HOLY BIBLE: 1 Maccabees 16 (original) (raw)

11 καὶ Πτολεμαῖος ὁ τοῦ Ἀβούβου ἦν καθεσταμένος στρατηγὸς εἰς τὸ πεδίον Ιεριχω καὶ ἔσχεν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον πολύ 12 ἦν γὰρ γαμβρὸς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως 13 καὶ ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐβουλήθη κατακρατῆσαι τῆς χώρας καὶ ἐβουλεύετο δόλῳ κατὰ Σιμωνος καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ ἆραι αὐτούς 14 Σιμων δὲ ἦν ἐφοδεύων τὰς πόλεις τὰς ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ καὶ φροντίζων τῆς ἐπιμελείας αὐτῶν καὶ κατέβη εἰς Ιεριχω αὐτὸς καὶ Ματταθιας καὶ Ιουδας οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἔτους ἑβδόμου καὶ ἑβδομηκοστοῦ καὶ ἑκατοστοῦ ἐν μηνὶ ἑνδεκάτῳ οὗτος ὁ μὴν Σαβατ 15 καὶ ὑπεδέξατο αὐτοὺς ὁ τοῦ Ἀβούβου εἰς τὸ ὀχυρωμάτιον τὸ καλούμενον Δωκ μετὰ δόλου ὃ ᾠκοδόμησεν καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτοῖς πότον μέγαν καὶ ἐνέκρυψεν ἐκεῖ ἄνδρας 16 καὶ ὅτε ἐμεθύσθη Σιμων καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐξανέστη Πτολεμαῖος καὶ οἱ πα{R'} αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλαβον τὰ ὅπλα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπεισῆλθον τῷ Σιμωνι εἰς τὸ συμπόσιον καὶ ἀπέκτειναν αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καί τινας τῶν παιδαρίων αὐτοῦ 17 καὶ ἐποίησεν ἀθεσίαν μεγάλην καὶ ἀπέδωκεν κακὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν

11 Turn we now to Ptolemy, son of Abobus, that was in charge of all Jericho plain, and had a purse well lined with silver and gold; 12 was he not the son-in-law of a high priest?[3] 13 But higher still his ambition ran; he would make himself master of the whole country; murder he plotted for Simon and his sons together. 14 It was in Sabath, the eleventh month, of the hundred and seventy-seventh year, that Simon came down to Jericho, as ever he visited all the cities of Judaea in his great care for them; and his sons Mattathias and Judas went with him. 15 And there, in a castle he had built for himself, Doch is the name of it, the son of Abobus gave them treacherous welcome. A great feast he made, but he had men waiting in readiness, 16 and with these, when Simon and his sons had drunk deep, he took arms, broke into the banqueting-chamber, and slew both father and sons, with certain of their retinue. 17 Never saw Israel so treacherous a deed, or good service so ill rewarded.

11 Et Ptolemæus filius Abobi constitutus erat dux in campo Jericho, et habebat argentum et aurum multum: 12 erat enim gener summi sacerdotis. 13 Et exaltatum est cor ejus, et volebat obtinere regionem, et cogitabat dolum adversus Simonem et filios ejus, ut tolleret eos. 14 Simon autem, perambulans civitates quæ erant in regione Judææ, et sollicitudinem gerens earum, descendit in Jericho ipse, et Mathathias filius ejus, et Judas, anno centesimo septuagesimo septimo, mense undecimo: hic est mensis Sabath. 15 Et suscepit eos filius Abobi in munitiunculam, quæ vocatur Doch, cum dolo, quam ædificavit: et fecit eis convivium magnum, et abscondit illic viros. 16 Et cum inebriatus esset Simon et filii ejus, surrexit Ptolemæus cum suis, et sumpserunt arma sua, et intraverunt in convivium: et occiderunt eum, et duos filios ejus, et quosdam pueros ejus: 17 et fecit deceptionem magnam in Israël, et reddidit mala pro bonis.

[1] The name John is not mentioned in the original, either here or in verses 6 and 7 below. But it is plain that either John or Judas is meant, and 13.54 seems to give the best grounds for a decision.

[2] v. 9. It is grammatically impossible to make Cendebaeus the subject of the verb ‘he had fortified’, as the sentence stands. It seems likely that there is some slight error or omission in the manuscripts.

[3] ‘Of a high priest’; Josephus understands this as referring to Simon himself. But it does not seem likely that the author should have suppressed his name in verse 12, only to mention it in verse 13; nor does he mention the circumstances of affinity as adding to the heinousness of the crime (cf. verse 17). Possibly some other name has dropped out, e.g. that of Alcimus.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd