2461 verses about Righteousness

For reason is necessary to every one as a step to science: and more especially does it embrace the praise of prudence, the highest virtue.

For their virtues, then, it is right that I should commend those men who died with their mother at this time in behalf of rectitude; and for their honors, I may count them happy.

Reasoning is, then, intellect accompanied by a life of rectitude, putting foremost the consideration of wisdom.

And He gave a law to this mind, by living according to which it will maintain a temperate, and just, and good, and manly reign.

But he, though parched with thirst, reasoned that a draught reputed of equal value to blood, would be terribly dangerous to his soul.

And when 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.

And indeed, 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.

And it instructs us in justice, so that in all our dealings we render what is due; and it teaches us piety, so that we worship the one only God becomingly.

but you shall not have this cause of laughter against me;

nor will I transgress the sacred oaths of my forefathers to keep the law.

Mouth! you shall not pollute my old age, nor the full stature of a perfect life.

My fathers shall receive me pure, not having quailed before your compulsion, though to death.

And first, they stripped the old man, adorned as he was with the comeliness of piety.

for it were irrational, if having lived up to old age in all truth, and having scrupulously guarded our character for it, we should now turn back,

Thus speaking, the holy man departed, noble in his torments, and even to the agonies of death resisted in his reasoning for the sake of the law.

The reasoning of our father Eleazar, like a first-rate pilot, steering the vessel of piety in the sea of passions,

in no way shifted the rudder of piety till it sailed into the harbour of victory over death.

Not so has ever a city, when besieged, held out against many and various machines, as did that holy man, when his pious soul was tried with the fiery trial of tortures and rackings, move his besiegers through the religious reasoning that shielded him.

O priest worthy of the priesthood! you did not pollute your sacred teeth; nor make your appetite, which had always embraced the clean and lawful, a partaker of profanity.

O harmonizer with the law, and sage devoted to a divine life!

You, father, have gloriously established our right government by your endurance; and making of much account our service past, prevented its destruction, and, by your deeds, have made credible the words of philosophy.

O aged man of more power than tortures, elder more vigorous than fire, greatest king over the passions, Eleazar!

so, Eleazar, the descendant of Aaron, wasted away by the fire, did not give up his reasoning.

O blessed old age, and reverend hoar head, and life obedient to the law, which the faithful seal of death perfected.

If, then, an old man, through religion, despised tortures even to death, confessedly religious reasoning is ruler of the passions.

since what person, walking religiously by the whole rule of philosophy, and believing in God,

and knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all kinds of hardships for virtue, would not, for the sake of religion, master his passion?

Fear, young men, and the righteousness which you⌃ worship will be merciful to you if you err from compulsion.

For they were well aware of the sufferings, and masters of the pains. So that as soon as the tyrant had ceased counselling them to eat the unclean, they altogether with one voice, as from the same heart said:

O tyrant, counsellor of law-breaking, do not, hating us as you do, pity us more than we pity ourselves.

For we through this ill-treatment and endurance shall bear off the rewards of virtue.

O most accursed tyrant, and enemy of heavenly justice, and cruel-hearted, I am no murderer, nor sacrilegious man, whom you thus ill-usest; but a defender of the Divine law.

And although the framework of his bones was now destroyed the high-minded and Abrahamic youth did not groan.

But, as though transformed by fire into immortality, he nobly endured the rackings, saying

Imitate me, O kindred, nor ever desert your station, nor abjure my brotherhood in courage: fight the holy and honorable fight of religion;

Thinkest you not, most cruel of all tyrants, that you are now tortured more than I, finding your overweening conception of tyranny conquered by our perseverance in behalf of our religion?

For I lighten my suffering by the pleasures which are connected with virtue.

We, O accursed tyrant, suffer this for the sake of Divine education and virtue.

By the blessed death of my kindred, and the eternal punishment of the tyrant, and the glorious life of the pious, I will not repudiate the noble brotherhood.

I intend not, O tyrant, to get excused from the torment which is in behalf of virtue.

O you hater of virtue and of men, what have we done that you thus revel in our blood?

But this is worthy of honors, not torments;

A great favor you bestow upon us, O tyrant, by enabling us to manifest our adherence to the law by means of nobler sufferings.

And he, while tormented, said, O period good and holy, in which, for the sake of religion, we kindred have been called to the contest of pain, and have not been conquered.

Armed with upright virtue, I also shall depart with my kindred.

I, too, bearing with me a great avenger, O deviser of tortures, and enemy of the truly pious.

For is not your inability to overrule our reasoning, and to compel us to eat the unclean, your destruction?

For the guards not of a tyrant but of a divine law are our defenders: through this we keep our reasoning unconquered.

But they, bravely dying, fulfilled their religion towards God.

But you shall groan according to your deserts for having slain without cause the champions of virtue.

If then, the seven kindred despised troubles even to death, it is confessed on all sides that righteous reasoning is absolute master over the passions.

so that seven-towered right-reasoning of the young men, securing the harbour of religion, conquered the intermperance of passions.

For having arranged a holy choir of piety, they encouraged one another, saying,

Let us not be cowards in the manifestation of piety.

For being educated in the same law, and practising the same virtues, and reared up in a just course of life, they increased this harmony with each other.

For a like ardour for what is right and honorable increased their fellow-feeling towards each other.

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.

For they were both just and temperate, and manly, and high-minded, and fond of their kindred, and so fond of their mother that even to death they obeyed her by observing the law.

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.

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.

Not so gracious does the moon appear with the stars in heaven, as you are established honorable before God, and fixed in the firmament with your sons who you did illuminate with religion to the stars.

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

For at that time virtue presided over the contest, approving the victory through endurance, namely, immortality, eternal life.

And reverence for God conquered, and crowned her own athletes.

Who did not admire those champions of true legislation? who were not astonied?

For Moses says, And all the saints are under your hands.

O Israelitish children, descendants of the seed of Abraham, obey this law, and in every way be religious.

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.

He chanted to you David, the hymn-writer, who says, Many are the afflictions of the just.

He declared the proverbs of Solomon, who says, He is a tree of life to all those who do His will.

Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly.

For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.” Isaiah 40:3

But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”

But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.

Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Psalm 37:11

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

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.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.

Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21

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.

If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

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,

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,

so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.

But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.