1It is found in the records that Jeremiah the prophet commanded those who were being deported to take some of the fire, as has been signified.
2And how the prophet, in giving them the Law, commanded those being deported not to forget the commandments of the Lord, and not to be led astray in their minds when they saw gold and silver idols and their adornment.
3And saying other such things, he urged that the Law not depart from their hearts.
4It was also in the writing that the prophet, having received a divine command, ordered the tent and the ark to accompany him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God.
5And when Jeremiah arrived, he found a cave-dwelling, and he brought the tent, the ark, and the altar of incense in there, and then he blocked up the entrance.
6Some of those who were following him came up to mark the way, but they were not able to find it.
7But when Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and said, “The place shall remain unknown until God gathers the assembly of the people and shows mercy.”
8And then the Lord will reveal these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as it was manifested in the time of Moses, and also when Solomon prayed that the place might be greatly consecrated.
9It was also related how Solomon, in his wisdom, offered a sacrifice for the dedication and completion of the temple.
10Just as Moses had prayed to the Lord and fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, so also Solomon prayed, and the fire came down and consumed the burnt offerings.
11And Moses said, “Because it was not eaten, the sin offering was consumed.”
12In the same way, Solomon also celebrated for eight days.
13These same things were also related in the records and in the memoirs of Nehemiah—how he founded a library and collected the books about the kings and prophets, the writings of David, and letters from kings about votive offerings.
14In the same way, Judas has collected for us all the books that were scattered because of the war we have had, and they are now in our possession.
15Therefore, if you need any of these, send messengers to get them.
16Since we are about to celebrate the purification, we are writing to you. You will do well, therefore, to celebrate these days.
17It is God who saved all his people and restored the inheritance to all—the kingdom, the priesthood, and the sanctuary,
18as he promised through the Law. For we hope in God that he will soon have mercy on us and gather us from everywhere under heaven to the holy place. For he has delivered us from great evils and has purified the place.
19Now the events concerning Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, the purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the altar;
20and also the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator;
21and the heavenly manifestations granted to those who fought bravely and honorably for Judaism, so that, though few in number, they plundered the whole country and drove out the barbarian hordes;
22and also recovered the temple, which is famous throughout the world, freed the city, and restored the laws that were about to be abolished, because the Lord became gracious to them with all forbearance—
23all these things, which have been set forth by Jason of Cyrene in five books, we will attempt to summarize in a single volume.
24For, considering the sheer mass of data and the difficulty for those who wish to delve into the historical narratives because of the abundance of material,
25we have aimed to provide enjoyment for those who wish to read, ease for those who want to memorize it, and benefit for all its readers.
26For us who have undertaken the toil of this summary, the task is not easy, but a matter of sweat and sleepless nights.
27Just as it is not simple for one who prepares a banquet and seeks to please others, yet for the sake of the gratitude of many, we will gladly endure the toil.
28We have left the precise treatment of each detail to the original historian, while striving ourselves to follow the guidelines of a summary.
29For just as the architect of a new house must be concerned with the whole structure, while the one who undertakes to decorate and paint it must seek out what is suitable for its adornment, so I think it is with us.
30To delve into the subject, to discourse at length, and to be occupied with the details belongs to the original author of the history;
31But to pursue conciseness of expression and to forgo an exhaustive treatment of the subject matter must be granted to the one making the abridgment.
32Therefore, let us begin the narrative at this point, having added only this much to what has been said before. For it is foolish to be expansive in the preface to the history, but to cut the history itself short.
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