Secondo libro dei Maccabei 2

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Invenitur autem in descriptio nibus quod Ieremias propheta iussit eosignem accipere, qui transmigrabant, ut significatum est,	1 'It is on record that the prophet Jeremiah ordered the deportees to take the fire, as we have described,
2 et ut mandavitpropheta transmigratis dans illis legem, ne obliviscerentur praecepta Domini etut non exerrarent mentibus videntes simulacra aurea et argentea et ornamentaeorum.	2 and how, having given them the Law, the prophet warned the deportees never to forget the Lord'sprecepts, nor to let their thoughts be tempted by the sight of gold and silver statues or the finery adorning them.
3 Et alia huiusmodi dicens hortabatur, ne legem amoverent a corde suo.	3 Among other similar admonitions, he urged them not to let the Law depart from their hearts.
4 Erat autem in ipsa scriptura quomodo tabernaculum et arcam iussit propheta,divino responso ad se facto, comitari secum, usquequo exiit in montem, in quoMoyses ascendit et vidit Dei hereditatem.	4 'The same document also describes how the prophet, warned by an oracle, gave orders for the tentand the ark to go with him, when he set out for the mountain which Moses had climbed to survey God's heritage.
5 Et veniens Ieremias invenit domumspeluncae; et tabernaculum et arcam et altare incensi intulit illuc et ostiumobstruxit.	5 On his arrival, Jeremiah found a cave-dwel ing, into which he put the tent, the ark and the altar ofincense, afterwards blocking up the entrance.
6 Et accesserunt quidam ex his, qui simul sequebantur, ut notarentviam, et non potuerunt invenire.	6 Some of his companions went back later to mark out the path but were unable to find it.
7 Ut autem cognovit Ieremias, culpans illosdixit quod ignotus erit locus, donec congreget Deus congregationem populi etmisericordia fiat;	7 When Jeremiah learned this, he reproached them, "The place is to remain unknown", he said, "untilGod gathers his people together again and shows them his mercy.
8 et tunc Dominus ostendet haec, et apparebit maiestasDomini, et nubes erit, sicut et sub Moyse manifestabatur, sicut et Salomonpetiit, ut locus sanctificaretur magnifice.	8 Then the Lord wil bring these things once more to light, and the glory of the Lord will be seen, and sowil the cloud, as it was revealed in the time of Moses and when Solomon prayed that the holy place might begloriously hal owed."
9 Manifestabatur autem et utsapientiam habens obtulit sacrificium dedicationis et consummationis templi.	9 'It was also recorded how Solomon in his wisdom offered the sacrifice of the dedication and completionof the sanctuary.
10 Sicut et Moyses orabat ad Dominum, et descendit ignis de caelo et consumpsitsacrificia, sic et Salomon oravit, et descendit ignis de caelo et consumpsitholocausta.	10 As Moses had prayed to the Lord and fire had come down from heaven and burned up the sacrifice,so Solomon also prayed, and the fire from above consumed the burnt offerings.
11 Et dixit Moyses: “ Eo quod non sit comestum, quod erat propeccato, consumptum est ”.	11 Moses had said, "Because the sacrifice for sin had not been eaten, it was burnt instead."
12 Similiter et Salomon octo dies celebravit.	12 Solomon similarly observed the eight-day festival.
13 Inferebantur autem in descriptionibus et commentariis secundum Nehemiam haeceadem, et ut construens bibliothecam congregavit libros de regibus et prophetiset libros David et epistulas regum de donariis.	13 'In addition to the above, it was also recorded, both in these writings and in the Memoirs of Nehemiah, how Nehemiah founded a library and made a col ection of the books dealing with the kings and the prophets, thewritings of David and the letters of the kings on the subject of offerings.
14 Similiter autem et Iudas ea,quae deciderant per bellum, quod nobis acciderat, congregavit omnia, et suntapud nos.	14 Similarly, Judas made a complete col ection of the books dispersed in the late war, and these we stillhave.
15 Si ergo desideratis haec, mittite, qui perferant vobis.	15 If you need any of them, send someone to fetch them.
16 Acturi itaque purificationem, scripsimus vobis; bene ergo facietis, siegeritis hos dies.	16 'Since we are about to celebrate the purification, we now write, requesting you to observe the samedays.
17 Deus autem, qui liberavit universum populum suum etreddidit hereditatem omnibus et regnum et sacerdotium et sanctificationem,	17 God, who has saved his whole people, conferring heritage, kingdom, priesthood and sanctification onal of us,
18 sicut promisit in lege. Speramus enim in Deo quod cito nostri miserebitur etcongregabit de sub caelo in locum sanctum; eripuit enim nos de magnis periculiset locum purgavit.	18 as he has promised in the Law, will surely, as our hope is in him, be swift to show us mercy andgather us together from everywhere under heaven to the holy place, since he has rescued us from great evilsand has purified it.'
19 De Iuda vero Maccabaeo et fratribus eius et de templi magni purificatione etde arae dedicatione,	19 The story of Judas Maccabaeus and his brothers, the purification of the great Temple, the dedicationof the altar,
20 sed et de proeliis, quae pertinent ad AntiochumEpiphanem et filium eius Eupatorem,	20 together with the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator,
21 et de illuminationibus, quae de caelofactae sunt ad eos, qui generose pro Iudaismo fortiter fecerunt, ita utuniversam regionem, cum pauci essent, vindicarent et barbaram multitudinemfugarent	21 and the celestial manifestations that came to hearten the brave champions of Judaism, so that, fewthough they were, they pil aged the whole country, routed the barbarian hordes,
22 et famosissimum in toto orbe templum recuperarent et civitatemliberarent et leges, quae futurum erat ut abolerentur, restituerentur, Dominocum omni clementia propitio facto illis,	22 recovered the sanctuary renowned the whole world over, liberated the city and re-established the lawsby then all but abolished, the Lord showing his favour by al his gracious help to them-
23 quae omnia ab Iasone Cyrenaeoquinque libris declarata sunt, tentavimus nos uno volumine breviare.	23 al this, already related in five books by Jason of Cyrene, we shall attempt to condense into a singlework.
24 Considerantes enim multitudinem numerorum et difficultatem, quae adestvolentibus aggredi narrationes historiarum propter multitudinem rerum,	24 Considering the spate of figures and the difficulty encountered, because of the mass of material, bythose who wish to immerse themselves in historical records,
25 curavimus volentibus quidem legere, ut esset animi oblectatio, studiosis vero,ut facilius possint memoriae commendare, omnibus autem legentibus utilitasconferatur.	25 we have aimed at providing diversion for those who merely want something to read, a saving of labourfor those who enjoy committing things to memory, and profit for each and al .
26 Et nobis quidem ipsis, qui hoc opus breviandi causa suscepimus,non facilem laborem, immo vero negotium plenum vigiliarum et sudorisassumpsimus.	26 For us who have undertaken the drudgery of this abridgement, it has been no easy task but a matterof sweat and midnight oil,
27 Sicut praeparanti convivium et quaerenti aliorum utilitatem nonfacile est, tamen propter multorum gratiam libenter laborem sustinebimus,	27 comparable to the exacting task of someone organising a banquet, whose aim is to satisfy a variety oftastes. Nevertheless, for the sake of rendering a general service, we remain glad to endure this drudgery,
28 accurate quidem de singulis elaborare auctori concedentes, ipsi autem persequidatam formam brevitati studentes.	28 leaving accuracy of detail to the historian, and concentrating our effort on tracing the outlines in thiscondensed version.
29 Sicut enim novae domus architecto deuniversa structura curandum est, ei vero, qui inurere et pingere curat, quaeapta sunt ad ornatum exquirenda sunt, ita aestimo et in nobis.	29 Just as the architect of a new house is responsible for the construction as a whole, while the manundertaking the ceramic painting has to take into consideration only the decorative requirements, so, I think, it iswith us.
30 Inire quidemet deambulacrum facere verborum et curiosius partes singulas quasque disquirerehistoriae congruit auctori;	30 To make the subject his own, to explore its by-ways, to be meticulous about details, is the business ofthe original historian,
31 brevitatem vero dictionis sectari et exsecutionemrerum vitare brevianti concedendum est.	31 but the person making the adaptation must be al owed to aim at conciseness of expression and toforgo any exhaustive treatment of his subject.
32 Hinc ergo narrationem incipiemus,praedictis tantulo subiuncto; stultum etenim est ante historiam efffluere, ipsamautem historiam concidere.	32 So now let us begin our narrative, without adding any more to what has been said above; there wouldbe no sense in expanding the preface to the history and curtailing the history itself.