ἔστιν δὲ κομιδῇ γελοῖος ὁ λόγος οὐ γὰρ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παθῶν ὁ λογισμὸς ἐπικρατεῖν φαίνεται ἀλλὰ τῶν σωματικῶν
But the account is utterly ridiculous, for reason appears not to have mastery over one’s own passions, but over bodily ones.
The Koine Bible
The Scriptures in Greek with direct English translation.
Rahlfs Septuagint
4 Maccabees 3
Greek text followed verse by verse by a direct English translation.
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οἷον ἐπιθυμίαν τις οὐ δύναται ἐκκόψαι ἡμῶν ἀλλὰ μὴ δουλωθῆναι τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ δύναται ὁ λογισμὸς παρασχέσθαι
For what sort of desire no one is able to cut out of us, but not to be enslaved to desire, reason is able to provide.
No one can cut anger out of your soul, but by anger it is possible to help reason.
κακοήθειάν τις ἡμῶν οὐ δύναται ἐκκόψαι ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ καμφθῆναι τῇ κακοηθείᾳ δύναιτ᾿ ἂν ὁ λογισμὸς συμμαχῆσαι
No one can cut out any evil habit of ours, but the mind would be able to join in the struggle not to be bent by evil habit.
For reason is not a rooter-out of the passions, but an opponent.
This, indeed, is more clearly to be inferred from the thirst of King David.
ἐπεὶ γὰρ δι᾿ ὅλης ἡμέρας προσβαλὼν τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ὁ Δαυιδ πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἀπέκτεινεν μετὰ τῶν τοῦ ἔθνους στρατιωτῶν
For when David, attacking the foreigners throughout the whole day, killed many of them together with the soldiers of the nation,
τότε δὴ γενομένης ἑσπέρας ἱδρῶν καὶ σφόδρα κεκμηκὼς ἐπὶ τὴν βασίλειον σκηνὴν ἦλθεν περὶ ἣν ὁ πᾶς τῶν προγόνων στρατὸς ἐστρατοπεδεύκει
Then indeed, evening having come, sweating and very wearied, he came to the royal tent around which the whole army of his ancestors had encamped
All the others therefore were at the dinner.
But the king, as one thirsting most of all, although having abundant springs, was not able through them to cure his thirst
ἀλλά τις αὐτὸν ἀλόγιστος ἐπιθυμία τοῦ παρὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις ὕδατος ἐπιτείνουσα συνέφρυγεν καὶ λύουσα κατέφλεγεν
But some irrational desire, intensifying him with the water among the enemies, both shriveled him and, dissolving him, was burning him up.
ὅθεν τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιθυμίᾳ σχετλιαζόντων δύο νεανίσκοι στρατιῶται καρτεροὶ καταιδεσθέντες τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιθυμίαν τὰς παντευχίας καθωπλίσαντο καὶ κάλπην λαβόντες ὑπερέβησαν τοὺς τῶν πολεμίων χάρακας
Wherefore, as the king’s guards were raging at the king’s desire, two young soldiers, stout men, ashamed of the king’s desire, put on their full armor and, taking a stride, crossed over the enemy’s palisades
καὶ λαθόντες τοὺς τῶν πυλῶν ἀκροφύλακας διεξῄεσαν ἀνερευνώμενοι κατὰ πᾶν τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον
And having escaped the guards at the gates, they went through, searching throughout the whole camp of the enemies.
And having found the spring, from it they boldly carried the drink to the king.
ὁ δὲ καίπερ τῇ δίψῃ διαπυρούμενος ἐλογίσατο πάνδεινον εἶναι κίνδυνον ψυχῇ λογισθὲν ἰσοδύναμον ποτὸν αἵματι
But he, though burning with thirst, considered it utterly dreadful danger to the soul to count as equivalent to blood a drink that had been considered such
Therefore, setting reason against desire, he poured out the drink to God.
For the self-controlled mind is able to conquer the necessities of the passions and to extinguish the inflammations of the impulses.
καὶ τὰς τῶν σωμάτων ἀλγηδόνας καθ᾿ ὑπερβολὴν οὔσας καταπαλαῖσαι καὶ τῇ καλοκἀγαθίᾳ τοῦ λογισμοῦ ἀποπτύσαι πάσας τὰς τῶν παθῶν ἐπικρατείας
and the pains of the bodies, being beyond measure, to wrestle down and to spit out all the dominions of the passions by the noble and good nature of reason
But now also the time calls us to the demonstration of the history of prudent reasoning
ἐπειδὴ γὰρ βαθεῖαν εἰρήνην διὰ τὴν εὐνομίαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν εἶχον καὶ ἔπραττον καλῶς ὥστε καὶ τὸν τῆς Ἀσίας βασιλέα Σέλευκον τὸν Νικάνορα καὶ χρήματα εἰς τὴν ἱερουργίαν αὐτοῖς ἀφορίσαι καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν αὐτῶν ἀποδέχεσθαι
For since our fathers had deep peace because of good order and were doing well, so that even King Seleucus Nicanor of Asia set apart money for their sacred service and approved their commonwealth.
Then indeed some, having acted against the common concord, used manifold calamities