Secondo libro dei Maccabei 4

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Simon autem praedictus, qui pecuniarum et patriae delator exstitit, maleloquebatur de Onia, tamquam ipse Heliodorum instigasset et malorum auctorfuisset;	1 The Simon mentioned above as the informer against the funds and against his country beganslandering Onias, insinuating that the latter had been responsible for the assault on Heliodorus and himself hadcontrived this misfortune.
2 benefactoremque civitatis et curatorem gentis suae et aemulatoremlegum audebat insidiatorem rerum dicere.	2 Simon now had the effrontery to name this benefactor of the city, this protector of his compatriots, thiszealot for the laws, as an enemy of the public good.
3 Sed cum inimicitia in tantumprocederet, ut etiam per quendam eorum, qui a Simone probati essent, homicidiafierent,	3 This hostility reached such proportions that murders were actual y committed by some of Simon'sagents,
4 considerans Onias periculum contentionis et Apollonium Menesthei,ducem Coelesyriae et Phoenicis, augentem malitiam Simonis,	4 and at this point Onias, recognising how mischievous this rivalry was, and aware that Apol onius son ofMenestheus, the general commanding Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, was encouraging Simon in his malice,
5 ad regem secontulit, non ut civium accusator, sed quod utile esset in commune etsingulariter universae multitudinis prospiciens.	5 went to see the king, not to play the accuser of his fel ow-citizens, but having the public and privatewelfare of the entire people at heart.
6 Videbat enim sine regaliprovidentia impossibile esse pacem adhuc rebus obtingere, nec Simonem cessaturuma stultitia.	6 He saw that, without some intervention by the king, an orderly administration would no longer bepossible, nor would Simon put a stop to his fol y.
7 Sed post Seleuci vitae excessum, cum suscepisset regnum Antiochus, quiEpiphanes appellabatur, ambiebat Iason frater Oniae summum sacerdotium,	7 When Seleucus had departed this life and Antiochus styled Epiphanes had succeeded to the kingdom,Jason, brother of Onias, usurped the high priesthood:
8 promittens regi per interpellationem argenti talenta trecenta sexaginta et exreditu quodam alio talenta octoginta;	8 he approached the king with a promise of three hundred and sixty talents of silver, with eighty talents tocome from some other source of revenue.
9 super haec autem promittebat et aliacentum quinquaginta se perscripturum, si concederetur per potestatem eiusgymnasium et ephebiam sibi constituere et eos, qui in Hierosolymis erant,Antiochenos scribere.	9 He further committed himself to paying another hundred and fifty, if the king would empower him to setup a gymnasium and youth centre, and to register the Antiochists of Jerusalem.
10 Quod cum rex annuisset, et obtinuisset principatum,statim ad Graecam consuetudinem contribules suos transferre coepit.	10 When the king gave his assent, Jason, as soon as he had seized power, imposed the Greek way oflife on his fel ow-countrymen.
11 Et,amotis his, quae humanitatis causa Iudaeis a regibus fuerant constituta perIoannem patrem Eupolemi, qui apud Romanos de amicitia et societate functus estlegatione, et legitima civium iura destituens, pravos mores innovabat.	11 He suppressed the liberties which the kings had graciously granted to the Jews at the instance ofJohn, father of that Eupolemus who was later to be sent on an embassy to negotiate a treaty of friendship andal iance with the Romans and, overthrowing the lawful institutions, introduced new usages contrary to the Law.
12 Prompte enim sub ipsa arce gymnasium constituit et optimos quosque epheborumsubigens sub petasum ducebat.	12 He went so far as to found a gymnasium at the very foot of the Citadel, and to fit out the noblest of hisyoung men in the petasos.
