1. Hebrew Bible, Ezra, 7.1 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •jerusalem, as subject of Found in books: Schwartz, 2 Maccabees (2008) 3| 7.1. כִּי עֶזְרָא הֵכִין לְבָבוֹ לִדְרוֹשׁ אֶת־תּוֹרַת יְהוָה וְלַעֲשֹׂת וּלְלַמֵּד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט׃ 7.1. וְאַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּמַלְכוּת אַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא מֶלֶךְ־פָּרָס עֶזְרָא בֶּן־שְׂרָיָה בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָה בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּה׃ | 7.1. Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, |
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2. Septuagint, 3 Maccabees, 2, 1 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Schwartz, 2 Maccabees (2008) 6 | 1. When Philopator learned from those who returned that the regions which he had controlled had been seized by Antiochus, he gave orders to all his forces, both infantry and cavalry, took with him his sister Arsinoe, and marched out to the region near Raphia, where Antiochus's supporters were encamped., But a certain Theodotus, determined to carry out the plot he had devised, took with him the best of the Ptolemaic arms that had been previously issued to him, and crossed over by night to the tent of Ptolemy, intending single-handed to kill him and thereby end the war., But Dositheus, known as the son of Drimylus, a Jew by birth who later changed his religion and apostatized from the ancestral traditions, had led the king away and arranged that a certain insignificant man should sleep in the tent; and so it turned out that this man incurred the vengeance meant for the king., When a bitter fight resulted, and matters were turning out rather in favor of Antiochus, Arsinoe went to the troops with wailing and tears, her locks all disheveled, and exhorted them to defend themselves and their children and wives bravely, promising to give them each two minas of gold if they won the battle., And so it came about that the enemy was routed in the action, and many captives also were taken., Now that he had foiled the plot, Ptolemy decided to visit the neighboring cities and encourage them., By doing this, and by endowing their sacred enclosures with gifts, he strengthened the morale of his subjects.,Since the Jews had sent some of their council and elders to greet him, to bring him gifts of welcome, and to congratulate him on what had happened, he was all the more eager to visit them as soon as possible., After he had arrived in Jerusalem, he offered sacrifice to the supreme God and made thank-offerings and did what was fitting for the holy place. Then, upon entering the place and being impressed by its excellence and its beauty,, he marveled at the good order of the temple, and conceived a desire to enter the holy of holies., When they said that this was not permitted, because not even members of their own nation were allowed to enter, nor even all of the priests, but only the high priest who was pre-eminent over all, and he only once a year, the king was by no means persuaded., Even after the law had been read to him, he did not cease to maintain that he ought to enter, saying, "Even if those men are deprived of this honor, I ought not to be.", And he inquired why, when he entered every other temple, no one there had stopped him., And someone heedlessly said that it was wrong to take this as a sign in itself., "But since this has happened," the king said, "why should not I at least enter, whether they wish it or not?",Then the priests in all their vestments prostrated themselves and entreated the supreme God to aid in the present situation and to avert the violence of this evil design, and they filled the temple with cries and tears;, and those who remained behind in the city were agitated and hurried out, supposing that something mysterious was occurring., The virgins who had been enclosed in their chambers rushed out with their mothers, sprinkled their hair with dust, and filled the streets with groans and lamentations., Those women who had recently been arrayed for marriage abandoned the bridal chambers prepared for wedded union, and, neglecting proper modesty, in a disorderly rush flocked together in the city., Mothers and nurses abandoned even newborn children here and there, some in houses and some in the streets, and without a backward look they crowded together at the most high temple., Various were the supplications of those gathered there because of what the king was profanely plotting., In addition, the bolder of the citizens would not tolerate the completion of his plans or the fulfillment of his intended purpose., They shouted to their fellows to take arms and die courageously for the ancestral law, and created a considerable disturbance in the holy place; and being barely restrained by the old men and the elders, they resorted to the same posture of supplication as the others., Meanwhile the crowd, as before, was engaged in prayer,, while the elders near the king tried in various ways to change his arrogant mind from the plan that he had conceived., But he, in his arrogance, took heed of nothing, and began now to approach, determined to bring the aforesaid plan to a conclusion., When those who were around him observed this, they turned, together with our people, to call upon him who has all power to defend them in the present trouble and not to overlook this unlawful and haughty deed., The continuous, vehement, and concerted cry of the crowds resulted in an immense uproar;, for it seemed that not only the men but also the walls and the whole earth around echoed, because indeed all at that time preferred death to the profanation of the place. |
