Secondus Machabaeorum 15

VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Nicanor autem, ut comperit Judam esse in locis Samariæ, cogitavit cum omni impetu die sabbati committere bellum.	1 Nicanor heard that Judas and his men were in the neighbourhood of Samaria, so he decided to attackthem, at no risk to himself, on the day of rest.
2 Judæis vero qui illum per necessitatem sequebantur, dicentibus : Ne ita ferociter et barbare feceris, sed honorem tribue diei sanctificationis, et honora eum qui universa conspicit :	2 Those Jews who had been compel ed to follow him, said, 'Do not massacre them in such a savage,barbarous way. Respect the day on which the All-seeing has conferred a special holiness.'
3 ille infelix interrogavit si est potens in cælo, qui imperavit agi diem sabbatorum.	3 At this the triple-dyed scoundrel asked if there were in heaven a sovereign who had ordered thekeeping of the Sabbath day.
4 Et respondentibus illis : Est Dominus vivus ipse in cælo potens, qui jussit agi septimam diem :	4 When they answered, 'The living Lord himself, the Heavenly Sovereign, has ordered the observanceof the seventh day,'
5 at ille ait : Et ego potens sum super terram qui impero sumi arma, et negotia regis impleri. Tamen non obtinuit ut consilium perficeret.	5 he retorted, 'And I, as sovereign on earth, order you to take up arms and do the king's business.' Foral that, he did not manage to carry out his wicked plan.
6 Et Nicanor quidem cum summa superbia erectus, cogitaverat commune trophæum statuere de Juda.	6 While Nicanor, in his unlimited boastfulness and pride, was planning to erect a general trophy with thespoils taken from Judas and his men,
7 Machabæus autem semper confidebat cum omni spe auxilium sibi a Deo affuturum :	7 Maccabaeus remained firm in his confident conviction that the Lord would stand by him.
8 et hortabatur suos ne formidarent ad adventum nationum, sed in mente haberent adjutoria sibi facta de cælo, et nunc sperarent ab Omnipotente sibi affuturam victoriam.	8 He urged his men not to be dismayed by the foreigners' attacks but, keeping in mind the help that hadcome to them from Heaven in the past, to be confident that this time too victory would be theirs with the help ofthe Almighty.
9 Et allocutus eos de lege et prophetis, admonens etiam certamina quæ fecerant prius, promptiores constituit eos :	9 He put fresh heart into them by citing the Law and the Prophets and, by stirring up memories of thebattles they had already won, he fil ed them with new enthusiasm.
10 et ita animis eorum erectis simul ostendebat gentium fallaciam, et juramentorum prævaricationem.	10 Having thus aroused their courage, he ended his exhortation by demonstrating the treachery of theforeigners and how they had violated their oaths.
11 Singulos autem illorum armavit, non clypei et hastæ munitione, sed sermonibus optimis et exhortationibus, exposito digno fide somnio, per quod universos lætificavit.	11 Having armed each one of them not so much with the safety given by shield and lance as with thatconfidence which springs from noble language, he encouraged them al by describing to them a convincingdream -- a vision, as it were.
12 Erat autem hujuscemodi visus : Oniam, qui fuerat summus sacerdos, virum bonum et benignum, verecundum visu, modestum moribus, et eloquio decorum, et qui a puero in virtutibus exercitatus sit, manus protendentem orare pro omni populo Judæorum.	12 What he had seen was this: Onias, the former high priest, that paragon of men, modest of bearingand gentle of manners, suitably eloquent and trained from boyhood in the practice of every virtue -- Onias wasstretching out his hands and praying for the whole Jewish community.
13 Post hoc apparuisse et alium virum ætate et gloria mirabilem, et magni decoris habitudine circa illum.	13 Next, there appeared a man equal y remarkable for his great age and dignity and invested with amarvel ous and impressive air of majesty.
14 Respondentem vero Oniam dixisse : Hic est fratrum amator, et populi Israël : hic est qui multum orat pro populo et universa sancta civitate, Jeremias propheta Dei.	14 Onias began to speak: 'This is a man', he said, 'who loves his brothers and prays much for thepeople and the holy city-Jeremiah, the prophet of God.'
15 Extendisse autem Jeremiam dextram, et dedisse Judæ gladium aureum, dicentem :	15 Jeremiah then stretched out his right hand and presented Judas with a golden sword, saying as hegave it,
16 Accipe sanctum gladium munus a Deo, in quo dejicies adversarios populi mei Israël.	16 'Take this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you wil shatter the enemy.'
17 Exhortati itaque Judæ sermonibus bonis valde, de quibus extolli posset impetus, et animi juvenum confortari, statuerunt dimicare et confligere fortiter : ut virtus de negotiis judicaret, eo quod civitas sancta et templum periclitarentur.	17 Encouraged by the noble words of Judas, which had the power to inspire valour and give the youngthe spirit of mature men, they decided not to entrench themselves in a camp, but bravely to take the offensiveand, in hand-to-hand fighting, to commit the result to the fortune of war, since the city, their holy religion and theTemple were in danger.
18 Erat enim pro uxoribus et filiis, itemque pro fratribus et cognatis, minor sollicitudo : maximus vero et primus pro sanctitate timor erat templi.	18 Their concern for their wives and children, their brothers and relatives, had shrunk to minuteimportance; their chief and greatest fear was for the consecrated Temple.
19 Sed et eos qui in civitate erant, non minima sollicitudo habebat pro his qui congressuri erant.	19 Those left behind in the city felt a similar anxiety, alarmed as they were about the forthcomingencounter in the open country.
