Jeremiah Hides the Tent of the Lord's Presence

¹We know from the records that Jeremiah the prophet instructed the people who were being taken into exile to hide some of the fire from the altar, as we have just mentioned.

²We also know that he taught them God's Law and warned them not to be deceived by the ornamented gold and silver idols which they would see in the land of their exile.

³And then he urged them never to abandon the Law.

⁴These same records also tell us that Jeremiah, acting under divine guidance, commanded the Tent of the Lord's Presence and the Covenant Box to follow him to the mountain where Moses had looked down on the land which God had promised our people.

⁵When Jeremiah got to the mountain, he found a huge cave and there he hid the Tent of the Lord's Presence, the Covenant Box, and the altar of incense. Then he sealed up the entrance.

⁶Some of Jeremiah's friends tried to follow him and mark the way, but they could not find the cave.

⁷When Jeremiah learned what they had done, he reprimanded them, saying, No one must know about this place until God gathers his people together again and shows them mercy.

⁸At that time he will reveal where these things are hidden, and the dazzling light of his presence will be seen in the cloud, as it was in the time of Moses and on the occasion when Solomon prayed that the Temple might be dedicated in holy splendor.

How Solomon Celebrated the Festival

⁹We are also told how the wise King Solomon offered a sacrifice of dedication at the completion of the Temple,

¹⁰and that when he prayed, fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices, just as it had done earlier when Moses prayed.

¹¹Moses had explained that the sin offering was consumed by fire because it was not eaten.

¹²Solomon celebrated the festival for eight days.

Nehemiah's Library

¹³These same facts are found in the royal records and in the memoirs of Nehemiah, who established a library and collected the writings of David, letters of the kings concerning offerings, and books about the kings and prophets.

¹⁴Judas also collected the books that had been scattered because of the war, and we still have them.

¹⁵If you ever need any of these books, let us know, and we will send them.

An Invitation to Celebrate the Festival

¹⁶Since we are about to celebrate the Festival of Rededication, we are writing to you, advising you to celebrate it as well.

¹⁷God has saved all his people and has restored to all of us our holy land, the kingship, the priesthood, and the Temple services,

¹⁸just as he promised in his Law. He has rescued us from terrible evils and has purified the Temple, and we are confident that in his mercy he will soon gather us to his holy Temple from every nation under the sun.

Author's Preface

¹⁹Jason of Cyrene has recorded in five volumes the story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, the purification of the great Temple, and the dedication of its altar.

²⁰He has described the battles with Antiochus Epiphanes and with his son Eupator,

²¹and he has told of the heavenly visions that appeared to those who fought bravely and enthusiastically to defend Judaism. Our forces were few in number, but they plundered the entire country and routed the heathen forces.

²²They recaptured the Temple famous throughout the world, liberated Jerusalem, and restored the laws that were in danger of being abolished. They were able to do all these things because the Lord was merciful and kind to them.

²³I will now try to summarize in a single book the five volumes written by Jason.

²⁴The number of details and the bulk of material can be overwhelming for anyone who wants to read an account of the events.

²⁵But I have attempted to simplify it for all readers; those who read for sheer pleasure will find enjoyment and those who want to memorize the facts will not find it difficult.

²⁶Writing such a summary is a difficult task, demanding hard work and sleepless nights.

²⁷It is as difficult as preparing a banquet that people of different tastes will enjoy. But I am happy to undergo this hardship in order to please my readers.

²⁸I will leave the matter of details to the original author and attempt to give only a summary of the events.

²⁹I am not the builder of a new house who is concerned with every detail of the structure, but simply a painter whose only concern is to make the house look attractive.

³⁰The historian must master his subject, examine every detail, and then explain it carefully,

³¹but whoever is merely writing a summary should be permitted to give a brief account without going into a detailed discussion.

³²So then, without any further comment, I will begin my story. It would be foolish to write such a long introduction that the story itself would have to be cut short.

A Sense of Pride

¹These are times when it is proper for you to be ashamed, and people will respect you for it. On the other hand, it is possible to sin by giving in to other people too much. Here are some things you should not be ashamed of:

²the Law of the Most High and his covenant, judging even godless people fairly,

³sharing expenses with a business partner or a traveling companion, sharing an inheritance,

⁴using accurate weights and measures,

⁵making a profit, whether great or small, bargaining with a merchant, disciplining your children often, beating a disloyal slave until the blood flows.

⁶It is wise to lock things up if you cannot trust your wife or if too many people are around.

⁷Keep an accurate record of any deposits you make or of anything you give or receive.

⁸Don't hesitate to correct someone who is acting foolishly or an old man who goes around with prostitutes. All of this is worthwhile advice, and if you follow it, everyone will approve of your behavior.

