2 Maccabees, 15

1. Nicanor heard that Judas and his men were in the neighbourhood of Samaria, so he decided to attack them, at no risk to himself, on the day of rest.

1. When Nicanor heard that Judas and his men were in the region of Samaria, he made plans to attack them with complete safety on the day of rest.

2. Those Jews who had been compelled 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.'

2. And when the Jews who were compelled to follow him said, "Do not destroy so savagely and barbarously, but show respect for the day which he who sees all things has honored and hallowed above other days,"

3. At this the triple-dyed scoundrel asked if there were in heaven a sovereign who had ordered the keeping of the Sabbath day.

3. the thrice-accursed wretch asked if there were a sovereign in heaven who had commanded the keeping of the sabbath day.

4. When they answered, 'The living Lord himself, the Heavenly Sovereign, has ordered the observance of the seventh day,'

4. And when they declared, "It is the living Lord himself, the Sovereign in heaven, who ordered us to observe the seventh day,"

5. he retorted, 'And I, as sovereign on earth, order you to take up arms and do the king's business.' For all that, he did not manage to carry out his wicked plan.

5. he replied, "And I am a sovereign also, on earth, and I command you to take up arms and finish the king's business." Nevertheless, he did not succeed in carrying out his abominable design.

6. While Nicanor, in his unlimited boastfulness and pride, was planning to erect a general trophy with the spoils taken from Judas and his men,

6. This Nicanor in his utter boastfulness and arrogance had determined to erect a public monument of victory over Judas and his men.

7. Maccabaeus remained firm in his confident conviction that the Lord would stand by him.

7. But Maccabeus did not cease to trust with all confidence that he would get help from the Lord.

8. He urged his men not to be dismayed by the foreigners' attacks but, keeping in mind the help that had come to them from Heaven in the past, to be confident that this time too victory would be theirs with the help of the Almighty.

8. And he exhorted his men not to fear the attack of the Gentiles, but to keep in mind the former times when help had come to them from heaven, and now to look for the victory which the Almighty would give them.

9. He put fresh heart into them by citing the Law and the Prophets and, by stirring up memories of the battles they had already won, he filled them with new enthusiasm.

9. Encouraging them from the law and the prophets, and reminding them also of the struggles they had won, he made them the more eager.

10. Having thus aroused their courage, he ended his exhortation by demonstrating the treachery of the foreigners and how they had violated their oaths.

10. And when he had aroused their courage, he gave his orders, at the same time pointing out the perfidy of the Gentiles and their violation of oaths.

11. Having armed each one of them not so much with the safety given by shield and lance as with that confidence which springs from noble language, he encouraged them all by describing to them a convincing dream -- a vision, as it were.

11. He armed each of them not so much with confidence in shields and spears as with the inspiration of brave words, and he cheered them all by relating a dream, a sort of vision, which was worthy of belief.

12. What he had seen was this: Onias, the former high priest, that paragon of men, modest of bearing and gentle of manners, suitably eloquent and trained from boyhood in the practice of every virtue -- Onias was stretching out his hands and praying for the whole Jewish community.

12. What he saw was this: Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews.

13. Next, there appeared a man equally remarkable for his great age and dignity and invested with a marvellous and impressive air of majesty.

13. Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority.

14. Onias began to speak: 'This is a man', he said, 'who loves his brothers and prays much for the people and the holy city-Jeremiah, the prophet of God.'

14. And Onias spoke, saying, "This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God."

15. Jeremiah then stretched out his right hand and presented Judas with a golden sword, saying as he gave it,

15. Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave to Judas a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him thus:

16. 'Take this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you will shatter the enemy.'

16. "Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down your adversaries."

17. Encouraged by the noble words of Judas, which had the power to inspire valour and give the young the spirit of mature men, they decided not to entrench themselves in a camp, but bravely to take the offensive and, in hand-to-hand fighting, to commit the result to the fortune of war, since the city, their holy religion and the Temple were in danger.

17. Encouraged by the words of Judas, so noble and so effective in arousing valor and awaking manliness in the souls of the young, they determined not to carry on a campaign but to attack bravely, and to decide the matter, by fighting hand to hand with all courage, because the city and the sanctuary and the temple were in danger.

18. Their concern for their wives and children, their brothers and relatives, had shrunk to minute importance; their chief and greatest fear was for the consecrated Temple.

18. Their concern for wives and children, and also for brethren and relatives, lay upon them less heavily; their greatest and first fear was for the consecrated sanctuary.

19. Those left behind in the city felt a similar anxiety, alarmed as they were about the forthcoming encounter in the open country.

19. And those who had to remain in the city were in no little distress, being anxious over the encounter in the open country.

20. Everyone now awaited the coming issue. The enemy had already concentrated their forces and stood formed up in order of battle, with the elephants drawn up in a strategic position and the cavalry disposed on the wings.

