2. Makkabeler 9

¹Tam o sıralarda Antiokhos, Pers eyaletlerinden darmadağınık ve düzensiz bir biçimde geri çekilmekteydi.

²Çünkü Persepolis denilen şehre girmiş, tapınak soygunculuğu yapmaya ve şehri zapt etmeye kalkışmıştı; bunun üzerine halk yığınları silahlı savunma için harekete geçince bozguna uğrayıp kaçtılar ve yerli halk tarafından bozguna uğratılan Antiokhos'un utanç verici bir biçimde geri çekilmesi gerekti.

³Kendisi Ekbatan'dayken, Nikanor ile Timoteos'un etrafındakilerin başına gelen olayların haberi ona ulaştı.

⁴Öfkeyle kabarmış olarak, kendisini kaçmaya zorlayanların hıncını da Yahudilerden çıkarmayı düşündü; bu yüzden, göksel yargı kendisiyle birlikte yol alırken, arabacısına durmaksızın sürerek yolu bir an önce tamamlamasını emretti; çünkü kibirle şöyle demişti: "Oraya vardığımda Yeruşalim'i Yahudilerin toplu mezarı yapacağım."

⁵Ancak her şeyi denetleyen Rab, İsrail'in Tanrısı, onu devasız ve görünmez bir darbeyle vurdu; o sözünü henüz bitirmişken, bağırsaklarına şifa bulmaz bir ağrı ve iç organlarına şiddetli sancılar girdi.

⁶Bu son derece adildi; çünkü kendisi, başkalarının iç organlarına pek çok ve alışılmadık felaketlerle işkence etmişti.

⁷Yine de küstahlığından hiç vazgeçmedi; aksine kibirle dolup taşarak, Yahudilere karşı öfkeyle ateş soluyor ve yolun hızlandırılmasını emrediyordu; ancak gürültüyle gitmekte olan arabadan feci bir biçimde düşüverdi ve bu ağır düşüş yüzünden bedeninin tüm uzuvları yerinden oynayıp sakatlandı.

⁸İnsani sınırları aşan böbürlenmesiyle az önce denizin dalgalarına hükmedebileceğini sanan ve dağların yüksekliklerini terazide tartabileceğini düşünen bu adam, şimdi yere serilmiş halde bir sedyeyle taşınıyor ve Tanrı'nın gücünü herkese açıkça gösteriyordu.

⁹Öyle ki, bu imansız adamın bedeninden solucanlar kaynıyor, o henüz hayattayken etleri acı ve sancılar içinde dökülüyordu; yaydığı kokunun kokuşmuşluğu yüzünden tüm ordu sarsılıyordu.

¹⁰Kısa bir süre önce gökteki yıldızlara dokunabileceğini sanan bu adamı, yaydığı kokunun dayanılmaz ağırlığı yüzünden artık kimse taşıyamıyordu.

¹¹İşte o zaman, tamamen ezilmiş olarak kibrinin büyük kısmını dindirmeye ve her an artan acılarla ilahi kırbaç altında gerçeği anlamaya başladı.

¹²Kendi kokusuna bile katlanamaz hale gelince şöyle dedi: "Tanrı'ya boyun eğmek ve ölümlü bir insanın kendisini kibirle Tanrı'ya eşit görmemesi doğrudur."

¹³Bu lanetli adam, artık kendisine merhamet etmeyecek olan Egemen'e şöyle diyerek adakta bulunuyordu:

¹⁴Yerle bir etmek ve toplu mezara çevirmek için can atarak gitmekte olduğu kutsal şehri özgür kılacağını;

¹⁵gömülmeye bile layık görmeyip çocuklarıyla birlikte yırtıcı kuşlara ve vahşi hayvanlara yem olarak atmayı düşündüğü Yahudilerin hepsini Atina vatandaşlarıyla eşit kılacağını;

¹⁶daha önce yağmaladığı kutsal tapınağı en güzel adaklarla süsleyeceğini, tüm kutsal kapları kat kat fazlasıyla geri vereceğini ve kurbanlar için gerekli olan masrafları kendi şahsi gelirlerinden karşılayacağını;

¹⁷dahası, kendisinin de Yahudi olacağını ve Tanrı'nın gücünü ilan etmek için insanların yaşadığı her yeri gezeceğini vaat ediyordu.

