1 Not long after this, the king sent an Atheniana senatorb
to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their ancestors and no longer to live
by the laws of God; 2also to pollute the temple
in Jerusalem and to call it the temple of Olympian Zeus, and to call the one
in Gerizim the temple of Zeus-the-Friend-of-Strangers, as did the people who
lived in that place.
3 Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of
evil. 4For the temple was filled with debauchery
and reveling by the Gentiles, who dallied with prostitutes and had intercourse
with women within the sacred precincts, and besides brought in things for sacrifice
that were unfit. 5The altar was covered with
abominable offerings that were forbidden by the laws. 6People
could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the festivals of their ancestors,
nor so much as confess themselves to be Jews.
7 On the monthly celebration of the king's birthday,
the Jewsc were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake
of the sacrifices; and when a festival of Dionysus was celebrated, they were
compelled to wear wreaths of ivy and to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus. 8At
the suggestion of the people of Ptolemaisd a decree was issued
to the neighboring Greek cities that they should adopt the same policy toward
the Jews and make them partake of the sacrifices, 9and
should kill those who did not choose to change over to Greek customs. One could
see, therefore, the misery that had come upon them. 10For
example, two women were brought in for having circumcised their children. They
publicly paraded them around the city, with their babies hanging at their breasts,
and then hurled them down headlong from the wall. 11Others
who had assembled in the caves nearby, in order to observe the seventh day secretly,
were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together, because their piety kept
them from defending themselves, in view of their regard for that most holy day. 12
Now I urge those who read this book not to be depressed by such calamities,
but to recognize that these punishments were designed not to destroy but to
discipline our people. 13In fact, it is a sign
of great kindness not to let the impious alone for long, but to punish them
immediately. 14For in the case of the other
nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them until they have reached the
full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in this way with us, 15in
order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached
their height. 16Therefore he never withdraws
his mercy from us. Although he disciplines us with calamities, he does not forsake
his own people. 17Let what we have said serve
as a reminder; we must go on briefly with the story. 18
Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and
of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine's flesh. 19But
he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the
rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, 20as
all ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to
taste, even for the natural love of life.
21 Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice
took the man aside because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately
urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and to
pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal that had been commanded
by the king, 22so that by doing this he might
be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship
with them. 23But making a high resolve, worthy
of his years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs that he had reached
with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according
to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send
him to Hades.
24 "Such pretense is not worthy of our time of
life," he said, "for many of the young might suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth
year had gone over to an alien religion, 25and
through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they would
be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age. 26Even
if for the present I would avoid the punishment of mortals, yet whether I live
or die I will not escape the hands of the Almighty. 27Therefore,
by bravely giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age 28and
leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and
nobly for the revered and holy laws."
When he had said this, he wente at once to the
rack. 29Those who a little before had acted
toward him with goodwill now changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered
were in their opinion sheer madness.f 30When
he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: "It is clear
to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from
death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but
in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him."
31 So in this way he died, leaving in his death
an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but
to the great body of his nation.
a Other ancient authorities read Antiochian b Or Geron an Athenian c Gk they d Cn: Gk suggestion of the Ptolemies (or of Ptolemy) e Other ancient authorities read was dragged f Meaning of Gk uncertain
1 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were
being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and thongs, to partake
of unlawful swine's flesh. 2One of them, acting
as their spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For
we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors."
3 The king fell into a rage, and gave orders to
have pans and caldrons heated. 4These were heated
immediately, and he commanded that the tongue of their spokesman be cut out
and that they scalp him and cut off his hands and feet, while the rest of the
brothers and the mother looked on. 5When he
was utterly helpless, the kinga ordered them to take him to
the fire, still breathing, and to fry him in a pan. The smoke from the pan spread
widely, but the brothersb and their mother encouraged one
another to die nobly, saying, 6"The Lord God
is watching over us and in truth has compassion on us, as Moses declared in
his song that bore witness against the people to their faces, when he said,
'And he will have compassion on his servants.' "c
7 After the first brother had died in this way,
they brought forward the second for their sport. They tore off the skin of his
head with the hair, and asked him, "Will you eat rather than have your body
punished limb by limb?" 8He replied in the language
of his ancestors and said to them, "No." Therefore he in turn underwent tortures
as the first brother had done. 9And when he
was at his last breath, he said, "You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this
present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting
renewal of life, because we have died for his laws."
