Μανασσῆς

Manasseh, Manasses

Translated by Jennifer Benedict25 Mar 2001Vetting: high6 revisions

3 notes · 333 words

King of Jerusalem, son of Hezekiah,¹ who ruled Judaea for 55 years. He became most abominable and most sacrilegious and most lawless beyond all men through idolatry and bloodshed; and he provoked the great Isaiah and filled Jerusalem with the blood of the innocents, and he worshiped idols no less than the Amorites and utterly defiled the house of the Lord. He set up a four-faced idol of Zeus in it, and he did not cease from augury and mixing potions and being obscene and adulterous and committing every type of wickedness with excess. And on account of this and according to divine anger, he was seized by King Marodach² of Babylon and carried off in chains to the city of Nineveh³ as a captive and shut into a bronze statue. And when he understood that he received a deserved penalty for his faults, he asked the Lord to forgive him for his sins: for [he said] it was not a great praise for the Lord, if he would save the just man; but [it was a sign of a Lord that was] good, if he would accept the repentance of a sinner. And the statue was shattered by divine might. And God blessed the king and sent him out into Jerusalem. And when he returned, having experienced the divine goodness, he overturned every idolatrous tabernacle; he cleansed the sanctuary of God and upheld the law and built walls around the city and founded it anew and managed it justly and righteously. [...]
They gave him a small loaf of bran and a little water with a measure of cheap wine when he was bound and guarded in his bronze fetters in Babylon, so that he would just barely stay alive. [...] And then he prayed to the Lord: "All-ruling Lord [...]"; and God listened to his voice and freed him from his bonds and returned him to Jerusalem; and serving the Lord with his whole heart he was reckoned a just man.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Μανασσῆς, βασιλεὺς Ἱερουσαλήμ, υἱὸς Ἐζεκίου, βασιλεύσας ἔτη νεʹ Ἰουδαίας· ὃς ἐγένετο μιαρώτατος καὶ ἀσεβέστατος καὶ παρανομώτατος ὑπὲρ πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ εἰδωλομανίᾳ καὶ αἱματεκχυσίᾳ· καὶ τὸν μέγαν Ἡσαΐαν πρίσας καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ αἱμάτων ἀθῴων πληρώσας οὐχ ἧττον εἰδωλολάτρησε τῶν Ἀμορραίων καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸν οἶκον κυρίου καταμολύνας καὶ τετραπρόσωπον εἴδωλον τοῦ Διὸς ἐν αὐτῷ στήσας οὐ διέλειπεν οἰωνιζόμενος καὶ φαρμακεύων καὶ αἰσχρουργῶν καὶ μοιχώμενος καὶ πᾶν εἶδος κακίας μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς διαπραττόμενος. διὸ καὶ κατὰ θείαν ὀργὴν συλληφθεὶς ὑπὸ Μαροδὰχ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων δέσμιος εἰς Νινευὴ τὴν πόλιν αἰχμάλωτος ἀπήχθη, καὶ ἐς τὸ χαλκοῦν ἄγαλμα καθείρχθη. συνιεὶς δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς πλημμελήμασιν ἀξίαν εἰληφέναι τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐδεήθη τοῦ κυρίου συγγνῶναί οἱ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις· μὴ γὰρ εἶναι μέγα θεοῦ ἐγκώμιον, εἰ δίκαιον σώσειεν· ἀγαθοῦ δέ, εἰ μετάνοιαν ἁμαρτωλοῦ προσοῖτο. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄγαλμα θείᾳ δυνάμει διερράγη. ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἠγάθυνε τὸν βασιλέα καὶ εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ αὐτὸν ἐξέπεμψεν. ὁ δὲ ἐπανελθὼν καὶ θείας χρηστότητος πεῖραν λαβὼν πᾶσαν μὲν εἰδωλικὴν κατέστρεψε σκηνήν· τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἥγνισε καὶ τὸν νόμον ἐφύλαξε καὶ τὴν πόλιν τειχίσας καὶ ἐπικτίσας διεῖπε δικαίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς. δεδεμένῳ δὲ ὄντι ἐν φυλακῇ ἐν πέδαις χαλκαῖς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι ἐδίδοσαν αὐτῷ ἐκ πιτύρων ἄρτον βραχὺν καὶ ὕδωρ ὀλίγον σὺν ὄξει μετρητῷ, πρὸς τὸ ζῆν αὐτὸν καὶ μόνον. καὶ τότε προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον· κύριε παντοκράτορ· καὶ ἐπακούσας ὁ θεὸς τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἔλυσεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν δεσμῶν καὶ ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ λατρεύσας κυρίῳ ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας ἐλογίσθη δίκαιος.

