Liber II Maccabaeorum, 9

1. Eodem autem tempore Anti ochus inhoneste revertebatur de regionibus circa Persidem.

1. About that time, as it happened, Antiochus had retreated in disorder from the region of Persia.

2. Intraverat enim in eam, quae dicitur Persepolis, et tentavit exspoliare templum et civitatem opprimere; quapropter, multitudine ad armorum auxilium concurrente, in fugam versi sunt; et contigit ut Antiochus in fugam versus ab indigenis turpiter rediret.

2. For he had entered the city called Persepolis, and attempted to rob the temples and control the city. Therefore the people rushed to the rescue with arms, and Antiochus and his men were defeated, with the result that Antiochus was put to flight by the inhabitants and beat a shameful retreat.

3. Et cum esset circa Ecbatana, nuntiata sunt ea, quae erga Nicanorem et Timotheum gesta sunt.

3. While he was in Ecbatana, news came to him of what had happened to Nicanor and the forces of Timothy.

4. Elatus autem ira arbitrabatur se etiam iniuriam illorum, qui se fugaverant, in Iudaeos retorquere; ideoque iussit, ut auriga sine intermissione iter perficeret, caelesti iam eum comitante iudicio. Ita enim superbe locutus erat: “Congeriem sepulcri Iudaeorum Hierosolymam faciam, cum venero illo”.

4. Transported with rage, he conceived the idea of turning upon the Jews the injury done by those who had put him to flight; so he ordered his charioteer to drive without stopping until he completed the journey. But the judgment of heaven rode with him! For in his arrogance he said, "When I get there I will make Jerusalem a cemetery of Jews."

5. Sed qui universa conspicit, Dominus, Deus Israel, percussit eum insanabili et invisibili plaga; et continuo ut is finivit sermonem, apprehendit eum dolor dirus viscerum et amara internorum tormenta,

5. But the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him an incurable and unseen blow. As soon as he ceased speaking he was seized with a pain in his bowels for which there was no relief and with sharp internal tortures --

6. perquam iuste, quippe qui multis et novis cruciatibus aliorum torserat viscera.

6. and that very justly, for he had tortured the bowels of others with many and strange inflictions.

7. Ille vero nullo modo ab arrogantia cessabat; super hoc autem superbia repletus erat, ignem spirans animo in Iudaeos et praecipiens iter accelerari. Contigit autem, ut et ille caderet de curru, qui ferebatur impetu, et gravi lapsu corruens in omnibus corporis membris vexaretur.

7. Yet he did not in any way stop his insolence, but was even more filled with arrogance, breathing fire in his rage against the Jews, and giving orders to hasten the journey. And so it came about that he fell out of his chariot as it was rushing along, and the fall was so hard as to torture every limb of his body.

8. Isque, qui nuper videbatur fluctibus maris imperare propter super hominem iactantiam et in statera montium altitudines appendere, humiliatus ad terram in gestatorio portabatur manifestam Dei virtutem omnibus ostendens,

8. Thus he who had just been thinking that he could command the waves of the sea, in his superhuman arrogance, and imagining that he could weigh the high mountains in a balance, was brought down to earth and carried in a litter, making the power of God manifest to all.

9. ita ut de oculis impii vermes scaturirent, ac viventis in doloribus et maeroribus carnes eius diffluerent, illiusque odore totus exercitus gravaretur propter putredinem.

9. And so the ungodly man's body swarmed with worms, and while he was still living in anguish and pain, his flesh rotted away, and because of his stench the whole army felt revulsion at his decay.

10. Et qui paulo ante sidera caeli contingere se arbitrabatur, eum nemo poterat propter intolerabilem foetoris gravitatem portare.

10. Because of his intolerable stench no one was able to carry the man who a little while before had thought that he could touch the stars of heaven.

11. Hinc igitur coepit multum superbiae deponere confractus et ad agnitionem venire divina plaga, per momenta doloribus extensus.

11. Then it was that, broken in spirit, he began to lose much of his arrogance and to come to his senses under the scourge of God, for he was tortured with pain every moment.

12. Et, cum nec ipse foetorem suum ferre posset, ita ait: “Iustum est subditum esse Deo et mortalem non superbe sentire”.

12. And when he could not endure his own stench, he uttered these words: "It is right to be subject to God, and no mortal should think that he is equal to God."

