16
"My sons, noble is the contest to which you are called to bear witness for the nation. Fight zealously for our ancestral law.
17
For it would be shameful if, while an aged man endures such agonies for the sake of religion, you young men were to be terrified by tortures.
18
Remember that it is through God that you have had a share in the world and have enjoyed life,
19
and therefore you ought to endure any suffering for the sake of God.
20
For his sake also our father Abraham was zealous to sacrifice his son Isaac, the ancestor of our nation; and when Isaac saw his father's hand wielding a sword and descending upon him, he did not cower.
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.