4 Maccabees 8

1 This is why even young boys, taking devout reason for their philosophy, overcame instruments of torture harsher still. 2 For when the ruler was plainly beaten in his first attempt, unable to force an old man to eat defiled food, then, in a violent surge of passion, he ordered others brought in from among the Hebrews taken as plunder — and if they would eat the defiled food, to let them go once they had eaten, but if they refused, to torture them more bitterly. [a]

3 When the ruler had given this order, seven brothers were brought in with their aged mother: handsome, modest, of noble birth, and graceful in every way. 4 The ruler saw them ringed close around their mother as though they were standing in a dance, and he was pleased with them. Struck by their fine looks and their nobility, he smiled at them, called them near, and said,

5 “Young men, I look on every one of you with good will. I admire your beauty, and I think much of so great a number of brothers, and I do not merely advise you against going mad with the same madness as the old man who was tortured before you: I ask you to give way to me and enjoy my friendship. 6 Just as I am able to punish those who disobey my orders, so I am able to do good to those who obey me. 7 Trust me, then, and you will be given positions of leadership in my government, if you renounce the ancestral rule of your way of life. 8 Take up the Greek way of life, change your habits, and enjoy your youth. 9 But if you make me angry by disobeying, you will force me to destroy every one of you with terrible punishments under torture. 10 Have mercy on yourselves, then. Even I, who am your enemy, pity you for your youth and your good looks. 11 Will you not reckon this up — that if you disobey, nothing is left for you but to die on the rack?”

12 As he said this he ordered the instruments of torture set out in front of them, so that fear too might persuade them to eat defiled food. 13 And when the spearbearers had set out the wheels and the joint-breakers, the racks and the wheel-frames, the catapults and the cauldrons, the frying pans and the finger-screws, the iron hands and the wedges and the embers to feed the fire, the ruler took up his speech again and said, 14 “Boys, be afraid; and the Justice you revere will be merciful to you when you break the law under compulsion.”

15 But they heard words meant to draw them in and saw terrible things, and they were not afraid. They argued philosophy back at the ruler, and by sound reasoning they pulled his rule down. 16 Still, let us reckon it up. If some among them had been faint-souled and without courage, what words would they have used? Would they not have been these?

17 “How wretched we are, and how far past all sense! A king is calling us and urging us toward his kindness, if only we would let him persuade us. 18 Why do we cheer ourselves with empty purposes and dare a disobedience that brings death? 19 Brothers, shall we not fear the instruments of torture, and reckon up the threats of the tortures, and run from this empty glory and this boasting that carries ruin in it? 20 Let us have mercy on our own youth and pity our mother’s old age. 21 Let us take to heart that if we disobey we shall die. 22 The divine Justice will pardon us too, if we fear the king under compulsion. 23 Why do we take ourselves out of the sweetest of lives and rob ourselves of this sweet world? 24 Let us not strain against compulsion, and let us not chase empty glory by our own racking. 25 Not even the law itself puts us to death willingly for being afraid of the instruments of torture. 26 Where did such a love of strife sink into us, and why does this deadly holding out please us, when we could live undisturbed by listening to the king?”

27 But the young men, with torture in front of them, said none of this, and did not even think it. 28 For they thought nothing of the passions and were sovereign over their pains, [c] 29 so that the moment the ruler stopped advising them to eat defiled food, they all spoke together, with one voice, as from one soul: [d]