§1.337οὐ γὰρ ἐρῶ ποτ’ ἐκ Θεοῦ φῦναί σ’ ἐγὼ, §1.338εἰδυῖα καίπερ, ὡς τὸ πᾶν προαίρεσις· §1.339Θεὸς γὰρ οὐκ ἄκοντα σαώζει βίᾳ.
For I shall never say that you were born of God, although knowing well that choice is everything; for God does not rescue the unwilling by force.
O perverse one, O most evil and murderous, what a deed you have done, having betrayed your benefactor.
May He Himself, where there is hope that He is the Father of the Child, utterly destroy you, having struck you with fire.
§1.344Ἔρρ’, αἰσχροποιέ, φιλίας διαφθορεῦ· §1.345ἀπέπτυσ’, οὐδ’ ἀπόντι σοι δεῖ συλλαλεῖν· §1.346τὸν γὰρ δόλιον καὶ Θεὸς βδελύσσεται.
Go, evildoer, destroyer of friendship; I spit upon you; one must not speak with you even in your absence; for God also detests the deceitful.
§1.347Ὠ Παῖ, τί δὴ χρυσοῦ μὲν, ὃς κίβδηλος ᾖ, §1.348τεκμήρι’ ἀνθρώποισιν ὤπασας σαφῆ, §1.349ἀνδρῶν δ’ ὅτῳ χρὴ τὸν κακὸν διειδέναι, §1.350οὐδεὶς χαρακτὴρ ἐμπέφυκε σώματος, §1.351ἀλλ’ αὐτὸς εἰδὼς ἀγνοεῖν πάντας θέλεις;
O Child, why is it that for gold which is counterfeit you granted clear tokens to men, but for men, by which one ought to distinguish the evil man, no stamp is implanted in the body, but you yourself, knowing, wish all to be ignorant?
§1.352Ὄλοιτ᾿ ὄλοιτο πανδίκως κακεργάτης· §1.353ἔρρ’ ἔρρε, παγκάκιστε καὶ μιαιφόνε, §1.354ὄλοι’· ἐγὼ δὲ ζῶντα Παῖδ’ ἐπόψομαι, §1.355κἂν νῦν στένουσα πολλὰ καὶ πεπληγμένη §1.356κέντροις ἀνίας ἡ παντλάμων δακρύω· §1.357γυνὴ γάρ εἰμι κἀπὶ δακρύοις ἔφυν.
May the evildoer perish, perish justly; go, go, most evil and murderous one, perish; but I shall see my Child living, even if now, groaning much and struck by the stings of grief, I, wretched, weep; for I am a woman and born for tears.
Alas, alas, alas; silence, silence, you will no longer see your Child living.
§1.360οἴμοι, τί θρηνεῖς;
Ah me, why do you lament?
τίς δὲ δράματος λαβὴ;
What is the turn of the drama?
I know not; but this messenger seems before long to be about to speak the news from over there about your beloved Child.
It has been decided for your Child to die today, by the vote of the scribes and elders.
Ah me, the expectation has arrived, which I, fearing, long ago wasted away with lamentations for the future.
But what contest, what arguments of the Hebrews overthrew him and confirmed his death?
§1.369Γυναῖκες, αἱ τῆσδ’ ἐγγὺς ἐστὲ συμφορᾶς.
Women, you who are close to this misfortune.
§1.370γυναῖκες, οὐκ ἀνάσχετ’, οὐκ ἀνέξομαι· §1.371ῥίψω, μεθήσω σῶμ’, ἀπαλλαγήσομαι §1.372βίου θανοῦσα· χαίρετ’, οὐκέτ᾿ εἴμ᾿ ἐγώ.
Women, it is unbearable, I will not endure it; I will throw, I will cast away my body, I will depart from life by dying; farewell, I am no more.
But you, speak: in what manner has it been decided for the Child to die?
ἆρα λευσίμῳ χερὶ ψῆφος θανεῖν §1.375ἢ δὴ σιδήρῳ πνεῦμ’ ἀπορρῆξαι κρίσις;
Is the vote for death by a stoning hand, or indeed is the judgment to sever the breath by iron?
§1.376Ἐτύγχανον μὲν ἀγρόθεν πυλῶν ἔσω §1.377βαίνων, πυθέσθαι δ’ ἤθελον τοῦ δὴ πέρι· §1.378σῷ γὰρ ἀεί ποτ᾿ εἶχον εὔνοιαν τέκνῳ, §1.379βλέπων νιν, οἷ’ ἔρεξε θαυμέστ’ ἐν βροτοῖς, §1.380κἀμοῦ δὲ διήνοιξεν ὀμμάτων κόρας·
I happened to be walking from the countryside inside the gates, and I wished to inquire about this matter; for I always had goodwill toward your child, seeing what wondrous things he did among mortals, and he also opened the pupils of my eyes.