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3. Septuagint, 1 Maccabees, 9 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •jerusalem, as subject of Found in books: Schwartz, 2 Maccabees (2008) 3 | 9. When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah a second time, and with them the right wing of the army., They went by the road which leads to Gilgal and encamped against Mesaloth in Arbela, and they took it and killed many people., In the first month of the one hundred and fifty-second year they encamped against Jerusalem;, then they marched off and went to Berea with twenty thousand foot soldiers and two thousand cavalry.,Now Judas was encamped in Elasa, and with him were three thousand picked men., When they saw the huge number of the enemy forces, they were greatly frightened, and many slipped away from the camp, until no more than eight hundred of them were left.,When Judas saw that his army had slipped away and the battle was imminent, he was crushed in spirit, for he had no time to assemble them., He became faint, but he said to those who were left, "Let us rise and go up against our enemies. We may be able to fight them.", But they tried to dissuade him, saying, "We are not able. Let us rather save our own lives now, and let us come back with our brethren and fight them; we are too few.", But Judas said, "Far be it from us to do such a thing as to flee from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our brethren, and leave no cause to question our honor.",Then the army of Bacchides marched out from the camp and took its stand for the encounter. The cavalry was divided into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went ahead of the army, as did all the chief warriors., Bacchides was on the right wing. Flanked by the two companies, the phalanx advanced to the sound of the trumpets; and the men with Judas also blew their trumpets., The earth was shaken by the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning till evening.,Judas saw that Bacchides and the strength of his army were on the right; then all the stouthearted men went with him,, and they crushed the right wing, and he pursued them as far as Mount Azotus., When those on the left wing saw that the right wing was crushed, they turned and followed close behind Judas and his men., The battle became desperate, and many on both sides were wounded and fell., Judas also fell, and the rest fled.,Then Jonathan and Simon took Judas their brother and buried him in the tomb of their fathers at Modein,, and wept for him. And all Israel made great lamentation for him; they mourned many days and said,, "How is the mighty fallen,the savior of Israel!", Now the rest of the acts of Judas, and his wars and the brave deeds that he did, and his greatness, have not been recorded, for they were very many.,After the death of Judas, the lawless emerged in all parts of Israel; all the doers of injustice appeared., In those days a very great famine occurred, and the country deserted with them to the enemy., And Bacchides chose the ungodly and put them in charge of the country., They sought and searched for the friends of Judas, and brought them to Bacchides, and he took vengeance on them and made sport of them., Thus there was great distress in Israel, such as had not been since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them.,Then all the friends of Judas assembled and said to Jonathan,, "Since the death of your brother Judas there has been no one like him to go against our enemies and Bacchides, and to deal with those of our nation who hate us., So now we have chosen you today to take his place as our ruler and leader, to fight our battle.", And Jonathan at that time accepted the leadership and took the place of Judas his brother.,When Bacchides learned of this, he tried to kill him., But Jonathan and Simon his brother and all who were with him heard of it, and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoa and camped by the water of the pool of Asphar., Bacchides found this out on the sabbath day, and he with all his army crossed the Jordan.,And Jonathan sent his brother as leader of the multitude and begged the Nabateans, who were his friends, for permission to store with them the great amount of baggage which they had., But the sons of Jambri from Medeba came out and seized John and all that he had, and departed with it.,After these things it was reported to Jonathan and Simon his brother, "The sons of Jambri are celebrating a great wedding, and are conducting the bride, a daughter of one of the great nobles of Canaan, from Nadabath with a large escort.", And they remembered the blood of John their brother, and went up and hid under cover of the mountain., They raised their eyes and looked, and saw a tumultuous procession with much baggage; and the bridegroom came out with his friends and his brothers to meet them with tambourines and musicians and many weapons., Then they rushed upon them from the ambush and began killing them. