II Livro dos Macabeus 13

SAGRADA BIBLIA	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 No ano cento e quarenta e nove, os partidários de Judas souberam que Antíoco vinha contra a Judéia, com um considerável exército.	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 Lísias, seu tutor e ministro, acompanhava-o; eles comandavam as tropas gregas, elevando-se a cento e dez mil infantes, cinco mil e trezentos cavaleiros, vinte e dois elefantes e trezentos carros armados de foices.	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 Menelau havia se ajuntado a eles e intervinha perfidamente junto ao rei, não a favor de sua pátria, mas tendo em mira a confirmação de sua dignidade.	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 Todavia, o Rei dos reis excitou contra esse celerado a cólera de Antíoco e, tendo-o Lísias acusado de ser a causa de todos esses males, mandou o rei conduzi-lo a Beréia, para que fosse morto segundo o costume do país.	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 Ora, havia ali uma torre de cinqüenta côvados, cheia de cinza e munida de um instrumento giratório que, de todos os lados, precipitava essa cinza.	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 Era lá que qualquer culpado de roubo sacrílego, ou de algum outro crime particularmente grave, era lançado à morte pela multidão.	6 A man guilty of sacrilege or notorious for certain other crimes is brought up there and then hurled down to destruction.
7 Foi nesse suplício que morreu Menelau, o prevaricador, que não recebeu assim sepultura alguma.	7 In such a manner was Menelaus, the transgressor of the law, fated to die; he was deprived even of decent burial.
8 E isso foi justo, porque ele havia pecado bastante contra o altar que sustenta o fogo puro e a cinza, e foi na cinza que ele encontrou a morte.	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 Nesse meio tempo, o rei avançava, imaginando os mais bárbaros planos, decidido a empregar contra os judeus os piores castigos imaginados por seu pai.	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 Sabendo disso, Judas mandou que o povo invocasse o Senhor, noite e dia, para que nessa circunstância, mais do que nunca, ele viesse em socorro daqueles que estavam ameaçados de perder a lei, a pátria e o templo.	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 Que ele não permitisse que o povo, apenas um pouco aliviado, recaísse sob os golpes das nações perversas.	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 Rezaram todos juntos e invocaram o Senhor misericordioso, entre lágrimas, jejuns, prostrados três dias consecutivos; Judas exortou-os e disse-lhes que estivessem preparados;	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 entrevistou-se ele com os anciãos, e decidiu não esperar que o exército do rei penetrasse na Judéia e se assenhoreasse da cidade, mas sair logo e travar uma batalha decisiva com o auxílio de Deus.	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 Entregou, pois, a sorte das armas ao Criador do mundo e encorajou seus companheiros a combater valentemente até a morte em defesa das leis, do templo, da cidade, da pátria e da nação. Em seguida, levou seu exército até Modin.	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 Depois de ter entregue a seus homens a senha Vitória de Deus, tomou consigo os mais corajosos entre os jovens, e partiu de noite, a fim de atacar o acampamento que abrigava o rei. Mataram cerca de dois mil homens, massacraram o principal elefante e seu condutor e	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 por fim espalharam pelo campo o terror e a confusão; e obtido esse êxito, retiraram-se.	16 Finally they withdrew in triumph, having filled the camp with terror and confusion.
17 Despontava o dia, quando cessou este ataque, graças à proteção de Deus.	17 Day was just breaking when this was accomplished with the help and protection of the LORD.
18 Provando a audácia dos judeus, tentou o rei apoderar-se das fortificações por estratagemas.	18 The king, having had a taste of the Jews' daring, tried to take their positions by a stratagem.
19 Partiu, a fim de colocar cerco diante de Betsur, praça forte dos judeus; foi porém rechaçado, sofrendo revés, e vencido,	19 So he marched against Beth-zur, a strong fortress of the Jews; but he was driven back, checked, and defeated.
20 enquanto Judas reabastecia os sitiados.	20 Judas then sent supplies to the men inside,
21 Rodoco, combatente do exército dos judeus, revelou os segredos dos seus aos inimigos, mas após inquérito foi apanhado e metido no cárcere.	21 but Rhodocus, of the Jewish army, betrayed military secrets to the enemy. He was found out, arrested, and imprisoned.
22 Pela segunda vez o rei parlamentou com os habitantes de Betsur, apresentou-lhes a mão, recebeu a deles, partiu para atacar o exército de Judas e foi vencido.	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 Soube então que Filipe, a quem tinha deixado em Antioquia para a direção dos negócios, se revoltara, e ficou muito consternado. Fez propostas aos judeus, aceitou as condições deles e jurou tudo o que lhe pareceu justo. Reconciliados, ofereceu um sacrifício, presenteou o templo e mostrou-se benévolo para com a cidade.	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 Acolheu com agrado Macabeu e deixou como governador na região Hegemônides, desde Ptolemaida até a terra dos gerrênios.	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 Dirigiu-se a Ptolemaida, porque os habitantes estavam descontentes com esse tratado e indignados com os decretos promulgados.	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 Lísias subiu à tribuna, defendeu-o como pôde, persuadiu e apaziguou o povo, levando-o a benévolos sentimentos, e voltou depois a Antioquia. Assim decorreram a ofensiva e a retirada do rei.	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.