2 Macabeus 8

1Então Judas Macabeu e os que estavam com ele entravam secretamente nas aldeias, e convocavam os seus parentes, e tomavam consigo todos os que tinham permanecido na religião dos judeus, e reuniram cerca de seis mil homens.

1Then Judas Maccabeus, and they that were with him, went privily into the towns, and called their kinsfolks together, and took unto them all such as continued in the Jews’ religion, and assembled about six thousand men.

2E invocavam o Senhor, para que olhasse para o povo pisado por todos, e tivesse compaixão do templo profanado pelos ímpios;

2And they called upon the Lord, that he would look upon the people that was trodden down of all; and also pity the temple profaned of ungodly men;

3e que tivesse misericórdia da cidade, gravemente devastada e prestes a ser arrasada, e ouvisse o sangue que clamava a ele;

3And that he would have compassion upon the city, sore defaced, and ready to be made even with the ground; and hear the blood that cried unto him,

4e se lembrasse da iníqua matança dos meninos inocentes e das blasfêmias cometidas contra o seu nome, e mostrasse o seu ódio contra os maus.

4And remember the wicked slaughter of harmless infants, and the blasphemies committed against his name; and that he would shew his hatred against the wicked.

5E, quando o Macabeu teve a sua tropa reunida, os gentios não lhe puderam resistir, porque a ira do Senhor se convertera em misericórdia.

5Now when Maccabeus had his company about him, he could not be withstood by the heathen: for the wrath of the Lord was turned into mercy.

6Por isso chegava de improviso, e queimava vilas e cidades, e se apoderava dos lugares mais estratégicos, e vencia e punha em fuga não pequeno número de inimigos.

6Therefore he came at unawares, and burnt up towns and cities, and got into his hands the most commodious places, and overcame and put to flight no small number of his enemies.

7Mas aproveitava sobretudo a noite para tais ataques secretos, de modo que a fama da sua valentia se espalhou por toda parte.

7But specially took he advantage of the night for such privy attempts, insomuch that the fruit of his holiness was spread every where.

8Vendo Filipe que este homem crescia pouco a pouco e que as suas empresas prosperavam cada vez mais, escreveu a Ptolomeu, governador da Celessíria e da Fenícia, para que prestasse mais auxílio aos negócios do rei.

8So when Philip saw that this man increased by little and little, and that things prospered with him still more and more, he wrote unto Ptolemeus, the governor of Celosyria and Phenice, to yield more aid to the king’s affairs.

9Então ele, escolhendo logo Nicanor, filho de Pátroclo, um dos seus principais amigos, enviou-o com não menos de vinte mil homens de todas as nações sob o seu comando, para exterminar toda a raça dos judeus; e juntou-lhe também Górgias, capitão de grande experiência nas coisas da guerra.

9Then forthwith choosing Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of his special friends, he sent him with no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations under him, to root out the whole generation of the Jews; and with him he joined also Gorgias a captain, who in matters of war had great experience.

10E Nicanor propôs-se obter, com a venda dos judeus cativos, o dinheiro necessário para pagar o tributo de dois mil talentos que o rei devia aos romanos.

10So Nicanor undertook to make so much money of the captive Jews, as should defray the tribute of two thousand talents, which the king was to pay to the Romans.

11Por isso enviou logo às cidades do litoral, anunciando a venda dos judeus cativos, e prometendo dar noventa escravos por um talento, sem esperar a vingança que o Deus Todo-Poderoso lhe havia de trazer.

11Wherefore immediately he sent to the cities upon the sea coast, proclaiming a sale of the captive Jews, and promising that they should have fourscore and ten bodies for one talent, not expecting the vengeance that was to follow upon him from the Almighty God.

12Quando Judas recebeu a notícia da vinda de Nicanor, e comunicou aos que estavam com ele que o exército estava perto,

12Now when word was brought unto Judas of Nicanor’s coming, and he had imparted unto those that were with him that the army was at hand,

13os medrosos e os que desconfiavam da justiça de Deus fugiram e se retiraram.

