19
Even the young women who had just been adorned for their weddings left the bridal bedrooms that had been prepared for the marriage night. Neglecting all proper modesty, they came together in the city in a wild rush.
20
Mothers and nurses left newborn children here and there, some in houses, some in the streets, and crowded together into the most high temple without looking back.
21
The people who assembled offered all kinds of prayers on account of the evil plot of the king.
22
Some of the bolder citizens weren't going to put up with his intended plan or fulfill what he had in mind.
23
They rallied each other to attack with weapons and to die courageously for the sake of the law of their ancestors, creating a great uproar in the holy place. The old men and the elders were barely able to restrain them, but turned them at last to the same stance of prayer.