2. Makkabeler 13

¹Yüz kırk dokuzuncu yılda, Antiyohus Eupator'un büyük ordularla Yahudiye üzerine gelmekte olduğu haberi Yahuda ve yanındakilere ulaştı.

²Yanında, her birinin komutasında yüz on bin piyade, beş bin üç yüz süvari, yirmi iki fil ve üç yüz tırpanlı savaş arabasından oluşan bir Grek ordusu bulunan vasisi ve devlet işlerinden sorumlu Lisias da vardı.

³Menelaos da onlara katıldı ve vatanın kurtuluşunu gözeterek değil, yeniden başkahinlik makamına getirileceğini umarak büyük bir hilekarlıkla Antiyohus'u kışkırtıp yüreklendirdi.

⁴Ancak kralların Kralı, Antiyohus'un öfkesini o lanetli adama karşı alevlendirdi; Lisias da bu adamın tüm kötülüklerin asıl sorumlusu olduğunu krala gösterince, kral onun Beroia'ya götürülmesini ve oranın adetlerine göre tamamen yok edilmesini emretti.

⁵Orada elli arşın yüksekliğinde, içi külle dolu bir kule vardı; bu kulenin her yanından küle doğru diklemesine inen dairesel, dönen bir düzeneği bulunuyordu.

⁶Tapınak hırsızlığıyla suçlanan ya da kötülükte sınır tanımayan herkesi oraya götürüp ölüme iterlerdi.

⁷Yasa tanımaz Menelaos'un toprağa bile gömülmeden böyle bir ölümle can vermesi son derece adil bir şekilde gerçekleşti.

⁸Çünkü ateşi ve külü kutsal olan sunağa karşı pek çok günah işlemişti; bu yüzden hak ettiği ölümü de külün içinde buldu.

⁹Kral ise zihniyetçe tamamen barbarlaşmış olarak, Yahudilere babasının döneminde yapılanlardan çok daha beterini uygulamak amacıyla geliyordu.

¹⁰Yahuda bunu öğrenince, halka gece gündüz durmaksızın Rab'be yakarmalarını buyurdu; çünkü yasalarından, vatanlarından ve kutsal tapınaklarından mahrum bırakılmak üzereydiler; Rab'bin geçmişte olduğu gibi şimdi de kendilerine yardım etmesini dilediler.

¹¹Ve henüz yeni, kısacık bir süre için nefes almış olan halkın, kutsala küfreden ulusların boyunduruğu altına girmesine izin vermemesini istediler.

¹²Herkes hep birlikte ağlayarak, oruç tutarak ve üç gün boyunca durmaksızın yere kapanıp secde ederek merhametli Rab'be yalvardıktan sonra, Yahuda onları yüreklendirdi ve hazır bulunmalarını buyurdu.

¹³Yahuda ihtiyar heyetiyle baş başa verip görüştü; kralın ordusu Yahudiye'ye girmeden ve şehri ele geçirmeden önce, dışarı çıkıp Rab'bin yardımıyla meseleyi savaşarak hükme bağlamayı kararlaştırdı.

¹⁴Durumu evrenin Yaratıcısına emanet ederek, yanındakileri yasalar, tapınak, şehir, vatan ve dini-toplumsal düzen uğruna ölesiye yiğitçe savaşmaya çağırdı ve Modein yakınlarında ordugah kurdu.

¹⁵Adamlarına "Tanrı'nın Zaferi" parolasını verdi; yanına seçkin, en yiğit gençleri alarak geceleyin kraliyet çadırına saldırdı; ordugahta yaklaşık dört bin kişiyi ve fillerin en irisini, üzerindeki kulede bulunan kalabalıkla birlikte yere serdi.

¹⁶Sonunda ordugahı korku ve kargaşayla doldurdular ve büyük bir zaferle oradan ayrıldılar.

¹⁷Gün ağarırken bu iş tamamlanmıştı, çünkü Rab'bin koruyucu gölgesi Yahuda'ya yardım ediyordu.

¹⁸Yahudilerin cesaretini bizzat tadan kral, kaleleri hileli yollarla ele geçirmeye çalıştı.

¹⁹Yahudilerin güçlü bir kalesi olan Beytsur üzerine yürüdü, fakat sürekli püskürtüldü, başarısız oldu ve kayıplar verdi.

²⁰Yahuda ise içeridekilere gereken her türlü erzakı ulaştırmıştı.

