RE-CAP
Chanah and Her Seven Sons
Heroism and Martyrdom
Throughout this horrible sequence Chanah stood by her sons, giving them strength and encouragement. Now, only the youngest child remained to face the king. When they brought the boy, the king offered him gold and silver if he would do his will. The seven-year-old boy displayed the same courage as his brothers and taunted the king to carry out his threats
Good News Translation (GNT)
Throughout
this horrible sequence Chanah stood by her sons, giving them strength
and encouragement. Now, only the youngest child remained to face the king. When
they brought the boy, the king offered him gold and silver if he would do his
will. The seven-year-old boy displayed the same courage as his brothers and
taunted the king to carry out his threats
The
king couldn't believe such words coming from a mere child, and he called out to
Chanah. Chanah stood before the murderer of her children and listened to his
words. "Woman, have compassion upon this child. Persuade him to do
my will so that you will have at least one surviving child and you too will
live." She pretended to agree and asked to speak with her son.
Chanah
returned to the king, saying, "I was unable to prevail upon him."
The exasperated king again addressed the child who answered him, "Whom
are you seeking to overpower with your words and enticements? I laugh at your
foolishness. I believe in the Torah and in God Whom you blaspheme. You will remain an abomination upon all
mankind, loathsome and far from God."
The
king was enraged. According to the Talmud, Antiochus gave the boy a chance to
save himself by ostensibly bowing down to retrieve his signet ring, but the boy
refused. As they removed him, Chanah begged to kiss him one last time.
As if
speaking to all seven children, Chanah said, "My children, tell your
ancestor Abraham, 'You bound only one son upon an altar, but I bound
seven." Then Antiochus ordered that the child be tortured even more
than his brothers.
Chanah
was left surrounded by the bodies of her sons, a prayer exalting God on her lips. Then the distraught woman threw herself from a
roof and rested beside her martyred sons.
In Christ,
Playwright
Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible
Stories Theatre of
Fine
& Performing Arts
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