¹⁸Ancak acıları hiç dinmiyordu, çünkü Tanrı'nın adil yargısı üzerine gelmişti; kendi durumundan ümidini kesince, Yahudilere yalvarış niteliğinde olan şu mektubu yazdı:

¹⁹"Kral ve başkomutan Antiokhos'tan dürüst yurttaşları Yahudilere; bol selam, sağlık ve esenlik dilerim.

²⁰Eğer sizler ve çocuklarınız sağlıklıysanız ve işleriniz dilediğiniz gibiyse, umudumu göğe yönelterek Tanrı'ya yürekten şükrederim.

²¹Bana gelince, zayıf ve hastalıklı durumdayım, ama sizin bana gösterdiğiniz saygıyı ve sevgiyi şefkatle anıyorum; Pers bölgelerinden dönerken ağır bir hastalığa yakalandım ve herkesin ortak güvenliğini düşünmeyi gerekli gördüm.

²²Kendi durumumdan ümidimi kesmiş değilim, aksine bu hastalıktan kurtulmak için büyük bir umudum var.

²³Ancak babamın da yukarı bölgelere sefere çıktığı zamanlarda yerine geçecek kişiyi belirlediğini göz önünde bulundurarak,

²⁴beklenmedik bir durum ortaya çıktığında ya da kötü bir haber ulaştığında, ülke halkının yönetimin kime bırakıldığını bilerek kargaşaya düşmemesini istedim.

²⁵Bunların yanı sıra, krallığıma komşu olan hükümdarların fırsat kolladıklarını ve olayların gidişatını beklediklerini bildiğim için, yukarı satraplıklara her gidişimde birçoğunuza sık sık emanet edip tavsiye ettiğim oğlum Antiokhos'u kral ilan ettim; ona da aşağıda yazılanları yazdım.

²⁶Bu nedenle, gerek toplu olarak gerekse kişisel olarak gördüğünüz iyilikleri hatırlayarak, her birinizin bana ve oğluma karşı olan sevginizi korumanızı rica ve talep ediyorum.

²⁷Çünkü onun benim niyetimi adaletle ve insancıllıkla izleyeceğine ve size karşı yumuşak davranacağına inanıyorum."

²⁸Böylece, başkalarına çektirdiği acıların aynısını en ağır biçimde çeken bu insan katili ve küfürbaz, yabancı bir ülkede, dağlar arasında en acınası bir ölümle hayatını noktaladı.

²⁹Onunla birlikte büyümüş olan çocukluk arkadaşı Filipos cenazesini taşıdı; ancak Antiokhos'un oğlundan çekindiği için Mısır'a, Ptolemaios Filometor'un yanına sığındı.

¹ΠΕΡΙ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐτύγχανεν ᾿Αντίοχος ἀναλελυκὼς ἀκόσμως ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Περσίδα τόπων.

²εἰσεληλύθει γὰρ εἰς τὴν λεγομένην Περσέπολιν καὶ ἐπεχείρησεν ἱεροσυλεῖν καὶ τὴν πόλιν συνέχειν. διὸ δὴ τῶν πληθῶν ὁρμησάντων ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ὅπλων βοήθειαν ἐτράπησαν, καὶ συνέβη τροπωθέντα τὸν ᾿Αντίοχον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων ἀσχήμονα τὴν ἀναζυγὴν ποιήσασθαι.

³ὄντι δὲ αὐτῷ κατ᾿ ᾿Εκβάτανα προσέπεσε τὰ κατὰ Νικάνορα καὶ τοὺς περὶ Τιμόθεον γεγονότα.

⁴ἐπαρθεὶς δὲ τῷ θυμῷ ᾤετο καὶ τὴν τῶν πεφυγαδευκότων αὐτὸν κακίαν εἰς τοὺς ᾿Ιουδαίους ἐναπερείσασθαι, διὸ συνέταξε τὸν ἁρματηλάτην ἀδιαλείπτως ἐλαύνοντα κατανύειν τὴν πορείαν, τῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ δὴ κρίσεως συνούσης αὐτῷ· οὕτω γὰρ ὑπερηφάνως εἶπε· πολυάνδριον ᾿Ιουδαίων ῾Ιεροσόλυμα ποιήσω παραγενόμενος ἐκεῖ.

⁵ὁ δὲ πανεπόπτης Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ἀνιάτῳ καὶ ἀοράτῳ πληγῇ· ἄρτι δὲ αὐτοῦ καταλήξαντος τὸν λόγον, ἔλαβεν αὐτὸν ἀνήκεστος τῶν σπλάγχνων ἀλγηδὼν καὶ πικραὶ τῶν ἔνδον βάσανοι,

⁶πάνυ δικαίως τὸν πολλαῖς καὶ ξενιζούσαις συμφοραῖς ἑτέρων σπλάγχνα βασανίσαντα.

⁷ὁ δ᾿ οὐδαμῶς τῆς ἀγερωχίας ἔληγεν· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἐπεπλήρωτο, πῦρ πνέων τοῖς θυμοῖς ἐπὶ τοὺς ᾿Ιουδαίους καὶ κελεύων ἐποξύνειν τὴν πορείαν. συνέβη δὲ καὶ πεσεῖν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἅρματος φερομένου ῥοίζῳ καὶ δυσχερεῖ πτώματι περιπεσόντα πάντα τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος ἀποστρεβλοῦσθαι.

⁸ὁ δ᾿ ἄρτι δοκῶν τοῖς τῆς θαλάσσης κύμασιν ἐπιτάσσειν διὰ τὴν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἀλαζονείαν καὶ πλάστιγγι τὰ τῶν ὀρέων οἰόμενος ὕψη στήσειν, κατὰ γῆν γενόμενος ἐν φορείῳ παρεκομίζετο, φανερὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ πᾶσι τὴν δύναμιν ἐνδεικνύμενος,

⁹ὥστε καὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς σκώληκας ἀναζεῖν, καὶ ζῶντος ἐν ὀδύναις καὶ ἀλγηδόσι τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ διαπίπτειν, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς ὀσμῆς αὐτοῦ πᾶν τὸ στρατόπεδον βαρύνεσθαι τῇ σαπρίᾳ.

¹⁰καὶ τὸν μικρῷ πρότερον τῶν οὐρανίων ἄστρων ἅπτεσθαι δοκοῦντα παρακομίζειν οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο διὰ τὸ τῆς ὀσμῆς ἀφόρητον βάρος.

¹¹ἐνταῦθα οὖν ἤρξατο τὸ πολὺ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας λήγειν ὑποτεθραυσμένος καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἔρχεσθαι θείᾳ μάστιγι κατὰ στιγμὴν ἐπιτεινόμενος ταῖς ἀλγηδόσι.

¹²καὶ μηδὲ τῆς ὀσμῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμενος ἀνέχεσθαι ταῦτ᾿ ἔφη· δίκαιον ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ μὴ θνητὸν ὄντα ἰσόθεα φρονεῖν ὑπερηφάνως.

¹³ηὔχετο δὲ ὁ μιαρὸς πρὸς τὸν οὐκέτι αὐτὸν ἐλεήσοντα Δεσπότην, οὕτω λέγων

¹⁴τὴν μὲν ἁγίαν πόλιν, ἣν σπεύδων παρεγίνετο ἰσόπεδον ποιῆσαι καὶ πολυάνδριον οἰκοδομῆσαι, ἐλευθέραν ἀναδεῖξαι·

¹⁵τοὺς δὲ ᾿Ιουδαίους, οὓς διεγνώκει μηδὲ ταφῆς ἀξιῶσαι οἰωνοβρώτους δὲ σὺν τοῖς νηπίοις ἐκρίψειν θηρίοις, πάντας αὐτοὺς ἴσους ᾿Αθηναίους ποιήσειν·

¹⁶ὃν δὲν πρότερον ἐσκύλευσεν ἅγιον νεὼν καλλίστοις ἀναθήμασι κοσμήσειν καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ σκεύη πολυπλάσια πάντα ἀποδώσειν, τὰς δὲ ἐπιβαλλούσας πρὸς τὰς θυσίας συντάξεις ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων προσόδων χορηγήσειν·

¹⁷πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ ᾿Ιουδαῖον ἔσεσθαι καὶ πάντα τόπον οἰκητὸν ἐπελεύσεσθαι καταγγέλλοντα τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κράτος.

