10
For they were righteous and self-controlled and brave and magnanimous, and loved their brothers and their mother, so that they obeyed her even to death in keeping the ordinances.
11
Nevertheless, though so many factors influenced the mother to suffer with them out of love for her children, in the case of none of them were the various tortures strong enough to pervert her reason.
12
Instead, the mother urged them on, each child singly and all together, to death for the sake of religion.
13
O sacred nature and affection of parental love, yearning of parents toward offspring, nurture and indomitable suffering by mothers!
14
This mother, who saw them tortured and burned one by one, because of religion did not change her attitude.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.