II Maccabees 2

¹Forsothe it is foundun in writyngis of Jeremye, the profete, that he comaundide hem that passiden ouer, for to take fier, as it is signefied, and as he bad to men `passynge ouer.

²And he yaf to hem the lawe, leste thei foryaten the heestis of the Lord; and that thei schulden not erre in soulis, seynge goldun and siluerne symylacris, and ournementis of hem.

³And he seide othere siche thingis, and monestide, that thei schulden not remoue the lawe fro her herte.

⁴Sotheli it was in that writyng, hou the profete bad, bi Goddis answere maad to hym, that the tabernacle and `the arke folowe with hem, til he wente out in to the hil in which Moises ascendide, and siy the eritage of God.

⁵And Jeremye cam, and foond ther a place of denne, and brouyte in thidur the tabernacle, and `the arke, and auter of encense, and stoppide the dore.

⁶And summen camen togidere that folewiden, for to marke the place to hem, and miyten not fynde.

⁷Forsothe as Jeremye knew, he blamede hem, and seide, that the place schal be vnknowun, til God gadere the congregacioun of puple, and be maad helpful.

⁸And thanne the Lord schal schewe these thinges, and the maieste of the Lord schal appere; and a cloude schal be, as and to Moises it was schewid, and as whanne Salomon axide, that the place schulde be halewid to greet God, this cloude schewide;

⁹and as hauynge wisdom he offryde sacrifice of halewyng, and of performyng of the temple.

¹⁰As and Moises preiede to the Lord, and fier cam doun fro heuene, and wastide the brent sacrifice; as and Salomon preiede, and fier cam doun fro heuene, and wastide the brent sacrifice.

¹¹And Moises seide, For that it is not clensid, that was for synne, and it was wastid.

¹²Also and Salomon in eiyte daies made solempne the halewyng.

¹³Forsothe and these same thingis weren put yn in discripciouns, and exposiciouns of Neemye; and as he makide a litle bible, and gaderide bookis of cuntrees, and bookis of profetis, and of Dauid, and epistlis of kyngis, and of yiftis.

¹⁴Also sotheli and Judas gaderide alle tho thingis which he lernyde bi batel, that bifelle to vs, and thei ben anentis vs.

¹⁵Therfor if ye disiren these, send ye whiche schulen bere to you.

¹⁶Therfor we to doynge purifiyng, han write to you; therfor ye schulen do wel, if ye schulen do these daies.

¹⁷Forsothe it is God that delyueride his puple, and yeldide his eritage to alle, and rewme, and presthod,

¹⁸and halewyng, as he bihiyte in the lawe, we hopen that soone he schal haue merci on vs, and schal gadere fro vndur heuene in to the hooli place; for he delyuerede vs fro grete perelis, and purgide the place.

¹⁹Sotheli of Judas Machabeus, and hise britheren, and of purifiyng of the greet temple, and of halewyng of the auter;

²⁰but and of the batels, that perteynen to Antiok noble, and his son Eupator;

²¹and of liytnyngis that weren maad fro heuene, to hem that strongli diden for Jewis, so that, whanne thei weren fewe, thei auengiden al the cuntre, and dryuun an hethene multitude,

²²and rekyueriden the most famouse temple in al the world; and delyueriden the citee, that and lawis that weren don a wei weren restorid; for the Lord was maad helpful to hem, with al pesiblete.

²³And also we asaieden for to abregge in o book, thingis comprehendid of Jason of Cirenen in fyue bookis.

²⁴Forsothe we bihelden the multitude and hardnesse of bookis, to men willynge for to bigynne the tellyngis of stories, for multitude of thingis;

²⁵and sotheli we hadden bisinesse, that it were likyng of soule to men willynge for to rede;

²⁶forsothe to studiouse men, that thei miyten liytliere bitake to mynde; forsothe that to alle men redynge profit be youun.

²⁷And sotheli we token to vs silf that resseyueden this werk, bi cause of abreggyng, not esi trauel, but sotheli a werk ful of wakynges and swoot.

²⁸As these that maken redi a feeste, and seken for to plese to the wille of othere men, for grace of many men, we suffren wilfuli trauel;

²⁹forsothe we graunten the treuthe of alle autoris, but we vs silf studien to schortnesse, bi the fourme youun.