10 After him, the third was the victim of their
sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously
stretched forth his hands, 11and said nobly,
"I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him
I hope to get them back again." 12As a result
the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man's spirit,
for he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
13 After he too had died, they maltreated and tortured
the fourth in the same way. 14When he was near
death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to
cherish the hope God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will
be no resurrection to life!"
15 Next they brought forward the fifth and maltreated
him. 16But he looked at the king,d
and said, "Because you have authority among mortals, though you also are mortal,
you do what you please. But do not think that God has forsaken our people. 17Keep
on, and see how his mighty power will torture you and your descendants!"
18 After him they brought forward the sixth. And
when he was about to die, he said, "Do not deceive yourself in vain. For we
are suffering these things on our own account, because of our sins against our
own God. Thereforee astounding things have happened. 19But
do not think that you will go unpunished for having tried to fight against God!"
20 The mother was especially admirable and worthy
of honorable memory. Although she saw her seven sons perish within a single
day, she bore it with good courage because of her hope in the Lord. 21She
encouraged each of them in the language of their ancestors. Filled with a noble
spirit, she reinforced her woman's reasoning with a man's courage, and said
to them, 22"I do not know how you came into
being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor I who set in
order the elements within each of you. 23Therefore
the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of humankind and devised
the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you
again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws."
24 Antiochus felt that he was being treated with
contempt, and he was suspicious of her reproachful tone. The youngest brother
being still alive, Antiochusf not only appealed to him in
words, but promised with oaths that he would make him rich and enviable if he
would turn from the ways of his ancestors, and that he would take him for his
Friend and entrust him with public affairs. 25Since
the young man would not listen to him at all, the king called the mother to
him and urged her to advise the youth to save himself. 26After
much urging on his part, she undertook to persuade her son. 27But,
leaning close to him, she spoke in their native language as follows, deriding
the cruel tyrant: "My son, have pity on me. I carried you nine months in my
womb, and nursed you for three years, and have reared you and brought you up
to this point in your life, and have taken care of you.g 28I
beg you, my child, to look at the heaven and the earth and see everything that
is in them, and recognize that God did not make them out of things that existed.h
And in the same way the human race came into being. 29Do
not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death, so that
in God's mercy I may get you back again along with your brothers."
30 While she was still speaking, the young man
said, "What are youi waiting for? I will not obey the king's
command, but I obey the command of the law that was given to our ancestors through
Moses. 31But you,j who have
contrived all sorts of evil against the Hebrews, will certainly not escape the
hands of God. 32For we are suffering because
of our own sins. 33And if our living Lord is
angry for a little while, to rebuke and discipline us, he will again be reconciled
with his own servants.k 34But
you, unholy wretch, you most defiled of all mortals, do not be elated in vain
and puffed up by uncertain hopes, when you raise your hand against the children
of heaven. 35You have not yet escaped the judgment
of the almighty, all-seeing God. 36For our
brothers after enduring a brief suffering have drunkl of ever-flowing
life, under God's covenant; but you, by the judgment of God, will receive just
punishment for your arrogance. 37I, like my
brothers, give up body and life for the laws of our ancestors, appealing to
God to show mercy soon to our nation and by trials and plagues to make you confess
that he alone is God, 38and through me and
my brothers to bring to an end the wrath of the Almighty that has justly fallen
on our whole nation."
39 The king fell into a rage, and handled him worse
than the others, being exasperated at his scorn. 40So
he died in his integrity, putting his whole trust in the Lord.
41 Last of all, the mother died, after her sons.
42 Let this be enough, then, about the eating of
sacrifices and the extreme tortures.
a Gk he b Gk they c Gk slaves d Gk at him e Lat: Other ancient authorities lack Therefore f Gk he g Or have borne the burden of your education h Or God made them out of things that did not exist i The Gk here for you is plural j The Gk here for you is singular k Gk slaves l Cn: Gk fallen