13 Erat autem sic culmen quoddam Graecaeconversationis et profectus alienigenarum moris, propter impii et non summisacerdotis Iasonis inauditam contaminationem,	13 Godless wretch that he was and no true high priest, Jason set no bounds to his impiety; indeed thehellenising process reached such a pitch
14 ita ut sacerdotes iam non circaaltaris officia dediti essent, sed contempto templo et sacrificiis neglectis,festinarent participes fieri iniquae in palaestra praebitionis post disciprovocationem	14 that the priests ceased to show any interest in serving the altar; but, scorning the Temple andneglecting the sacrifices, they would hurry, on the stroke of the gong, to take part in the distribution, forbidden bythe Law, of the oil on the exercise ground;
15 et patrios quidem honores nihil habentes, Graecas autem gloriasoptimas aestimantes.	15 setting no store by the honours of their fatherland, they esteemed hel enic glories best of al .
16 Quarum gratia periculosa eos contentio habebat, etquorum instituta aemulabantur ac per omnia consimiles esse cupiebant, hos hosteset ultores habuerunt.	16 But al this brought its own retribution; the very people whose way of life they envied, whom theysought to resemble in everything, proved to be their enemies and executioners.
17 In leges enim divinas impie agere non est facile, sedhaec tempus sequens declarabit.	17 It is no smal thing to violate the divine laws, as the period that fol owed wil demonstrate.
18 Cum autem quinquennalis agon Tyri celebraretur, et rex praesens esset,	18 On the occasion of the quadrennial games at Tyre in the presence of the king,
19 misit Iason facinorosus ab Hierosolymis spectatores Antiochenses portantesargenti drachmas trecentas in sacrificium Herculis; quas etiam postulaverunt hi,qui asportaverant, ne in sacrificium erogarentur, quia non oporteret, sed inalium sumptum eas deputari.	19 the vile Jason sent an embassy of Antiochists from Jerusalem, taking with them three hundred silverdrachmas for the sacrifice to Hercules. But even those who brought the money did not think it would be right tospend it on the sacrifice and decided to reserve it for some other item of expenditure;
20 Sed haec ceciderunt: propter illum quidem, quimiserat, in sacrificium Herculis; propter eos autem, qui afferebant, in fabricamtriremium.	20 and so what the sender had intended for the sacrifice to Hercules was in fact applied, at thesuggestion of those who brought it, to the construction of triremes.
21 Misso autem in Aegyptum Apollonio Menesthei filio propter ascensumad solium Philometoris regis, cum cognovisset Antiochus alienum se ab illiusnegotiis effectum, propriae securitati consuluit; inde cum Ioppen venisset, secontulit Hierosolymam.	21 Apollonius son of Menestheus had been sent to Egypt to attend the wedding of King Philometor.Antiochus, having learnt that the latter had become hostile to his affairs, began thinking about his own safety:that was why he had come to Joppa. He then moved to Jerusalem,
22 Et magnifice ab Iasone et civitate susceptus, cumfacularum luminibus et acclamationibus introductus est; deinde sic in Phoenicenexercitum convertit.	22 where he was given a magnificent welcome by Jason and the city, and escorted in by torchlight withacclamation. After which, he marched his army into Phoenicia.
23 Et post triennii tempus misit Iason Menelaum supradicti Simonis fratremportantem pecunias regi et de negotiis necessariis commonitiones perlaturum.	23 When three years had passed, Jason sent Menelaus, brother of the Simon mentioned above, toconvey the money to the king and to complete negotiations on various essential matters.
24 At ille commendatus regi, cum se magnificasset facie potestatis, in semetipsumcontulit summum sacerdotium superponens Iasoni talenta argenti trecenta;	24 But Menelaus, on being presented to the king, flattered him by his own appearance of authority, andso secured the high priesthood for himself, outbidding Jason by three hundred talents of silver.
25 acceptisque regiis mandatis, venit nihil quidem gerens dignum sacerdotio, animosvero crudelis tyranni et ferae barbarae iram habens.	25 He returned with the royal mandate, bringing nothing worthy of the high priesthood and supportedonly by the fury of a cruel tyrant and the rage of a savage beast.
