2 Maccabees 7:9-14

New Catholic Bible

⁹ With his final breath, he said: “You accursed fiend, you may send us forth from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up^[a] to life eternal, since it is because of our obedience to his laws that we are dying.”

¹⁰ After him, the third brother bore the brunt of their cruel torture. In response to their demand, he immediately thrust forth his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands ¹¹ as he said: “It was from Heaven^[b] that I received these. For the sake of his laws I disdain them. From him I hope to receive them again.” ¹² Both the king and his attendants were astounded as they witnessed the courage of this young man and his complete indifference to suffering.

¹³ After he had died they maltreated and tortured the fourth brother in the same way. ¹⁴ When he was at the point of death, he cried out: “It is far better to choose to die at the hands of men and rely on the promise of God of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life.”