4 Maccabees 16:12-14

Common English Bible

¹² But this holy and devout mother didn’t cry for any of her sons with funeral songs. She didn’t try to talk any of them out of dying, and she didn’t grieve for those who were already dying. ¹³ Instead, she had a mind that was as tough as nails.^[a] She gave all of her sons a second birth into a life without end. She encouraged them, urging them on to death for the sake of respect for God.

¹⁴ Mother, you were a soldier for God in the cause of the godly way of life, though you were old and a woman! You even conquered a tyrant with your resolution. You have proved to be stronger than a man in both speech and action!