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1 Some of the spearbearers said that when she herself was about to be seized for the purpose of being put to death, she threw herself on the pile, rather than let them touch her body. 2 O you mother, who together with seven children destroyed the violence of the tyrant, and rendered void his wicked intentions, and exhibited the nobleness of faith! 3 For you, like a house bravely built on the pillar of your children, bore the shock of tortures without swaying. 4 Cheer up, therefore, O holy-minded mother! Hold the firm hope of your steadfastness with God. 5 Not so gracious does the moon appear with the stars in heaven, as you are established as honourable before God, and fixed in the sky with your sons whom you illuminated with religion to the stars. 6 For your bearing of children was after the manner of a child of Abraham.
7 If it were lawful for us to paint as on a tablet the religion of your story, the spectators wouldn’t shudder at seeing the mother of seven children enduring for the sake of religion various tortures even to death. 8 It would have been a worthwhile thing to have inscribed on the tomb itself these words as a memorial to those of the nation, 9 “Here an aged priest, and an aged woman, and seven sons, are buried through the violence of a tyrant, who wished to destroy the society of the Hebrews. 10 These also avenged their nation, looking to God, and enduring torments to death.” 11 For it was truly a divine contest which was carried through by them. 12 For at that time virtue presided over the contest, approving the victory through endurance, namely, immortality, eternal life. 13 Eleazar was the first to contend. The mother of the seven children entered the contest, and the kindred contended. 14 The tyrant was the antagonist; and the world and living men were the spectators. 15 Reverence for God conquered, and crowned her own athletes. 16 Who didn’t admire those champions of true legislation? Who were not amazed? 17 The tyrant himself, and all their council, admired their endurance, 18 through which, they also now stand beside the divine throne and live a blessed life. 19 For Moses says, “All the saints are under your hands.” 20 These, therefore, having been sanctified through God, have been honoured not only with this honour, but that also by the fact that because of them, the enemy didn’t overcome our nation. 21 That tyrant was punished and their country purified. 22 For they became the ransom to the sin of the nation. The Divine Providence saved Israel, which was afflicted before, by the blood of those pious ones and the death that appeased wrath. 23 For the tyrant Antiochus, looking to their courageous virtue and to their endurance in torture, proclaimed that endurance as an example to his soldiers. 24 They proved to be to him noble and brave for land battles and for sieges; and he conquered and stormed the towns of all his enemies.
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1 O Israelite children, descendants of the seed of Abraham, obey this law and in every way be religious, 2 knowing that religious reasoning is lord of the emotions, and those not only inward but outward.
3 Therefore those people who gave up their bodies to pains for the sake of religion were not only admired by men, but were deemed worthy of a divine portion. 4 The nation through them obtained peace, and having renewed the observance of the law in their country, drove the enemy out of the land. 5 The tyrant Antiochus was both punished on earth, and is punished now that he is dead; for when he was quite unable to compel the Israelites to adopt foreign customs, and to desert the manner of life of their fathers, 6 then, departing from Jerusalem, he made war against the Persians. 7 The righteous mother of the seven children spoke also as follows to her offspring: “I was a pure virgin, and didn’t go beyond my father’s house, but I took care of the rib from which woman was made. 8 No destroyer of the desert or ravisher of the plain injured me, nor did the destructive, deceitful snake make plunder of my chaste virginity. I remained with my husband during the time of my maturity. 9 When these, my children, arrived at maturity, their father died. He was blessed! For having sought out a life of fertility in children, he was not grieved with a period of loss of children. 10 He used to teach you, when yet with you, the law and the prophets. 11 He used to read to you about the slaying of Abel by Cain, the offering up of Isaac, and the imprisonment of Joseph. 12 He used to tell you of the zealous Phinehas, and informed you of Ananias, Azarias, and Misael in the fire. 13 He used to glorify Daniel, who was in the den of lions, and pronounce him blessed. 14 He used to remind you of the scripture of Esaias, which says, “Even if you pass through the fire, it won’t burn you.” 15 He chanted to you David, the hymn writer, who says, “Many are the afflictions of the just.” 16 He declared the proverbs of Solomon, who says, “He is a tree of life to all those who do His will.” 17 He used to confirm what Ezekiel said: “Will these dry bones live?” 18 For he didn’t forget the song which Moses taught, proclaiming, “I will kill, and I will make alive.” 19 This is our life and the length of our days.
20 O that bitter, and yet not bitter, day when the bitter tyrant of the Greeks, quenching fire with fire in his cruel cauldrons, brought with boiling rage the seven sons of the daughter of Abraham to the rack, and to all his torments! 21 He pierced the balls of their eyes, and cut out their tongues, and put them to death with varied tortures. 22 Therefore divine retribution pursued and will pursue the pestilent wretch. 23 But the children of Abraham, with their victorious mother, are assembled together to the choir of their father, having received pure and immortal souls from God. 24 To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Matthew
The Good News According to Matthew
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1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,† the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram. 4 Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse became the father of King David. David the king‡ became the father of Solomon by her who had been Uriah’s wife. 7 Solomon became the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam became the father of Abijah. Abijah became the father of Asa. 8 Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram. Joram became the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah became the father of Jotham. Jotham became the father of Ahaz. Ahaz became the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor. 14 Azor became the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim. Achim became the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus,§ who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. 20 But when he thought about these things, behold,† an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus,‡ for it is
