The Martyrdom of Seven Brothers

7 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and straps, to partake of unlawful pig’s flesh.^{(A) 2} One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, “What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.”^(B)

³ The king fell into a rage and gave orders to have pans and caldrons heated.^{(C) 4} These were heated immediately, and he commanded that the tongue of their spokesman be cut out and that they scalp him and cut off his hands and feet, while the rest of the brothers and the mother looked on. ⁵ When he was utterly helpless, the king^[a] ordered them to take him to the fire, still breathing, and to fry him in a pan. The smoke from the pan spread widely, but the brothers^[b] and their mother encouraged one another to die nobly, saying, ⁶ “The Lord God is watching over us and in truth has compassion on us, as Moses declared in his song that bore witness against the people to their faces, when he said, ‘And he will have compassion on his servants.’ ”^(D)

⁷ After the first brother had died in this way, they brought forward the second for their sport. They tore off the skin of his head with the hair and asked him, “Will you eat rather than have your body punished limb by limb?”^{(E) 8} He replied in the language of his ancestors and said to them, “No.” Therefore he in turn underwent tortures as the first brother had done.^{(F) 9} And when he was at his last breath, he said, “You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to a renewal of everlasting life, because we have died for his laws.”^(G)

¹⁰ After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands ¹¹ and said nobly, “I got these from heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again.” ¹² As a result, the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man’s spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing.

¹³ After he, too, had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way. ¹⁴ When he was near death, he said, “One cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to cherish the hope God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!”^(H)

¹⁵ Next they brought forward the fifth and maltreated him. ¹⁶ But he looked at the king^[c] and said, “Because you have authority among mortals, though you also are mortal, you do what you please. But do not think that God has forsaken our people. ¹⁷ Keep on, and see how his mighty power will torture you and your descendants!”^(I)

¹⁸ After him they brought forward the sixth. And when he was about to die, he said, “Do not deceive yourself in vain. For we are suffering these things on our own account because of our sins against our own God.^{[d](J) 19} But do not think that you will go unpunished for having tried to fight against God!”^(K)

Paul on the Island of Malta

28 After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta.^{(A) 2} The local people showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it.^{(B) 3} Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. ⁴ When the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”^{(C) 5} He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.^{(D) 6} They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.^(E)

⁷ Now in the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸ It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him.^{(F) 9} After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. ¹⁰ They bestowed many honors on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

¹¹ Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead.^{(G) 12} We put in at Syracuse and stayed there for three days; ¹³ then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After one day there a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found brothers and sisters and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.^{(H) 15} The brothers and sisters from there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

²⁰ The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable memory. Although she saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with good courage because of her hope in the Lord. ²¹ She encouraged each of them in the language of their ancestors. Filled with a noble spirit, she reinforced her woman’s reasoning with a man’s courage and said to them,^{(A) 22} “I do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath nor I who set in order the elements within each of you.^{(B) 23} Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of humankind and devised the origin of all things, in his mercy gives life and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws.”^(C)

²⁴ Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt, and he was suspicious of her reproachful tone. The youngest brother being still alive, Antiochus^[a] not only appealed to him in words but promised with oaths that he would make him rich and enviable if he would turn from the ways of his ancestors and that he would take him for his Friend and entrust him with public affairs.^{(D) 25} Since the young man would not listen to him at all, the king called the mother to him and urged her to advise the youth to save himself. ²⁶ After much urging on his part, she undertook to persuade her son. ²⁷ But, leaning close to him, she spoke in their native language as follows, deriding the cruel tyrant: “My son, have pity on me. I carried you nine months in my womb and nursed you for three years and have reared you and brought you up to this point in your life and have taken care of you.^{(E) 28} I beg you, my child, to look at the heaven and the earth and see everything that is in them and recognize that God did not make them out of things that existed.^[b] And in the same way the human race came into being.^{(F) 29} Do not fear this butcher but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death, so that in God’s mercy I may get you back again along with your brothers.”^(G)

³⁰ While she was still speaking, the young man said, “What are you waiting for? I will not obey the king’s command, but I obey the command of the law that was given to our ancestors through Moses. ³¹ But you, who have contrived all sorts of evil against the Hebrews, will certainly not escape the hands of God.^{(H) 32} For we are suffering because of our own sins.^{(I) 33} And if our living Lord is angry for a little while, to rebuke and discipline us, he will again be reconciled with his own servants.^{(J) 34} But you, unholy wretch, you most defiled of all mortals, do not be elated in vain and puffed up by uncertain hopes when you raise your hand against the children of heaven.^{(K) 35} You have not yet escaped the judgment of the almighty, all-seeing God. ³⁶ For our brothers, after enduring a brief suffering for everlasting life, have fallen under God’s covenant, but you, by the judgment of God, will receive just punishment for your arrogance.^{(L) 37} I, like my brothers, give up body and life for the laws of our ancestors, appealing to God to show mercy soon to our nation and by trials and plagues to make you confess that he alone is God,^{(M) 38} and through me and my brothers to bring to an end the wrath of the Almighty that has justly fallen on our whole nation.”^(N)

³⁹ The king fell into a rage and handled him worse than the others, being exasperated at his scorn.^{(O) 40} So he died in his integrity, putting his whole trust in the Lord.

⁴¹ Last of all, the mother died, after her sons.^(P)

¹⁶ When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.^(A)

Paul and Jewish Leaders in Rome

¹⁷ Three days later he called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers,^[a] though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, yet I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.^{(B) 18} When they had examined me, the Romans^[b] wanted to release me because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.^{(C) 19} But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to the emperor—even though I had no charge to bring against my people.^{(D) 20} For this reason therefore I asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”^{(E) 21} They replied, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken anything evil about you.^{(F) 22} But we would like to hear from you what you think, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”^(G)

Paul Preaches in Rome

²³ After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. ²⁴ Some were convinced by what he had said, while others refused to believe. ²⁵ So they disagreed with each other, and as they were leaving Paul made one further statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah,

²⁸ “Let it be known to you, then, that this salvation of God has been sent to the gentiles; they will listen.”^[c]

³⁰ He lived there two whole years at his own expense^[d] and welcomed all who came to him, ³¹ proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.