13They that were fearful, and distrusted the justice of God, fled, and conveyed themselves away.

14Outros venderam tudo o que lhes restava, e ao mesmo tempo suplicavam ao Senhor que os livrasse, vendidos pelo ímpio Nicanor antes mesmo do combate;

14Others sold all that they had left, and withal besought the Lord to deliver them, sold by the wicked Nicanor before they met together:

15e, se não por amor deles, ao menos por causa das alianças que fizera com seus pais, e por amor do seu nome santo e glorioso, pelo qual eram chamados.

15And if not for their own sakes, yet for the covenants he had made with their fathers, and for his holy and glorious name’s sake, by which they were called.

16Então o Macabeu reuniu os seus homens, em número de seis mil, e os exortou a não se aterrorizarem diante do inimigo, nem temerem a grande multidão dos gentios que vinham injustamente contra eles, mas a pelejarem valorosamente,

16So Maccabeus called his men together unto the number of six thousand, and exhorted them not to be stricken with terror of the enemy, nor to fear the great multitude of the heathen, who came wrongly against them; but to fight manfully,

17pondo diante dos olhos a injúria que injustamente haviam feito ao lugar santo, e os maus-tratos da cidade, de que fizeram escárnio, e também a abolição das instituições dos antepassados.

17And to set before their eyes the injury that they had unjustly done to the holy place, and the cruel handling of the city, whereof they made a mockery, and also the taking away of the government of their forefathers:

18Pois eles, disse, confiam nas suas armas e na sua audácia; mas a nossa confiança está no Todo-Poderoso, que com um aceno pode derrubar tanto os que vêm contra nós como o mundo inteiro.

18For they, said he, trust in their weapons and boldness; but our confidence is in the Almighty who at a beck can cast down both them that come against us, and also all the world.

19Além disso, recordou-lhes os socorros que seus antepassados tinham recebido, e como foram livrados quando, no tempo de Senaqueribe, pereceram cento e oitenta e cinco mil;

19Moreover, he recounted unto them what helps their forefathers had found, and how they were delivered, when under Sennacherib an hundred fourscore and five thousand perished.

20e falou-lhes da batalha que travaram em Babilônia contra os gálatas: como foram ao combate apenas oito mil ao todo, com quatro mil macedônios, e como, estando os macedônios em apuros, os oito mil destruíram cento e vinte mil, graças ao socorro que tiveram do céu, e tomaram grande despojo.

20And he told them of the battle that they had in Babylon with the Galatians, how they came but eight thousand in all to the business, with four thousand Macedonians, and that the Macedonians being perplexed, the eight thousand destroyed an hundred and twenty thousand because of the help that they had from heaven, and so received a great booty.

21Tendo-os assim encorajado com estas palavras e disposto a morrer pela lei e pela pátria, dividiu o exército em quatro partes;

21Thus when he had made them bold with these words, and ready to die for the law and the country, he divided his army into four parts;

22e pôs à frente de cada tropa os seus irmãos, Simão, José e Jônatas, dando a cada um mil e quinhentos homens.

22And joined with himself his own brethren, leaders of each band, to wit Simon, and Joseph, and Jonathan, giving each one fifteen hundred men.

23Também designou Eleazar para ler o livro santo; e, tendo-lhes dado esta senha: Socorro de Deus, ele mesmo, à frente da primeira tropa,

23Also he appointed Eleazar to read the holy book: and when he had given them this watchword, The help of God; himself leading the first band,

24com o auxílio do Todo-Poderoso, matou mais de nove mil inimigos, e feriu e mutilou a maior parte do exército de Nicanor, e pôs todos em fuga;

24And by the help of the Almighty they slew above nine thousand of their enemies, and wounded and maimed the most part of Nicanor’s host, and so put all to flight;

25e tomaram o dinheiro dos que tinham vindo para os comprar, e os perseguiram por longo trecho; mas, faltando-lhes tempo, voltaram;

25And took their money that came to buy them, and pursued them far: but lacking time they returned:

26porque era véspera de sábado, e por isso não continuaram a persegui-los.

