Brenton's Septuagint · Under the Greeks
3 Maccabees 5
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1Then he called Hermon, who had charge of the elephants. Full of rage, altogether fixed in his furious design, 2he commanded him, with a quantity of unmixed and handfuls of [infused] to drug the elephants early on the following day. These five hundred elephants were, when infuriated by the copious draughts of , to be led up to the execution of upon the . 3The king, after issuing these orders, went to his feasting, and gathered together all those of his friends and of the army who hated the the most. 4The master of the elephants, Hermon, fulfilled his commission punctually. 5The underlings appointed for the purpose went out about eventide and bound the hands of the miserable victims, and took other precautions for their security at night, thinking that the whole race would together. 6The heathen the to be destitute of all protection; for chains fettered them about. 7They invoked , and ceaselessly besought with tears their merciful and , Ruler of all, of every , 8to overthrow the evil purpose which was gone out against them, and to them by extraordinary manifestation from that which was in store for them. 9Their litany so earnest went up to . 10Then Hermon, who had filled his merciless elephants with copious draughts of mingled and , came early to the palace to certify the king thereof. 11He, however, who has sent his good creature sleep from all time, by night or by day thus gratifying whom he wills, diffused a thereof [now] upon the king. 12By this sweet and profound influence of he was held , and thus his unjust purpose was quite frustrated, and his unflinching resolve greatly falsified. 13But the , having escaped the hour which had been fixed, praised their , and again him who is easily reconciled to display the of his powerful hand to the overweening . 14The middle of the tenth hour had well nigh arrived, when the master-bidder, seeing the guests who were bidden collected, came and shook the king. 15He gained his attention with difficulty, and hinting that the mealtime was getting past, talked the matter over with him. 16The king listened to this, and then turning aside to his potations, commanded the guests to sit down before him. 17This done, he asked them to enjoy themselves, and to indulge in mirth at this somewhat late hour of the banquet. 18Conversation grew on, and the king sent for Hermon, and enquired of him, with fierce denunciations, why the had been allowed to outlive that day. 19Hermon explained that he had done his bidding over night; and in this he was confirmed by his friends. 20The king, then, with a barbarity exceeding that of Phalaris, said, That they might thank his sleep of that day. Lose no time, and get ready the elephants against to-morrow, as you did before, for the of these . 21When the king said this, the company present were glad, and approved; and then each man went to his own home. 22Nor did they employ the night in sleep, so much as in contriving cruel mockeries for those deemed miserable. 23The morning cock had crowed, and Hermon, having harnessed the brutes, was stimulating them in the great colonnade. 24The city were collected together to see the hideous spectacle, and waited impatiently for the dawn. 25The , breathless with momentary suspense, stretched forth their hands, and the Greatest , in mournful strains, again to help them speedily. 26The sun's rays were not yet shed abroad, and the king was for his friends, when Hermon came to him, calling him out, and saying, That his could now be realized. 27The king, receiving him, was astonished at his unwonted exit; and, overwhelmed with a of oblivion about everything, enquired the object of this earnest preparation. 28But this was the working of that Almighty who had made him forget all his purpose. 29Hermon, and all his friends, pointed out the preparation of the animals. They are ready, O king, according to your own strict injunction. 30The king was filled with at these words; for, by the Providence of regarding these things, his had become entirely confused. He looked hard at Hermon, and threatened him as follows: 31Your parents, or your children, were they here, to these wild a large repast they should have furnished; not these innocent , who me and my forefathers loyally have . 32Had it not been for familiar friendship, and the claims of your office, your life should have gone for theirs. 33Hermon, being threatened in this unexpected and alarming manner, was troubled in visage, and depressed in countenance. 34The friends, too, stole out one by one, and dismissed the assembled to their occupations. 35The , having heard of these events, praised the and King of kings, because they had obtained this help, too, from him. 36Now the king arranged another banquet after the same manner, and proclaimed an invitation to mirth. 37And he summoned Hermon to his , and said, with threats, How often, O wretch, must I repeat my orders to thee about these same persons? 38Once more, arm the elephants against the morrow for the extermination of the . 39His kinsmen, who were with him, wondered at his instability, and thus expressed themselves: 40O king, how long dost thou make of us, as of men bereft of reason? This is the third time that thou hast ordered their . When the thing is to be done, thou changest thy , and recallest thy instructions. 41For this cause the feeling of causes tumult in the city: it swarms with factions; and is continually on the point of being plundered. 42The king, like another Phalaris, a prey to thoughtlessness, made no account of the changes which his own had undergone, issuing in the of the . He a fruitless , and determined forthwith to send them to , crushed by the knees and feet of the elephants. 43He would also invade , and level its towns with and ; and destroy that temple which the heathen might not enter, and prevent ever after being offered up there. 44Joyfully his friends broke up, together with his kinsmen; and, trusting in his determination, arranged their forces in guard at the most convenient places of the city. 45And the master of the elephants urged the into an almost maniacal state, drenched them with and , and decked them with frightful instruments. 46About early morning, when the city was now filled with an immense number of people at the hippodrome, he entered the palace, and called the king to the business in hand. 47The king's teemed with impious rage; and he rushed forth with the mass, along with the elephants. With feelings unsoftened, and eyes pitiless, he longed to gaze at the hard and wretched doom of the above-mentioned []. 48But the [], when the elephants went out at the , followed by the armed force; and when they saw by the throng, and heard the loud cries of the , 49thought that they had come to the last moment of their lives, to the end of what they had tremblingly expected. They gave way, therefore, to and moans: they kissed each other: those nearest of kin to each other hung about one another's necks: fathers about their sons, mothers their daughters: other women held their infants to their breasts, which drew what seemed their last milk. 50Nevertheless, when they reflected upon the succour before granted them from , they prostrated themselves with one accord; removed even the sucking children from the breast, and 51sent up an exceeding great cry, entreating of all to himself, and have mercy upon those who now lay at the of .
Sir Lancelot Brenton's 1851 English translation of the Greek Old Testament, public domain. Used here for books received in Orthodox canons that the other editions do not carry. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under the Greeks, 332 BC to 63 BC ›
Alexander's conquest and the kingdoms of his successors. Greek language and custom press in everywhere, and the crisis under Antiochus IV provokes the Maccabean revolt.
- The successors
- Alexander dies at thirty-two and his generals carve up the empire. Judea sits on the border between the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria, and is fought over by both for a century and a half, which is the ordinary condition of the corridor.
- Hellenism
- Not just conquest but a culture: the gymnasium, the theatre, Greek names, Greek dress, Greek as the language of anyone with ambitions. Some Jews embraced it, some resisted it, and the argument between them is the real subject of the Maccabean books. In Alexandria the Hebrew scriptures are translated into Greek, producing the Septuagint, which is the Bible most New Testament writers quote.
- The crisis
- Antiochus IV bans the practice of Judaism, plunders the temple, and sets up a pagan altar in it in 167 BC. The revolt under the Maccabees wins, the temple is rededicated in 164 BC, which is the origin of Hanukkah, and Judea has about eighty years of independence under the Hasmoneans before Rome arrives.
- Further afield
- Rome fights Carthage three times and ends up master of the Mediterranean. Euclid writes the Elements and Archimedes does his work at Syracuse. In China the Qin unify the country in 221 BC and the Han follow, opening what becomes the Silk Road.