24
Antiochus thought that he was being treated with contempt and was suspicious of the tone of her voice. So he appealed to the youngest son, since he was still alive, not only through words but also through solemn pledges. If the young man turned from his ancestral practices, Antiochus promised him, he would make him both rich and prosperous, he would be considered a political advisor, and he would be entrusted with public affairs.
25
When the young man wouldn't accept the offer by any means, the king appealed to the mother to counsel the boy to save himself.
26
After a great deal of urging, she agreed to try to persuade her son.
27
By leaning toward her son and mocking the savage tyrant, she spoke in their native language: "Son, pity me who carried you in the womb nine months, nursed you for three years, nurtured you, and brought you into this stage of life with care.
28
I beg you, child, to look at heaven and earth. See everything that is in them and know that God made these things from nothing, and created humankind in the same way.
29
Don't fear this killer but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death so that in God's mercy I should recover you with your brothers."
30
Just at the moment when she finished speaking, the young man said, "What are you all waiting for? I don't intend to obey the king's order, but I hear the command of the Law given to our ancestors through Moses.
31
But you, King, who have invented all sorts of evil against the Hebrews, will by no means escape God's power.
32
We are suffering because of our own sins.
33
If our living Lord is angry for a short time in order to rebuke and discipline us, he will again be reconciled with his own servants.
34
But you, unholy man, the most bloodstained of all people, don't be so proud without having cause. Bloated by futile hope, you raise up your hand against the children of heaven.