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled to the mountain; and they took all their goods., Thus the wedding was turned into mourning and the voice of their musicians into a funeral dirge., And when they had fully avenged the blood of their brother, they returned to the marshes of the Jordan.,When Bacchides heard of this, he came with a large force on the sabbath day to the banks of the Jordan., And Jonathan said to those with him, "Let us rise up now and fight for our lives, for today things are not as they were before., For look! the battle is in front of us and behind us; the water of the Jordan is on this side and on that, with marsh and thicket; there is no place to turn., Cry out now to Heaven that you may be delivered from the hands of our enemies.", So the battle began, and Jonathan stretched out his hand to strike Bacchides, but he eluded him and went to the rear., Then Jonathan and the men with him leaped into the Jordan and swam across to the other side, and the enemy did not cross the Jordan to attack them., And about one thousand of Bacchides men fell that day.,Bacchides then returned to Jerusalem and built strong cities in Judea: the fortress in Jericho, and Emmaus, and Beth-horon, and Bethel, and Timnath, and Pharathon, and Tephon, with high walls and gates and bars.,And he placed garrisons in them to harass Israel., He also fortified the city of Beth-zur, and Gazara, and the citadel, and in them he put troops and stores of food., And he took the sons of the leading men of the land as hostages and put them under guard in the citadel at Jerusalem.,In the one hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month, Alcimus gave orders to tear down the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary. He tore down the work of the prophets!, And Alcimus died at that time in great agony., When Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead, he returned to the king, and the land of Judah had rest for two years.,Then all the lawless plotted and said, "See! Jonathan and his men are living in quiet and confidence. So now let us bring Bacchides back, and he will capture them all in one night.", And they went and consulted with him., He started to come with a large force, and secretly sent letters to all his allies in Judea, telling them to seize Jonathan and his men; but they were unable to do it, because their plan became known., And Jonathans men seized about fifty of the men of the country who were leaders in this treachery, and killed them.,Then Jonathan with his men, and Simon, withdrew to Bethbasi in the wilderness; he rebuilt the parts of it that had been demolished, and they fortified it., When Bacchides learned of this, he assembled all his forces, and sent orders to the men of Judea., Then he came and encamped against Bethbasi; he fought against it for many days and made machines of war.,But Jonathan left Simon his brother in the city, while he went out into the country; and he went with only a few men., He struck down Odomera and his brothers and the sons of Phasiron in their tents., Then he began to attack and went into battle with his forces; and Simon and his men sallied out from the city and set fire to the machines of war., They fought with Bacchides, and he was crushed by them. They distressed him greatly, for his plan and his expedition had been in vain., So he was greatly enraged at the lawless men who had counseled him to come into the country, and he killed many of them. Then he decided to depart to his own land.,When Jonathan learned of this, he sent ambassadors to him to make peace with him and obtain release of the captives., He agreed, and did as he said; and he swore to Jonathan that he would not try to harm him as long as he lived., He restored to him the captives whom he had formerly taken from the land of Judah; then he turned and departed to his own land, and came no more into their territory., Thus the sword ceased from Israel. And Jonathan dwelt in Michmash. And Jonathan began to judge the people, and he destroyed the ungodly out of Israel. |
