Secondo libro dei Maccabei 13

NOVA VULGATA	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Anno centesimo quadrage simo nono his, qui erant cir ca Iudam, notumfactum est Antiochum Eupatorem venire cum multitudine adversus Iudaeam	1 In the year one hundred and forty-nine, Judas and his men learned that Antiochus Eupator was invading Judea with a large force,
2 et cumeo Lysiam procuratorem et praepositum negotiorum, unumquemque habentem exercitumGraecum peditum centum decem milia et equitum quinque milia trecentos etelephantos viginti duos, currus autem cum falcibus trecentos.	2 and that with him was Lysias, his guardian, who was in charge of the government. They led a Greek army of one hundred and ten thousand foot soldiers, fifty-three hundred horsemen, twenty-two elephants, and three hundred chariots armed with scythes.
3 Commiscuit autemse illis et Menelaus et cum multa fallacia hortabatur Antiochum non pro patriaesalute, sed sperans se constitui in principatum.	3 Menelaus also joined them, and with great duplicity kept urging Antiochus on, not for the welfare of his country, but in the hope of being established in office.
4 Sed Rex regum suscitavitanimos Antiochi in peccatorem; et, suggerente Lysia hunc esse causam omniummalorum, iussit, ut est consuetudo in loco, adductum in Beroeam necari.	4 But the King of kings aroused the anger of Antiochus against the scoundrel. When the king was shown by Lysias that Menelaus was to blame for all the trouble, he ordered him to be taken to Beroea and executed there in the customary local method.
5 Eratautem in loco turris quinquaginta cubitorum, cineris plena, et machinam habebatvolubilem undique praecipitem in cinerem.	5 There is at that place a tower seventy-five feet high, full of ashes, with a circular rim sloping down steeply on all sides toward the ashes.
6 Illic reum sacrilegii vel quorundametiam aliorum malorum summitatem factum, omnes propellunt ad interitum.	6 A man guilty of sacrilege or notorious for certain other crimes is brought up there and then hurled down to destruction.
7 Ettali lege praevaricatorem legis contigit mori, nec terram adeptum Menelaum.	7 In such a manner was Menelaus, the transgressor of the law, fated to die; he was deprived even of decent burial.
8 Valde iuste: nam, quia multa erga aram delicta commisit, cuius ignis et ciniserat sanctus, ipse in cinere mortem reportavit.	8 It was altogether just that he who had committed so many sins against the altar with its pure fire and ashes should meet his death in ashes.
9 Sed rex mente efferatus veniebat, peiora quam quae sub patre suo facta erant,ostensurus Iudaeis.	9 The king was advancing, his mind full of savage plans for inflicting on the Jews worse things than those they suffered in his father's time.
10 Quibus Iudas cognitis, praecepit populo, ut die ac nocteDominum invocarent, si quando et alias etiam nunc adiuvaret eos,	10 When Judas learned of this, he urged the people to call upon the LORD night and day, to help them now, if ever,
11 quippe quilege et patria sanctoque templo in eo essent ut privarentur; ac populum, quinuper paululum respirasset, ne sineret blasphemis nationibus subdi.	11 when they were about to be deprived of their law, their country, and their holy temple; and not to allow this nation, which had just begun to revive, to be subjected again to blasphemous Gentiles.
12 Omnibusitaque simul idem facientibus et rogantibus misericordem Dominum cum fletu etieiuniis et prostratione per triduum sine intermissione, hortatus eos Iudaspraecepit adesse.	12 When they had all joined in doing this, and had implored the merciful LORD continuously with weeping and fasting and prostrations for three days, Judas encouraged them and told them to stand ready.
13 Ipse vero seorsum cum senioribus cogitavit, prius quamregis exercitus invaderet Iudaeam et obtinerent civitatem, egressos resadiudicare auxilio Dei.	13 After a private meeting with the elders, he decided that, before the king's army could invade Judea and take possession of the city, the Jews should march out and settle the matter with God's help.
14 Dans itaque procurationem Creatori mundi, exhortatussuos, ut fortiter dimicarent usque ad mortem pro legibus, templo, civitate,patria, institutionibus, circa Modin exercitum constituit.	14 Leaving the outcome to the Creator of the world, and exhorting his followers to fight nobly to death for the laws, the temple, the city, the country, and the government, he pitched his camp near Modein.
15 Cumque suisdedisset signum: “ Victoriam Dei ”, cum iuvenibus fortissimis electis, nocteaggressus castra adversus aulam regiam, interfecit viros ad duo milia etprimarium elephantorum una cum eo, qui intra habitaculum erat;	15 Giving his men the battle cry "God's Victory," he made a night attack on the king's pavilion with a picked force of the bravest young men and killed about two thousand in the camp. They also slew the lead elephant and its rider.
16 et postremometu ac perturbatione castra repleverunt, rebusque prospere gestis, abierunt.	16 Finally they withdrew in triumph, having filled the camp with terror and confusion.
17 Die autem iam illucescente hoc factum erat, adiuvante eum Domini protectione.	17 Day was just breaking when this was accomplished with the help and protection of the LORD.
18 Sed rex, accepto gustu audaciae Iudaeorum, artibus loca tentavit.	18 The king, having had a taste of the Jews' daring, tried to take their positions by a stratagem.
19 EtBethsuris, quae erat Iudaeorum praesidium munitum, castra admovebat; sedfugabatur, impingebat, minorabatur.	19 So he marched against Beth-zur, a strong fortress of the Jews; but he was driven back, checked, and defeated.
20 His autem, qui intus erant, Iudasnecessaria mittebat.	20 Judas then sent supplies to the men inside,
21 Enuntiavit autem mysteria hostibus Rhodocus quidam deIudaico exercitu; qui requisitus, comprehensus est et conclusus.	21 but Rhodocus, of the Jewish army, betrayed military secrets to the enemy. He was found out, arrested, and imprisoned.
22 Iterum rex sermonem habuit ad eos, qui erant in Bethsuris, dextram dedit,accepit, abiit;	22 The king made a second attempt by negotiating with the men of Beth-zur. After giving them his pledge and receiving theirs, he withdrew
23 commisit cum his, qui erant cum Iuda, superatus est; cognovitrebellasse Philippum Antiochiae, qui relictus erat super negotia, confusus est;Iudaeos deprecatus est, subditus est, iuravit de omnibus, quae iusta erant,reconciliatus est et obtulit sacrificium, honoravit templum et loco exhibuithumanitatem;	23 and attacked Judas and his men. But he was defeated. Next he heard that Philip, who was left in charge of the government in Antioch had rebelled. Dismayed, he parleyed with the Jews, submitted to their terms, and swore to observe their rights. Having come to this agreement, he offered a sacrifice, and honored the temple with a generous donation.
24 Maccabaeum excepit, reliquit ducem a Ptolemaide usque adGerrenos Hegemonidem,	24 He approved of Maccabeus and left him as military and civil governor of the territory from Ptolemais to the region of the Gerrenes.
25 venit Ptolemaidam: graviter ferebant Ptolemensesamicitiae conventiones — indignabantur enim supra modum — voluerunt irritafacere pacta.	25 When he came to Ptolemais, the people of that city were angered by the peace treaty; in fact they were so indignant that they wanted to annul its provisions.
26 Accessit Lysias ad tribunal, exposuit rationem congruenter,persuasit, sedavit, tranquillos fecit, regressus est Antiochiam. Hoc modo resgestae a rege, adventus et profectionis eius, processerunt.	26 But Lysias took the platform, defended the treaty as well as he could and won them over by persuasion. After calming them and gaining their good will, he returned to Antioch. That is how the king's attack and withdrawal went.