26For it was the day before the sabbath, and therefore they would no longer pursue them.

27Assim, tendo recolhido as armas e despojado os inimigos, ocuparam-se do sábado, dando muitíssimos louvores e graças ao Senhor, que os preservara até aquele dia, princípio da misericórdia que derramava sobre eles.

27So when they had gathered their armour together, and spoiled their enemies, they occupied themselves about the sabbath, yielding exceeding praise and thanks to the Lord, who had preserved them unto that day, which was the beginning of mercy distilling upon them.

28E, depois do sábado, tendo dado parte dos despojos aos mutilados, às viúvas e aos órfãos, repartiram o resto entre si e os seus servos.

28And after the sabbath, when they had given part of the spoils to the maimed, and the widows, and orphans, the residue they divided among themselves and their servants.

29Feito isto, e tendo feito uma súplica comum, rogaram ao Senhor misericordioso que se reconciliasse para sempre com os seus servos.

29When this was done, and they had made a common supplication, they besought the merciful Lord to be reconciled with his servants for ever.

30Além disso, dos que estavam com Timóteo e Báquides, que pelejaram contra eles, mataram mais de vinte mil, e com muita facilidade se apoderaram de fortalezas altas e fortes, e repartiram entre si muitíssimos despojos, e fizeram os mutilados, os órfãos, as viúvas e também os velhos iguais a eles na partilha.

30Moreover of those that were with Timotheus and Bacchides, who fought against them, they slew above twenty thousand, and very easily got high and strong holds, and divided among themselves many spoils more, and made the maimed, orphans, widows, yea, and the aged also, equal in spoils with themselves.

31E, tendo recolhido as armas, guardaram-nas cuidadosamente em lugares convenientes, e levaram o resto dos despojos para Jerusalém.

31And when they had gathered their armour together, they laid them up all carefully in convenient places, and the remnant of the spoils they brought to Jerusalem.

32Mataram também Filarco, homem perverso, que estava com Timóteo e muito havia afligido os judeus.

32They slew also Philarches, that wicked person, who was with Timotheus, and had annoyed the Jews many ways.

33Além disso, quando celebravam na sua pátria a festa da vitória, queimaram Calístenes, que ateara fogo às portas sagradas e se refugiara numa casinha; e assim recebeu a paga digna da sua impiedade.

33Furthermore at such time as they kept the feast for the victory in their country they burnt Callisthenes, that had set fire upon the holy gates, who had fled into a little house; and so he received a reward meet for his wickedness.

34Quanto ao malvadíssimo Nicanor, que trouxera mil mercadores para comprar os judeus,

34As for that most ungracious Nicanor, who had brought a thousand merchants to buy the Jews,

35foi, com o auxílio do Senhor, humilhado por aqueles a quem tinha em menor conta; e, despindo as suas vestes gloriosas e abandonando a sua tropa, chegou pelo interior a Antioquia como um escravo fugitivo, cheio de ignomínia pela destruição do seu exército.

35He was through the help of the Lord brought down by them, of whom he made least account; and putting off his glorious apparel, and discharging his company, he came like a fugitive servant through the midland unto Antioch having very great dishonour, for that his host was destroyed.

36Assim, aquele que se encarregara de pagar aos romanos o tributo com a venda dos cativos de Jerusalém, proclamava que os judeus tinham Deus por defensor, e que por isso eram invulneráveis, porque seguiam as leis que ele lhes dera.

36Thus he, that took upon him to make good to the Romans their tribute by means of captives in Jerusalem, told abroad, that the Jews had God to fight for them, and therefore they could not be hurt, because they followed the laws that he gave them.