3 Maccabees 6:1-15

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Prayer of Eleazar

6 Then a certain Eleazar, famous among the priests of the country, who had attained a ripe old age and throughout his life had been adorned with every virtue, directed the elders around him to stop calling upon the holy God, and he prayed as follows:^{(A) 2} “King of great power, Almighty God Most High, governing all creation with mercy, ³ look upon the descendants of Abraham, O Father, upon the children of the consecrated Jacob, a people of your consecrated inheritance who are perishing as foreigners in a foreign land. ⁴ Pharaoh with his abundance of chariots, the former ruler of this Egypt, exalted with lawless insolence and boastful tongue, you destroyed together with his arrogant army by drowning them in the sea, manifesting the light of your mercy on the people of Israel. ⁵ Sennacherib exulting in his countless forces, oppressive king of the Assyrians, who had already gained control of the whole world by the spear and was lifted up against your holy city, speaking grievous words with boasting and insolence, you, O Lord, broke in pieces, showing your power to many nations.^{(B) 6} The three companions in Babylon who had voluntarily surrendered their lives to the flames so as not to serve vain things, you rescued unharmed, even to a hair, moistening the fiery furnace with dew and turning the flame against all their enemies.^{(C) 7} Daniel, who through envious slanders was thrown down into the ground to lions as food for wild animals, you brought up to the light unharmed.^{(D) 8} And Jonah, wasting away in the belly of a huge, sea-born monster, you, Father, watched over and restored^[a] unharmed to all his family.^{(E) 9} And now, you who hate insolence, all-merciful and protector of all, reveal yourself quickly to those of the people of Israel^[b] who are being outrageously treated by the abominable and lawless nations.

¹⁰ “Even if our lives have become entangled in impieties in our exile, rescue us from the hand of the enemy and destroy us, Lord, by whatever fate you choose. ¹¹ Let not the vain-minded praise their vanities^[c] at the destruction of your beloved ones, saying, ‘Not even their god rescued them.’^{(F) 12} But you, O Eternal One, who have all might and all power, watch over us now and have mercy on us who by the senseless insolence of the lawless are being deprived of life in the manner of traitors. ¹³ And let the nations cower today in fear of your invincible might, O honored One, who have power to save the people of Jacob. ¹⁴ The whole throng of infants and their parents entreat you with tears. ¹⁵ Let it be shown to all the nations that you are with us, O Lord, and have not turned your face from us, but just as you said, ‘Not even when they were in the land of their enemies did I neglect them,’ so accomplish it, O Lord.”^(G)