²¹Ancak Yahudi saflarından Rodokos adında biri sırları düşmana sızdırdı; bunun üzerine arandı, yakalandı ve hapsedildi.

²²Kral, Beytsur'dakilerle ikinci kez görüştü, onlarla barış antlaşması yaptı, oradan ayrıldı, Yahuda ve adamlarına saldırdı ama yenilgiye uğradı.

²³Antakya'da devlet işlerinin başında bırakılan Filipos'un isyan ettiğini haber alınca sarsıldı; Yahudilere yalvardı, onların şartlarına boyun eğip tüm hakları üzerine ant içti; onlarla uzlaştı, kurban sundu, tapınağı onurlandırdı ve kutsal yere cömertçe davrandı.

²⁴Makabi'yi kabul etti ve Hegemonides'i Ptolemais'ten Gerrenliler'e kadar olan bölgeye vali olarak atadı.

²⁵Sonra Ptolemais'e gitti; oranın halkı yapılan antlaşmadan hoşnut kalmadı, öfkelenip antlaşmanın maddelerini iptal etmek istediler.

²⁶Lisias kürsüye çıkıp uygun bir şekilde durumu savundu, onları ikna etti, yatıştırdı, dostça davranmalarını sağladı ve Antakya'ya geri döndü. Kralın seferi ve geri çekilişi bu şekilde gerçekleşti.

¹Τῼ δὲ ἐνάτῳ καὶ τεσσαρακοστῷ καὶ ἑκατοστῷ ἔτει προσέπεσε τοῖς περὶ τὸν ᾿Ιούδαν ᾿Αντίοχον τὸν Εὐπάτορα παραγενέσθαι σὺν πλήθεσιν ἐπὶ τὴν ᾿Ιουδαίαν

²καὶ σὺ αὐτῷ Λυσίαν τὸν ἐπίτροπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων, ἕκαστον ἔχοντα δύναμιν ῾Ελληνικὴν πεζῶν μυριάδας ἕνδεκα καὶ ἱππεῖς πεντακισχιλίους τριακοσίους καὶ ἐλέφαντας εἰκοσιδύο, ἅρματα δὲ δρεπανηφόρα τριακόσια.

³καὶ Μενέλαος δὲ συνέμειξεν αὐτοῖς καὶ παρεκάλει μετὰ πολλῆς εἰρωνείας τὸν ᾿Αντίοχον, οὐκ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῆς πατρίδος, οἰόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς κατασταθήσεσθαι.

⁴ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλέων ἐξήγειρε τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ ᾿Αντιόχου ἐπὶ τὸν ἀλιτήριον, καὶ Λυσίου ὑποδείξαντος τοῦτον αἴτιον εἶναι πάντων τῶν κακῶν, προσέταξεν, ὡς ἔθος ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, προσαπολέσαι ἀγαγόντας αὐτὸν εἰς Βέροιαν.

⁵ἔστι δὲ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ πύργος πεντήκοντα πηχῶν πλήρης σποδοῦ, οὗτος δὲ ὄργανον εἶχε περιφερὲς πάντοθεν ἀπόκρημνον εἰς τὴν σποδόν.

⁶ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἱεροσυλίας ἔνοχον ὄντα ἢ καί τινων ἄλλων κακῶν ὑπεροχὴν πεποιημένον ἅπαντες προσωθοῦσιν εἰς ὄλεθρον.

⁷τοιούτῳ μόρῳ τὸν παράνομον συνέβη θανεῖν, μηδὲ τῆς γῆς τυχόντα Μενέλαον, πάνυ δικαίως.

⁸ἐπεὶ γὰρ συνετελέσατο πολλὰ περὶ τὸν βωμὸν ἁμαρτήματα, οὗ τὸ πῦρ ἁγνὸν ἦν καὶ ἡ σποδός, ἐν σποδῷ τὸν θάνατον ἐκομίσατο.

⁹Τοῖς δὲ φρονήμασιν ὁ βασιλεὺς βεβαρβαρωμένος ἤρχετο τὰ χείριστα τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ γεγονότων ἐνδειξόμενος τοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις.

