2 Maccabees 1 1 In the year one hundred and forty-nine, Judas and his men learned that Antiochus Eupator was invading 一四九年,犹大和他的部下听说安提约古欧帕托尔率领大军来进攻犹太, 2 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. 他的监护人里息雅总理也与他同来;各自率领着希腊兵,共计步兵一万,骑兵五千三百,象二十二头,镰刀车三百辆。 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. 默乃劳也混入其中,假仁假义地激励安提约古;他如此作,并非为了国家的安全,而是只想巩固自己的职位。 4 3 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. 但万王之王激动安提约古恼恨这个恶徒;里息雅向君王证明此人是万恶的罪魁,安提约古即下令解送他到贝洛雅去,按当地的刑法处死他。 5 4 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. 凡盗窃庙物,或犯其他重罪的人,都应投入里面处死。 这犯法的默乃劳就是受这刑罚而死的,死后也不得入土。 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. 祭坛上的火和灰原是圣洁的:他既多次亵渎祭坛,如今死在火灰中是极公平的。 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. 此时,国王起了一种野蛮和强横的念头,想加害犹太人,比他父亲所行的还要残酷。 10 When Judas learned of this, he urged the people to call upon the LORD night and day, to help them now, if ever, 犹大一知道这事,便命民众日夜呼求上主,求他这次还如从前一样拯救他们, 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. 不使法律、国家和圣殿遭受浩劫,不让这刚才复兴的民族落在渎神的异民手中。 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 After a private meeting with the elders, he decided that, before the king's army could invade 先与长老们私下商议,然后决定在国王的军队尚未开入犹太和占领京城以前,就出发迎击,赖天主的助佑来决定一切。 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. 将战争的胜负全托付于宇宙的创造者;又劝勉自己的部下,应同他一起为法律、圣殿、京城、祖国及民权奋勇作战,死而后己。于是他就在摩丁附近扎了营。 15 5 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. 他给军队规定以"天主胜利"为口号,然后选拔一队骁勇的少年士兵,夜袭国王营幕,在营内杀了二千守兵,刺杀了象队中的领队大象,以及木楼里驭象的人。 16 6 Finally they withdrew in triumph, having filled the camp with terror and confusion. 最后使全营敌人惊慌失措,遂凯旋而归。 17 Day was just breaking when this was accomplished with the help and protection of the LORD. 因了上主保护犹大战事完了,天才破晓。 18 The king, having had a taste of the Jews' daring, tried to take their positions by a stratagem. 国王虽经验到犹太人的英勇,但仍设法侵略他们的地方。 19 So he marched against Beth-zur, a strong fortress of the Jews; but he was driven back, checked, and defeated. 于是进攻犹太人坚固的堡垒贝特族尔,但被击退;再次进攻,又遭挫败。 20 Judas then sent supplies to the men inside, 21 7 but Rhodocus, of the Jewish army, betrayed military secrets to the enemy. He was found out, arrested, and imprisoned. 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 国王二次与贝特族尔居民握手议和,遂离开了那里,去攻击犹大的军队,可是又遭到惨败。 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 那时王听说,他留在安提约塞雅摄政的斐理伯造反,就心慌意乱遂与犹太人媾和,宣誓接受他们一切合理的条件;讲和后,他也献了祭,对圣殿起敬起畏,对圣所也表示慷慨大方。 24 8 He approved of Maccabeus and left him as military and civil governor of the territory from Ptolemais to the region of the Gerrenes. 王又善侍了玛加伯,留下赫革摩尼德为总督,管理由仆托肋买至革勒尼人所居住的地方。 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. 王回到仆托肋买,那里的居民却愤愤不平,不满意这些和约,要废除所议定的事项。 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 里息雅便登台竭力辩解,说服了他们,赢得了他们的信心,使他们宁静下来,然后回安提约基雅去了。这就是王进军及撤兵的事。 Footnotes(注解) 1 [1] In the year one hundred and forty-nine: 163-162 B.C. 2 [2] They led: the Greek means literally "Each (of them) led," but it is unlikely that the author meant the already immense numbers to be doubled; the numbers are similar to those in 1 Macc 6:30. 3 [4] Beroea: the Greek name of 4 [5] Ashes: probably smoldering ashes; the tower resembles the ancient Persian fire towers. 5 [15] Slew: literally "stabbed"; the deed was done by Eleazar (1 Macc 6:43-46). 6 [16] They withdrew in triumph: according to 1 Macc 6:47 they fled. 7 [21] Military secrets: probably about the lack of provisions in the besieged city; cf 1 Macc 6:49. 8 [24] The Greek text is uncertain and may be rendered: "He approved of Maccabeus, then left Hegemonides as governor of the territory. . . ." Gerrenes: probably the inhabitants of Gerar, southeast of |