II Maccabees Chapter 9

Other Translations

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Eodem tempore Antiochus inhoneste revertebatur de Perside.

2 Intraverat enim in eam, quæ dicitur Persepolis, et tentavit expoliare templum, et civitatem opprimere: sed multitudine ad arma concurrente, in fugam versi sunt: et ita contigit ut Antiochus post fugam turpiter rediret.

3 Et cum venisset circa Ecbatanam, recognovit quæ erga Nicanorem, et Timotheum gesta sunt.

4 Elatus autem in ira, arbitrabatur se iniuriam illorum, qui se fugaverant, posse in Iudæos retorquere: ideoque iussit agitari currum suum, sine intermissione agens iter, cælesti eum iudicio perurgente, eo quod ita superbe locutus est se venturum Ierosolymam, et congeriem sepulchri Iudæorum eam facturum.

5 Sed qui universa conspicit Dominus Deus Israel, percussit eum insanabili, et invisibili plaga. Ut enim finivit hunc ipsum sermonem, apprehendit eum dolor dirus viscerum, et amara internorum tormenta:

6 et quidem satis iuste, quippe qui multis, et novis cruciatibus aliorum torserat viscera, licet ille nullo modo a sua malitia cessaret.

7 Super hoc autem superbia repletus, ignem spirans animo in Iudæos, et præcipiens accelerari negotium, contigit illum impetu euntem de curru cadere, et gravi corporis collisione membra vexari.

8 Isque qui sibi videbatur etiam fluctibus maris imperare, supra humanum modum superbia repletus, et montium altitudines in statera appendere, nunc humiliatus ad terram in gestatorio portabatur, manifestam Dei virtutem in semetipso contestans:

9 ita ut de corpore impii vermes scaturirent, ac viventis in doloribus carnes eius effluerent, odore etiam illius et fœtore exercitus gravaretur.

10 et qui paulo ante sidera cæli contingere se arbitrabatur, eum nemo poterat propter intolerantiam fœtoris portare.

11 Hinc igitur cœpit ex gravi superbia deductus ad agnitionem sui venire, divina admonitus plaga, per momenta singula doloribus suis augmenta capientibus.

12 et cum nec ipse iam fœtorem suum ferre posset, ita ait: Iustum est subditum esse Deo, et mortalem non paria Deo sentire.

13 Orabat autem hic scelestus Dominum, a quo non esset misericordiam consecuturus.

14 Et civitatem, ad quam festinans veniebat ut eam ad solum deduceret, ac sepulchrum congestorum faceret, nunc optat liberam reddere:

15 et Iudæos, quos nec sepultura quidem se dignos habiturum, sed avibus ac feris diripiendos traditurum, et cum parvulis exterminaturum dixerat, æquales nunc Atheniensibus facturum pollicetur:

16 templum etiam sanctum, quod prius expoliaverat, optimis donis ornaturum, et sancta vasa multiplicaturum, et pertinentes ad sacrificia sumptus de redditibus suis præstaturum:

17 super hæc, et Iudæum se futurum, et omnem locum terræ perambulaturum, et prædicaturum Dei potestatem.

18 Sed non cessantibus doloribus (supervenerat enim in eum iustum Dei iudicium) desperans scripsit ad Iudæos in modum deprecationis epistolam hæc continentem:

19 OPTIMIS civibus Iudæis plurimam salutem, et bene valere, et esse felices, rex et principes Antiochus.

20 Si bene valetis, et filii vestri, et ex sententia vobis cuncta sunt, maximas agimus gratias.

21 Et ego in infirmitate constitutus, vestri autem memor benigne reversus de Persidis locis, et infirmitate gravi apprehensus, necessarium duxi pro communi utilitate curam habere:

22 non desperans memetipsum, sed spem multam habens effugiendi infirmitatem.

23 Respiciens autem quod et pater meus, quibus temporibus in locis superioribus ducebat exercitum, ostendit qui post se susciperet principatum:

24 ut si quid contrarium accideret, aut difficile nunciaretur, scientes hi, qui in regionibus erant, cui esset rerum summa derelicta, non turbarentur.

25 Ad hæc, considerans de proximo potentes quosque, et vicinos temporibus insidiantes, et eventum exspectantes, designavi filium meum Antiochum regem, quem sæpe recurrens in superiora regna multis vestrum commendabam: et scripsi ad eum quæ subiecta sunt.

26 Ora itaque vos, et peto memores beneficiorum publice et privatim, ut unusquisque conservet fidem ad me et ad filium meum.

27 Confido enim, eum modeste et humane acturum, et sequentem propositum meum, et communem vobis fore.

28 Igitur homicida, et blasphemus pessime percussus, et ut ipse alios tractaverat, peregre in montibus miserabili obitu vita functus est.

29 Transferebat autem corpus Philippus collactaneus eius: qui, metuens filium Antiochi, ad Ptolemæum Philometorem in Ægyptum abiit.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).