4 Maccabees 15
Common English Bible
15 How the clear thinking of these children was a tyrant over their emotions and how respecting God was more precious to the mother than her own children! 2 The mother had two options in front of her: the godly way of living, and saving her seven sons for a while, as the tyrant promised. 3 She preferred the path of respect for God, saving her sons for eternal life, as God promised.
4 How can I describe the emotions of parents who love their children? We stamp a remarkable similarity in heart and in appearance on the character of small children. This is especially true of mothers, who have even more sympathy than fathers toward the feelings of their children because they gave birth to them in great pain. 5 To the extent that mothers are weaker and give birth to many, that’s how much more they love their children. 6 And this mother of seven loved her children more than any other mother. Through seven pregnancies, she planted profound love toward them within herself. 7 She was forced to have sympathy for each one through the multiple pains of giving birth. 8 Yet she ignored her concern for her children’s temporary safety because of her respect for God. 9 Not only that, but the character and conduct her sons showed in the way they were ready to obey the Law only increased her profound love toward them. 10 They showed themselves to be just, self-controlled, brave, high-minded, and devoted to each other. Moreover, they showed how much they loved their mother as they obeyed her by staying true to God’s commands even to the point of death.
11 Though so many forces were pulling against the mother to feel her children’s pain out of her love for them, none of the many tortures they suffered were strong enough to undermine her clear thinking. 12 Rather, the mother urged them individually and all of them together to a death for the sake of their godly way of life.
13 Sacred nature, a love spell cast over parents, devotion to children, tender care, and the unyielding passion that mothers show—how powerful they are! 14 Even though this mother watched her children tortured and burned up one after another, she kept her resolve firm for the sake of their godly way of life. 15 She watched as the fire devoured her children’s flesh, their fingers and toes scattered all over the ground, the flesh of their faces torn off like masks down to their chins.
16 How the mother was tested by pains far worse than the labor pains she suffered for them! 17 How the woman gave birth alone to such perfect devotion! 18 You didn’t change your direction when your oldest son took his last breath, or when your second son was in torment and looked at you pitifully, or when the third son died. 19 You didn’t cry out loud when you looked into each one’s eyes, gripped by their own pain, or when you saw on the faces the signs of death approaching. 20 You didn’t burst into tears when you saw the burned flesh of one child piling up on the burned flesh of the others, severed hands on severed hands, severed heads beside severed heads, bodies piled up on bodies, or when you saw the place filling with many spectators of their torture.
21 The children’s voices calling out to their mother from the midst of their torture held her attention more strongly than the Sirens’ singing or the song of swans captures the attention of those who hear them. 22 How great was the pain that this mother suffered while her sons were being tortured by wheels and hot irons! 23 However, godly thinking strengthened her to ignore her natural love for her children. Godly thinking created in her a masculine courage in the middle of this suffering. 24 Even though she saw the destruction of seven children and the various devices of torture, the excellent mother ignored all these things because of her faithfulness toward God. 25 Her life was like a courtroom, and many powerful voices were speaking out—nature, family, a parent’s love, and the instruments of torture set out for her children. 26 This mother held two ballots in her hand: the first sentenced her children to death; the second rescued them. 27 She chose not to seek the kind of rescue that would keep her seven sons safe for a short time. 28 This daughter of devout Abraham remembered her ancestor’s endurance.
29 You are the mother of the whole nation. You stood up for the Law, defended the godly way of life, and won the contest that was raging deep inside you. 30 You were better than men when it came to determination, and braver than men when it came to endurance! 31 Noah’s ark, which carried the future of the whole world inside of it during the flood that swallowed up creation, steadily endured the waves. In the same way, you, the guardian of the Law, endured the storms honorably for the sake of the godly way of life, 32 though you were battered from every side by the flood of the emotions and by the strong winds of your children’s torture.
4 Maccabees 15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
15 O reason of the children, tyrant over the passions! O piety, more desirable to the mother than her children! 2 Two courses were open to this mother, that of piety and that of preserving her seven sons for a time, as the tyrant had promised. 3 She loved piety more, the piety that preserves them for eternal life according to God’s promise.[a] 4 In what manner might I express the passions of parents who love their children? We impress upon the character of a small child a wondrous likeness both of mind and of form. Especially is this true of mothers, who because of their birth pangs have a deeper sympathy toward their offspring than do the fathers. 5 For to the extent that mothers are of tender spirit and bear more children, so much the more attached are they to their children. 6 The mother of the seven boys, more than any other mother, loved her children. In seven pregnancies she had implanted in herself tender love toward them, 7 and because of the many pains she suffered with each of them she had sympathy for them, 8 yet because of the fear of God she disdained the temporary safety of her children. 9 Not only so, but also because of the nobility of her sons and their ready obedience to the law, she felt a greater tenderness toward them. 10 For they were just and self-controlled and courageous and magnanimous and loved their brothers and their mother so that they obeyed her even to death in keeping the ordinances.
11 Nevertheless, though so many factors influenced the mother to suffer with them out of love for her children, in the case of none of them were the various tortures strong enough to pervert her reason. 12 But each child separately and all of them together the mother urged on to death for piety’s sake.(A) 13 O sacred nature, parental affection, tender love toward offspring, nursing, and indomitable maternal passions! 14 This mother, who saw them tortured and burned one by one, for piety’s sake did not change her attitude. 15 She watched the flesh of her children being consumed by fire, their toes and fingers scattered[b] on the ground, and the flesh of the head to the chin exposed like masks.
16 O mother, tried now by more bitter pains than even the birth pangs you suffered for them! 17 O woman, who alone gave birth to such perfect piety! 18 Neither when the firstborn breathed his last, it did not turn you aside, nor when the second in torments looked at you piteously nor when the third expired, 19 nor did you weep when you looked at the eyes of each one in his tortures gazing boldly at the same agonies and saw in their nostrils the signs of the approach of death. 20 When you saw the flesh of children burned[c] upon the flesh of other children, severed hands upon hands, scalped heads upon heads, and corpses fallen on other corpses, and when you saw the place filled with many spectators because of the children’s torments, you did not shed tears. 21 Neither the melodies of sirens nor the songs of swans attract the attention of their hearers as did the voices of the children in torture calling to their mother. 22 How great and how many torments the mother then suffered as her sons were tortured on the wheel and with the hot irons! 23 But pious reason, giving her heart a man’s courage in the very midst of her passions, strengthened her to disregard, for the time, her parental love.(B)
24 Although she witnessed the destruction of seven children and the ingenious and various rackings, this noble mother disregarded all these[d] because of faith in God. 25 For as in the council chamber of her own soul she saw mighty advocates—nature, family, parental love, and the instruments of torture awaiting her children— 26 this mother held two ballots, one bearing death and the other deliverance for her children.(C) 27 She did not approve the deliverance that would preserve the seven sons for a short time, 28 but as the daughter of God-fearing Abraham she remembered his fortitude.
29 O mother of the nation, vindicator of the law, and defender of piety who carried away the prize of the contest in your heart! 30 O more noble than males in steadfastness and more courageous than men in endurance! 31 Just as Noah’s ark, carrying the world in the universal flood, stoutly endured the waves,(D) 32 so you, O guardian of the law, overwhelmed from every side by the flood of your passions and the violent winds—the torture of your sons—endured nobly and withstood the wintry storms raging on piety’s account.
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.