2. Makkabeler 1

¹Mısır'da yerleşik olan Yahudi kardeşlere selam olsun! Yeruşalim'deki ve Yahudiye diyarındaki Yahudi kardeşlerden tam bir esenlik dileğiyle.

²Tanrı size lütfetsin ve Kendisinin sadık hizmetkarları İbrahim, İshak ve Yakup ile yapmış olduğu antlaşmasını hatırlasın.

³Hepinize Kendisine tapınmanız, O'nun iradesini yüce bir yürekle ve istekli bir canla yerine getirmeniz için bir yürek bahşetsin.

⁴Yüreğinizi Kendi yasasında ve buyruklarında derinleştirerek açsın ve size esenlik versin.

⁵Dualarınızı işitsin, sizinle barışık kılınsın ve sıkıntı zamanında sizi asla terk etmesin.

⁶Bizler şimdi burada sizin için dua etmekteyiz.

⁷Demetrios'un krallığının yüz altmış dokuzuncu yılında, biz Yahudiler, Yason ve yandaşlarının kutsal topraklardan ve krallıktan saptığı o yıllardan beri üzerimize gelen büyük sıkıntı ve krizin en tepe noktasında size yazmıştık.

⁸Onlar ana giriş kapısını ateşe vermişler ve suçsuz kanı dökmüşlerdi. Biz de Rab'be yalvardık ve sesimiz işitildi; kurban ve ince un sunduk, kandilleri yaktık ve adak ekmeklerini koyduk.

⁹Şimdi de Kislev ayındaki Çardaklar Bayramı günlerini kutlayın. Yüz seksen sekizinci yılda yazılmıştır.

¹⁰Yeruşalim'de ve Yahudiye'de bulunanlar, ileri gelenler kurulu ve Yahuda; Kral Ptolemaios'un öğretmeni olan ve meshedilmiş kâhinlerin soyundan gelen Aristobulos'a ve Mısır'daki Yahudilere esenlik ve sağlık dilerler.

¹¹Tanrı tarafından büyük tehlikelerden kurtarılmış olarak, bir krala karşı savaş düzeni almışçasına O'na büyük şükranlar sunarız.

¹²Çünkü kutsal kentte savaşanları oradan şiddetle sürüp çıkaran Kendisidir.

¹³Önder ve beraberindeki yenilmez sanılan ordusu Pers diyarına vardığında, Nanaya kâhinlerinin hilesiyle Nanaya tapınağında kılıçtan geçirildiler.

¹⁴Çünkü Antiohos, çeyiz adı altında tapınağın paralarını almak amacıyla, dostlarıyla birlikte onunla evlenecekmiş gibi oraya gelmişti.

¹⁵Nanaya kâhinleri paraları ortaya koyduktan ve Antiohos tapınağın avlusuna birkaç kişiyle girdikten sonra, kâhinler o içeri girer girmez tapınağı kapattılar.

¹⁶Tavanın gizli kapısını açarak taşlar fırlattılar, önderi yıldırımla vurulmuş gibi yere serdiler; bedenlerini parçalayıp başlarını kestikten sonra dışarıdakilere fırlattılar.

¹⁷Saygısızlık edenleri cezalandıran Tanrımız her şeyde övgüye layıktır!

¹⁸Kislev ayının yirmi beşinci gününde tapınağın arındırılmasını kutlamak üzereyken, bunu size bildirmeyi gerekli gördük; öyle ki, siz de bunu Çardaklar Bayramı ve Nehemya'nın tapınağı ve sunağı inşa edip kurban sunduğu zamanki ateş bayramı gibi kutlayasınız.

¹⁹Çünkü atalarımız Pers diyarına sürülürken, o dönemin dindar kâhinleri sunaktaki ateşten gizlice alıp bunu susuz ve derin bir kuyunun oyuğuna saklamışlardı; orayı öyle güvenli hale getirdiler ki, yerini kimse bilemedi.

²⁰Uzun yıllar geçtikten sonra, Tanrı'nın uygun gördüğü bir zamanda, Pers kralı tarafından gönderilen Nehemya, ateşi saklayan kâhinlerin torunlarını o ateşi getirmeleri için yolladı. Bize orada ateş değil, sadece koyu bir su bulduklarını bildirdiklerinde,

²¹Nehemya onlara o sudan çekip getirmelerini buyurdu. Kurbanlıklar sunağa konunca, Nehemya kâhinlere odunların ve üzerlerindeki kurbanlıkların üzerine o sudan serpmelerini buyurdu.