20 Et cum jam omnes sperarent judicium futurum, hostesque adessent atque exercitus esset ordinatus, bestiæ equitesque opportuno in loco compositi,	20 Everyone now awaited the coming issue. The enemy had already concentrated their forces andstood formed up in order of battle, with the elephants drawn up in a strategic position and the cavalry disposedon the wings.
21 considerans Machabæus adventum multitudinis, et apparatum varium armorum, et ferocitatem bestiarum, extendens manus in cælum, prodigia facientem Dominum invocavit, qui non secundum armorum potentiam, sed prout ipsi placet, dat dignis victoriam.	21 Maccabaeus took note of these masses confronting him, the glittering array of armour and the fierceaspect of the elephants; then, raising his hands to heaven, he called on the Lord who works miracles, in theknowledge that it is not by force of arms but as he sees fit to decide, that victory is granted by him to such asdeserve it.
22 Dixit autem invocans hoc modo : Tu Domine, qui misisti angelum tuum sub Ezechia rege Juda, et interfecisti de castris Sennacherib centum octoginta quinque millia :	22 His prayer was worded thus: 'You, Master, sent your angel in the days of Hezekiah king of Judaea,and he destroyed no less than one hundred and eighty-five thousand of Sennacherib's army;
23 et nunc, dominator cælorum, mitte angelum tuum bonum ante nos in timore et tremore magnitudinis brachii tui,	23 now, once again, Sovereign of heaven, send a good angel before us to spread terror and dismay.
24 ut metuant qui cum blasphemia veniunt adversus sanctum populum tuum. Et hic quidem ita peroravit.	24 May these men be struck down by the might of your arm, since they have come with blasphemy ontheir lips to attack your holy people.' And on these words he finished.
25 Nicanor autem et qui cum ipso erant, cum tubis et canticis admovebant.	25 Nicanor and his men advanced to the sound of trumpets and war songs,
26 Judas vero et qui cum eo erant, invocato Deo, per orationes congressi sunt :	26 but the men of Judas closed with the enemy uttering invocations and prayers.
27 manu quidem pugnantes, sed Dominum cordibus orantes, prostraverunt non minus triginta quinque millia, præsentia Dei magnifice delectati.	27 Fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they cut down at least thirty-fivethousand men and were greatly cheered by this manifestation of God.
28 Cumque cessassent, et cum gaudio redirent, cognoverunt Nicanorem ruisse cum armis suis.	28 When the engagement was over and they were withdrawing in triumph, they recognised Nicanor,lying dead in ful armour.
29 Facto itaque clamore, et perturbatione excitata, patria voce omnipotentem Dominum benedicebant.	29 With shouting and confusion all around, they blessed the sovereign Master in their ancestral tongue.
30 Præcepit autem Judas, qui per omnia corpore et animo mori pro civibus paratus erat, caput Nicanoris, et manum cum humero abscissam, Jerosolymam perferri.	30 He who, as protagonist, had devoted himself, body and soul, to his fel ow-citizens, and hadpreserved the love he felt even in youth for those of his own race, gave orders for Nicanor's head to be cut off,with his arm up to the shoulder, and taken to Jerusalem.
31 Quo cum pervenisset, convocatis contribulibus et sacerdotibus ad altare, accersiit et eos qui in arce erant.	31 When he arrived there himself, he cal ed his countrymen together, stationed the priests in front of thealtar and then sent for the people from the Citadel.
32 Et ostenso capite Nicanoris, et manu nefaria quam extendens contra domum sanctam omnipotentis Dei magnifice gloriatus est.	32 He showed them the head of the abominable Nicanor, and the hand which this infamous man hadstretched out so insolently against the holy House of the Almighty.
33 Linguam etiam impii Nicanoris præcisam jussit particulatim avibus dari : manum autem dementis contra templum suspendi.	33 Then, cutting out godless Nicanor's tongue, he gave orders for it to be fed piecemeal to the birds,and for the salary of his folly to be hung up in front of the Temple.
34 Omnes igitur cæli benedixerunt Dominum, dicentes : Benedictus qui locum suum incontaminatum servavit.	34 At this, everyone sent blessings heavenwards to the glorious Lord, saying, 'Blessed be he who haspreserved his holy place from pol ution!'
35 Suspendit autem Nicanoris caput in summa arce, ut evidens esset, et manifestum signum auxilii Dei.	35 He hung Nicanor's head from the Citadel, a clear and evident sign to al of the help of the Lord.
36 Itaque omnes communi consilio decreverunt nullo modo diem istum absque celebritate præterire :	36 They al decreed by public vote never to let that day go by unobserved, but to celebrate thethirteenth day of the twelfth month, cal ed Adar in Aramaic, the eve of what is called the Day of Mordecai.
37 habere autem celebritatem tertiadecima die mensis Adar, quod dicitur voce syriaca, pridie Mardochæi diei.	37 So ends the episode of Nicanor, and as, since then, the city has remained in the possession of theHebrews, I shal bring my own work to an end here too.
38 Igitur his erga Nicanorem gestis, et ex illis temporibus ab Hebræis civitate possessa, ego quoque in his faciam finem sermonis.	38 If it is wel composed and to the point, that is just what I wanted. If it is worthless and mediocre, thatis al I could manage.
39 Et si quidem bene, et ut historiæ competit, hoc et ipse velim : sin autem minus digne, concedendum est mihi.	39 Just as it is injurious to drink wine by itself, or again water alone, whereas wine mixed with water ispleasant and produces a delightful sense of wel -being, so skil in presenting the incidents is what delights theunderstanding of those who read the book. And here I close.
40 Sicut enim vinum semper bibere, aut semper aquam, contrarium est ; alternis autem uti, delectabile : ita legentibus si semper exactus sit sermo, non erit gratus. Hic ergo erit consummatus.