13. Orabat autem hic scelestus Dominum, ei non amplius miserturum, ita dicens:

13. Then the abominable fellow made a vow to the Lord, who would no longer have mercy on him, stating

14. sanctam quidem civitatem, ad quam festinans veniebat, ut eam solo aequalem faceret ac sepulcrum congestorum strueret, liberam ostendere;

14. that the holy city, which he was hastening to level to the ground and to make a cemetery, he was now declaring to be free;

15. Iudaeos autem, quos decreverat nec sepultura quidem se dignos habiturum, sed avibus devorandos cum parvulis se feris proiecturum, omnes hos aequales Atheniensibus facturum;

15. and the Jews, whom he had not considered worth burying but had planned to throw out with their children to the beasts, for the birds to pick, he would make, all of them, equal to citizens of Athens;

16. templum vero sanctum, quod prius exspoliaverat, pulcherrimis donis ornaturum et sacra vasa multiplicia cuncta se redditurum, et pertinentes ad sacrificia sumptus de redditibus suis praestaturum;

16. and the holy sanctuary, which he had formerly plundered, he would adorn with the finest offerings; and the holy vessels he would give back, all of them, many times over; and the expenses incurred for the sacrifices he would provide from his own revenues;

17. super haec autem et Iudaeum se futurum et omnem locum habitabilem perambulaturum praedicantem Dei potestatem.

17. and in addition to all this he also would become a Jew and would visit every inhabited place to proclaim the power of God.

18. Sed omnino non cessantibus doloribus — supervenerat enim in eum iustum Dei iudicium — semetipsum desperans scripsit ad Iudaeos hanc infra rescriptam epistulam modum deprecationis habentem, haec continentem:

18. But when his sufferings did not in any way abate, for the judgment of God had justly come upon him, he gave up all hope for himself and wrote to the Jews the following letter, in the form of a supplication. This was its content:

19. “Optimis civibus Iudaeis plurimam salutem et bene valere et esse felices, rex et dux Antiochus.

19. "To his worthy Jewish citizens, Antiochus their king and general sends hearty greetings and good wishes for their health and prosperity.

20. Si bene valetis et filii vestri, et res vestrae ex sententia sunt vobis, precans refero quidem Deo maximam gratiam, in caelum spem habens;

20. If you and your children are well and your affairs are as you wish, I am glad. As my hope is in heaven,

21. ego vero in infirmitate constitutus eram, vestri autem honoris et benevolentiae memineram cum affectione. Reversus de Persidis locis et in infirmitatem incidens molestiam habentem, necessarium duxi pro communi omnium securitate curam habere.

21. I remember with affection your esteem and good will. On my way back from the region of Persia I suffered an annoying illness, and I have deemed it necessary to take thought for the general security of all.

22. Non desperans memetipsum, sed spem multam habens effugiendi infirmitatem,

22. I do not despair of my condition, for I have good hope of recovering from my illness,

23. respiciens autem quod et pater meus, quibus temporibus in superiora loca duxit exercitum, ostendit, qui susciperet principatum;

23. but I observed that my father, on the occasions when he made expeditions into the upper country, appointed his successor,

24. ut, si quid contrarium accideret aut etiam quid difficile nuntiaretur, scientes hi, qui circa regionem erant, cui esset rerum summa derelicta, non turbarentur.

24. so that, if anything unexpected happened or any unwelcome news came, the people throughout the realm would not be troubled, for they would know to whom the government was left.

25. Ad haec autem considerans de proximo potentes et vicinos regno temporibus insidiantes et eventum exspectantes, designavi filium Antiochum regem, quem saepe recurrens in superiora regna plurimis vestrum committebam et commendabam; et scripsi ad eum, quae subiecta sunt.

25. Moreover, I understand how the princes along the borders and the neighbors to my kingdom keep watching for opportunities and waiting to see what will happen. So I have appointed my son Antiochus to be king, whom I have often entrusted and commended to most of you when I hastened off to the upper provinces; and I have written to him what is written here.

26. Oro itaque vos et peto memores beneficiorum publice et privatim, ut unusquisque conservet hanc, quam habetis benevolentiam in me et in filium.

26. I therefore urge and beseech you to remember the public and private services rendered to you and to maintain your present good will, each of you, toward me and my son.

27. Confido enim eum modeste et humane, sequentem propositum meum, vobiscum acturum”.

27. For I am sure that he will follow my policy and will treat you with moderation and kindness."

28. Igitur homicida et blasphemus pessima perpessus, ut ipse alios tractaverat, peregre in montibus miserabili obitu vita functus est.

28. So the murderer and blasphemer, having endured the more intense suffering, such as he had inflicted on others, came to the end of his life by a most pitiable fate, among the mountains in a strange land.

29. Transferebat autem corpus Philippus collactaneus eius, qui etiam metuens filium Antiochi ad Ptolemaeum Philometorem in Aegyptum se contulit.

29. And Philip, one of his courtiers, took his body home; then, fearing the son of Antiochus, he betook himself to Ptolemy Philometor in Egypt.