²²Bu yapılıp bir süre geçtikten sonra, önceleri bulutlu olan gökyüzünde güneş parıldadı ve öyle büyük bir ateş alevlendi ki, herkes hayretler içinde kaldı.

²³Kurban yanarken kâhinler dua ettiler; Yonatan duaya başladı, Nehemya ve diğerleri de ona eşlik ettiler.

²⁴Dua şu şekildeydi: "Rab, Rab Tanrı, her şeyin Yaratıcısı, heybetli, güçlü, adil ve merhametli, tek Kral ve iyiliksever olan,

²⁵tek sağlayıcı, tek adil, her şeye gücü yeten ve sonsuz olan, İsrail'i her türlü kötülükten kurtaran, atalarımızı seçen ve onları kutsal kılan,

²⁶bütün halkın İsrail adına bu kurbanı kabul et, Kendi mirasın olan halkını koru ve onları kutsal kıl.

²⁷Dağılmış olanlarımızı bir araya getir, ulusların arasında kölelik edenleri özgür kıl, hor görülenlere ve iğrenç sayılanlara lütunla bak; böylece uluslar bizim Tanrımız olduğunu bilsinler.

²⁸Bize baskı yapanları ve kibirle bize hakaret edenleri cezalandır.

²⁹Musa'nın söylediği gibi, halkını Kendi kutsal yerine dik."

³⁰Kâhinler ise şükran ilahileri söylüyorlardı.

³¹Kurbanlıklar tamamen yanıp bittiğinde, Nehemya geri kalan suyun büyük taşların üzerine dökülmesini buyurdu.

³²Bu yapılınca bir alev parladı, ama sunaktan yansıyan ışık karşısında sönüp yok oldu.

³³Bu olay duyulup Pers kralına, sürgüne gönderilen kâhinlerin ateşi sakladığı yerde suyun ortaya çıktığı ve Nehemya ile yanındakilerin kurbanlıkları bu suyla arındırdığı bildirildiğinde,

³⁴kral konuyu araştırıp doğruladıktan sonra, o yerin çevresini çevirterek orayı kutsal bir alan yaptı.

³⁵Kral, lütufta bulunmak istediği kişilere oradan elde edilen gelirlerden paylar verdi.

³⁶Nehemya ve yanındakiler bu suya "arındırma" anlamına gelen "Neftar" adını verdiler; ancak birçokları buna "Neftai" der.

¹ΤΟΙΣ ἀδελφοῖς τοῖς κατ᾿ Αἴγυπτον ᾿Ιουδαίοις χαίρειν. οἱ ἀδελφοὶ οἱ ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις ᾿Ιουδαῖοι καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας εἰρήνην ἀγαθήν·

²καὶ ἀγαθοποιήσαι ὑμῖν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ μνησθείη τῆς διαθήκης αὐτοῦ τῆς πρὸς ῾Αβραὰμ καὶ ᾿Ισαὰκ καὶ ᾿Ιακὼβ τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ τῶν πιστῶν·

³καὶ δῴη ὑμῖν καρδίαν πᾶσιν εἰς τὸ σέβεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ποιεῖν αὐτοῦ τὰ θελήματα καρδίᾳ μεγάλῃ καὶ ψυχῇ βουλομένῃ·

⁴καὶ διανοίξαι τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασι καὶ εἰρήνην ποιήσαι

⁵καὶ ἐπακούσαι ὑμῶν τῶν δεήσεων καὶ καταλλαγείη ὑμῖν καὶ μὴ ὑμᾶς ἐγκαταλίποι ἐν καιρῷ πονηρῷ.

⁶καὶ νῦν ὧδέ ἐσμεν προσευχόμενοι περὶ ὑμῶν.