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4. Septuagint, 2 Maccabees, 1.1, 3.1-3.4, 4.2, 4.5, 4.7, 4.9-4.11, 4.48, 4.50, 5.6, 5.8, 5.23, 5.27, 8.1, 9.19, 14.8, 14.37, 15.30, 15.37 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Schwartz, 2 Maccabees (2008) 3, 6, 495 | 1.1. The Jewish brethren in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea, To their Jewish brethren in Egypt, Greeting, and good peace.' 1.1. The Jewish brethren in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea, To their Jewish brethren in Egypt, Greeting, and good peace. 2 May God do good to you, and may he remember his covet with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, his faithful servants. 3 May he give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a strong heart and a willing spirit. 4 May he open your heart to his law and his commandments, and may he bring peace. 5 May he hear your prayers and be reconciled to you, and may he not forsake you in time of evil. 6 We are now praying for you here. 7 In the reign of Demetrius, in the one hundred and sixty-ninth year, we Jews wrote to you, in the critical distress which came upon us in those years after Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and the kingdom 8 and burned the gate and shed innocent blood. We besought the Lord and we were heard, and we offered sacrifice and cereal offering, and we lighted the lamps and we set out the loaves. 9 And now see that you keep the feast of booths in the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and eighty-eighth year. 3.1. While the holy city was inhabited in unbroken peace and the laws were very well observed because of the piety of the high priest Onias and his hatred of wickedness,' 3.1. While the holy city was inhabited in unbroken peace and the laws were very well observed because of the piety of the high priest Onias and his hatred of wickedness, 2 it came about that the kings themselves honored the place and glorified the temple with the finest presents, 3 so that even Seleucus, the king of Asia, defrayed from his own revenues all the expenses connected with the service of the sacrifices. 4 But a man named Simon, of the tribe of Benjamin, who had been made captain of the temple, had a disagreement with the high priest about the administration of the city market; 5 and when he could not prevail over Onias he went to Apollonius of Tarsus, who at that time was governor of Coele Syria and Phoenicia. 6 He reported to him that the treasury in Jerusalem was full of untold sums of money, so that the amount of the funds could not be reckoned, and that they did not belong to the account of the sacrifices, but that it was possible for them to fall under the control of the king. 7 When Apollonius met the king, he told him of the money about which he had been informed. The king chose Heliodorus, who was in charge of his affairs, and sent him with commands to effect the removal of the aforesaid money. 8 Heliodorus at once set out on his journey, ostensibly to make a tour of inspection of the cities of Coele Syria and Phoenicia, but in fact to carry out the king's purpose. 9 When he had arrived at Jerusalem and had been kindly welcomed by the high priest of the city, he told about the disclosure that had been made and stated why he had come, and he inquired whether this really was the situation. 3.2. it came about that the kings themselves honored the place and glorified the temple with the finest presents,' 3.3. o that even Seleucus, the king of Asia, defrayed from his own revenues all the expenses connected with the service of the sacrifices.' 3.4. But a man named Simon, of the tribe of Benjamin, who had been made captain of the temple, had a disagreement with the high priest about the administration of the city market;' 4.2. He dared to designate as a plotter against the government the man who was the benefactor of the city, the protector of his fellow countrymen, and a zealot for the laws.' 4.5. So he betook himself to the king, not accusing his fellow citizens but having in view the welfare, both public and private, of all the people.' 4.7. When Seleucus died and Antiochus who was called Epiphanes succeeded to the kingdom, Jason the brother of Onias obtained the high priesthood by corruption,' 4.9. In addition to this he promised to pay one hundred and fifty more if permission were given to establish by his authority a gymnasium and a body of youth for it, and to enrol the men of Jerusalem as citizens of Antioch.' 4.10. When the king assented and Jason came to office, he at once shifted his countrymen over to the Greek way of life.' 4.10. When the king assented and Jason came to office, he at once shifted his countrymen over to the Greek way of life. 11 He set aside the existing royal concessions to the Jews, secured through John the father of Eupolemus, who went on the mission to establish friendship and alliance with the Romans; and he destroyed the lawful ways of living and introduced new customs contrary to the law. 12 For with alacrity he founded a gymnasium right under the citadel, and he induced the noblest of the young men to wear the Greek hat. 13 There was such an extreme of Hellenization and increase in the adoption of foreign ways because of the surpassing wickedness of Jason, who was ungodly and no high priest, 14 that the priests were no longer intent upon their service at the altar. Despising the sanctuary and neglecting the sacrifices, they hastened to take part in the unlawful proceedings in the wrestling arena after the call to the discus, 15 disdaining the honors prized by their fathers and putting the highest value upon Greek forms of prestige. 