| 3 καὶ τέσσαρες ἄνδρες ἦσαν λεπροὶ παρὰ τὴν θύραν τῆς πόλεως καὶ εἶπεν ἀνὴρ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ τί ἡμεῖς καθήμεθα ὧδε ἕως ἀποθάνωμεν 4 ἐὰν εἴπωμεν εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ ὁ λιμὸς ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ ἀποθανούμεθα ἐκεῖ καὶ ἐὰν καθίσωμεν ὧδε καὶ ἀποθανούμεθα καὶ νῦν δεῦτε καὶ ἐμπέσωμεν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν Συρίας ἐὰν ζωογονήσωσιν ἡμᾶς καὶ ζησόμεθα καὶ ἐὰν θανατώσωσιν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀποθανούμεθα 5 καὶ ἀνέστησαν ἐν τῷ σκότει εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν Συρίας καὶ ἦλθον εἰς μέρος τῆς παρεμβολῆς Συρίας καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνὴρ ἐκεῖ 6 καὶ κύριος ἀκουστὴν ἐποίησεν τὴν παρεμβολὴν Συρίας φωνὴν ἅρματος καὶ φωνὴν ἵππου καὶ φωνὴν δυνάμεως μεγάλης καὶ εἶπεν ἀνὴρ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ νῦν ἐμισθώσατο ἐ{F'} ἡμᾶς βασιλεὺς Ισραηλ τοὺς βασιλέας τῶν Χετταίων καὶ τοὺς βασιλέας Αἰγύπτου τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ἐ{F'} ἡμᾶς 7 καὶ ἀνέστησαν καὶ ἀπέδρασαν ἐν τῷ σκότει καὶ ἐγκατέλιπαν τὰς σκηνὰς αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἵππους αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ὄνους αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ὡς ἔστιν καὶ ἔφυγον πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτῶν 8 καὶ εἰσῆλθον οἱ λεπροὶ οὗτοι ἕως μέρους τῆς παρεμβολῆς καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς σκηνὴν μίαν καὶ ἔφαγον καὶ ἔπιον καὶ ἦραν ἐκεῖθεν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ ἱματισμὸν καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν καὶ ἐπέστρεψαν καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς σκηνὴν ἄλλην καὶ ἔλαβον ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν καὶ κατέκρυψαν 9 καὶ εἶπεν ἀνὴρ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ οὐχ οὕτως ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη ἡμέρα εὐαγγελίας ἐστίν καὶ ἡμεῖς σιωπῶμεν καὶ μένομεν ἕως φωτὸς τοῦ πρωὶ καὶ εὑρήσομεν ἀνομίαν καὶ νῦν δεῦρο καὶ εἰσέλθωμεν καὶ ἀναγγείλωμεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ βασιλέως |
3 Now turn we to four lepers, who were standing there in the open space round the city gate. They were saying to one another, This is no place to wait for death. 4 Enter we the city, we starve; abide we here, we shall die none the less. Come, let us give ourselves up to the Syrian army; it may be they will spare our lives; if they kill us, it is but another form of death. 5 So, when night fell, they ventured out, to make for the Syrian camp; and as they reached the edge of it, never a man was to be seen. 6 That night, the Lord had made a noise heard in the camp of Syria like the stir of chariots and horses, and a great host of men; and the word went round, The Hethite chiefs, the Egyptians are upon us! The king of Israel has hired them to attack us! 7 And with that the Syrians took to their heels, and fled away in the darkness, leaving tents and horses and asses behind them, there in the camp; fled for their lives. 8 So these lepers, still at the very edge of the camp, went into one of the tents, ate and drank there, carried off silver and gold and clothing and went off to hide it; came back to another tent, plundered that too, and hid away their plunder. 9 Then one said to another, This is ill done; we are bearers of good news to-day. If we keep it secret, and wait till morning to spread it, that were shame to us. Back go we, and tell our tale in the king’s court. |
3 Quatuor ergo viri erant leprosi juxta introitum portæ: qui dixerunt ad invicem: Quid hic esse volumus donec moriamur? 4 sive ingredi voluerimus civitatem, fame moriemur: sive manserimus hic, moriendum nobis est: venite ergo, et transfugiamus ad castra Syriæ: si pepercerint nobis, vivemus: si autem occidere voluerint, nihilominus moriemur. 5 Surrexerunt ergo vesperi, ut venirent ad castra Syriæ. Cumque venissent ad principium castrorum Syriæ, nullum ibidem repererunt. 6 Siquidem Dominus sonitum audiri fecerat in castris Syriæ, curruum, et equorum, et exercitus plurimi: dixeruntque ad invicem: Ecce mercede conduxit adversum nos rex Israël reges Hethæorum et Ægyptiorum, et venerunt super nos. 7 Surrexerunt ergo, et fugerunt in tenebris, et dereliquerunt tentoria sua, et equos et asinos, in castris, fugeruntque animas tantum suas salvare cupientes. 8 Igitur cum venissent leprosi illi ad principium castrorum, ingressi sunt unum tabernaculum, et comederunt et biberunt: tuleruntque inde argentum, et aurum, et vestes, et abierunt, et absconderunt: et rursum reversi sunt ad aliud tabernaculum, et inde similiter auferentes absconderunt. 9 Dixeruntque ad invicem: Non recte facimus: hæc enim dies boni nuntii est. Si tacuerimus et noluerimus nuntiare usque mane, sceleris arguemur: venite, eamus, et nuntiemus in aula regis. |