2 Maccabees 6

Not long after this, the king sent out an old man from Athens to force the Jews to give up the laws of their fathers and to stop living by the laws of God.

1Not long after this the king sent an old man of Athens to compel the Jews to depart from the laws of their fathers, and not to live after the laws of God:

NoteThe king is Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Greek ruler of the Seleucid kingdom centered in Syria, whose plundering of Jerusalem is described in the previous chapter. The Greek behind "an old man of Athens" is uncertain: it can mean an elderly Athenian, a member of an Athenian governing council sent out as an official, or a man whose name was Geron the Athenian.

2He was also to defile the temple in Jerusalem and name it for Olympian Zeus, and to name the sanctuary at Gerizim for Zeus the Protector of foreigners, as the people who lived in that place wanted.

2And to pollute also the temple in Jerusalem, and to call it the temple of Jupiter Olympius; and that in Garizim, of Jupiter the Defender of strangers, as they did desire that dwelt in the place.

NoteThe KJV calls the god "Jupiter," the Roman name, because that was the normal English usage in 1611; the Greek text says Zeus. Olympian Zeus was the chief god of the Greek pantheon. Gerizim is the mountain above Shechem in Samaria, where the Samaritans had their own temple and their own form of the religion of Israel. "Jupiter the Defender of strangers" is Zeus Xenios, Zeus in his role as protector of guests and foreigners. The closing clause is genuinely ambiguous in the Greek: it can mean that the local people asked for the renaming, or simply that the name matched the hospitable character of the people who lived there.

3The arrival of this evil was harsh and very hard for the people to bear.

3The coming in of this mischief was sore and grievous to the people:

NoteIn the KJV "sore" means severe or bitter, not tender to the touch.

4The temple was filled with wild parties and drinking by the Gentiles, who fooled around with prostitutes and had sexual relations with women inside the sacred areas, and on top of that they brought in things that were not allowed.

4For the temple was filled with riot and revelling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots, and had to do with women within the circuit of the holy places, and besides that brought in things that were not lawful.

NoteSacred prostitution and sexual activity inside a temple enclosure belonged to some Greek and Near Eastern cults; under Jewish law any such act inside the sacred area made the whole place unclean. The "things that were not lawful" are objects, images and foods that Jewish law barred from the temple precincts.

5The altar was also piled with unclean things that the law forbids.

5The altar also was filled with profane things, which the law forbiddeth.

NoteThe altar is the great open-air altar in front of the temple, where animals were burned as offerings. Loading it with "profane things" means slaughtering on it animals Jewish law forbade, above all pigs.

6A man was not allowed to keep the sabbath days or the festivals handed down from his ancestors, or even to admit at all that he was a Jew.

6Neither was it lawful for a man to keep sabbath days or ancient fasts, or to profess himself at all to be a Jew.

7Each month, on the day of the king's birthday, they were forced under bitter pressure to eat from the sacrifices. And when the festival of Dionysus was held, the Jews were forced to walk in the procession for Dionysus, carrying ivy.

7And in the day of the king’s birth every month they were brought by bitter constraint to eat of the sacrifices; and when the fast of Bacchus was kept, the Jews were compelled to go in procession to Bacchus, carrying ivy.

NoteThe day of the month on which Antiochus was born was marked every single month, not once a year. Refusing the meat from those sacrifices was treated as disloyalty to the king. The festival is that of Dionysus, whom the KJV calls by his Roman name Bacchus, the god of wine and ecstatic celebration; his worshipers carried ivy and wore ivy wreaths in procession, ivy being the plant sacred to him. Walking in the procession counted as an act of worship.

8What is more, an order went out to the neighboring Greek cities, at the suggestion of Ptolemy, against the Jews: that they should follow the same practices and take part in their sacrifices,

8Moreover there went out a decree to the neighbour cities of the heathen, by the suggestion of Ptolemee, against the Jews, that they should observe the same fashions, and be partakers of their sacrifices:

NotePtolemy is most likely Ptolemy son of Dorymenes, a Seleucid official named earlier in the book. Some manuscripts read here not "Ptolemy" but "the citizens of Ptolemais," the Greek port city on the coast north of Judea. The KJV's "neighbour cities of the heathen" means the Greek cities surrounding Judea.