¹⁰μεταλαβὼν δὲ ᾿Ιούδας ταῦτα παρήγγειλε τῷ πλήθει δι᾿ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸν Κύριον, εἴποτε ἄλλοτε καὶ νῦν ἐπιβοηθεῖν τοῖς τοῦ νόμου καὶ πατρίδος καὶ ἱεροῦ ἁγίου στερεῖσθαι μέλουσι

¹¹καὶ τὸν ἄρτι βραχέως ἀνεψυχότα λαὸν μὴ ἐᾶσαι τοῖς δυσφήμοις ἔθνεσι ὑποχειρίους γενέσθαι.

¹²πάντων δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ ποιησάντων ὁμοῦ καὶ καταξιωσάντων τὸν ἐλεήμονα Κύριον μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ καὶ νηστειῶν καὶ προπτώσεως ἐφ᾿ ἡμέρας τρεῖς ἀδιαλείπτως, παρακαλέσας αὐτοὺς ὁ ᾿Ιούδας ἐκέλευσε παραγίνεσθαι.

¹³καθ᾿ ἑαυτὸν δὲ σὺν τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις γενόμενος ἐβουλεύσατο, πρὶν εἰσβαλεῖν τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ στράτευμα εἰς τὴν ᾿Ιουδαίαν καὶ γενέσθαι τῆς πόλεως ἐγκρατεῖς, ἐξελθόντας κρῖναι τὰ πράγματα τῇ τοῦ Κυρίου βοηθείᾳ.

¹⁴δοὺς δὲ τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν τῷ κτίστῃ τοῦ κόσμου, παρακαλέσας τοὺς σὺν αὐτῶ γενναίως ἀγωνίσασθαι μέχρι θανάτου περὶ νόμων, περὶ ἱεροῦ, πόλεως, πατρίδος, πολιτείας, ἐποιήσατο περὶ Μωδεΐν τὴν στρατοπεδείαν.

¹⁵δοὺς δὲ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν σύνθεμα «Θεοῦ νίκη», μετὰ νεανίσκων ἀρίστων κεκριμένων ἐπιβαλὼν νύκτωρ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν αὐλήν, ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ἀνεῖλεν εἰς ἄνδρας τετρακισχιλίους καὶ τὸν πρωτεύοντα τῶν ἐλεφάντων σὺν τῶν κατ᾿ οἰκίαν ὄχλῳ συνέθηκε

¹⁶καὶ τὸ τέλος τὴν παρεμβολὴν δέους καὶ ταραχῆς ἐπλήρωσαν καὶ ἐξέλυσαν εὐημεροῦντες·

¹⁷ὑποφαινούσης δὲ ἤδη τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦτο ἐγεγόνει διὰ τὴν ἐπαρήγουσαν αὐτῷ τοῦ Κυρίου σκέπην.

¹⁸῾Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς εἰληφὼς γεῦσιν τῆς τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων εὐτολμίας, κατεπείρασε διὰ μεθόδων τοὺς τόπους.

¹⁹καὶ ἐπὶ Βαιθσούρᾳ φρούριον ὀχυρὸν τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων προσῆγε καὶ ἐτροποῦτο, προσέκρουεν, ἠλαττονοῦτο·

²⁰τοῖς δὲ ἔνδον ᾿Ιούδας τὰ δέοντα εἰσέπεμψε.

²¹προσήγγειλε δὲ τὰ μυστήρια τοῖς πολεμίοις Ῥόδοκος ἐκ τῆς ᾿Ιουδαϊκῆς τάξεως· ἀνεζητήθη δὲ καὶ κατελήφθη καὶ κατεκλείσθη.

²²ἐδευτερολόγησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐν Βαιθσούρᾳ δεξιὰν ἔδωκεν, ἔλαβεν, ἀπῄει προσέβαλε τοῖς περὶ τὸν ᾿Ιούδαν, ἥττων ἐγένετο,

²³μετέλαβεν ἀπονενοῆσθαι τὸν Φίλιππον ἐν ᾿Αντιοχείᾳ τὸν ἀπολελειμμένον ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων, συνεχύθη, τοὺς ᾿Ιουδαίους παρεκάλεσεν, ὑπετάγη καὶ ὤμοσεν ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς δικαίοις, συνελύθη καὶ θυσίαν προσήγαγεν, ἐτίμησε τὸν νεὼ καὶ τὸν τόπον ἐφιλανθρώπησε

²⁴καὶ τὸν Μακκαβαῖον ἀπεδέξατο. κατέλιπε στρατηγὸν ἀπὸ Πτολεμαΐδος ἕως τῶν Γερρηνῶν ῾Ηγεμονίδην.

