4 Maccabees 15:25-27

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised

²⁵ For as in the council chamber of her own soul she saw mighty advocates—nature, family, parental love, and the rackings of her children— ²⁶ this mother held two ballots, one bearing death and the other deliverance for her children. ²⁷ She did not approve the deliverance that would preserve the seven sons for a short time,