4 Maccabees 5

1 The ruler Antiochus took his seat in state with his council on a raised place, his troops standing armed in a ring around him, [a] 2 and he ordered his spearbearers to drag in the Hebrews one by one and force them to taste pork and food sacrificed to idols. 3 Any who would not eat defiled food were to be broken on the wheel and killed.

4 Many were seized, and the first man out of the herd was one named Eleazar — a priest by family, an expert in the law by training, far on in years, and known to many at the ruler’s court because of his years. He was brought up close to him. [b] 5 When Antiochus saw him he said, 6 “Before the tortures against you begin, old man, I would give you this advice: taste the pork and save your life. [c] 7 I respect your years and your gray head — though after wearing it so long you do not seem to me to be practicing philosophy at all, since you follow the religion of the Jews. [d] 8 Why, when nature has made a gift of it, do you loathe eating the flesh of this animal, the finest meat there is? 9 It is senseless not to enjoy pleasures that carry no disgrace, and unrighteous to turn away from the favors of nature. 10 And you will be doing something more senseless still, I think, if you hold empty opinions about the truth, and go on despising me, and pay for it yourself. 11 Will you not wake up out of this silly philosophy of yours, shake the nonsense out of your reason, take up a mind worthy of your years, and study the truth of what is really good for you — [e] 12 and bow to my kindly urging, and take pity on your own old age? 13 Consider this too: if there really is some power watching over this religion of yours, it would forgive you any lawbreaking done under compulsion.”

14 While the ruler was urging him on this way toward eating flesh against all custom, Eleazar asked leave to speak; 15 and when he had been given leave, he began, like a man addressing an assembly: 16 “Antiochus, we are convinced that we live our public life by a divine law, and we think no compulsion stronger than glad obedience to that law. 17 So we hold that we must not break the law in any way at all. 18 Suppose our law were not truly divine, as you take it not to be, and we only supposed it divine: even then we would have no right to cancel our good name for devoutness. 19 So do not think it a small sin, if we were to eat defiled food. 20 To break the law in small things and in great ones carries the same weight, 21 for by either the law is held in the same contempt.

22 You mock our philosophy, as though we did not live in it by sound reason. 23 It teaches us self-control, so that we master all pleasures and desires; it trains us in courage, so that we willingly endure every pain; 24 it schools us in righteousness, so that in all our ways we give each man his equal due; and it teaches us devoutness, so that we worship the one God who is, and worship him as befits his greatness. 25 That is why we do not eat defiled food. We believe the law was set in place by God, and we know that the Maker of the world, in giving us law, felt with us as our nature required: 26 what would suit our souls he gave us leave to eat, and what would work against them he forbade us to eat.

27 It is a ruler’s way to force us not only to break the law but to eat, so that you can laugh at us over this eating of defiled food, which we hate above everything. 28 But you will not laugh that laugh at me. 29 I will not let go of my forefathers’ sacred oaths to keep the law — 30 not even if you cut out my eyes and melt away my inward parts. 31 I am not so old, or so short of courage, that my reason is not young where devoutness is at stake. 32 So get your wheels ready, and blow the fire hotter. 33 I do not pity my own old age enough to break down my fathers’ law by my own act.

34 I will not play you false, Law my teacher; I will not swear you away, dear self-mastery; 35 I will not put you to shame, reason that loves wisdom; I will not deny you, honored priesthood and learning in the giving of the law. 36 You will not defile the revered mouth of my old age, nor the full years of a lawful life. [f] 37 My fathers will receive me pure, a man who did not fear your compulsion, even to death. 38 You may rule the ungodly; but over my reason, which stands for devoutness, you will never be master, not by words and not by deeds.”