2 Maccabees 4:15-17

New Catholic Bible

¹⁵ They showed no respect for what their ancestors had regarded as honorable and placed the greatest value on what the Greeks honored above all else. ^16 [a]As a result, they ended up suffering great affliction, for the very people whose way of life they sought to emulate and whom they wished to imitate in every respect became their enemies and oppressors. ¹⁷ It is no light matter to violate the laws of God, as will become clear in due course.