²⁵ἦλθεν εἰς Πτολεμαΐδα· ἐδυσφόρουν περὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν οἱ Πτολεμαεῖς, ἐδείναζον γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἠθέλησαν ἀθετεῖν τὰς διαστάλσεις.

²⁶προσῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα Λυσίας, ἐπελογήσατο ἐνδεχομένως, συνέπεισε, κατεπράϋνε, εὐμενεῖς ἐποίησεν, ἀνέζευξεν εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν. οὕτω τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς ἐφόδου καὶ τῆς ἀναζυγῆς ἐχώρησε.

¹In the hundred forty and ninth year it was told Judas, that Antiochus Eupator was coming with a great power into Judea,

²And with him Lysias his protector, and ruler of his affairs, having either of them a Grecian power of footmen, an hundred and ten thousand, and horsemen five thousand and three hundred, and elephants two and twenty, and three hundred chariots armed with hooks.

³Menelaus also joined himself with them, and with great dissimulation encouraged Antiochus, not for the safeguard of the country, but because he thought to have been made governor.

⁴But the King of kings moved Antiochus’ mind against this wicked wretch, and Lysias informed the king that this man was the cause of all mischief, so that the king commanded to bring him unto Berea, and to put him to death, as the manner is in that place.

⁵Now there was in that place a tower of fifty cubits high, full of ashes, and it had a round instrument which on every side hanged down into the ashes.

⁶And whosoever was condemned of sacrilege, or had committed any other grievous crime, there did all men thrust him unto death.

⁷Such a death it happened that wicked man to die, not having so much as burial in the earth; and that most justly:

⁸For inasmuch as he had committed many sins about the altar, whose fire and ashes were holy, he received his death in ashes.

⁹Now the king came with a barbarous and haughty mind to do far worse to the Jews, than had been done in his father’s time.

¹⁰Which things when Judas perceived, he commanded the multitude to call upon the Lord night and day, that if ever at any other time, he would now also help them, being at the point to be put from their law, from their country, and from the holy temple:

¹¹And that he would not suffer the people, that had even now been but a little refreshed, to be in subjection to the blasphemous nations.

¹²So when they had all done this together, and besought the merciful Lord with weeping and fasting, and lying flat upon the ground three days long, Judas, having exhorted them, commanded they should be in a readiness.

¹³And Judas, being apart with the elders, determined, before the king’s host should enter into Judea, and get the city, to go forth and try the matter in fight by the help of the Lord.

¹⁴So when he had committed all to the Creator of the world, and exhorted his soldiers to fight manfully, even unto death, for the laws, the temple, the city, the country, and the commonwealth, he camped by Modin:

¹⁵And having given the watchword to them that were about him, Victory is of God; with the most valiant and choice young men he went in into the king’s tent by night, and slew in the camp about four thousand men, and the chiefest of the elephants, with all that were upon him.

¹⁶And at last they filled the camp with fear and tumult, and departed with good success.

¹⁷This was done in the break of the day, because the protection of the Lord did help him.

¹⁸Now when the king had taken a taste of the manliness of the Jews, he went about to take the holds by policy,

¹⁹And marched toward Bethsura, which was a strong hold of the Jews: but he was put to flight, failed, and lost of his men:

²⁰For Judas had conveyed unto them that were in it such things as were necessary.

²¹But Rhodocus, who was in the Jews’ host, disclosed the secrets to the enemies; therefore he was sought out, and when they had gotten him, they put him in prison.

²²The king treated with them in Bethsura the second time, gave his hand, took their’s, departed, fought with Judas, was overcome;

²³Heard that Philip, who was left over the affairs in Antioch, was desperately bent, confounded, intreated the Jews, submitted himself, and sware to all equal conditions, agreed with them, and offered sacrifice, honoured the temple, and dealt kindly with the place,

²⁴And accepted well of Maccabeus, made him principal governor from Ptolemais unto the Gerrhenians;

²⁵Came to Ptolemais: the people there were grieved for the covenants; for they stormed, because they would make their covenants void:

²⁶Lysias went up to the judgment seat, said as much as could be in defence of the cause, persuaded, pacified, made them well affected, returned to Antioch. Thus it went touching the king’s coming and departing.