¹⁸οὐδαμῶς δὲ ληγόντων τῶν πόνων, ἐπεληλύθει γὰρ ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν δικαία ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσις, τὰ κατ᾿ αὐτὸν ἀπελπίσας, ἔγραψε πρὸς τοὺς ᾿Ιουδαίους τὴν ὑπογεγραμμένην ἐπιστολήν, ἱκετηρίας τάξιν ἔχουσαν, περιέχουσαν δὲ οὕτως·

¹⁹«Τοῖς χρηστοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις τοῖς πολίταις πολλὰ χαίρειν καὶ ὑγιαίνειν καὶ εὖ πράττειν βασιλεὺς καὶ στρατηγὸς ᾿Αντίοχος.

²⁰εἰ ἔρρωσθε καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὰ ἴδια κατὰ γνώμην ἐστὶν ὑμῖν, εὔχομαι μὲν τῷ Θεῷ τὴν μεγίστην χάριν, εἰς οὐρανὸν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχων,

²¹κἀγὼ δὲ ἀσθενῶς διεκείμην, ὑμῶν τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν ἂν ἐμνημόνευον φιλοστόργως. ἐπανάγων ἐκ τῶν περὶ τὴν Περσίδα τόπων καὶ περιπεσὼν ἀσθενείᾳ δυσχέρειαν ἐχούσῃ, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην φροντίσαι τῆς κοινῆς πάντων ἀσφαλείας.

²²οὐκ ἀπογινώσκων τὰ κατ᾿ ἐμαυτόν, ἀλλὰ ἔχων πολλὴν ἐλπίδα ἐκφεύξεσθαι τὴν ἀσθένειαν,

²³θεωρῶν δὲ ὅτι καὶ ὁ πατήρ, καθ᾿ οὓς καιροὺς εἰς τοὺς ἄνω τόπους ἐστρατοπέδευσεν, ἀνέδειξε τὸν διαδεξόμενον,

²⁴ὅπως ἐάν τι παράδοξον ἀποβαίνῃ ἢ καὶ προσαγγελθῇ τι δυσχερές, εἰδότες οἱ κατὰ τὴν χώραν ᾧ καταλέλειπται τὰ πράγματα, μὴ ἐπιταράσσωνται.

²⁵πρὸς δὲ τούτοις κατανοῶν τοὺς παρακειμένους δυνάστας καὶ γειτνιῶντας τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῖς καιροῖς ἐπέχοντας καὶ προσδεχομένους τὸ ἀποβησόμενον, ἀναδέδειχα τὸν υἱόν μου ᾿Αντίοχον βασιλέα, ὃν πολλάκις ἀνατρέχων εἰς τὰς ἐπάνω σατραπείας τοῖς πλείστοις ὑμῶν παρακατετιθέμην καὶ συνίστων· γέγραφα δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ ὑπογεγραμμένα.

²⁶παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀξιῶ, μεμνημένους τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν κοινῇ καὶ κατ᾿ ἰδίαν, ἕκαστον συντηρεῖν τὴν οὖσαν εὔνοιαν εἰς ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν υἱόν μου·

²⁷πέπεισμαι γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπιεικῶς καὶ φιλανθρώπως παρακολουθοῦντα τῇ ἐμῇ προαιρέσει συμπεριενεχθήσεσθαι ὑμῖν».

²⁸῾Ο μὲν οὖν ἀνδροφόνος καὶ βλάσφημος τὰ χείριστα παθών, ὡς ἑτέρους διέθηκεν, ἐπὶ ξένης ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν οἰκτίστῳ μόρῳ κατέστρεψε τὸν βίον.

²⁹παρεκομίζετο δὲ τὸ σῶμα Φίλιππος ὁ σύντροφος αὐτοῦ, ὃς καὶ διευλαβηθεὶς τὸν υἱὸν ᾿Αντιόχου, πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Φιλομήτορα εἰς Αἴγυπτον διεκομίσθη.

