§5.27τοῦ δὲ ἀποδεξαμένου καὶ καταπλαγέντος ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνόμῳ ἐξόδῳ, κατὰ πάντα ἀγνωσίᾳ κεκρατημένος ἐπυνθάνετο, ὅτι τὸ διασαφούμενον ἔτι αὐτῷ μετὰ σπουδῆς τετέλεσται.
But the king, though he received him, was astonished at this unlawful departure; being entirely overcome by ignorance, he inquired what it was that was reported to him as having already been completed with such haste.
§5.28τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ἐνέργεια τοῦ πάντα δεσποτεύοντος θεοῦ, τῶν πρὶν αὐτῷ μεμηχανημένων λήθην κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐντεθεικότος.
Now this was the working of God who rules over all, who had put into the king's mind a forgetfulness of the things he had previously devised.
§5.29ὑπεδείκνυεν ὁ Ἕρμων καὶ πάντες οἱ φίλοι τὰ θηρία καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις Ἡτοίμασται, βασιλεῦ, κατὰ τὴν σὴν ἐκτενῆ πρόθεσιν. §5.30ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς ῥηθεῖσιν πληρωθεὶς βαρεῖ χόλῳ, διὰ τὸ περὶ τούτων προνοίᾳ θεοῦ διεσκεδάσθαι πᾶν αὐτοῦ νόημα, ἐνατενίσας μετὰ ἀπειλῆς εἶπεν §5.31Ὅσοι γονεῖς παρῆσαν ἢ παίδων γόνοι, τήνδε θηρσὶν ἀγρίοις ἐσκεύασαν δαψιλῆ θοίναν ἀντὶ τῶν ἀνεγκλήτων ἐμοὶ καὶ προγόνοις ἐμοῖς ἀποδεδιγμένων ὁλοσχερῆ βεβαίαν πίστιν ἐξόχως Ἰουδαίων. §5.32καίπερ εἰ μὴ διὰ τὴν τῆς συστροφίας στοργὴν καὶ τῆς χρείας, τὸ ζῇν ἀντὶ τούτων ἐστερήθης. §5.33οὕτως ὁ Ἕρμων ἀπροσδόκητον ἐπικίνδυνον ὑπήνεγκεν ἀπειλήν· καὶ τῇ ὁράσει καὶ τῷ προσώπῳ συνεστάλη.
Hermon and all his friends pointed to the beasts and the forces, saying, "They are ready, O king, according to your earnest purpose." But the king, filled with heavy wrath at these words, because by the providence of God all his thinking on these matters had been dispersed, looked at them with a threat and said: "If any parents had been present, or children's offspring, they should have prepared this rich banquet for the wild beasts, instead of the Jews who have especially shown to me and my ancestors a complete and secure loyalty!" "And yet, were it not for the affection of your common upbringing and your usefulness, you would have been deprived of life instead of them." Thus Hermon suffered an unexpected and dangerous threat, and both his look and his countenance fell.
§5.34ὁ καθʼ εἷς δὲ τῶν φίλων σκυθρωπῶς ὑπεκρέων, τοὺς συνηθροισμένους ἀπέλυσαν ἕκαστον ἐπὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀσχολίαν.
And the friends, slipping away one by one with gloomy faces, dismissed the assembled crowds, each to his own business.
§5.35οἵ τε Ἰουδαῖοι τὰ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀκούσαντες, τὸν ἐπιφανῆ θεὸν Κύριον, βασιλέα τῶν βασιλευόντων, ᾔνουν, καὶ τῆσδε τῆς βοηθείας αὐτοῦ τετευχότες.
And the Jews, hearing what had come from the king, praised the manifest God and Lord, the King of kings, since they had also obtained this help from Him.
§5.36Κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς νόμους ὁ βασιλεὺς συστησάμενος πᾶν τὸ συμπόσιον, εἰς εὐφροσύνην τραπῆναι παρεκάλει.
According to the same customs, the king, having established the whole banquet, exhorted them to turn to merriment.
§5.37τὸν δὲ Ἕρμωνα προσκαλεσάμενος μετὰ ἀπειλῆς εἶπεν Ποσάκις δὲ δεῖ σοι περὶ τούτων αὐτῶν σοι προστάττειν, ἀθλιώτατε; §5.38τοὺς ἐλέφαντας ἔτι καὶ νῦν καθόπλισον εἰς τὴν αὕριον ἐπὶ τὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀφανισμόν. §5.39οἱ δὲ συνανακείμενοι συγγενεῖς τὴν ἀσταθῆ διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ θαυμάζοντες, προεφέροντο τάδε §5.40Βασιλεῦ, μέχρι τίνος ὣς ἡμᾶς διαπειράζεις, προστάσσων ἤδη τρίτον αὐτοὺς ἀφανίσαι, καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκ μεταβολῆς ἀναλύων τὰ σοὶ δεδογμένα; §5.41ὧν χάριν ἡ πόλις διὰ τὴν προσδοκίαν ὀχλεῖ· καὶ πληθύουσα συστροφαῖς ἤδη καὶ κινδυνεύει πολλάκις διαρπασθῆναι. §5.42Ὅθευ ὁ κατὰ πάντα Φάλαρις βασιλεὺς ἐνπληθυνθεὶς ἀλογιστίας, καὶ τὰς γινομένας πρὸς ἐπισκοπὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐν αὐτῷ μεταβολὰς τῆς ψυχῆς παρʼ οὐδὲν ἡγούμενος, ἀτελέστατον βεβαίως ὅρκον ὁρισάμενος τούτους μὲν ἀνυπερθέτως πέμψειν εἰς ᾅδην ἐν γόνασιν καὶ ποσὶν θηρίων ᾐκισμένους, §5.43ἐπιστρατεύσαντα δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, ἰσόπεδον πυρὶ καὶ δόρατι στήσεσθαι διὰ τάχους, καὶ τὸν ἄβατον ἡμῖν αὐτῶν ναὸν πυρὶ πρήν ἐν τάχει τῶν συντελούντων ἐκεῖ θυσίαν εἰς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον καταστήσειν.