Betacode

*manassh=s, basileu\s *(ierousalh/m, ui(o\s *)ezeki/ou, basileu/sas e)/th ne# *)ioudai/as: o(\s e)ge/neto miarw/tatos kai\ a)sebe/statos kai\ paranomw/tatos u(pe\r pa/ntas a)nqrw/pous e)pi\ ei)dwlomani/a| kai\ ai(matekxusi/a|: kai\  to\n me/gan *(hsai/+an pri/sas kai\ th\n *(ierousalh\m ai(ma/twn a)qw/|wn plhrw/sas ou)x h(=tton ei)dwlola/trhse tw=n *)amorrai/wn kai\ me/ntoi kai\ to\n oi)=kon kuri/ou katamolu/nas kai\ tetrapro/swpon ei)/dwlon tou= *dio\s e)n au)tw=| sth/sas ou) die/leipen oi)wnizo/menos kai\ farmakeu/wn kai\ ai)sxrourgw=n kai\ moixw/menos kai\ pa=n ei)=dos kaki/as meq' u(perbolh=s diapratto/menos. dio\ kai\ kata\ qei/an o)rgh\n sullhfqei\s u(po\ *maroda\x basile/ws *)assuri/wn de/smios ei)s *nineuh\ th\n po/lin ai)xma/lwtos a)ph/xqh, kai\ e)s to\ xalkou=n a)/galma kaqei/rxqh. suniei\s de\ e)pi\ toi=s plhmmelh/masin a)ci/an ei)lhfe/nai th\n timwri/an e)deh/qh tou= kuri/ou suggnw=nai/ oi( e)pi\ tai=s a(marti/ais: mh\ ga\r ei)=nai me/ga qeou= e)gkw/mion, ei) di/kaion sw/seien: a)gaqou= de/, ei) meta/noian a(martwlou= prosoi=to. kai\ to\ me\n a)/galma qei/a| duna/mei dierra/gh. o( de\ qeo\s h)ga/qune to\n basile/a kai\ ei)s *)ierousalh\m au)to\n e)ce/pemyen. o( de\ e)panelqw\n kai\ qei/as xrhsto/thtos pei=ran labw\n pa=san me\n ei)dwlikh\n kate/streye skhnh/n: to\ de\ i(ero\n tou= qeou= h(/gnise kai\ to\n no/mon e)fu/lace kai\ th\n po/lin teixi/sas kai\ e)pikti/sas diei=pe dikai/ws kai\ eu)sebw=s. dedeme/nw| de\ o)/nti e)n fulakh=| e)n pe/dais xalkai=s e)n *babulw=ni e)di/dosan au)tw=| e)k pitu/rwn a)/rton braxu\n kai\ u(/dwr o)li/gon su\n o)/cei metrhtw=|, pro\s to\ zh=n au)to\n kai\ mo/non. kai\ to/te proshu/cato pro\s ku/rion: ku/rie pantokra/tor: kai\ e)pakou/sas o( qeo\s th=s fwnh=s au)tou= e)/lusen au)to\n a)po\ tw=n desmw=n kai\ u(pe/streyen ei)s *(ierousalh/m: kai\ latreu/sas kuri/w| e)c o(/lhs kardi/as e)logi/sqh di/kaios.

Notes (3)

George the Monk, Chronicon 235.10-236.6; 236.13-22.
1epsilon 277. ↩
2mu 190. ↩
3nu 415. ↩

Neighbouring entries

μ131ΜαναΐμManaim, Manane μ132ΜανάϊνοςManainos μ133ΜανασσῆςManasseh, Manasses μ134Μανδαλωτόνbolted-shut μ135Μανδάτωροςmandator, one who receives a commission

Revision history6 revisions · last 6 Jul 2020

6 Jul 2020cosmetics — Catharine Roth
29 Dec 2016tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
8 Nov 2014coding — Catharine Roth
29 Apr 2013more keywords; tweaking — David Whitehead
27 May 2003added notes; augmented keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
26 Mar 2001Corrected numeral — William Hutton
25 Mar 2001Translated — Jennifer Benedict

Translation

Greek original · Adler’s text

Notes (3)

Neighbouring entries

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