fas non est.	14 Relying on the strength of their walls and their supply of provisions, the besieged treated Judas and his men with contempt, insulting them and even uttering blasphemies and profanity.
15 Qui autem cum Iuda erant, invocato magno mundi Principe,qui sine arietibus et machinis organicis temporibus Iosue praecipitavit Iericho,irruerunt ferociter muris	15 But Judas and his men invoked the aid of the great Sovereign of the world, who, in the day of Joshua, overthrew Jericho without battering-ram or siege machine; then they furiously stormed the ramparts.
16 et, capta civitate per Dei voluntatem,inenarrabiles caedes fecerunt, ita ut adiacens stagnum latitudinem habensstadiorum duorum defluere repletum sanguine videretur.	16 Capturing the city by the will of God, they inflicted such indescribable slaughter on it that the adjacent pool, which was about a quarter of a mile wide, seemed to be filled with the blood that flowed into it.
17 Inde autem discesserunt stadia septingenta quinquaginta et pervenerunt inCharaca ad eos, qui dicuntur Tubiani, Iudaeos.	17 When they had gone on some ninety miles, they reached Charax, where there were certain Jews known as Toubiani.
18 Et Timotheum quidem in illislocis non comprehenderunt, qui, nullo negotio perfecto, tunc de locis regressuserat, relicto tamen in quodam loco firmissimo praesidio.	18 But they did not find Timothy in that region, for he had already departed from there without having done anything except to leave behind in one place a very strong garrison.
19 Dositheus autem etSosipater, ex ducibus, qui cum Maccabaeo erant, exeuntes peremerunt a Timotheorelictos in praesidio plures quam decem milia viros.	19 But Dositheus and Sosipater, two of Maccabeus' captains, marched out and destroyed the force of more than ten thousand men that Timothy had left in the stronghold.
20 At Maccabaeus, ordinatoexercitu circum se per cohortes, constituit eos super cohortes et adversusTimotheum processit habentem secum centum viginti milia peditum equitumque duomilia quingentos.	20 Meanwhile, Maccabeus divided his army into cohorts, with a commander over each cohort, and went in pursuit of Timothy, who had a force of a hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and twenty-five hundred horsemen.
21 Cognito autem Iudae adventu, Timotheus praemisit muliereset filios et reliquum apparatum in locum, qui Carnion dicitur; erat eniminexpugnabile et accessu difficile praesidium propter locorum angustias.	21 When Timothy learned of the approach of Judas, he sent on ahead of him the women and children, as well as the baggage, to a place called Karnion, which was hard to besiege and even hard to reach because of the difficult terrain of that region.
22 Cumque cohors Iudae prima apparuisset, et pavor factus esset super hostes, actimor ex praesentia illius, qui universa conspicit, super eos esset, in fugamexsiluerunt, alius alio se ferens, ita ut saepe a suis laederentur et gladiorumacuminibus configerentur.	22 But when Judas' first cohort appeared, the enemy was overwhelmed with fear and terror at the manifestation of the All-seeing. Scattering in every direction, they rushed away in such headlong flight that in many cases they wounded one another, pierced by the swords of their own men.
23 Iudas autem vehementer instabat confodiens impioset prostravit ad triginta milia virorum.	23 Judas pressed the pursuit vigorously, putting the sinners to the sword and destroying as many as thirty thousand men.
24 Ipse vero Timotheus incidens in eos,qui erant cum Dositheo et Sosipatre, cum multa adulatione postulabat, ut vivusdimitteretur, eo quod multorum quidem parentes, aliorum autem fratres haberet,et contingeret horum curam non haberi.	24 Timothy himself fell into the hands of the men under Dositheus and Sosipater; but with great cunning, he asked them to spare his life and let him go, because he had in his power the parents and relatives of many of them, and could make these suffer.
25 Et cum pluribus modis fidem dedissetsecundum hoc constitutum, restituturum se eos illaesos, dimiserunt eum propterfratrum salutem.	25 When he had fully confirmed his solemn pledge to restore them unharmed, they let him go for the sake of saving their brethren.
26 Egressus autem ad Carnion et Atergation interfecit viginti quinque miliacorporum.	26 Judas then marched to Karnion and the shrine of Atargatis, where he killed twenty-five thousand people.
27 Post autem horum fugam et necem, movit exercitum etiam adversusEphron civitatem munitam, in qua multitudo diversarum gentium inhabitabat, etrobusti iuvenes pro muris consistentes fortiter repugnabant; in hac autemmachinarum et telorum multi erant apparatus.	27 After the defeat and destruction of these, he moved his army to Ephron, a fortified city inhabited by people of many nationalities. Robust young men took up their posts in defense of the walls, from which they fought valiantly; inside were large supplies of machines and missiles.
