1 Not long after this the king sent an old man of Athens to compel the Jews to depart from the laws of their fathers, and not to live after the laws of God:
2 And to pollute also the temple in Jerusalem, and to call it the temple of Jupiter Olympius; and that in Garizim, of Jupiter the Defender of strangers, as they did desire that dwelt in the place.
3 The coming in of this mischief was sore and grievous to the people:
4 For the temple was filled with riot and revelling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots, and had to do with women within the circuit of the holy places, and besides that brought in things that were not lawful.
5 The altar also was filled with profane things, which the law forbiddeth.
6 Neither was it lawful for a man to keep sabbath days or ancient fasts, or to profess himself at all to be a Jew.
7 And in the day of the king’s birth every month they were brought by bitter constraint to eat of the sacrifices; and when the fast of Bacchus was kept, the Jews were compelled to go in procession to Bacchus, carrying ivy.
8 Moreover there went out a decree to the neighbour cities of the heathen, by the suggestion of Ptolemee, against the Jews, that they should observe the same fashions, and be partakers of their sacrifices:
9 And whoso would not conform themselves to the manners of the Gentiles should be put to death. Then might a man have seen the present misery.
10 For there were two women brought, who had circumcised their children; whom when they had openly led round about the city, the babes hanging at their breasts, they cast them down headlong from the wall.
11 And others, that had run together into caves near by, to keep the sabbath day secretly, being discovered by Philip, were all burnt together, because they made a conscience to help themselves for the honour of the most sacred day.
12 Now I beseech those that read this book, that they be not discouraged for these calamities, but that they judge those punishments not to be for destruction, but for a chastening of our nation.
13 For it is a token of his great goodness, when wicked doers are not suffered any long time, but forthwith punished.
14 For not as with other nations, whom the Lord patiently forbeareth to punish, till they be come to the fulness of their sins, so dealeth he with us,
15 Lest that, being come to the height of sin, afterwards he should take vengeance of us.
16 And therefore he never withdraweth his mercy from us: and though he punish with adversity, yet doth he never forsake his people.
17 But let this that we have spoken be for a warning unto us. And now will we come to the declaring of the matter in a few words.
18 Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, an aged man, and of a well favoured countenance, was constrained to open his mouth, and to eat swine’s flesh.
19 But he, choosing rather to die gloriously, than to live stained with such an abomination, spit it forth, and came of his own accord to the torment,
20 As it behoved them to come, that are resolute to stand out against such things, as are not lawful for love of life to be tasted.
21 But they that had the charge of that wicked feast, for the old acquaintance they had with the man, taking him aside, besought him to bring flesh of his own provision, such as was lawful for him to use, and make as if he did eat of the flesh taken from the sacrifice commanded by the king;
22 That in so doing he might be delivered from death, and for the old friendship with them find favour.
23 But he began to consider discreetly, and as became his age, and the excellency of his ancient years, and the honour of his gray head, whereon was come, and his most honest education from a child, or rather the holy law made and given by God: therefore he answered accordingly, and willed them straightways to send him to the grave.
24 For it becometh not our age, said he, in any wise to dissemble, whereby many young persons might think that Eleazar, being fourscore years old and ten, were now gone to a strange religion;
25 And so they through mine hypocrisy, and desire to live a little time and a moment longer, should be deceived by me, and I get a stain to mine old age, and make it abominable.
26 For though for the present time I should be delivered from the punishment of men: yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty, neither alive, nor dead.
27 Wherefore now, manfully changing this life, I will shew myself such an one as mine age requireth,
28 And leave a notable example to such as be young to die willingly and courageously for the honourable and holy laws. And when he had said these words, immediately he went to the torment:
29 They that led him changing the good will they bare him a little before into hatred, because the foresaid speeches proceeded, as they thought, from a desperate mind.
30 But when he was ready to die with stripes, he groaned, and said, It is manifest unto the Lord, that hath the holy knowledge, that whereas I might have been delivered from death, I now endure sore pains in body by being beaten: but in soul am well content to suffer these things, because I fear him.
31 And thus this man died, leaving his death for an example of a noble courage, and a memorial of virtue, not only unto young men, but unto all his nation.
