2 Maccabees 6
1 Not long after this the king sent an
old man of Athens to compel the Jews to depart from the laws of their fathers,
and not to live after the laws of God:
2 and to pollute also the temple in
Jerusalem, and to call it the temple of Jupiter Olympius; and that in Garizim,
of Jupiter the defender of strangers, as they did desire that dwelt in the
place.
3 The coming in of this mischief was
sore and grievous to the people: 4 for
the temple was filled with riot and revelling by the Gentiles, who dallied
with harlots, and had to do with women within the circuit of the holy places,
and besides that brought in things that were not lawful.
5 The altar also was filled with
profane things, which the law forbiddeth.
6 Neither was it lawful for a man to
keep sabbath days or ancient feasts, or to profess himself at all to be a Jew.
7 And in the day of the king's birth
every month they were brought by bitter constraint to eat of the sacrifices;
and when the feast of Bacchus was kept, the Jews were compelled to go in
procession to Bacchus, carrying ivy.
8 Moreover there went out a decree to
the neighbour cities of the heathen, by the suggestion of Ptolemee, against
the Jews, that they should observe the same fashions, and be partakers of
their sacrifices: 9 and whoso would
not conform themselves to the manners of the Gentiles should be put to death.
Then might a man have seen the present misery.
10 For there were two women brought,
who had circumcised their children; whom when they had openly led round about
the city, the babes hanging at their breasts, they cast them down headlong
from the wall. 11 And others, that
had run together into caves near by, to keep the sabbath day secretly, being
discovered to Philip, were all burnt together, because they made a conscience
to help themselves for the honour of the most sacred day.
12 Now I beseech those that read this
book, that they be not discouraged for these calamities, but that they judge
those punishments not to be for destruction, but for a chastening of our
nation. 13 For it is a token of his
great goodness, when wicked doers are not suffered any longer time, but
forthwith punished.
14 For not as with other nations,
whom the Lord patiently forbeareth to punish, till they be come to the fulness
of their sins, so dealeth he with us,
15 lest that, being come to the
height of sin, afterwards he should take vengeance of us.
16 And therefore he never withdraweth
his mercy from us: and though he punish with adversity, yet doth he never
forsake his people. 17 But let this
that we have spoken be for a warning unto us. And now will we come to the
declaring of the matter in a few words.
18 Eleazar, one of the principal
scribes, an aged man, and of a well-favoured countenance, was constrained to
open his mouth, and to eat swine's flesh.
19 But he, choosing rather to die
gloriously, than to live stained with such an abomination, spit it forth, and
came of his own accord to the torment.
20 As it behoved them to come, that
are resolute to stand out against such things as are not lawful for love of
life to be tasted.
21 But they that had the charge of
that wicked feast, for the old acquaintance they had with the man, taking him
aside, besought him to bring flesh of his own provision, such as was lawful
for him to use, and make as if he did eat of the flesh taken from the
sacrifice commanded by the king;
22 that in so doing he might be
delivered from death, and for the old friendship with them find favour.
23 But he began to consider
discreetly, and as became his age, and the excellency of his ancient years,
and the honour of his gray head, whereunto he was come, and his most honest
education from a child, or rather the holy law made and given by God:
therefore he answered accordingly, and willed them straightways to send him to
the grave.
24 For it becometh not our age,
said he, in any wise to dissemble, whereby many young
persons might think that Eleazar, being fourscore years old and ten, were now
gone to a strange religion; 25 and so
they through mine hypocrisy, and desire to live a little time and a moment
longer, should be deceived by me, and I get a stain to mine old age, and make
it abominable. 26 For though for the
present time I should be delivered from the punishment of men: yet should I
not escape the hand of the Almighty, neither alive, nor dead.
27 Wherefore now, manfully changing
this life, I will shew myself such an one as mine age requireth,
28 and leave a notable example to
such as be young to die willingly and courageously for the honourable and holy
laws. And when he had said these words, immediately he went to the torment:
29 they that led him changing the
good will they bare him a little before into hatred, because the foresaid
speeches proceeded, as they thought, from a desperate mind.
30 But when he was ready to die with
stripes, he groaned, and said, It is manifest unto the Lord, that hath the
holy knowledge, that whereas I might have been delivered from death, I
now endure sore pains in body by being beaten: but in
soul am well content to suffer these things, because I fear him.
31 And thus this man died, leaving
his death for an example of a noble courage, and a memorial of virtue, not
only unto young men, but unto all his nation.