2 Maccabees 8:26-28

New Catholic Bible

²⁶ they were obliged to return because of the lateness of the hour. Since it was the day before the Sabbath, they could not continue their pursuit. ^27 [a]After collecting the arms of the enemy and stripping them of their spoils, they observed the Sabbath, offering fervent praise and thanksgiving to the Lord who had preserved them to witness on that day this manifestation of his compassion. ²⁸ When the Sabbath was over, they distributed some of the spoils to the victims of the persecution and to the widows and orphans. The rest they divided among themselves and their children.