19
Mattathias answered in a loud voice, "I don't care if every Gentile in this empire has obeyed the king and yielded to the command to abandon the religion of his ancestors.
20
My children, my relatives, and I will continue to keep the covenant that God made with our ancestors.
21
With God's help we will never abandon his Law or disobey his commands.
22
We will not obey the king's decree, and we will not change our way of worship in the least."
23
Just as he finished speaking, one of the men from Modein decided to obey the king's decree and stepped out in front of everyone to offer a pagan sacrifice on the altar that stood there.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.