3 Maccabees 5:22-24

Common English Bible

²² But they didn’t spend their night sleeping so much as devising all kinds of insults for those who seemed to be doomed.

Forgetfulness foils the king’s plan

²³ By dawn, when the roosters began to crow, Hermon had outfitted the beasts and started them moving along in the great colonnade. ²⁴ Crowds of people from throughout the city gathered for the most sorry spectacle and were eagerly awaiting the early morning.