Jodeǁîn ge ǁîn ǂgoms ǃaroma ra ǃgôaǃgonhe
1 Gaxu ǁae-i tsîn ǃkharu tamaseb ge gao-aoba, Ateneǁîn di kaiba Jodeǁînab nî ǁîn di ǂgoms tsî ǁîn di aboxagu ǁnaetigan nî ǁnāxūse ǁgariga ge sî. 2 ǁÎb ge ǁkhāti Tempela, Olimpiaǁîn elob Seub di tempeli tib ge ǂgai ǃkhais ǀkha ge ǃanuoǃnâ kai. Gerisimǃhommi ai ge mâ i Tempeli ge ǂhanusise “Seub, Khoexaǃnâsib Elob di Tempeli” ti khoen ǁnāpa ge ǁan hâ in ge ǂgan khami ge ǀonǂgaihe.
3 ǁGâiǀāb ge taniheǁoasase, kaise ge ǁkhō i. 4 Jodeǁî taman ge Tempeli ǃnâ ǀhao tsî ā tsî ǂguiǃnâgu ǂkhabadīga gere dī. ǁÎgu ge ǁkhāti ǀai-aodi ǀkhas tsîna ǁnāpa gere ǁgoe. ǂKhāhesa xūn tsîn ge Tempeli ǃnâ gere hā-ūhe 5 tsîs ge altarsa ǂhanub ǂkhā hâ ǀurixa ǁguibaxūn xa ge ǀoa hâ i. 6 Khoen ge Sabbattsēsa tsēdi ǁoa, ǁîn aboxagu di kaitsēde ǁâudī ǁoa tamas ka io Jodeǁîn a ti ge ǂgaisen ǁoa i. 7 Mâ ǁkhâb hîas gere gao-aob di ǃnaetsēsa tsēdīheb ain ge ǁguibaǂûǁares ǃoa ǁgarihe. Tsîn ge ǂauxûib di elob, Dionisub ǁâudīb tawan ǁnâun ǀkha kurusa ǂgabu-aina ǁîn di danadi ai ǂnûi tsîn ǁâudīb ǃnâ nî ǁhao ǃkhaisa gere ǂgaoǀkhāhe. 8 Ptolemib ǀapemās ai di ge ǂnamipeb ǃnâ hâ Grike ǃāde ǁkhāti ge mîmāhe, î di ǁnāpa hâ Jodeǁîna ǁguibaden nî ǂû ǃkhaisa ǂgaoǀkhā, 9 î i ǁkhāti Grike ûiǀgauba ga ūǃoa ǂgao tama Jodeǁî-i hoa-i nî ǃgamhe ǃkhais tsîna mîbahe. ǃGomsigu ǁîna ra hāǂam ǃkhais ge ge mûmûsa i. 10 Aiǁgaus ase ra ge ǀgam khoera ǁîra di ôakha ra ge ǃgao kai xui-ao, ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ge ūhe. ǁÎra ge ǁîra ôarokha samra âra ai ǂgāmâihe hâse ǃās ǃnâ gere ǃgûma-ūhe tsî ega ǃās di ǂnubiǂgoaba xu ge aoǁnâhe. 11 ǀNî ǃnā-eb ge Filipuba, Jodeǁîn ge ǀgūse hâ ǁhoa-i ǃnâ, ǂganǃgâsib ǃnân nî Sabbattsēsa ǁnâuǀnamga ǀhao ti ge mîbahe. Filipub ge ǁîna ǁnāǂam tsî hoana ge ǂhubiǂui. ǁÎn ge ǁnātikō ǃgôasiba Sabbattsēsa ge ūba hâ i tsîn ge ǁkhaubasenn nîgas tsîna ǃkhamǃoa tama ge hâ i.
ǃKhūb ge ǁkhara tsî ra ǀkhomxa
12 ǃHuriǃhurisa xūn hîa ge īn xa du ga khomai, o du ǂkhabuǂâi tide ǃkhaisa ta ge ra ǀkhoma du. Nēb ge ǃKhūb di ǀgaub hîkākās ose, khoena ǁkharas dib ti ǂâi re. 13 ǃGâisib di saos ge khoe-e gaxuse ǃâu kais xa, ǁnātimîsi ǁî-i di ǁoren ǃaroma ǁkharasa. 14 ǃKhūb ge sada ǀkha nau ǁaedeb ra sîsenū khami sîsen tama hâ. ǁÎb ge ǁîn nî ǃgamse ǁoreb ǃnâ ǁnās kōse, ǁkharab nîs aiǃâ ǃnūǃnâxase ra ǃâu, 15 xaweb ge sada kaise da nî ǁores aiǃâ ge ǁkhara. 16 ǃKhūb ge hugaǀgui, sada ǁîb di ǂhunuma khoeda ra ǀkhomxa. Tsūǀkhāgu ǀkhab ra ǁkhara da, xaweb ge tātsē ǁnāxū da tama hâ. 17 Nē xūna da ge ǂâihō da nîga ra dībahe. Nēsi da ge ǂhôas ǀkha nî aiǃgû.