26 Et Iason quidem, quiproprium fratrem circumvenerat, ipse circumventus ab alio profugus in Ammanitemexpulsus est regionem.	26 Thus Jason, who had supplanted his own brother, was in turn supplanted by a third, and obliged totake refuge in Ammanitis.
27 Menelaus autem principatum quidem obtinuit; depecuniis vero regi promissis nihil debite agebat,	27 As for Menelaus, he secured the office, but defaulted altogether on the sums promised to the king,
28 cum vero exactionem faceretSostratus, qui arci erat praepositus, nam ad hunc exactio vectigaliumpertinebat. Quam ob causam utrique a rege sunt advocati;	28 although Sostratus, the commandant of the Citadel, whose business it was to collect the revenue,kept demanding payment. The pair of them in consequence were summoned before the king,
29 et Menelaus quidemreliquit summi sacerdotii successorem Lysimachum fratrem suum, Sostratus autemCratetem, qui praeerat Cypriis.	29 Menelaus leaving his brother Lysimachus as deputy high priest, while Sostratus left Crates, thecommander of the Cypriots, to act for him.
30 Talibus autem constitutis, contigit Tarsenses et Mallotas seditionem movere,eo quod Antiochidi, regis concubinae, dono essent dati.	30 While al this was going on, it happened that the people of Tarsus and Mal us revolted, because theirtowns had been given as a present to Antiochis, the king's concubine.
31 Festinanter itaquerex venit sedare illos, relicto suffecto uno ex iis in dignitate constitutisAndronico.	31 The king therefore hurried off to settle the affair, leaving Andronicus, one of his dignitaries, to act ashis deputy.
32 Ratus autem Menelaus accepisse se tempus opportunum, aurea quaedamvasa e templo furatus donavit Andronico; et alia vendiderat Tyri et per vicinascivitates.	32 Thinking he had found a favourable opportunity, Menelaus abstracted a number of golden vesselsfrom the Temple and presented them to Andronicus, and managed to sel others to Tyre and the surroundingcities.
33 Quod cum certissime cognovisset Onias, arguebat eum, ipse in locotuto se continens in Daphne secus Antiochiam.	33 On receiving clear evidence to this effect, Onias retired to a place of sanctuary at Daphne nearAntioch and then taxed him with it.
34 Unde Menelaus seorsumapprehendens Andronicum rogabat, ut Oniam interficeret. At vero ille, cumvenisset ad Oniam et cum fidem dolo dedisset ac dexteram accepisset dedissetquecum iureiurando, quamvis esset ei suspectus, suasit de asylo procedere, quemstatim peremit, non veritus iustitiam.	34 Menelaus then had a quiet word with Andronicus, urging him to get rid of Onias. Andronicus soughtout Onias and, resorting to the trick of offering him his right hand on oath, succeeded in persuading him, despitethe latter's lingering suspicions, to leave sanctuary; whereupon, in defiance of al justice, he immediately put himto death.
35 Ob quam causam non solum Iudaei, sedmulti quoque ex aliis nationibus indignabantur et moleste ferebant de nece viriiniusta.	35 The result was that not only Jews but many people of other nationalities were appalled and outragedby the unjust murder of this man.
36 Sed regressum regem de Ciliciae locis interpellabant, qui erant percivitatem Iudaei, simul et Graecis scelus conquerentibus, de eo quod sineratione Onias interfectus esset.	36 On the king's return from the region of Cilicia, the Jews of the capital, and those Greeks who sharedtheir hatred of the crime, appealed to him about the unjustified murder of Onias.
37 Contristatus itaque animo Antiochus etflexus ad misericordiam lacrimas fudit, propter defuncti sobrietatem et multammodestiam;	37 Antiochus was profoundly grieved and fil ed with pity, and he wept for the prudence and moderation ofthe dead man.
