Fourth Book Of Maccabees
1926 anthology, complete selected publisher reading text
Rutherford H. Platt
27 But by her religion-guided Reason the mother quenched her passions, many and strong as they were.
28 For there is this also to consider, that had the woman been weak of spirit, despite her motherhood, she might have wept over them, and perchance spoken thus:
29 ‘Ah, thrice wretched me, and more than thrice wretched! Seven children have I borne and am left childless!
30 In vain was I seven times with child, and to no profit was my ten months’ burden seven times borne, and fruitless have been my nursings, and sorrowful my sucklings.
31 In vain for you, O my sons, did I endure the many pangs of labour, and the more difficult cares of your upbringing.
32 Alas, for my sons, that some were yet unwed, and those that were wedded had begotten no children; I shall never see children of yours, nor shall I be called by the name of grandparent.
33 Ah me, that had many beautiful children, and am a widow and desolate in my woe! Neither will there be any son to bury me when I am dead!’
34 But the holy and God-fearing mother wailed not with this lamentation over any one of them, neither besought she any to escape death, nor lamented over them as dying men; but, as though she had a soul of adamant and were bringing forth the number of her sons, for a second time, into immortal life, she besought rather and entreated of them that they should die for religion’s sake.
35 O mother, warrior of God in the cause of religion, old and a woman, thou didst both defeat the tyrant by thy endurance, and wast found stronger than a man, in deeds as well as words.
36 For verily when thou wast put in bonds with thy sons, thou stoodest there seeing Eleazar being tortured, and thou spakest to thy sons in the Hebrew tongue:
37 ‘My sons, noble is the fight; and do ye, being called thereto to bear witness for our nation, fight therein zealously on behalf of the Law of our fathers.
38 For it would be shameful if, while this aged man endured the agony for religion’s sake, you that are young men shrank before the pain.
39 Remember that for the sake of God ye have come into the world, and have enjoyed life, and that therefore ye owe it to God to endure all pain for his sake; for whom also our father Abraham made haste to sacrifice his son Isaac, the ancestor of our nation; and Isaac, seeing his father’s hand lifting the knife against him, did not shrink.
40 And Daniel, the just man, was cast to the lions, and Ananias, Azarias, and Mishael were flung into the furnace of fire, and they endured for God’s sake.
41 And ye also, having the same faith unto God, be not troubled; for it were against Reason that ye, knowing righteousness, should not withstand the pains.’
42 With these words the mother of the seven encouraged every single one of her sons to die rather than transgress the ordinance of God; they themselves also knowing well that men dying for God live unto God, as live Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the patriarchs.
CHAP. VIII.
The famous “Athletes of Righteousness.” Here ends the story of courage called the Fourth Book of Maccabees.
SOME of the guards declared that when she also was about to be seized and put to death, she cast herself on the pyre in order that no man might touch her body.
2 O mother, that together with thy seven sons didst break the tyrant’s force, and bring to nought his evil devices, and gavest an example of the nobleness of faith.
3 Thou wert nobly set as a roof upon thy sons as pillars, and the earthquake of the torments shook thee not at all.
4 Rejoice therefore, pure-souled mother, having the hope of thy endurance certain at the hand of God.
5 Not so majestic stands the moon amid the stars in heaven as thou, having lit the path of thy seven starlike sons unto righteousness, standest in honour with God; and thou art set in heaven with them.
6 For thy child-bearing was from the son of Abraham.
7 And had it been lawful for us to paint, as might some artist, the tale of thy piety, would not the spectators have shuddered at the mother of seven sons suffering for righteousness’ sake multitudinous tortures even unto death?
8 And indeed it were fitting to inscribe these words over their resting-place, speaking for a memorial to future generations of our people:
HERE LIE AN AGED PRIEST AND A WOMAN FULL OF YEARS AND HER SEVEN SONS THROUGH THE VIOLENCE OF A TYRANT DESIRING TO DESTROY THE HEBREW NATION. THEY VINDICATED THE RIGHTS OF OUR PEOPLE LOOKING UNTO GOD AND ENDURING THE TORMENTS EVEN UNTO DEATH.
9 For truly it was a holy war which was fought by them. For on that day virtue, proving them through endurance, set before them the prize of victory in incorruption in everlasting life.
10 But the first in the fight was Eleazar, and the mother of the seven sons played her part, and the brethren fought.
11 The tyrant was their adversary and the world and the life of man were the spectators.
12 And righteousness won the victor and gave the crown to her athletes. Who but wondered at the athletes of the true Law?
13 Who were not amazed at them? The tyrant himself and his whole council admired their endurance, whereby they now do both Stand beside the throne of God and live the blessed age.
14 For Moses says, ‘All also who have sanctified themselves are under thy hands.’
15 And these men, therefore, having sanctified themselves for God’s sake, not only have received this honour, but also the honour that through them the enemy had no more power over our people, and the tyrant suffered punishment, and our country was purified, they having as it were become a ransom for our nation’s sin; and through the blood of these righteous men and the propitiation of their death, the divine Providence delivered Israel that before was evil entreated.
16 For when the tyrant Antiochus saw the heroism of their virtue, and their endurance under the tortures, he publicly held up their endurance to his soldiers as an example; and he thus inspired his men with a sense of honour and heroism on the field of battle and in the labours of besieging, so that he plundered and overthrew all his enemies.
17 O Israelites, children born of the seed of Abraham, obey this Law, and be righteous in all ways, recognizing that Inspired Reason is lord over the passions, and over pains, not only from within, but from without ourselves; by which means those men, delivering up their bodies to the torture for righteousness’ sake, not only won the admiration of mankind, but were deemed worthy of a divine inheritance.
18 And through them the nation obtained peace and restoring the observance of the Law in our country hath captured the city from the enemy.
19 And vengeance hath pursued the tyrant Antiochus upon earth, and in death he suffers punishment.
20 For when he failed utterly to constrain the people of Jerusalem to live like Gentiles and abandon the customs of our fathers, he thereupon left Jerusalem and marched away against the Persians.
21 Now these are the words that the mother of the seven sons, the righteous woman, spake to her children: