Anonymous (Septuagint) · a new plain-English translation from the original language
1| It is found in the records that Jeremiah the prophet ordered those being deported to take some of the fire, as has been recorded,
2| and how the prophet, giving them the law, instructed the exiles never to let go of the Lord's commandments in their minds, and not to be led astray in their thinking on seeing the golden and silver images and the finery about them.
3| And saying other things of this kind, he urged them not to let the law depart from their hearts.
4| It was also in the writing how the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, when he went out to the mountain which Moses climbed and viewed the inheritance of God.
5| And Jeremiah, coming there, found a cave-like dwelling, and he carried in the tent, the ark, and the incense altar, then sealed up the entrance.
6| And some of those who had followed him came forward meaning to note the path, but were unable to locate it.
7| But when Jeremiah learned of this, he rebuked them and said, "The place shall remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows mercy.
8| And then the Lord will bring these things to light, and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, along with the cloud, just as it was shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be greatly sanctified."
9| It was also related how Solomon, having wisdom, offered a sacrifice for the dedication and the completion of the temple.
10| Just as Moses prayed to the Lord and flame descended from heaven and consumed the offerings, so also Solomon prayed, and fire likewise came down and consumed the whole burnt offerings.
11| And Moses said, "Because it was not eaten, the sin offering was consumed."
12| In the same way Solomon also kept the eight days.
13| These same things were also recounted in the records and in the memoirs of Nehemiah, and how, founding a library, he gathered together the books about the kings and prophets, and the writings of David, and letters of kings concerning votive offerings.
14| In the same way Judas also gathered together for us the writings that had been scattered because of the war that came upon us, and they are still in our possession.
15| So then, whatever of these you may need, send those who can bring them to you.
16| Since we are soon to observe the festival of purification, we have written to you; you will therefore do well to keep the days.
17| Now God, who saved all his people and gave back the inheritance to all, and the kingship and the priesthood and the consecration,
18| just as he promised through the law -- for we hope in God that he will soon have mercy on us, and gather us together from everywhere under heaven into his holy place; for he has rescued us out of great evils, and has cleansed the place --
19| Now the events concerning Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, and the purification of the greatest temple, and the dedication of the altar,
20| and further the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator,
21| and the appearances from heaven that came to those who fought so nobly and zealously on behalf of Judaism, so that, though few in number, they plundered the whole land and pursued the barbarian hordes,
22| and recovered the temple famous throughout the whole inhabited world, and freed the city, and restored the laws that were about to be abolished, the Lord having become gracious to them with all forbearance --
23| all this, set forth by Jason of Cyrene in five volumes, we will attempt to condense into a single treatise.
24| For considering the flood of numbers, and the difficulty that faces those wishing to plunge into the narratives of the history because of the sheer bulk of the material,
25| we have taken care that those who wish to read may find enjoyment, that those who are inclined to commit it to memory may find it easy, and that all who come upon it may derive benefit.
26| For us who have taken up the toil of this abridgment, it is no light task, but a matter of sweat and sleeplessness,
27| just as it is no easy thing for one preparing a banquet and seeking the advantage of others; yet for the sake of the gratitude of many we will gladly endure the toil,
28| leaving the exact treatment of every particular to the original author, and applying our own effort only to following the outlines of the abridgment.
29| For just as it is for the master builder of a new house to be concerned with the whole framework, while the one undertaking to decorate and paint it must consider only what is fitting for its adornment, so, I think, it is with us also.
30| To enter into the subject and make a full circuit of it in speech, and to be meticulous over particulars, belongs to the original author of the history;
31| but to pursue conciseness of expression and to avoid the elaborate treatment of the subject matter must be allowed to the one who is making the condensation.
32| Let us then begin our narrative from this point, adding only this much to what has already been said; for it is foolish to be long-winded before a history and yet cut short the history itself.