16 For this reason heavy disaster overtook them, and those whose ways of living they admired and wished to imitate completely became their enemies and punished them. 17 For it is no light thing to show irreverence to the divine laws — a fact which later events will make clear. 18 When the quadrennial games were being held at Tyre and the king was present, 19 the vile Jason sent envoys, chosen as being Antiochian citizens from Jerusalem, to carry three hundred silver drachmas for the sacrifice to Hercules. Those who carried the money, however, thought best not to use it for sacrifice, because that was inappropriate, but to expend it for another purpose. 4.11. He set aside the existing royal concessions to the Jews, secured through John the father of Eupolemus, who went on the mission to establish friendship and alliance with the Romans; and he destroyed the lawful ways of living and introduced new customs contrary to the law.' 4.48. And so those who had spoken for the city and the villages and the holy vessels quickly suffered the unjust penalty." 4.50. But Menelaus, because of the cupidity of those in power, remained in office, growing in wickedness, having become the chief plotter against his fellow citizens.' 5.6. But Jason kept relentlessly slaughtering his fellow citizens, not realizing that success at the cost of one's kindred is the greatest misfortune, but imagining that he was setting up trophies of victory over enemies and not over fellow countrymen.' 5.8. Finally he met a miserable end. Accused before Aretas the ruler of the Arabs, fleeing from city to city, pursued by all men, hated as a rebel against the laws, and abhorred as the executioner of his country and his fellow citizens, he was cast ashore in Egypt;' 5.23. and at Gerizim, Andronicus; and besides these Menelaus, who lorded it over his fellow citizens worse than the others did. In his malice toward the Jewish citizens,' 5.27. But Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, got away to the wilderness, and kept himself and his companions alive in the mountains as wild animals do; they continued to live on what grew wild, so that they might not share in the defilement.' 8.1. But Judas, who was also called Maccabeus, and his companions secretly entered the villages and summoned their kinsmen and enlisted those who had continued in the Jewish faith, and so they gathered about six thousand men.' 8.1. But Judas, who was also called Maccabeus, and his companions secretly entered the villages and summoned their kinsmen and enlisted those who had continued in the Jewish faith, and so they gathered about six thousand men. 2 They besought the Lord to look upon the people who were oppressed by all, and to have pity on the temple which had been profaned by ungodly men, 3 and to have mercy on the city which was being destroyed and about to be leveled to the ground, and to hearken to the blood that cried out to him, 4 and to remember also the lawless destruction of the innocent babies and the blasphemies committed against his name, and to show his hatred of evil. 5 As soon as Maccabeus got his army organized, the Gentiles could not withstand him, for the wrath of the Lord had turned to mercy. 6 Coming without warning, he would set fire to towns and villages. He captured strategic positions and put to flight not a few of the enemy. 7 He found the nights most advantageous for such attacks. And talk of his valor spread everywhere. 8 When Philip saw that the man was gaining ground little by little, and that he was pushing ahead with more frequent successes, he wrote to Ptolemy, the governor of Coele Syria and Phoenicia, for aid to the king's government. 9 And Ptolemy promptly appointed Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of the king's chief friends, and sent him, in command of no fewer than twenty thousand Gentiles of all nations, to wipe out the whole race of Judea. He associated with him Gorgias, a general and a man of experience in military service. 9.19. To his worthy Jewish citizens, Antiochus their king and general sends hearty greetings and good wishes for their health and prosperity.' 14.8. first because I am genuinely concerned for the interests of the king, and second because I have regard also for my fellow citizens. For through the folly of those whom I have mentioned our whole nation is now in no small misfortune.' 14.37. A certain Razis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, was denounced to Nicanor as a man who loved his fellow citizens and was very well thought of and for his good will was called father of the Jews.' 15.30. And the man who was ever in body and soul the defender of his fellow citizens, the man who maintained his youthful good will toward his countrymen, ordered them to cut off Nicanor's head and arm and carry them to Jerusalem.' 15.30. And the man who was ever in body and soul the defender of his fellow citizens, the man who maintained his youthful good will toward his countrymen, ordered them to cut off Nicanor's head and arm and carry them to Jerusalem. 31 And when he arrived there and had called his countrymen together and stationed the priests before the altar, he sent for those who were in the citadel. 