2 Maccabees 6
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1NOt long after this, sent the King an olde man of Athens, for to compell the Iewes, to transgresse the Lawes of the fathers, and not to be gouerned by the Law of God, 2And to defile the Temple that was at Ierusalem, and to call it the temple of Iupiter Olympius, and that of Garizin, according as they did that dwelt at that place, Iupiter, that kepeth hospitalitie. 3This wicked gouernement was sore and grieuous vnto the people. 4For the Temple was ful of dissolucion, and glottonie of the Gentiles, which dallied with harlots, & had to do with women within the circuit of the holie places, and broght in suche things as were not lawful. 5The altar also was ful of suche things, as were abominable & forbiden by the Law. 6Nether was it lawful to kepe the Sabbaths, nor to obserue their ancient feasts, nor plainely to confesse him self to be a Iewe. 7In the day of the Kings birth they were grieuously compelled parforce euerie moneth to banket, and when the feast of Bacchus was kept, they were constrained to go in the procession of Bacchus with garlandes of yuie. 8Moreouer through the counsel of Ptolemeus, there went out a commandement vnto the next cities of the heathen against the Iewes, that the like custome, and banketting shulde be kept. 9And who so wolde not conforme them selues to the maners of the Gentiles, shulde be put to death: then might a man haue sene the present miserie. 10For there were two women broght forthe, that had circumcised their sonnes, whome when they had led rounde about the citie(the babes hanging at their breasts) they cast them downe headlong ouer the walles. 11Some that were runne together into dennes to kepe the Sabboth day secretly, were discouered vnto Philippe, and were burnt together, because that for the reuerence of the honorable day they were afraied to helpe them selues. 12¶ Now I beseche those which reade this boke, that thei be not discouraged for these calamities, but that thei iudge these afflictions, not to be for destruction, but for a chastening of our nacion. 13For it is a token of his great goodnes not to suffer sinners long to continue, but straight waies to punish them. 14For the Lord doeth not long waite for vs, as for other nacions, whome he punisheth when thei are come to the fulnes of their sins. 15But thus he dealeth with vs, that our sinnes shulde not be heaped vp to the ful, so that afterwarde he shulde punish vs. 16And therefore he neuer withdraweth his mercie from vs : & thogh he punish with aduersitie, yet doeth he neuer forsake his people. 17But let this be spoken now for a warning vnto vs : & now wil we come to the declaring of the matter in fewe wordes. 18¶ Eleazar then one of the principal scribes, an aged man, & of a wel fauoured countenance, was constrained to open his mouth, and to eat swines flesh. 19But he desiring rather to dye gloriously then to liue with hatred, offred him self willingly to the torment, and spit it out. 20As thei oght to go to death which suffer punishment for suche things, as it is not lawful to taste of for the desire to liue. 21But thei that had the charge of this wicked banket, for that olde friendship of the man, toke him aside priuely, & prayed him, that he wolde take suche flesh, as was lauful for him to vse, & as he wolde prepare for him self, & dissemble as thogh he had eaten of the things appointed by the King, euen the flesh of the sacrifice, 22That in so doing he might be deliuered from death, and that for the olde friendship that was among them, he wolde receiue this fauour. 23But he began to consider discretely, & as became his age, and the excellencie of his ancient yeres, and the honour of his gray heeres, whereunto he was come, & his moste honest conuersation from his childehode, but chiefly the holie Law made and giuen by God: therefore he answered consequently, and willed them straight waies to send him to the graue. 24For it becometh not our age, said he, to dissemble, whereby manie yong persones might thinke, that Eleazar being foure score yere olde and ten were now gone to another religion, 25And so through mine hypocrisie ( for a litle time of a transitorie life) they might be deceiued by me, and I shulde procure malediction, & reproche to mine olde age. 26For thogh I were now deliuered from the torments of men, yet colde I not escape the hand of the Almightie, nether aliue nor dead. 27Wherefore I wil now change this life manfully, and wil shewe my self suche as mine age requireth, 28And so wil leaue a notable example for suche as be yong, to dye willingly & courageously for the honorable & holie Lawes. And when he had said these wordes, immediatly he went to torment. 29Now they that led him, changed the loue which they bare him before, into hatred, because of the wordes that he had spoken: for they thoght it had bene a rage. 30And as he was readie to giue the gost because of the strokes, he sighed and said, The Lord that hathe the holy knowledge, knoweth manifestly, that whereas I might haue bene deliuered from death, I am scourged and suffer these sore paines of my bodie : but in my minde I suffer them gladly for his religion. 31Euen now after this maner ended he his life, leauing his death for an example of a noble courage, and a memorial of vertue, not onely vnto yong men, but vnto all his nacion.