⁷βασιλεύοντος Δημητρίου ἔτους ἑκατοστοῦ ἑξηκοστοῦ ἐνάτου, ἡμεῖς οἱ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι γεγράφαμεν ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ θλίψει καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀκμῇ τῇ ἐπελθούσῃ ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς ἔτεσι τούτοις, ἀφ᾿ οὗ ἀπέστη ᾿Ιάσων καὶ οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας γῆς καὶ τῆς βασιλείας

⁸καὶ ἐνεπύρισαν τὸν πυλῶνα καὶ ἐξέχεαν αἷμα ἀθῷον· καὶ ἐδεήθημεν τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ εἰσηκούσθημεν καὶ προσηνέγκαμεν θυσίαν καὶ σεμίδαλιν καὶ ἐξήψαμεν τοὺς λύχνους καὶ προεθήκαμεν τοὺς ἄρτους.

⁹καὶ νῦν ἵνα ἄγητε τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς σκηνοπηγίας τοῦ Χασελεῦ μηνός. ἔτους ἑκατοστοῦ ὀγδοηκοστοῦ καὶ ὀγδόου».

¹⁰«Οἱ ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ ᾿Ιουδαίᾳ καὶ ἡ γερουσία καὶ ᾿Ιούδας ᾿Αριστοβούλῳ διδασκάλῳ Πτολεμαίου τοῦ βασιλέως, ὄντι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν χριστῶν ἱερέων γένους, καὶ τοῖς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ᾿Ιουδαίοις χαίρειν καὶ ὑγιαίνειν.

¹¹ἐκ μεγάλων κινδύνων ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ σεσωσμένοι μεγάλως εὐχαριστοῦμεν αὐτῷ, ὡς ἂν πρὸς βασιλέα παρατασσόμενοι·

¹²αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐξέβρασε τοὺς παραταξαμένους ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ πόλει.

¹³εἰς γὰρ τὴν Περσίδα γενόμενος ὁ ἡγεμὼν καὶ ὁ περὶ αὐτὸν ἀνυπόστατος δοκοῦσα εἶναι δύναμις, κατεκόπησαν ἐν τῷ τῆς Ναναίᾳς ἱερῷ, παραλογισμῷ χρησαμένων τῶν περὶ τὴν Ναναίαν ἱερέων.

¹⁴ὡς γὰρ συνοικήσων αὐτῇ παρεγένετο εἰς τὸν τόπον ὅ τε ᾿Αντίοχος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ φίλοι χάριν τοῦ λαβεῖν τὰ χρήματα εἰς φερνῆς λόγον·

¹⁵καὶ προθέντων αὐτὰ τῶν ἱερέων τῆς Ναναίας κἀκείνου προσελθόντος μετ᾿ ὀλίγων εἰς τὸν περίβολον τοῦ τεμένους, συγκλείσαντες, τὸ ἱερόν, ὡς εἰσῆλθεν ᾿Αντίοχος,

¹⁶ἀνοίξαντες τὴν τοῦ φατνώματος κρυπτὴν θύραν, βάλοντες πέτρους συνεκεραύνωσαν τὸν ἡγεμόνα καὶ μέλη ποιήσαντες καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀφελόντες τοῖς ἔξω παρέρριψαν.

¹⁷κατὰ πάντα εὐλογητὸς ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός, ὃς παρέδωκε τοὺς ἀσεβήσαντας.

¹⁸μέλλοντες οὖν ἄγειν ἐν τῷ Χασελεῦ πέμπτη καὶ εἰκάδι τὸν καθαρισμὸν τοῦ ἱεροῦ, δέον ἡγησάμεθα διασαφῆσαι ὑμῖν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἄγητε τῆς σκηνοπηγίας καὶ τοῦ πυρός, ὅτε Νεεμίας οἰκοδομήσας τό τε ἱερὸν καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἀνήνεγκε θυσίαν.

¹⁹καὶ γὰρ ὅτε εἰς τὴν Περσικὴν ἤγοντο οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, οἱ τότε εὐσεβεῖς ἱερεῖς λαβόντες ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου λαθραίως, κατέκρυψαν ἐν κοιλώματι φρέατος τάξιν ἔχοντος ἀνύδρου, ἐν ᾧ κατησφαλίσαντο ὥστε πᾶσιν ἄγνωστον εἶναι τὸν τόπον.