32 He showed them the vile Nicanor's head and that profane man's arm, which had been boastfully stretched out against the holy house of the Almighty; 33 and he cut out the tongue of the ungodly Nicanor and said that he would give it piecemeal to the birds and hang up these rewards of his folly opposite the sanctuary. 34 And they all, looking to heaven, blessed the Lord who had manifested himself, saying, "Blessed is he who has kept his own place undefiled." 35 And he hung Nicanor's head from the citadel, a clear and conspicuous sign to every one of the help of the Lord. 36 And they all decreed by public vote never to let this day go unobserved, but to celebrate the thirteenth day of the twelfth month — which is called Adar in the Syrian language — the day before Mordecai's day. 37 This, then, is how matters turned out with Nicanor. And from that time the city has been in the possession of the Hebrews. So I too will here end my story. 38 If it is well told and to the point, that is what I myself desired; if it is poorly done and mediocre, that was the best I could do. 39 For just as it is harmful to drink wine alone, or, again, to drink water alone, while wine mixed with water is sweet and delicious and enhances one's enjoyment, so also the style of the story delights the ears of those who read the work. And here will be the end.END 15.37. This, then, is how matters turned out with Nicanor. And from that time the city has been in the possession of the Hebrews. So I too will here end my story.' 6. Not long after this, the king sent an Athenian senator to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of God,',and also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and 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 dwelt in that place.',Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil.",For the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots and had intercourse with women within the sacred precincts, and besides brought in things for sacrifice that were unfit.', The altar was covered with abominable offerings which were forbidden by the laws.",A man could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the feasts of his fathers, nor so much as confess himself to be a Jew.',On the monthly celebration of the king's birthday, the Jews were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Dionysus came, they were compelled to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus, wearing wreaths of ivy.',At the suggestion of Ptolemy 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,',and should slay those who did not choose to change over to Greek customs. One could see, therefore, the misery that had come upon them.',For example, two women were brought in for having circumcised their children. These women they publicly paraded about the city, with their babies hung at their breasts, then hurled them down headlong from the wall.',Others who had assembled in the caves near by, 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.',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.',In fact, not to let the impious alone for long, but to punish them immediately, is a sign of great kindness.',For 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,', in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height.",Therefore he never withdraws his mercy from us. Though he disciplines us with calamities, he does not forsake his own people.', Let what we have said serve as a reminder; we must go on briefly with the story.",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.',But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh,',as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.',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 pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king,',so that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them.',But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs which 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.',Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life, he said, 'lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an alien religion,',and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age.',For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty.',Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age',and 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 went at once to the rack.',And those who a little before had acted toward him with good will now changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer madness.',When 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.',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.' |
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5. Septuagint, Judith, 8.1 (2nd cent. BCE - 0th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •jerusalem, as subject of Found in books: Schwartz, 2 Maccabees (2008) 3 | 8.1. At that time Judith heard about these things: she was the daughter of Merari the son of Ox, son of Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Aias, son of Gideon, son of Raphaim, son of Ahitub, son of Elijah, son of Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Israel. |
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