20. When all were now looking forward to the coming decision, and the enemy was already close at hand with their army drawn up for battle, the elephants strategically stationed and the cavalry deployed on the flanks,

21. Maccabaeus took note of these masses confronting him, the glittering array of armour and the fierce aspect of the elephants; then, raising his hands to heaven, he called on the Lord who works miracles, in the knowledge that it is not by force of arms but as he sees fit to decide, that victory is granted by him to such as deserve it.

21. Maccabeus, perceiving the hosts that were before him and the varied supply of arms and the savagery of the elephants, stretched out his hands toward heaven and called upon the Lord who works wonders; for he knew that it is not by arms, but as the Lord decides, that he gains the victory for those who deserve it.

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;

22. And he called upon him in these words: "O Lord, thou didst send thy angel in the time of Hezekiah king of Judea, and he slew fully a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of Sennacherib.

23. now, once again, Sovereign of heaven, send a good angel before us to spread terror and dismay.

23. So now, O Sovereign of the heavens, send a good angel to carry terror and trembling before us.

24. May these men be struck down by the might of your arm, since they have come with blasphemy on their lips to attack your holy people.' And on these words he finished.

24. By the might of thy arm may these blasphemers who come against thy holy people be struck down." With these words he ended his prayer.

25. Nicanor and his men advanced to the sound of trumpets and war songs,

25. Nicanor and his men advanced with trumpets and battle songs;

26. but the men of Judas closed with the enemy uttering invocations and prayers.

26. and Judas and his men met the enemy in battle with invocation to God and prayers.

27. Fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they cut down at least thirty-five thousand men and were greatly cheered by this manifestation of God.

27. So, fighting with their hands and praying to God in their hearts, they laid low no less than thirty-five thousand men, and were greatly gladdened by God's manifestation.

28. When the engagement was over and they were withdrawing in triumph, they recognised Nicanor, lying dead in full armour.

28. When the action was over and they were returning with joy, they recognized Nicanor, lying dead, in full armor.

29. With shouting and confusion all around, they blessed the sovereign Master in their ancestral tongue.

29. Then there was shouting and tumult, and they blessed the Sovereign Lord in the language of their fathers.

30. He who, as protagonist, had devoted himself, body and soul, to his fellow-citizens, and had preserved 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.

30. And the man who was ever in body and soul the defender of his fellow citizens, the man who maintained his youthful good will toward his countrymen, ordered them to cut off Nicanor's head and arm and carry them to Jerusalem.

31. When he arrived there himself, he called his countrymen together, stationed the priests in front of the altar and then sent for the people from the Citadel.

31. And when he arrived there and had called his countrymen together and stationed the priests before the altar, he sent for those who were in the citadel.

32. He showed them the head of the abominable Nicanor, and the hand which this infamous man had stretched out so insolently against the holy House of the Almighty.

32. He showed them the vile Nicanor's head and that profane man's arm, which had been boastfully stretched out against the holy house of the Almighty;

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.

33. and he cut out the tongue of the ungodly Nicanor and said that he would give it piecemeal to the birds and hang up these rewards of his folly opposite the sanctuary.

34. At this, everyone sent blessings heavenwards to the glorious Lord, saying, 'Blessed be he who has preserved his holy place from pollution!'

34. And they all, looking to heaven, blessed the Lord who had manifested himself, saying, "Blessed is he who has kept his own place undefiled."

35. He hung Nicanor's head from the Citadel, a clear and evident sign to all of the help of the Lord.

35. And he hung Nicanor's head from the citadel, a clear and conspicuous sign to every one of the help of the Lord.

36. They all decreed by public vote never to let that day go by unobserved, but to celebrate the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, called Adar in Aramaic, the eve of what is called the Day of Mordecai.

36. And they all decreed by public vote never to let this day go unobserved, but to celebrate the thirteenth day of the twelfth month -- which is called Adar in the Syrian language -- the day before Mordecai's day.

37. So ends the episode of Nicanor, and as, since then, the city has remained in the possession of the Hebrews, I shall bring my own work to an end here too.

37. This, then, is how matters turned out with Nicanor. And from that time the city has been in the possession of the Hebrews. So I too will here end my story.

38. If it is well composed and to the point, that is just what I wanted. If it is worthless and mediocre, that is all I could manage.

38. If it is well told and to the point, that is what I myself desired; if it is poorly done and mediocre, that was the best I could do.

39. Just as it is injurious to drink wine by itself, or again water alone, whereas wine mixed with water is pleasant and produces a delightful sense of well-being, so skill in presenting the incidents is what delights the understanding of those who read the book. And her i close.

39. For just as it is harmful to drink wine alone, or, again, to drink water alone, while wine mixed with water is sweet and delicious and enhances one's enjoyment, so also the style of the story delights the ears of those who read the work. And here will be the end.