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[1]Thetyrant Antiochus, therefore, sitting in public state with his assessors upon a certain lofty place, with his armed troops standing in a circle around him, commanded his spearbearers to seize every one of the Hebrews, and to compel them to taste swine's flesh, and things offered to idols.
[2][No verse.]
[3]Andshould any of them be unwilling to eat the accursed food, they were to be tortured on the wheel, and so killed.
[4]Andwhen many had been seized, a foremost man of the assembly, a Hebrew, by name Eleazar, a priest by family, by profession a lawyer, and advanced in years, and for this reason known to many of the king's followers, was brought near to him.
[5]AndAntiochus seeing him, said,
[6]Iwould counsel thee, old man, before thy tortures begin, to tasted the swine's flesh, and save your life; for I feel respect for your age and hoary head, which since you have had so long, you appear to me to be no philosopher in retaining the superstition of the Jews.
[7]Forwherefore, since nature has conferred upon you the most excellent flesh of this animal, do you loathe it?
[8]Itseems senseless not to enjoy what is pleasant, yet not disgraceful; and from notions of sinfulness, to reject the boons of nature.
[9]Andyou will be acting, I think, still more senselessly, if you follow vain conceits about the truth.
[10]Andyou will, moreover, be despising me to your own punishment.
[11]Willyou not awake from your trifling philosophy? and give up the folly of your notions; and, regaining understanding worthy of your age, search into the truth of an expedient course?
[12]and,reverencing my kindly admonition, have pity upon your own years?
[13]For,bear in mind, that if there be any power which watches over this religion of yours, it will pardon you for all transgressions of the law which you commit through compulsion.
[14]Whilethe tyrant incited him in this manner to the unlawful eating of flesh, Eleazar begged permission to speak.
[15]Andhaving received power to speak, he began thus to deliver himself:
[16]We,O Antiochus, who are persuaded that we live under a divine law, consider no compulsion to be so forcible as obedience to that law;
[17]whereforewe consider that we ought not in any point to transgress the law.
[18]Andindeed, were our law (as you suppose) not truly divine, and if we wrongly think it divine, we should have no right even in that case to destroy our sense of religion.
[19]thinknot eating the unclean, then, a trifling offense.
[20]Fortransgression of the law, whether in small or great matters, is of equal moment;
[21]forin either case the law is equally slighted.
[22]Butthou deridest our philosophy, as though we lived irrationally in it.
[23]Yetit instructs us in temperance, so that we are superior to all pleasures and lusts; and it exercises us in manliness, so that we cheerfully undergo every grievance.
[24]Andit instructs us in justice, so that in all our dealoings we render what is due; and it teaches us piety, so that we worship the one only God becomingly.
[25]Whereforeit is that we eat not the unclean; for believing that the law was established by God, we are convinced that the Creator of the world, in giving his laws, sympathises with our nature.
[26]Thosethings which are convenient to our souls, he has directed us to eat; but those which are repugnant to them, he has interdicted.
[27]But,tyrant-like, thou not only forcest us to break the law, but also to eat, that thou mayest ridicule us as we thus profanely eat:
[28]butthou shalt not have this cause of laughter against me;
[29]norwill I transgress the sacred oaths of my forefathers to keep the law.
[30]No,not if you pluck out my eyes, and consume my entrails.
[31]Iam not so old, and void of manliness, but that my rational powers are youthful in defence of my religion.
[32]Nowthen; prepare your wheels, and kindle a fiercer flame.
[33]Iwill not so compassionate my old age, as on my account to break the law of my country.
[34]Iwill not belie thee, O law, my instructor! or forsake thee, O beloved self-control!
[35]Iwill not put thee to shame, O philosopher Reason; or deny thee, O honoured priesthood, and science of the law.
[36]Mouth!thou shalt not pollute my old age, nor the full stature of a perfect life.
[37]Myfathers shall receive me pure, not having quailed before your compulsion, though unto death.
[38]Forover the ungodly thou shalt tyrannize; but thou shalt not lord it over my thoughts about religion, either by thine arguments, or through deeds.
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