2 Maccabees 6:9

2 Maccabees 6:9 Context

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

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