²⁰διελθόντων δὲ ἐτῶν ἱκανῶν, ὅτε ἔδοξε τῷ Θεῷ, ἀποσταλεὶς Νεεμίας ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς Περσίδος τοὺς ἐκγόνους τῶν ἱερέων τῶν ἀποκρυψάντων ἔπεμψεν ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ· ὡς δὲ διεσάφησαν ἡμῖν μὴ εὑρηκέναι πῦρ, ἀλλὰ ὕδωρ παχύ,

²¹ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοὺς ἀποβάψαντας φέρειν. ὡς δὲ ἀνηνέχθη τὰ τῶν θυσιῶν, ἐκέλευσε τοὺς ἱερεῖς Νεεμίας ἐπιρρᾶναι τῷ ὕδατι τά τε ξύλα καὶ τὰ ἐπικείμενα.

²²ὡς δὲ ἐγένετο τοῦτο καὶ χρόνος διῆλθεν ὅ τε ἥλιος ἀνέλαμψε, πρότερον ἐπινεφὴς ὤν, ἀνήφθη πυρὰ μεγάλη ὥστε θαυμάσαι πάντας.

²³προσευχὴν δὲ ἐποιήσαντο οἱ ἱερεῖς δαπανωμένης τῆς θυσίας, οἵ τε ἱερεῖς καὶ πάντες, καταρχομένου ᾿Ιωνάθου, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν ἐπιφωνούντων ὡς Νεεμίου.

²⁴ἦν δὲ ἡ προσευχὴ τὸν τρόπον ἔχουσα τοῦτον· Κύριε Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς ὁ πάντων κτίστης, ὁ φοβερὸς καὶ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ δίκαιος καὶ ἐλεήμων, ὁ μόνος βασιλεὺς καὶ χρηστός,

²⁵ὁ μόνος χορηγός, ὁ μόνος δίκαιος καὶ παντοκράτωρ καὶ αἰώνιος, ὁ διασώζων τὸν ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐκ παντὸς κακοῦ, ὁ ποιήσας τοὺς πατέρας ἐκλεκτοὺς καὶ ἁγιάσας αὐτούς,

²⁶πρόσδεξαι τὴν θυσίαν ὑπὲρ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ σου ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ διαφύλαξον τὴν μερίδα σου καὶ καθαγίασον.

²⁷ἐπισυνάγαγε τὴν διασπορὰν ἡμῶν, ἐλευθέρωσον τοὺς δουλεύοντας ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, τοὺς ἐξουθενημένους καὶ βδελυκτοὺς ἔπιδε, καὶ γνώτωσαν τὰ ἔθνη, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν.

²⁸βασάνισον τοὺς καταδυναστεύοντας καὶ ἐξυβρίζοντας ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ.

²⁹καταφύτευσον τὸν λαόν σου εἰς τὸν τόπον τὸν ἅγιόν σου, καθὼς εἶπε Μωυσῆς.

³⁰οἱ δὲ ἱερεῖς ἐπέψαλλον τοὺς ὕμνους.

³¹καθὼς δὲ ἀνηλώθη τὰ τῆς θυσίας καὶ τὸ περιλειπόμενον ὕδωρ, ὁ Νεεμίας ἐκέλευσε λίθους μείζονας κατασχεῖν.

³²ὡς δὲ τοῦτο ἐγενήθη, φλὸξ ἀνήφθη· τοῦ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἀντιλάμψαντος φωτὸς ἐδαπανήθη.

³³ὡς δὲ φανερὸν ἐγενήθη τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ διηγγέλη τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Περσῶν ὅτι εἰς τὸν τόπον, οὗ τὸ πῦρ ἀπέκρυψαν οἱ μεταχθέντες ἱερεῖς τὸ ὕδωρ ἐφάνη, ἀφ᾿ οὗ καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν Νεεμίαν ἥγνισαν τὰ τῆς θυσίας,

³⁴περιφράξας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἱερὸν ἐποίησε, δοκιμάσας τὸ πρᾶγμα.

³⁵καὶ οἷς ἐχαρίζετο ὁ βασιλεὺς πολλὰ διάφορα ἐλάμβανε καὶ μετεδίδου.

³⁶προσηγόρευσαν δὲ οἱ περὶ τὸν Νεεμίαν τοῦτο νέφθαρ, ὃ διερμηνεύεται Καθαρισμός· καλεῖται δὲ παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς Νεφθαεί.

