1367 verses about Persecution

But all of them, as though running the road to immortality, hastened on to death through tortures.

For just as hands and feet are moved sympathetically with the directions of the soul, so those holy youths agreed to death for religion’s sake, as through the immortal soul of religion.

so the youths, circling around the number seven, annulled the fear of torments.

We now shudder at the recital of the affliction of those young men; but they not only saw, and not only heard the immediate execution of the threat, but undergoing it, persevered; and that through the pains of fire.

And think it not wonderful that reasoning bore rule over those men in their torments, when even a woman’s mind despised more manifold pains.

For the mother of those seven youths endured the rackings of each of her children.

The mother, when two things were set before here, religion and the safety of her seven sons for a time, on the conditional promise of a tyrant,

And yet, though there were so many circumstances connected with love of children to draw on a mother to sympathy, in the case of none of them were the various tortures able to pervert her principle.

But she inclined each one separately and all together to death for religion.

At the racking and roasting of each one of them, the observant mother was prevented by religion from changing.

She saw her children’s flesh dissolving around the fire; and their extremities quivering on the ground, and the flesh of their heads dropped forwards down to their beards, like masks.

Nor when you did behold the eyes of each of them looking sternly upon their tortures, and their nostrils foreboding death, did you weep!

When you did see children’s flesh heaped upon children’s flesh that had been torn off, heads decapitated upon heads, dead falling upon the dead, and a choir of children turned through torture into a burying ground, you lamented not.

With what and what manner of torments was the mother herself tortured, as her sons were undergoing the wheel and the fires!

Although beholding the destruction of seven children, the noble mother, after one embrace, stripped off her feelings through faith in God.

O holy mother of a nation avenger of the law, and defender of religion, and prime bearer in the battle of the affections!

so you, the guardian of the law, when surrounded on every side by the flood of passions, and straitened by violent storms which were the torments of they children, did bear up nobly against the storms against religion.

If, then, even a woman, and that an aged one, and the mother of seven children, endured to see her children’s torments even to death, confessedly religious reasoning is master even of the passions.

I have proved, then, that not only men have obtained the mastery of their passions, but also that a woman despised the greatest torments.

And not so fierce were the lions round Daniel, nor the furnace of Misael burning with most vehement fires as that natural love of children burned within her, when she saw her seven sons tortured.

Nor, should I die, shall I have a son to bury me. But with such a lament as this the holy and God-fearing mother bewailed none of them.

But as one possessed with an adamantine mind, and as one bringing forth again her full number of sons to immortality, she rather with supplication exhorted them to death in behalf of religion.

O woman, soldier of God for religion, you, aged and a female, have conquered through endurance even a tyrant; and though but weak, have been found more powerful in deeds and words.

For when you were seized along with your children, you stood looking upon Eleazar in torments, and said to your sons in the Hebrew tongue,

O sons, noble is the contest; to which you being called as a witness for the nation, strive zealously for the laws of your country.

For it were disgraceful that this old man should endure pains for the sake of righteousness, and that you who are younger should be afraid of the tortures.

And the righteous Daniel was cast to the lions; and Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, were slung out into a furnace of fire; yet they endured through God.

For it is unreasonable that they who know religion should not stand up against troubles.

With these arguments, the mother of seven, exhorting each of her sons, over-persuaded them from transgressing the commandment of God.

And some of the spearbearers said, that when she herself was about to be seized for the purpose of being put to death, she threw herself upon the pile, rather than they should touch her person.

O you mother, who together with seven children did destroy the violence of the tyrant, and render void his wicked intentions, and exhibit the nobleness of faith!

For you, as an house bravely built upon the pillar of your children, did bear without swaying, the shock of tortures.

And, were it lawful for us to paint as on a tablet the religion of your story, the spectators would not shudder at beholding the mother of seven children enduring for the sake of religion various tortures even to death.

Here an aged priest, and an aged woman, and seven sons, are buried through the violence of a tyrant, who wished to destroy the polity of the Hebrews.

These also avenged their nation, looking to God, and enduring torments to death.

For it was truly a divine contest which was carried through by them.

Eleazar was the first to contend: and the mother of the seven children entered the contest; and the kindred contended.

The tyrant was the opposite; and the world and living men were the spectators.

The tyrant himself, and all their council, admired their endurance;

For the tyrant Antiochus, looking to their manly virtue, and to their endurance in torture, proclaimed that endurance as an example to his soldiers.

When those persons giving up their bodies to pains for the sake of religion, were not only admired by men, but were deemed worthy of a divine portion.

And the tyrant Antiochus was both punished upon earth, and is punished now he is dead; for when he was quite unable to compel the Israelites to adopt foreign customs, and to desert the manner of life of their fathers,

And he used to tell you of the zealous Phinehas; and informed you of Ananias and Azarias, and Misael in the fire.

And he used to put you in mind of the scripture of Esaias, which says, Even if you pass through the fire, it shall not burn you.

O that bitter, and yet not bitter, day when the bitter tyrant of the Greeks, quenching fire with fire in his cruel caldrons, brought with boiling rage the seven sons of the daughter of Abraham to the catapelt, and to all his torments!

He pierced the balls of their eyes, and cut out their tongues, and put them to death with varied tortures.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out, and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men.

Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

“Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you.

Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.

But when they deliver you up, don’t be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given you in that hour what you will say.

“Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.

You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.

But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man has come.

It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!

Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.

But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

“Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

A man’s foes will be those of his own household. Micah 7:6

He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.

He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him.

When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.

yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

For Herod had laid hold of John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.

but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they didn’t recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them.”

The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way.

and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.

Therefore behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city;

Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake.

Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another.

But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved.

for then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be.

In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me.

Those who had taken Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together.

Now the chief priests, the elders, and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus, that they might put him to death;

and they found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward,

The high priest stood up, and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that these testify against you?”

Then they spat in his face and beat him with their fists, and some slapped him,

After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them, for your speech makes you known.”

Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”

He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.

They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him.

They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.

When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.