7
After the first brother had died in this way, the soldiers started amusing themselves with the second one by tearing the hair and skin from his head. Then they asked him, "Now will you eat this pork, or do you want us to chop off your hands and feet one by one?"
8
He replied in his native language, "I will never eat it!" So the soldiers tortured him, just as they had the first one,
9
but with his dying breath he cried out to the king, "You butcher! You may kill us, but the King of the universe will raise us from the dead and give us eternal life, because we have obeyed his laws."
10
The soldiers began entertaining themselves with the third brother. When he was ordered to stick out his tongue, he quickly did so. Then he bravely held out his hands
11
and courageously said, "God gave these to me. But his laws mean more to me than my hands, and I know God will give them back to me again."
12
The king and those with him were amazed at his courage and at his willingness to suffer.
13
After he had died, the soldiers tortured the fourth one in the same cruel way,
14
but his final words were, "I am glad to die at your hands, because we have the assurance that God will raise us from death. But there will be no resurrection to life for you, Antiochus!"
15
When the soldiers took the fifth boy and began torturing him,
16
he looked the king squarely in the eye and said, "You have the power to do whatever you want with us, even though you also are mortal. But do not think that God has abandoned our people.
17
Just wait. God will use his great power to torture you and your descendants."