¹The brethren, the Jews that be at Jerusalem and in the land of Judea, wish unto the brethren, the Jews that are throughout Egypt health and peace:

²God be gracious unto you, and remember his covenant that he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants;

³And give you all an heart to serve him, and to do his will, with a good courage and a willing mind;

⁴And open your hearts in his law and commandments, and send you peace,

⁵And hear your prayers, and be at one with you, and never forsake you in time of trouble.

⁶And now we be here praying for you.

⁷What time as Demetrius reigned, in the hundred threescore and ninth year, we the Jews wrote unto you in the extremity of trouble that came upon us in those years, from the time that Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and kingdom,

⁸And burned the porch, and shed innocent blood: then we prayed unto the Lord, and were heard; we offered also sacrifices and fine flour, and lighted the lamps, and set forth the loaves.

⁹And now see that ye keep the feast of tabernacles in the month Casleu.

¹⁰In the hundred fourscore and eighth year, the people that were at Jerusalem and in Judea, and the council, and Judas, sent greeting and health unto Aristobulus, king Ptolemeus’ master, who was of the stock of the anointed priests, and to the Jews that were in Egypt:

¹¹Insomuch as God hath delivered us from great perils, we thank him highly, as having been in battle against a king.

¹²For he cast them out that fought within the holy city.

¹³For when the leader was come into Persia, and the army with him that seemed invincible, they were slain in the temple of Nanea by the deceit of Nanea’s priests.

¹⁴For Antiochus, as though he would marry her, came into the place, and his friends that were with him, to receive money in name of a dowry.

¹⁵Which when the priests of Nanea had set forth, and he was entered with a small company into the compass of the temple, they shut the temple as soon as Antiochus was come in:

¹⁶And opening a privy door of the roof, they threw stones like thunderbolts, and struck down the captain, hewed them in pieces, smote off their heads and cast them to those that were without.

¹⁷Blessed be our God in all things, who hath delivered up the ungodly.

¹⁸Therefore whereas we are now purposed to keep the purification of the temple upon the five and twentieth day of the month Casleu, we thought it necessary to certify you thereof, that ye also might keep it, as the feast of the tabernacles, and of the fire, which was given us when Neemias offered sacrifice, after that he had builded the temple and the altar.

¹⁹For when our fathers were led into Persia, the priests that were then devout took the fire of the altar privily, and hid it in an hollow place of a pit without water, where they kept it sure, so that the place was unknown to all men.

²⁰Now after many years, when it pleased God, Neemias, being sent from the king of Persia, did send of the posterity of those priests that had hid it to the fire: but when they told us they found no fire, but thick water;

²¹Then commanded he them to draw it up, and to bring it; and when the sacrifices were laid on, Neemias commanded the priests to sprinkle the wood and the things laid thereupon with the water.

²²When this was done, and the time came that the sun shone, which afore was hid in the cloud, there was a great fire kindled, so that every man marvelled.

²³And the priests made a prayer whilst the sacrifice was consuming, I say, both the priests, and all the rest, Jonathan beginning, and the rest answering thereunto, as Neemias did.

²⁴And the prayer was after this manner; O Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, who art fearful and strong, and righteous, and merciful, and the only and gracious King,

²⁵The only giver of all things, the only just, almighty, and everlasting, thou that deliverest Israel from all trouble, and didst choose the fathers, and sanctify them:

²⁶Receive the sacrifice for thy whole people Israel, and preserve thine own portion, and sanctify it.

²⁷Gather those together that are scattered from us, deliver them that serve among the heathen, look upon them that are despised and abhorred, and let the heathen know that thou art our God.

²⁸Punish them that oppress us, and with pride do us wrong.

²⁹Plant thy people again in thy holy place, as Moses hath spoken.

³⁰And the priests sung psalms of thanksgiving.

³¹Now when the sacrifice was consumed, Neemias commanded the water that was left to be poured on the great stones.

³²When this was done, there was kindled a flame: but it was consumed by the light that shined from the altar.

³³So when this matter was known, it was told the king of Persia, that in the place, where the priests that were led away had hid the fire, there appeared water, and that Neemias had purified the sacrifices therewith.

³⁴Then the king, inclosing the place, made it holy, after he had tried the matter.

³⁵And the king took many gifts, and bestowed thereof on those whom he would gratify.

³⁶And Neemias called this thing Naphthar, which is as much as to say, a cleansing: but many men call it Nephi.