Eleasari ge ǂgoms âb ǃaroma ra ǁō
18 Kai tsî ǀgapiǃgôahesa ǂhanub di ǁgauǃnâ-aob, Eleasar ti ge ǀon hâ ib, hîa ge ams âba hāguǁgan-eb nî ǂûga ǁgari ǁkhowa-amheba ge hâ i. 19-20 Xaweb ge ǁîba taotaosa ûib xa ǂhanu-ai ǁōba ge ǁhûi. ǁÎb ge ǁgan-e ǂaraǂui tsî ǁkhoaǂgaoxase tsûtsûheb nî ǃkhaib ǃoa ge ǃgû. ǁÎb ge mâtin khoena nî ǁîn ûigan ga ǂoaǃnâ xawe, ǁkhoaǂgaoxa tsî ǃanuoǃnâ ǂûna ǂûsa ǂkhā ǃkhaisa ge ǁgau. 21-22 Nē khoegu, ǁguibadi di ǃereamsa ge ūhâ igu ge gaxu ǁae-e ge Eleasari di ǀhōsa i tsî ǁnā-amaga ǁîba ge mîba, îb ǀguri hâse ǁîba ǂhanu-aiba ǁgan-e ǂû nîse hā-ū. ǁÎb ge hāguǁgan-e ra ǂû khami ǀgui nî dī tsîb ge ǁnā ǀgaus ai ǃgamhe tide, ti gu ge ge mî.
23 Xaweb ge Eleasara ǃgâi ǀapeǁguib ǁîb di ûib, ǁîb di kairasib tsî ǀhai ǀûn tsî ǁîb di ǃgâi ûiǀgaub ǂkhamsisa xūb ge ūhâ ib ǀkha ǀgopeǀnōhe ǁkhāba ge dī. ǁÎb ge ǁîb di ûiǁaeb hoaragab ǃnâ Elob di ǃanu ǂhanuba ge ǀnam i tsî ge ǃeream: “Nēsi nēpa ǃgam te. 24 Nēti ī ǀhôagaosib ge ti kurigu khami kō kuriga ūhâ khoeba anu tama hâ. ǂGui ǂkham khoen ge tita ge ti ǂgomsa khoesedisi kurixa ta ge, o ǀūxū ti ǂâi hâ. 25 Tita ga nē ǁgan-e ra ǂû khami, gaxu ǁaero-i ǀgui-e ta nî ûiga dīo, os ge ǁnā ǃkhaisa taosib tsî ǃgôaoǃnâsib tsîna ti ǂama hā kai tsî ǂgui ǂkham khoena nî ǂgaeǂhapu. 26 Nēsisa ta ge sago nî dība te xūna xu a ǃnora ǁkhā, xawe ûi ta kas, ǁō ta kas hoasa ta ge Hoaǀgaixa Eloba xu ǃnora tide. 27 ǁKhoaǂgaoxase ta ga ǁō, o i ge ti gaxu ûiba ta anu ǃkhaisa nî ǁgau. 28 ǁKhātis ge nē ǃgâi aiǁgausa, mâ ǀgaub ain ǂkham khoena ǂgaon rase tsî ǃgâiaǂgaoxase ǁō ǁkhā, sada di ǃanu tsî ǃgôahesa ǂhanub ǃaroma ǃkhaisa nî ǁgau.”
Nēnab ge mîtoa, ob ge tsûtsûhe nîse ge ǃgû, 29 tsî ǁîba gere ǃgâise ǃkhōǂhomi khoen ge ǁîb ge ǃkhau hâ khoe-i khami ǃhoa tin ge ǂâi hâ i, xui-ao ǁîb ǃoagu ge dabasen. 30 ǁÎn ǁîba ǁō ǁgab ras kōse ǂnaus ǀkha ǀhabe, hîab ge ǃgae tsî ge mî: “ǃKhūb ge hoa ǃanu ǂansa ūhâ. ǁÎb ge nē tsâgu tsî ǁōba xu ta go ǃnora ǁkhā i ǃkhaisa a ǂan. ǁKhātib ge ǃgâiaǂgaoxase ta ra tsâ, ǃao tama ta hâ xui-ao ǃkhaisa a ǂan.”
31 ǁNātib ge Eleasara ge ǁō. Xawe ǁîb di ǁkhoaǂgaoxa ǁōb ge ǂkhaisa aiǁgaus ase ǂkham khoen ǀguin xas ose, xawe hoaraga ǁaes xa ǂâis ǃnâ ge ūhâhe.
