Secondo libro dei Maccabei 13

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
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 discovered that Antiochus Eupator wasadvancing in force against Judaea,
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 with him Lysias his tutor and chief minister; he had moreover a Greek force of one hundred andten thousand infantry, five thousand three hundred cavalry, twenty-two elephants, and three hundred chariotsfitted 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, too, joined them and very craftily kept urging Antiochus on, not for the welfare of his owncountry but in the hope of being restored to 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 stirred up the anger of Antiochus against the guilty wretch, and when Lysiasmade it clear to the king that Menelaus was the cause of all the troubles, Antiochus gave orders for him to betaken to Beroea and there put to death by the local method of execution.
5 Eratautem in loco turris quinquaginta cubitorum, cineris plena, et machinam habebatvolubilem undique praecipitem in cinerem.	5 In that place there is a tower fifty cubits high, ful of ash, with an internal lip al round overhanging theashes.
6 Illic reum sacrilegii vel quorundametiam aliorum malorum summitatem factum, omnes propellunt ad interitum.	6 If anyone is convicted of sacrilegious theft or of some other heinous crime, he is taken up to the topand pushed over to perish.
7 Ettali lege praevaricatorem legis contigit mori, nec terram adeptum Menelaum.	7 In such a manner was the renegade fated to die; Menelaus had not even the privilege of burial.
8 Valde iuste: nam, quia multa erga aram delicta commisit, cuius ignis et ciniserat sanctus, ipse in cinere mortem reportavit.	8 Deserved justice, this; since he had committed many sins against the altar, the fire and ashes ofwhich were holy, it was in ashes that he met his death.
9 Sed rex mente efferatus veniebat, peiora quam quae sub patre suo facta erant,ostensurus Iudaeis.	9 The king, then, was advancing, his mind filled with barbarous designs, to give the Jews ademonstration of far worse things than anything that had happened under his father.
10 Quibus Iudas cognitis, praecepit populo, ut die ac nocteDominum invocarent, si quando et alias etiam nunc adiuvaret eos,	10 When Judas heard of this, he ordered the people day and night to cal on the Lord as never before,to come to the help of those who were in peril of being deprived of the Law, their fatherland and the holy Temple,
11 quippe quilege et patria sanctoque templo in eo essent ut privarentur; ac populum, quinuper paululum respirasset, ne sineret blasphemis nationibus subdi.	11 and not to al ow the people, just when they were beginning to breathe again, to fall into the power ofil -famed foreigners.
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 al , with one voice, obeyed his instructions and had made their petitions to themerciful Lord, weeping, fasting and prostrating themselves for three days continuously, Judas spoke words ofencouragement and told them to keep close to him.
13 Ipse vero seorsum cum senioribus cogitavit, prius quamregis exercitus invaderet Iudaeam et obtinerent civitatem, egressos resadiudicare auxilio Dei.	13 After separate consultation with the elders, he resolved not to wait for the king's army to invadeJudaea and take possession of the city, but to march out and settle the whole matter with the Lord'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 Having thus committed the outcome to the Creator of the world, and having exhorted his soldiers tofight bravely to the death for the laws, the Temple, the city, their country and their way of life, he encamped hisarmy 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 password 'Victory from God', he made a night attack on the king's pavilion with apicked band of the bravest young men. Inside the camp he destroyed about two thousand, and his men cutdown the largest of the elephants with its mahout;
16 et postremometu ac perturbatione castra repleverunt, rebusque prospere gestis, abierunt.	16 having eventual y filled the camp with terror and confusion, they successful y withdrew,
17 Die autem iam illucescente hoc factum erat, adiuvante eum Domini protectione.	17 just as dawn was breaking. This was achieved, thanks to the protection which the Lord grantedJudas.
18 Sed rex, accepto gustu audaciae Iudaeorum, artibus loca tentavit.	18 The king, having had a taste of Jewish daring, now tried to capture their positions by trickery.
19 EtBethsuris, quae erat Iudaeorum praesidium munitum, castra admovebat; sedfugabatur, impingebat, minorabatur.	19 He advanced on Beth-Zur, a strong fortress of the Jews, but was checked, overcome and sorepulsed.
20 His autem, qui intus erant, Iudasnecessaria mittebat.	20 Judas supplied the garrison with what they needed,
21 Enuntiavit autem mysteria hostibus Rhodocus quidam deIudaico exercitu; qui requisitus, comprehensus est et conclusus.	21 but Rhodocus, of the Jewish army, supplied the enemy with secret information; the man wasidentified, arrested, and dealt with.
22 Iterum rex sermonem habuit ad eos, qui erant in Bethsuris, dextram dedit,accepit, abiit;	22 A second time, the king parleyed with the garrison of Beth-Zur; he offered and accepted pledges offriendship, retired, then attacked Judas and his men, but lost the battle.
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 He was then told that Philip, left in charge of affairs, had rebelled in Antioch. He was stunned by this,opened negotiations with the Jews, came to an agreement, and swore to abide by al reasonable conditions.Agreement reached, he offered a sacrifice, honoured the Temple, and made generous gifts to the holy place.
24 Maccabaeum excepit, reliquit ducem a Ptolemaide usque adGerrenos Hegemonidem,	24 He received Maccabaeus kindly and, leaving Hegemonides to exercise command from Ptolemais tothe territory of the Gerrenians,
25 venit Ptolemaidam: graviter ferebant Ptolemensesamicitiae conventiones — indignabantur enim supra modum — voluerunt irritafacere pacta.	25 went to Ptolemais. The inhabitants of the place disapproved of the treaty; they complained furiouslyand 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 Lysias mounted the rostrum and made a convincing defence of the provisions which convinced andcalmed them and won their goodwil . He then withdrew to Antioch. So much for the episode of the king'soffensive and retreat.