§1.381ὁρῶ δ’ ὄχλον δραμόντα καὶ φθάσαντ᾿ ἄκραν, §1.382ἀστῶν δὲ δή τιν’ ἠρόμην ἄθροισμ’ ἰδών· §1.383Τί καινὸν ἄστει;
I saw the crowd running and reaching the hill beforehand, and seeing an assembly of citizens, I asked one of them: "What is new in the city?
μῶν τὶ δυσμενῶν πάρα §1.384ἄγγελμ’ ἀνεπτέρωκεν Ἑβραίων πόλιν; “ §1.385Ὄδ᾿ εἶπ᾿· „Ἰησοῦν κεῖνον οὐχ ὁρᾷς πέλας §1.386ἐστῶτ’, ἀγῶνα θανάτου δραμούμενον; “ §1.387ὁρῶ δ’ ἄελπτον φάσμ’, ὃ μή ποτ᾿ ὤφελον, §1.388τὸν μὲν κατηφῆ καὶ σιγῶνθ’ ἑστηκότα, §1.389τοὺς δ’ ὥστε κύνας αἵματος διψαλέους §1.390κύκλῳ περιτρέχοντας, ἐγκεχηνότας.
Has some message from the enemies given wings of anxiety to the city of the Hebrews?" He said: "Do you not see that Jesus nearby, standing, is about to undergo the contest of death?" And I saw an unexpected sight, which I wish I had never seen: one indeed standing downcast and silent, but the others like thirsty dogs for blood running around in a circle, gaping.
§1.391Ἐπεὶ δὲ πλήρης ἦν Ἰουδαίων ὄχλος, §1.392δείλαιος ἀγὸς διχόμυθ’ ἐφθέγγετο, §1.393λόγους ἑλίσσων ἄλλοτ᾿ ἄλλους ἐν φόβῳ, §1.394τέλος δ’ ἔφη, σὸν Υἱὸν ἐκπαγλούμενος, §1.395ὡς ἀκέραιον, ἀνεπίπληκτον βλέπων §1.396καὶ ξυνετῶς χωροῦντα πρὸς πάντας λόγους, §1.397τοὺς δ᾿ οὐκ ἐπαινῶν ὡς φονῶντας ἀνόμως, §1.398καθ’ οὗπερ οὐχ εἵρισκεν αἰτίαν φόνου, §1.399ἔλεξε γοῦν, ἔλεξε· Τίς χρῄζει λέγειν, §1.400ὡς ἄρ’ Ἰησοῦν κατθανεῖν, ἢ μὴ χρεών;
But when the crowd of Jews was full, the wretched leader spoke double-tongued words, turning words now here, now there in fear, and at last he said, marveling at your Son, seeing Him innocent and blameless, and wisely responding to all words, not praising those who wished to murder unlawfully, since he found no cause of death against Him, he spoke at any rate, he spoke: "Who wishes to say whether indeed Jesus ought to die, or not?
And to release this man rather than the murderer," one of the robbers whom they had in bonds.
But they clamored that He must die on a cross, and to release the robber, the evildoer.
§1.405Ὁ δ’ ἡγεμὼν ἔφησε τοῖσδ’ ἐναντία, §1.406ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἔπειθ’ ὅμιλον εὖ δοκῶν λέγειν· §1.407ἄλλος γὰρ αὖθις εἶπε τῷδ’ ἐναντία, §1.408κραυγῇ πίσυνος κἀμαθεῖ τολμηρίᾳ· §1.409ὃς δ’ οὐκ ἐπῄνει· κἀπὶ τῷδ’ ἀνίσταται §1.410ὄχλου θόρυβος ἀθυρογλώσσου μέγας, §1.411ὃς δὴ κέκραγε Παῖδα σὸν θανεῖν θέμις.
And the governor spoke contrary to these things, but he did not convince the crowd, though appearing to speak well; for another again spoke contrary to him, relying on clamor and ignorant audacity; and he did not approve; and upon this there arose a great tumult of the gate-mouthed crowd, which indeed cried out that it is right for your Child to die.
And that evil man speaking among the multitude won, who said that your Child must die on a tree.
§1.414Ἤδη δ’ ἕως πέφηνεν, ἐκρέει κνέφας, §1.415καὶ δή νιν ἑλκύσουσιν ἔξω τῆς πύλης §1.416ψυχῆς ἀγῶνα τὸν προκείμενον πέρι §1.417δραμούμενον, καθ’ ὃν θανεῖν ἐστὶ κρίσις §1.418ἐν ἡμέρᾳ γὰρ τῇδε λείψει τὸν βίον.
And already dawn has appeared, and darkness flows away, and indeed they will drag him outside the gate, to undergo the contest concerning the proposed life, to which he will run, since the judgment is for him to die, for on this very day he will leave life.
§1.419Αἲ αἴ· κακῶν ἀρχηχὸν ἐκφαίνεις
Alas, alas; you reveal the leader of evils.