³⁰Forsothe as it is to the cheef carpenter of `a newe hous, to be bisie of al the bildyng; to him sotheli that bisieth for to peynte, tho thingis ben to be souyt out, that ben couenable to ournyng; so it is to be gessid also in vs.

³¹Forsothe for to gadere vndurstondyng, and ordeyne a word, and ful bisili for to enquere alle partis of the storie, ech bi hem silf, acordith to an autour;

³²forsothe for to sue schortnesse of seiyng, and for to eschewe out suyngis of thingis, is to be grauntid to the breggere.

³³Therfor fro hennus forth we schulen bigynne the tellyng; be it ynow for to haue seid so myche of `bifor spekyng; for it is foli for to flete out, ether be long, bifore the stori, but in that stori for to be maad schort.

II Maccabees 2

¹It is also found in the records, that Jeremy the prophet commanded them that were carried away to take of the fire, as it hath been signified:

²And how that the prophet, having given them the law, charged them not to forget the commandments of the Lord, and that they should not err in their minds, when they see images of silver and gold, with their ornaments.

³And with other such speeches exhorted he them, that the law should not depart from their hearts.

⁴It was also contained in the same writing, that the prophet, being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God.

⁵And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door.

⁶And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it.

⁷Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy.

⁸Then shall the Lord shew them these things, and the glory of the Lord shall appear, and the cloud also, as it was shewed under Moses, and as when Solomon desired that the place might be honourably sanctified.

⁹It was also declared, that he being wise offered the sacrifice of dedication, and of the finishing of the temple.

¹⁰And as when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the sacrifices: even so prayed Solomon also, and the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offerings.

¹¹And Moses said, Because the sin offering was not to be eaten, it was consumed.

¹²So Solomon kept those eight days.

¹³The same things also were reported in the writings and commentaries of Neemias; and how he founding a library gathered together the acts of the kings, and the prophets, and of David, and the epistles of the kings concerning the holy gifts.

¹⁴In like manner also Judas gathered together all those things that were lost by reason of the war we had, and they remain with us,

¹⁵Wherefore if ye have need thereof, send some to fetch them unto you.

¹⁶Whereas we then are about to celebrate the purification, we have written unto you, and ye shall do well, if ye keep the same days.

¹⁷We hope also, that the God, that delivered all his people, and gave them all an heritage, and the kingdom, and the priesthood, and the sanctuary,

¹⁸As he promised in the law, will shortly have mercy upon us, and gather us together out of every land under heaven into the holy place: for he hath delivered us out of great troubles, and hath purified the place.

¹⁹Now as concerning Judas Maccabeus, and his brethren, and the purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the altar,

²⁰And the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes, and Eupator his son,

²¹And the manifest signs that came from heaven unto those that behaved themselves manfully to their honour for Judaism: so that, being but a few, they overcame the whole country, and chased barbarous multitudes,

²²And recovered again the temple renowned all the world over, and freed the city, and upheld the laws which were going down, the Lord being gracious unto them with all favour:

²³All these things, I say, being declared by Jason of Cyrene in five books, we will assay to abridge in one volume.

²⁴For considering the infinite number, and the difficulty which they find that desire to look into the narrations of the story, for the variety of the matter,

²⁵We have been careful, that they that will read may have delight, and that they that are desirous to commit to memory might have ease, and that all into whose hands it comes might have profit.

²⁶Therefore to us, that have taken upon us this painful labour of abridging, it was not easy, but a matter of sweat and watching;

²⁷Even as it is no ease unto him that prepareth a banquet, and seeketh the benefit of others: yet for the pleasuring of many we will undertake gladly this great pains;

²⁸Leaving to the author the exact handling of every particular, and labouring to follow the rules of an abridgement.

²⁹For as the master builder of a new house must care for the whole building; but he that undertaketh to set it out, and paint it, must seek out fit things for the adorning thereof: even so I think it is with us.

³⁰To stand upon every point, and go over things at large, and to be curious in particulars, belongeth to the first author of the story:

³¹But to use brevity, and avoid much labouring of the work, is to be granted to him that will make an abridgment.

³²Here then will we begin the story: only adding thus much to that which hath been said, that it is a foolish thing to make a long prologue, and to be short in the story itself.