2
knowing that devout reason is master of all emotions, not only of sufferings from within, but also of those from without.
3
Therefore those who gave over their bodies in suffering for the sake of religion were not only admired by men, but also were deemed worthy to share in a divine inheritance.
4
Because of them the nation gained peace, and by reviving observance of the law in the homeland they ravaged the enemy.
5
The tyrant Antiochus was both punished on earth and is being chastised after his death. Since in no way whatever was he able to compel the Israelites to become pagans and to abandon their ancestral customs, he left Jerusalem and marched against the Persians.
6
The mother of seven sons expressed also these principles to her children:
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.