28 Sed, cum Potentem invocassent,qui potestate sua vires hostium confringit, ceperunt subiectam civitatem et exeis, qui intus erant, ad viginti quinque milia prostraverunt.	28 But the Jews, invoking the Sovereign who forcibly shatters the might of his enemies, got possession of the city and slaughtered twenty-five thousand of the people in it.
29 Inde profectiad civitatem Scytharum perrexerunt, quae ab Hierosolymis sescentis stadiisaberat.	29 Then they set out from there and hastened on to Scythopolis, seventy-five miles from Jerusalem.
30 Contestantibus autem his, qui erant illic Iudaei, benevolentiam, quamScythopolitae erga eos habebant, et mitem occursum temporibus infelicitatis,	30 But when the Jews who lived there testified to the good will shown by the Scythopolitans and to their kind treatment even in times of adversity,
31 gratias agentes et exhortati etiam de cetero erga genus ipsum benignos esse,venerunt Hierosolymam die sollemni Septimanarum instante.	31 Judas and his men thanked them and exhorted them to be well disposed to their race in the future also. Finally they arrived in Jerusalem, shortly before the feast of Weeks.
32 Post eam vero, quae dicitur Pentecoste, abierunt contra Gorgiam praepositumIdumaeae.	32 After this feast called Pentecost, they lost no time in marching against Gorgias, governor of Idumea,
33 Exivit autem cum peditibus tribus milibus et equitibusquadringentis.	33 who opposed them with three thousand foot soldiers and four hundred horsemen.
34 Quibus autem congressis, contigit paucos ruere Iudaeorum.	34 In the ensuing battle, a few of the Jews were slain.
35 Dositheus vero quidam de iis, qui Bacenoris erant, eques vir et fortis, Gorgiamtenuit chlamydeque apprehensum ducebat eum fortiter; et, cum vellet illum caperevivum, eques quidam de Thracibus irruit in eum umerumque amputavit, et Gorgiaseffugit in Maresa.	35 A man called Dositheus, a powerful horseman and one of Bacenor's men, caught hold of Gorgias, grasped his military cloak and dragged him along by main strength, intending to capture the vile wretch alive, when a Thracian horseman attacked Dositheus and cut off his arm at the shoulder. Then Gorgias fled to Marisa.
36 At illis, qui cum Esdrin erant, diutius pugnantibus etfatigatis, cum invocasset Iudas Dominum, ut adiutorem se ostenderet et ducembelli,	36 After Esdris and his men had been fighting for a long time and were weary, Judas called upon the Lord to show himself their ally and leader in the battle.
37 incipiens patria voce clamorem cum hymnis, irruens improviso in eos,qui circa Gorgiam erant, fugam eis incussit.	37 Then, raising a battle cry in his ancestral language, and with songs, he charged Gorgias' men when they were not expecting it and put them to flight.
38 Iudas autem, collecto exercitu, venit in civitatem Odollam et, cum septimadies superveniret, secundum consuetudinem purificati in eodem loco sabbatumegerunt.	38 Judas rallied his army and went to the city of Adullam. As the week was ending, they purified themselves according to custom and kept the sabbath there.
39 Et sequenti die venerunt, qui cum Iuda erant, eo tempore, quonecessarium factum erat, ut corpora prostratorum tollerent et cum parentibusreponerent in sepulcris paternis.	39 On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas and his men went to gather up the bodies of the slain and bury them with their kinsmen in their ancestral tombs.
40 Invenerunt autem sub tunicis uniuscuiusqueinterfectorum donaria idolorum, quae apud Iamniam fuerunt, a quibus lex prohibetIudaeos. Omnibus ergo manifestum factum est ob hanc causam eos corruisse.	40 But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had been slain.
41 Omnes itaque, cum benedixissent, quae sunt iusti iudicis, Domini, qui occultamanifesta facit,	41 They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden.
42 ad obsecrationem conversi sunt, rogantes, ut id, quod factumerat, delictum oblivioni ex integro traderetur. At vero fortissimus Iudashortatus est populum conservare se sine peccato, cum sub oculis vidissent, quaefacta sunt propter peccatum eorum, qui prostrati sunt.	42 Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas warned the soldiers to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen.
43 Et, facta viritimcollatione ad duo milia drachmas argenti, misit Hierosolymam offerri propeccatis sacrificium, valde bene et honeste de resurrectione cogitans.	43 He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view;
44 Nisienim eos, qui ceciderant, resurrecturos speraret, superfluum et vanum essetorare pro mortuis.	44 for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death.
45 Deinde considerans quod hi, qui cum pietate dormitionemacceperant, optimum haberent repositum gratiae donum:	45 But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.
46 sancta et piacogitatio. Unde pro defunctis expiationem fecit, ut a peccato solverentur.	46 Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.