1It was not long before King Antiochus sent Geron of Athens to our nation with the following orders:
Force the Jews to give up the Law of their God and their ancient customs.
2Make the temple in Jerusalem unfit as a place to worship their God by turning it into a temple for Zeus of Olympus. Then name the temple on Mount Gerizim, “The Temple for Zeus Who Welcomes Strangers,” since that is what it was earlier called by the people who live there.
3After this, those foreigners abused our people so cruelly that we almost lost hope.
4They held wild parties and did other disgusting things in the temple, such as having sex with prostitutes and setting up vulgar idols.
5Even our altar was piled high with unclean sacrifices that were forbidden by our Law.
6It became a crime to worship on the Sabbath, or to celebrate our ancient festivals, or even to admit that you were a Jew.
7 Besides this, they made us wear sprigs of ivy in our hair and walk in parades whenever they celebrated a festival to honor the god Dionysus.
8About this time, the citizens of Ptolemais suggested that the same law be made for some nearby Greek towns, and it was done. The law required these towns to force Jews to eat the meat of sacrifices.
9Death would be the penalty for refusing to live like a Greek.
Our people now realized that a time of dreadful suffering had arrived.
10 the governor, who then had everyone burned alive. These Jews respected this most holy day so much, that they did not even try to defend themselves.
Why God Punishes the Jews12My dear readers, please don't be depressed by these sad stories. Remember that these sufferings were not to destroy us, but to instruct us.
13In fact, God shows his kindness by punishing sinners as soon as they disobey him, rather than waiting until later.
14When God deals with other nations, he waits patiently for them to sin terribly before he punishes them. But God treats us differently.
15He punishes us right away—before our sins are too great.
16Our God never stops being kind to us, his chosen people. He lets our sufferings teach us to do right, but he never deserts us.
17I have said these things to remind you of God's way of dealing with us. Now back to my story.
The Death of Eleazar18
19Eleazar chose to die with honor rather than to live with shame. So he willingly walked to the place of torture, spitting out the meat as he went.
20This is a fine example of courage for everyone who is willing to refuse unclean food, even if it means death.
21 to the place of torture.
29But the same men who had earlier been kind to him now sneered, because they thought he was talking nonsense.
30When Eleazar had been beaten almost to the point of death, he groaned and shouted, “The Lord God knows everything! He knows I could have escaped this terrible torture and death, but I have gladly suffered for him, because I honor him with all my heart and soul.”
31Eleazar's brave and honorable death set an example for our whole nation, and especially for our young people.
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