And having summoned Hermon, he said with a threat, "How many times must I command you about these very things, you most wretched man?" "Equip the elephants even now for tomorrow for the destruction of the Jews." But the kinsmen who reclined with him, wondering at his unstable mind, spoke as follows: "O king, how long will you try us, commanding now for the third time to destroy them, and then turning back from the deeds and reversing what you have decided?" "On this account the city is disturbed by expectation, and being crowded with gatherings, it is already frequently in danger of being plundered." Therefore, the king, a Phalaris in every respect, being filled with folly and regarding as nothing the changes of soul that had arisen within him toward the protection of the Jews, bound himself by a most irrevocable oath that he would without delay send them to Hades, trampled under the knees and feet of the beasts; and that he would march against Judea and quickly lay it level with fire and spear, and speedily burn with fire their temple which is inaccessible to us, making those who offer sacrifices there cease for all time.
§5.44τότε περιχαρεῖς ἀναλύσαντες οἱ φίλοι καὶ συγγενεῖς μετὰ πίστεως, διέτασσον τὰς δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τοὺς εὐκαιροτάτους τόπους τῆς πόλεως πρὸς τὴν τήρησιν.
Then the friends and kinsmen went away rejoicing with confidence, and stationed the forces in the most convenient places of the city for guarding.
§5.45ὁ δὲ ἐλεφαντάρχης τὰ θηρία σχεδόν, ὡς εἶπεν, εἰς κατάστεμα μανιῶδες ἀγιοχὼς εὐωδεστάτοις πόμασιν οἴνῳ λελιβανωμένῳ, φοβερῶς κεκοσμημένα κατασκευαῖς, §5.46περὶ τὴν ἕω, τῆς πόλεως ἤδη πλήθεσιν ἀναριθμήτοις κατὰ τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου καταμεμεστωμένης, εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ὤτρυνε τὸν βασιλέα.
And the keeper of the elephants, having brought the beasts, as he said, almost to a state of madness by highly fragrant drinks of wine drugged with frankincense, dreadfully equipped them with harnesses, about dawn, when the city was already packed with innumerable multitudes at the hippodrome, he entered the court and urged the king to the task before him.
§5.47ὁ δὲ ὀργῇ βαρείᾳ γεμίσας δυσσεβῆ φρένα, παντὶ τῷ βάρει σὺν τοῖς θηρίοις ἐξώρμησε, βουλόμενος ἀτρώτῳ καρδίᾳ καὶ κόραις ὀφθαλμῶν θεάσασθαι τὴν ἐπίπονον καὶ ταλαίπωρον τῶν προσεσημαμμένων καταστροφήν.
And the king, having filled his impious mind with heavy wrath, set forth with all his weight together with the beasts, desiring with an unfeeling heart and with the pupils of his eyes to behold the painful and miserable destruction of those who had been pre-designated.
§5.48ὡς δὲ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἐξιόντων ἐπὶ πύλην, καὶ τῆς ἑπομένης ἐνόπλου δυνάμεως τῆς τε τοῦ πλήθους πορίας κονιορτὸν ἰδόντες, καὶ βαρυηχῆ θόρυβον ἀκούσαντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, §5.49ὑστάτην βίου ῥοπὴν αὐτοῖς ἐκείνην δόξαντες εἶναι τὸ τέλος τῆς ἀθλιωτάτης προσδοκίας, εἰς οἶκτον καὶ γόους τραπέντες, κατεφίλουν ἀλλήλους, περιπλεκόμενοι τοῖς συγγενέσιν, ἐπὶ τοὺς τραχήλους ἐπιπίπτοντες, γονεῖς παισὶν καὶ μητέρες νεάνισιν· ἕτεραι δὲ νεογνὰ πρὸς μαστοὺς ἔχουσαι βρέφη τελευταῖον ἕλκοντα γάλα.
But when the Jews saw the elephants coming out at the gate, and the armed force following, and the dust of the crowd's march, and heard the deep-sounding noise, thinking that that moment was the last of their life, the end of their most miserable expectation, they turned to pity and lamentations; they kissed one another, embracing their kinsmen, falling upon each other's necks, parents upon children and mothers upon young girls; while others held newborn infants to their breasts, drawing their last milk.
§5.50οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν γεγενημένας ἀντιλήμψεις ἐξ οὐρανοῦ συνιδόντες, πρηνεῖς ὁμοθυμαδὸν ῥίψαντες ἑαυτούς, καὶ τὰ νήπια χωρίσαντες τῶν μαστῶν, §5.51ἀνεβόησαν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ σφόδρα, τὸν τῆς ἁπάσης δυνάστην ἱκετεύοντες, οἰκτεῖραι μετὰ ἐπιφανείας αὐτοὺς ἤδη πρὸς πύλαις ᾅδου καθεστῶτας.
Nevertheless, considering also the helps that had come to them from heaven in former times, ¦p.723 they threw themselves prostrate with one accord, and removed the infants from the breasts, and cried out with an exceeding great voice, beseeching the Ruler of all power to pity them now that they were already standing at the gates of Hades with a manifestation.