1 Maccabees 2:39-41

Common English Bible

³⁹ When Mattathias and his friends learned about this, they deeply mourned for the dead. ⁴⁰ They said to each other: “If we all do as our people have done and refuse to fight against the Gentiles for our lives and our commandments, they will soon eliminate us from the earth.” ⁴¹ So they decided that day: “We will fight against anyone who comes to attack us on the Sabbath. Let’s not all die as our people did in their hiding places.”