1 The Jews in Jerusalem and in the land of Judea send greetings to their brethren, the Jews in Egypt, and wish them true peace!
2 May God bless you and remember his covenant with his faithful servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
3 May he give to all of you a heart to worship him and to do his will readily and generously.
4 May he open your heart to his law and his commandments and grant you peace.
5 May he hear your prayers, and be reconciled to you, and never forsake you in time of adversity.
6 Even now we are praying for you here.
7 In the reign of Demetrius, the year one hundred and sixty-nine, we Jews wrote to you during the trouble and violence that overtook us in those years after Jason and his followers had revolted against the holy land and the kingdom,
8 setting fire to the gatehouse and shedding innocent blood. But we prayed to the Lord, and our prayer was heard; we offered sacrifices and fine flour; we lighted the lamps and set out the loaves of bread.
9 We are now reminding you to celebrate the feast of Booths in the month of Chislev.
10 Dated in the year one hundred and eighty-eight. The people of Jerusalem and Judea, the senate, and Judas send greetings and good wishes to Aristobulus, counselor of King Ptolemy and member of the family of the anointed priests, and to the Jews in Egypt.
11 Since we have been saved by God from grave dangers, we give him great thanks for having fought on our side against the king;
12 it was he who drove out those who fought against the holy city.
13 When their leader arrived in Persia with his seemingly irresistible army, they were cut to pieces in the temple of the goddess Nanea through a deceitful stratagem employed by Nanea's priests.
14 On the pretext of marrying the goddess, Antiochus with his Friends had come to the place to get its great treasures by way of dowry.
15 When the priests of the Nanaeon had displayed the treasures, Antiochus with a few attendants came to the temple precincts. As soon as he entered the temple, the priests locked the doors.
16 Then they opened a hidden trapdoor in the ceiling, hurled stones at the leader and his companions and struck them down. They dismembered the bodies, cut off their heads and tossed them to the people outside.
17 Forever blessed be our God, who has thus punished the wicked!
18 We shall be celebrating the purification of the temple on the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev, so we thought it right to inform you, that you too may celebrate the feast of Booths and of the fire that appeared when Nehemiah, the rebuilder of the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices.
19 When our fathers were being exiled to Persia, devout priests of the time took some of the fire from the altar and hid it secretly in the hollow of a dry cistern, making sure that the place would be unknown to anyone.
20 Many years later, when it so pleased God, Nehemiah, commissioned by the king of Persia, sent the descendants of the priests who had hidden the fire to look for it.
21 When they informed us that they could not find any fire, but only muddy water, he ordered them to scoop some out and bring it. After the material for the sacrifices had been prepared, Nehemiah ordered the priests to sprinkle with the water the wood and what lay on it.
22 When this was done and in time the sun, which had been clouded over, began to shine, a great fire blazed up, so that everyone marveled.
23 While the sacrifice was being burned, the priests recited a prayer, and all present joined in with them, Jonathan leading and the rest responding with Nehemiah.
24 The prayer was as follows: "Lord, Lord God, creator of all things, awesome and strong, just and merciful, the only king and benefactor,
25 who alone are gracious, just, almighty, and eternal, Israel's savior from all evil, who chose our forefathers and sanctified them:
26 accept this sacrifice on behalf of all your people Israel and guard and sanctify your heritage.
27 Gather together our scattered people, free those who are the slaves of the Gentiles, look kindly on those who are despised and detested, and let the Gentiles know that you are our God.
28 Punish those who tyrannize over us and arrogantly mistreat us.
29 Plant your people in your holy place, as Moses promised."
30 Then the priests began to sing hymns.
31 After the sacrifice was burned, Nehemiah ordered the rest of the liquid to be poured upon large stones.
32 As soon as this was done, a flame blazed up, but its light was lost in the brilliance cast from a light on the altar.
33 When the event became known and the king of the Persians was told that, in the very place where the exiled priests had hidden the fire, a liquid was found with which Nehemiah and his people had burned the sacrifices,
34 the king, after verifying the fact, fenced the place off and declared it sacred.
35 To those on whom the king wished to bestow favors he distributed the large revenues he received there.
36 Nehemiah and his companions called the liquid nephthar, meaning purification, but most people named it naphtha.
Versículos relacionados com 2 Maccabees, 1:
Chapter 1 of 2 Maccabees begins with a letter written by the Jews in the city of Jerusalem to his Jewish brothers in Egypt, asking them to celebrate the feast of the dedication of the temple. They mention the history of the temple and how it was rebuilt after being desecrated by the enemies. The verses below are related to the theme of temple reconstruction:
ESDRA 5:16: "Then they arrived Sheshbazar, the governor of Judea, and the elders of the Jews, and built them, and made them rise upon their foundations with the help of the prophets of God, who were with them and helped them." This verse talks about the reconstruction of the temple under the leadership of Ezra and the help of the prophets.
AGEU 1:14: "And the Lord raised the Spirit of Zerubbabel, son of Salatiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, son of Jozadaque, the high priest, and the spirit of the rest of the people; and they came and they did the work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God. " This verse talks about the reconstruction of the temple after the Babylonian exile, where God moved the hearts of the leaders and the people to do the work.
Nehemiah 6:15-16: "Therefore, the wall was over the twenty-five of the month of ELUL, in fifty-two days. And it happened that, listening to all our enemies this feared all the nations that were around Of us, and they have ripped a lot in their own eyes; for they recognized that we did this work with our God. " This verse talks about the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem, which was also an important work for the protection of the temple.
Nehemiah 8:9: "And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra, the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, This day is consecrated to the Lord, your God; You will not cry. For all the people cried, listening to the words of the law. " This verse talks about the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles after the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem and the reading of the law by Ezra.
Ezra 6:15: "And this house is over on the third day of the month of border on the sixth year of King Darius's reign." This verse talks about the conclusion of the reconstruction of the temple during the reign of King Darius.
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