9and that anyone who would not go along with the Greek ways should be put to death. Then a person could see the misery that had come.

9And whoso would not conform themselves to the manners of the Gentiles should be put to death. Then might a man have seen the present misery.

NoteThe KJV's "the manners of the Gentiles" means the whole Greek way of life that Antiochus was imposing: Greek sacrifices, Greek festivals, Greek diet and Greek customs, in place of Jewish practice.

10For two women were brought in for having circumcised their children. After they had led them publicly around the city with their babies hanging at their breasts, they threw them down headfirst from the wall.

10For there were two women brought, who had circumcised their children; whom when they had openly led round about the city, the babes handing at their breasts, they cast them down headlong from the wall.

NoteCircumcision, the cutting away of the foreskin of a baby boy on the eighth day, was the physical sign that a family belonged to the covenant God made with Abraham. Outlawing it struck directly at the thing that marked a Jewish household as Jewish, which is why the two mothers were made a public spectacle before being killed.

11Others, who had run together into caves nearby to keep the sabbath day in secret, were reported to Philip and were all burned together, because their reverence kept them from defending themselves, out of respect for that most holy day.

11And others, that had run together into caves near by, to keep the sabbath day secretly, being discovered by Philip, were all burnt together, because they made a conscience to help themselves for the honour of the most sacred day.

NotePhilip is the Phrygian left in charge of Jerusalem by Antiochus, named earlier in the book. The KJV's "they made a conscience to help themselves for the honour of the most sacred day" means that their scruples about the sabbath stopped them from fighting back, since defending themselves would have broken the day's required rest.

12Now I beg those who read this book not to be discouraged by these disasters, but to judge that these punishments were not meant to destroy our nation but to correct it.

12Now I beseech those that read this book, that they be not discouraged for these calamities, but that they judge those punishments not to be for destruction, but for a chastening of our nation.

13For it is a sign of his great goodness when those who do wicked things are not left alone for long, but are punished right away.

13For it is a token of his great goodness, when wicked doers are not suffered any long time, but forthwith punished.

14For he does not deal with us as he does with the other nations, whom the Lord patiently holds back from punishing until they have reached the full measure of their sins.

14For not as with other nations, whom the Lord patiently forbeareth to punish, till they be come to the fulness of their sins, so dealeth he with us,

15He does this so that he will not have to take revenge on us afterward, once we have reached the peak of sin.

15Lest that, being come to the height of sin, afterwards he should take vengeance of us.

16And so he never takes his mercy away from us. Though he punishes with hardship, he never abandons his own people.

16And therefore he never withdraweth his mercy from us: and though he punish with adversity, yet doth he never forsake his people.

17But let what we have said serve as a reminder to us. Now, in a few words, we will come to the story itself.

17But let this that we at spoken be for a warning unto us. And now will we come to the declaring of the matter in a few words.

NoteThe KJV of 1611 prints "let this that we at spoken be for a warning," which is a compositor's slip for "that we have spoken."

18Eleazar, one of the leading scribes, an old man with a fine face, was being forced to open his mouth and eat pork.

18Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, an aged man, and of a well favoured countenance, was constrained to open his mouth, and to eat swine’s flesh.

NoteScribes were the trained specialists in the written law: copyists, teachers and interpreters whose rulings carried public weight, so a leading scribe made a valuable test case. The KJV's "well favoured countenance" simply means fine-looking or dignified in appearance and has nothing to do with being shown favor. Pork was forbidden by Jewish dietary law, and eating it in public had become the standard test of whether a Jew had abandoned his religion.

19But he chose to die with honor rather than to live stained by such a disgusting thing. He spat the meat out and went of his own accord to the instrument of torture,

19But he, choosing rather to die gloriously, than to live stained with such an abomination, spit it forth, and came of his own accord to the torment,

NoteThe KJV's "the torment" is not the pain but the device: the Greek names an instrument on which the victim was stretched out and beaten to death. The blows in verses 28 and 30 belong to it.

20coming as people ought to come who are determined to refuse things that must not be tasted, not even for the love of life.

20As it behoved them to come, that are resolute to stand out against such things, as are not lawful for love of life to be tasted.