¹About that time came Antiochus with dishonour out of the country of Persia

²For he had entered the city called Persepolis, and went about to rob the temple, and to hold the city; whereupon the multitude running to defend themselves with their weapons put them to flight; and so it happened, that Antiochus being put to flight of the inhabitants returned with shame.

³Now when he came to Ecbatane, news was brought him what had happened unto Nicanor and Timotheus.

⁴Then swelling with anger. he thought to avenge upon the Jews the disgrace done unto him by those that made him flee. Therefore commanded he his chariotman to drive without ceasing, and to dispatch the journey, the judgment of God now following him. For he had spoken proudly in this sort, That he would come to Jerusalem and make it a common burying place of the Jews.

⁵But the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, smote him with an incurable and invisible plague: or as soon as he had spoken these words, a pain of the bowels that was remediless came upon him, and sore torments of the inner parts;

⁶And that most justly: for he had tormented other men’s bowels with many and strange torments.

⁷Howbeit he nothing at all ceased from his bragging, but still was filled with pride, breathing out fire in his rage against the Jews, and commanding to haste the journey: but it came to pass that he fell down from his chariot, carried violently; so that having a sore fall, all the members of his body were much pained.

⁸And thus he that a little afore thought he might command the waves of the sea, (so proud was he beyond the condition of man) and weigh the high mountains in a balance, was now cast on the ground, and carried in an horselitter, shewing forth unto all the manifest power of God.

⁹So that the worms rose up out of the body of this wicked man, and whiles he lived in sorrow and pain, his flesh fell away, and the filthiness of his smell was noisome to all his army.

¹⁰And the man, that thought a little afore he could reach to the stars of heaven, no man could endure to carry for his intolerable stink.

¹¹Here therefore, being plagued, he began to leave off his great pride, and to come to the knowledge of himself by the scourge of God, his pain increasing every moment.

¹²And when he himself could not abide his own smell, he said these words, It is meet to be subject unto God, and that a man that is mortal should not proudly think of himself if he were God.

¹³This wicked person vowed also unto the Lord, who now no more would have mercy upon him, saying thus,

¹⁴That the holy city (to the which he was going in haste to lay it even with the ground, and to make it a common buryingplace,) he would set at liberty:

¹⁵And as touching the Jews, whom he had judged not worthy so much as to be buried, but to be cast out with their children to be devoured of the fowls and wild beasts, he would make them all equals to the citizens of Athens:

¹⁶And the holy temple, which before he had spoiled, he would garnish with goodly gifts, and restore all the holy vessels with many more, and out of his own revenue defray the charges belonging to the sacrifices:

¹⁷Yea, and that also he would become a Jew himself, and go through all the world that was inhabited, and declare the power of God.

¹⁸But for all this his pains would not cease: for the just judgment of God was come upon him: therefore despairing of his health, he wrote unto the Jews the letter underwritten, containing the form of a supplication, after this manner:

¹⁹Antiochus, king and governor, to the good Jews his citizens wisheth much joy, health, and prosperity:

²⁰If ye and your children fare well, and your affairs be to your contentment, I give very great thanks to God, having my hope in heaven.

²¹As for me, I was weak, or else I would have remembered kindly your honour and good will returning out of Persia, and being taken with a grievous disease, I thought it necessary to care for the common safety of all:

²²Not distrusting mine health, but having great hope to escape this sickness.

²³But considering that even my father, at what time he led an army into the high countries. appointed a successor,

²⁴To the end that, if any thing fell out contrary to expectation, or if any tidings were brought that were grievous, they of the land, knowing to whom the state was left, might not be troubled:

²⁵Again, considering how that the princes that are borderers and neighbours unto my kingdom wait for opportunities, and expect what shall be the event. I have appointed my son Antiochus king, whom I often committed and commended unto many of you, when I went up into the high provinces; to whom I have written as followeth:

²⁶Therefore I pray and request you to remember the benefits that I have done unto you generally, and in special, and that every man will be still faithful to me and my son.

²⁷For I am persuaded that he understanding my mind will favourably and graciously yield to your desires.

²⁸Thus the murderer and blasphemer having suffered most grievously, as he entreated other men, so died he a miserable death in a strange country in the mountains.

²⁹And Philip, that was brought up with him, carried away his body, who also fearing the son of Antiochus went into Egypt to Ptolemeus Philometor.