39. Nicanor, to show his disdain for the Jews, sent more than five hundred soldiers to arrest him.
40. He thought that by arresting that man he would deal the Jews a hard blow.
41. But when the troops, on the point of capturing the tower, were forcing the outer gate and calling for fire to set the door ablaze, Razis, now caught on all sides, turned his sword against himself,
42. preferring to die nobly rather than fall into the hands of vile men and suffer outrages unworthy of his noble birth.
43. In the excitement of the struggle he failed to strike exactly. So while the troops rushed in through the doors, he gallantly ran up to the top of the wall and courageously threw himself down into the crowd.
44. But as they quickly drew back and left an opening, he fell into the middle of the empty space.
45. Still breathing, and inflamed with anger, he got up and ran through the crowd, with blood gushing from his frightful wounds. Then, standing on a steep rock,
46. as he lost the last of his blood, he tore out his entrails and flung them with both hands into the crowd, calling upon the Lord of life and of spirit to give these back to him again. Such was the manner of his death.