21But the men in charge of that unlawful sacrificial meal took him aside, because they had known him for a long time, and privately begged him to bring meat of his own that he was allowed to eat, and to pretend that he was eating the meat from the sacrifice the king had ordered,

21But they that had the charge of that wicked feast, for the old acquaintance they had with the man, taking him aside, besought him to bring flesh of his own provision, such as was lawful for him to use, and make as if he did eat of the flesh taken from the sacrifice commanded by the king;

NoteThis was a sacrificial meal: the animal was killed as an offering to the god and the meat then shared out and eaten, so eating it was itself an act of worship. His old friends propose a substitution, meat from an animal killed in the permitted way, eaten in front of the crowd as though it came from the sacrifice.

22so that by doing this he might escape death and be treated kindly for the sake of their old friendship.

22That in so doing he might be delivered from death, and for the old friendship with them find favour.

23But he thought it over wisely, in a way that suited his years, the dignity of his old age, the honor of his gray head, which he had reached, and his fine upbringing from childhood, or rather the holy law that God made and gave. So he answered as that called for, and told them to send him at once to the world of the dead.

23But he began to consider discreetly, and as became his age, and the excellency of his ancient years, and the honour of his gray head, whereon was come, and his most honest education from a child, or rather the holy law made and given by God: therefore he answered accordingly, and willed them straightways to send him to the grave.

NoteThe KJV's "send him to the grave" renders the Greek word Hades, the underworld where all the dead were thought to go, not a place of punishment for the wicked. Gray hair was itself a public mark of honor in this culture, which is why he treats it as something that can be stained.

24"It does not suit a man of my years to pretend," he said, "since many young people might think that Eleazar, at ninety years old, had gone over to a foreign religion.

24For it becometh not our age, said he, in any wise to dissemble, whereby many young persons might think that Eleazar, being fourscore years old and ten, were now gone to a strange religion;

NoteA score is twenty, so the KJV's "fourscore years old and ten" is ninety. "Dissemble" means to hide what you really believe by acting a part.

25Then, because of my play-acting and my wish to live a little while longer, they would be led astray by me, and I would bring a stain on my old age and make it disgusting.

25And so they through mine hypocrisy, and desire to live a little time and a moment longer, should be deceived by me, and I get a stain to mine old age, and make it abominable.

Note"Hypocrisy" in the KJV carries its older and more literal sense of play-acting: pretending in public to be something you are not.

26For even if I got myself out of the punishment of men for the present, I would not escape the hand of the Almighty, whether alive or dead.

26For though for the present time I should be delivered from the punishment of men: yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty, neither alive, nor dead.

27So by bravely giving up this life now, I will show myself to be the kind of man my age requires,

27Wherefore now, manfully changing this life, I will shew myself such an one as mine age requireth,

Note"Manfully" in the KJV means bravely or with courage, and "changing this life" means leaving it, that is, dying.

28and I will leave the young a fine example of how to die willingly and bravely for the honored and holy laws." When he had said these words, he went straight to the instrument of torture.

28And leave a notable example to such as be young to die willingly and courageously for the honourable and holy laws. And when he had said these words, immediately he went to the torment:

29The men leading him turned the good will they had shown him a moment before into hatred, because they thought the words he had just spoken came from a mind gone mad.

29They that led him changing the good will they bare him a little before into hatred, because the foresaid speeches proceeded, as they thought, from a desperate mind.

NoteThe KJV's "a desperate mind" means a mind gone reckless or mad, not a mind in despair.

30But when he was about to die from the beating, he groaned and said, "It is clear to the Lord, who has holy knowledge, that although I could have been saved from death, I am now suffering terrible pain in my body from being beaten. Yet in my soul I am glad to suffer these things, because I fear him."

30But when he was ready to die with stripes, he groaned, and said, It is manifest unto the Lord, that hath the holy knowledge, that whereas I might have been delivered from death, I now endure sore pains in body by being beaten: but in soul am well content to suffer these things, because I fear him.

Note"Stripes" in the KJV are the marks or blows of a whip or rod, so dying with stripes means being beaten to death. "Sore pains" again means severe pains.

31And so this man died, leaving his death as an example of noble courage and a memorial of virtue, not only to young men but to his whole nation.

31And thus this man died, leaving his death for an example of a noble courage, and a memorial of virtue, not only unto young men, but unto all his nation.