3 Maccabees 3

Greek original · 30 verses · some words can be tapped for a gloss

📖 This chapter exists in 1 other originals — side by side (Apocrypha)

3:1

ἃ καὶ μεταλαμβάνων ὁ δυσσεβὴς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξεχόλησεν ὥστε οὐ μόνον τοῖς κατὰ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν διοργίζεσθαι ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ βαρυτέρως ἐναντιωθῆναι καὶ προστάξαι σπεύσαντας συναγαγεῖν πάντας ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ χειρίστῳ μόρῳ τοῦ ζῆν μεταστῆσαι

On discovering this, so incensed was the wicked king, that he no longer confined his rage to the Jews in Alexandria. Laying his hand more heavily upon those who lived in the country, he gave orders that they should be quickly collected into one place, and most cruelly deprived of their lives.

那不虔的王得知這事，便惱怒到一個地步，不單向亞歷山大城的猶大人發怒，也更嚴厲地敵視鄉間的猶大人，吩咐人速速把眾人聚集在一處，用最殘酷的方式奪去他們的性命。

3:2

τούτων δὲ οἰκονομουμένων φήμη δυσμενὴς ἐξηχεῖτο κατὰ τοῦ γένους ἀνθρώποις συμφρονοῦσιν εἰς κακοποίησιν ἀφορμῆς διδομένης εἰς διάθεσιν ὡς ἂν ἀπὸ τῶν νομίμων αὐτοὺς κωλυόντων

While this was going on, an invidious rumour was uttered abroad by men who had banded together to injure the Jewish race. The purport of their charge was, that the Jews kept them away from the ordinances of the law.

這事進行之時，有一夥圖謀加害猶大民族的人，散佈敵意的謠言，藉機誣陷，說猶大人攔阻他們遵守律例。

3:3

οἱ δὲ Ιουδαῖοι τὴν μὲν πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς εὔνοιαν καὶ πίστιν ἀδιάστροφον ἦσαν φυλάσσοντες

Now, while the Jews always maintained a feeling of un-swerving loyalty towards the kings,

其實猶大人向來對列王都存著堅定不移的忠誠與信實；

3:4

σεβόμενοι δὲ τὸν θεὸν καὶ τῷ τούτου νόμῳ πολιτευόμενοι χωρισμὸν ἐποίουν ἐπὶ τῷ κατὰ τὰς τροφάς δῑ ἣν αἰτίαν ἐνίοις ἀπεχθεῖς ἐφαίνοντο

yet, as they worshipped God, and observed his law, they made certain distinctions, and avoided certain things. Hence some persons held them in odium;

只因他們敬畏神，按祂的律法行事為人，在飲食上有所分別；正因這緣故，有些人就憎惡他們。

3:5

τῇ δὲ τῶν δικαίων εὐπραξίᾳ κοσμοῦντες τὴν συναναστροφὴν ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις εὐδόκιμοι καθειστήκεισαν

although, as they adorned their conversation with works of righteousness, they had established themselves in the good opinion of the world.

然而他們以義人的善行妝飾自己的交往，在眾人面前建立了美好的聲譽。

3:6

τὴν μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦ γένους ἐν πᾶσιν θρυλουμένην εὐπραξίαν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι οὐδαμῶς διηριθμήσαντο

What all the rest of mankind said, was, however, made of no account by the foreigners;

但這民族眾所周知的美好行為，那些外族人卻全然不放在眼裡；

3:7

τὴν δὲ περὶ τῶν προσκυνήσεων καὶ τροφῶν διάστασιν ἐθρύλουν φάσκοντες μήτε τῷ βασιλεῖ μήτε ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ὁμοσπόνδους τοὺς ἀνθρώπους γίνεσθαι δυσμενεῖς δὲ εἶναι καὶ μέγα τι τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐναντιουμένους καὶ οὐ τῷ τυχόντι περιῆψαν ψόγῳ

who said much of the exclusiveness of the Jews with regard to their worship and meats; they alleged that they were men unsociable, hostile to the king’s interests, refusing to associate with him or his troops. By this way of speaking, they brought much odium upon them.

他們反倒把猶大人在敬拜與飲食上的分別大肆渲染，說這些人既不與王、也不與軍隊同心合意，反是懷敵意、大大阻撓國事的人；他們就以非比尋常的毀謗加在猶大人身上。

3:8

οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν Ἕλληνες οὐδὲν ἠδικημένοι ταραχὴν ἀπροσδόκητον περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους θεωροῦντες καὶ συνδρομὰς ἀπροσκόπους γινομένας βοηθεῖν μὲν οὐκ ἔσθενον τυραννικὴ γὰρ ἦν ἡ διάθεσις παρεκάλουν δὲ καὶ δυσφόρως εἶχον καὶ μεταπεσεῖσθαι ταῦτα ὑπελάμβανον

Nor was this unexpected uproar and sudden conflux of people unobserved by the Greeks who lived in the city, concerning men who had never harmed them: yet to aid them was not in their power, since all was oppression around; but they encouraged them in their troubles, and expected a favourable turn of affairs:

城裡的希臘人，雖然絲毫未受這些人的虧負，卻見他們突然遭此擾亂，又見那無端的羣眾聚集；他們雖無力相助，因當時情勢專橫暴虐，仍出言安慰他們，並深感難過，盼望事態能有轉變。

3:9

μὴ γὰρ οὕτω παροραθήσεσθαι τηλικοῦτο σύστεμα μηδὲν ἠγνοηκός

He who knows all things, will not, said they, disregard so great a people.

他們說：那位無所不知的神，斷不會這樣坐視這麼大的一個羣體。