2 Maccabees 12:38-45

Common English Bible

³⁸ Judas took his army and came into the city of Adullam. When the seventh day arrived, they purified themselves according to custom and observed the Sabbath. ³⁹ On the next day, it was necessary for Judas and his men to recover the bodies of the fallen and to bury them with their relatives in the ancestral tombs. ⁴⁰ They found sacred charms, idols from Jamnia that the Law forbids Jews to wear, under the clothing of each of the dead. It became clear to all why these men had fallen. ⁴¹ Then they all praised the Lord, the righteous judge who makes hidden things visible. ⁴² They appealed to God and prayed for the sin that had been committed to be completely wiped out. The honorable Judas called on the people to keep themselves free from sin, since everyone had seen what had happened because of the sin of those who fell. ⁴³ After taking a collection from each man, he sent the sum of two thousand silver drachmen^[a] to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. He was acting honorably and appropriately, thinking about the resurrection. ⁴⁴ If he hadn’t been looking forward to the resurrection of the dead, then it would have been unnecessary and frivolous to pray for them. ⁴⁵ He was looking, however, to that best reward laid up for those who die in godliness, and so this was a pious and holy thought. Thus he made an offering of reconciliation so that the dead would be forgiven of their sin.