38 accensusque animis, confestim ablata Andronici purpura ac tuniciseius discissis, circumduxit per totam civitatem usque ad eundem locum, in quo inOniam impietatem commiserat, atque illic sacrilegum interfectorem e mundosustulit, Domino illi condignam retribuente poenam.	38 Burning with indignation, he immediately stripped Andronicus of the purple, tore his garments off himand, parading him through the length of the city, rid the world of the assassin on the very spot where he had laidimpious hands on Onias, the Lord dealing out to him the punishment he deserved.
39 Multis autem sacrilegiis per civitatem a Lysimacho commissis Menelaiconsilio, et divulgata foris fama, congregata est multitudo adversum Lysimachum,vasis aureis iam multis dissipatis.	39 Now Lysimachus with the connivance of Menelaus had committed many sacrilegious thefts in the city,and when the facts became widely known, the populace rose against Lysimachus, who had already disposed ofmany pieces of gold plate.
40 Turbis autem insurgentibus et irarepletis, Lysimachus, armatis fere tribus milibus, iniquis manibus coepit, ducequodam Aurano, aetate non minus ac dementia provecto.	40 The infuriated mob was becoming menacing, and Lysimachus armed nearly three thousand men andtook aggressive action; the troops were led by a certain Auranus, a man advanced in years and no less in folly.
41 Sed ut intellexeruntconatum Lymachi, alii lapides, alii fustes validos arripuere, quidam vero exadiacente cinere manu apprehenderunt et mixtim iecerunt in eos, qui circaLysimachum erant.	41 Recognising this act of aggression as the work of Lysimachus, some snatched up stones, otherscudgels, while others scooped up handfuls of ashes lying at hand, and al hurled everything indiscriminately atLysimachus' men,
42 Quam ob causam multos quidem vulneraverunt, quosdam autemet prostraverunt, omnes vero in fugam compulerunt; ipsum vero sacrilegum secusaerarium interfecerunt.	42 to such effect that they wounded many of them, even kil ing a few, and routed them all; thesacrilegious thief himself they kil ed near the Treasury.
43 De his ergo coepit iudicium adversus Menelaum agitari.	43 As a result of this, legal proceedings were taken against Menelaus.
44 Et cum venisset rexTyrum, apud ipsum causam egerunt missi tres viri a senatu.	44 When the king came down to Tyre, three men deputed by the Senate pleaded their case before him.
45 Et cum iamsuperaretur Menelaus, promisit Ptolemaeo Dorymenis multas pecunias ad suadendumregi.	45 Menelaus, seeing the case had gone against him, promised a substantial sum to Ptolemy son ofDorymenes if he would influence the king in his favour.
46 Unde Ptolemaeus, excipiens seorsum in quoddam atrium columnatum quasirefrigerandi gratia regem, deduxit a sententia.	46 Ptolemy then took the king aside into a colonnade, as though for a breath of fresh air, and persuadedhim to change his mind;
47 Et Menelaum quidem universaemalitiae reum criminibus absolvit; miseros autem, qui etiam si apud Scythascausam dixissent, innocentes iudicarentur, hos morte damnavit.	47 the king then dismissed the charges against Menelaus, the cause of al this evil, while he condemnedto death the other poor wretches who, had they pleaded even before Scythians, would have been let off scot-free.
48 Cito ergoiniustam poenam dederunt, qui pro civitate et populo et sacris vasis causamprosecuti sunt.	48 No time was lost in carrying out this unjust punishment on those who had championed the cause ofthe city, the townships and the sacred vessels.
49 Quam ob rem Tyrii quoque in malefactum indignati, quaeque adsepulturam eorum necessaria essent, magno sumptu praestiterunt.	49 Some Tyrians even were so outraged by the crime that they provided sumptuously for their funeral,
50 Menelausautem propter eorum, qui in potentia erant, avaritiam permanebat in potestate,crescens in malitia magnus civium insidiator constitutus.	50 while, as a result of the greed of the powerful, Menelaus remained in power, growing more wickedthan ever and establishing himself as the chief enemy of his fellow-citizens.