Fathers and Daughters

⁹Although he will not let his daughter know it, a father will lie awake at night worrying about her. If she is young, he worries that she might not get married. If she is already married, he worries about her happiness.

¹⁰If she is a virgin, he worries that she might be seduced and become pregnant while living in his house. If she is married, he worries that she might be unfaithful, or that she might not be able to have children.

¹¹Keep a close watch over your daughter if she is determined to have her own way. If you don't, she may make a fool of you in front of your enemies. You will be a constant joke to everyone in town, a public disgrace. Make sure that her room has no windows or any place where she can look out to the entrance of the house.

¹²Don't let her show off her beauty in front of men, or spend her time talking with the women.

¹³Women hurt other women just as moths damage clothing.

¹⁴A man's wickedness is better than a woman's goodness; women bring shame and disgrace.

The Glory of God in Nature

¹⁵Now I will remind you of the works of the Lord and describe the things I have seen. The words of the Lord brought his works into being, and the whole creation obeys his commands.

¹⁶The light of the sun shines down on everything, and everything is filled with the Lord's glory.

¹⁷Not even to his holy angels has the Lord given power to describe all his mighty deeds, even though he has given them power to stand unharmed in his glorious presence.

¹⁸He sees into the oceans and into the human heart, and he knows the secrets of both. The Most High knows everything that can be known and understands the signs of the ages.

¹⁹He knows all that has ever been and all that ever will be; he uncovers the deepest of mysteries.

²⁰He takes notice of our every thought and hears our every word.

²¹The orderly world shows the greatness of his wisdom; he is the same forever and ever. Nothing can be added to him, and nothing taken away; he needs no one to give him advice.

²²All his works are beautiful, down to the smallest and faintest spark of light.

²³All these things go on forever, and all of them have their purpose.

²⁴All things are in pairs, each the opposite of the other, but nothing the Lord made is incomplete.

²⁵Everything completes the goodness of something else. Could anyone ever see enough of this splendor?

¹How beautiful is the bright, clear sky above us! What a glorious sight it is!

²The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises how marvelous a thing it is, made by the Most High.

³At noon it dries up the land; no one can stand its blazing heat.

⁴The setting sun sets fire to the hilltops, like a metal furnace glowing from the heat. It sends out fiery rays, blinding the eyes with its brightness.

⁵The Lord, who made it, is great; it speeds on its way at his command.

⁶There is also the moon, marking the passage of time, an eternal sign of the changing seasons.

⁷The moon determines the holy days. Its light grows full and then grows dim.

⁸The month is named after the moon, marvelous to watch as it grows fuller each night, a signal light for the heavenly armies, shining out in the dome of the sky.

⁹The shining stars make the night sky lovely, brilliant ornaments in the Lord's high heavens.

¹⁰They stay in the places assigned to them by the Holy One and never relax their dutiful watch.

¹¹Look at the rainbow and praise its Creator! How magnificent, how radiant, its beauty!

¹²Like a bow bent by the hands of the Most High, it spans the horizon in a circle of glory.

¹³He commands, and snow begins to fall; lightning strikes to carry out his judgments.

¹⁴The storerooms of the sky are thrown open, and the clouds roll out like flying birds.

¹⁵With his power he forms great masses of clouds and shatters the ice into hailstones.

^16-17He speaks, and thunder twists the earth in pain; the mountains are shaken by his strength. Whenever he wishes, the south wind blows, whirlwinds come, and windstorms from the north. He sends the snow fluttering down like birds, like locusts lighting on the ground.

¹⁸We marvel at its beautiful whiteness, and in fascination we watch it fall.

¹⁹He sprinkles frost over the ground like salt, and it freezes into thorny flowers of ice.

²⁰He sends the cold north wind blowing and the water hardens into ice; every lake and pond freezes over, putting on a coat of icy armor.

²¹He scorches the wilderness hills with drought, and the grass turns brown from its heat;

²²but a cloudy mist restores it all to life as the weather cools and dew appears.

²³By his wisdom he calmed the great oceans and placed the islands there.

²⁴Sailors tell about the dangers of the sea, and we listen to their tales in amazement.

²⁵In the sea are strange and marvelous creatures: huge monsters and all kinds of living things.

²⁶Each of the Lord's messengers succeeds at its task. Everything is held together by his word.

²⁷We could say much more and never finish, but it all means this: the Lord is everything.

²⁸How can we find the power to praise him? He is greater than all his creation.

²⁹The Lord is awesome in his greatness; his power is overwhelming.

³⁰Though you do your best to praise him, he is greater than you can ever express. Though you honor him tirelessly and with all your strength, you still cannot praise him enough.

³¹No one has seen him, no one can describe him; no one can praise him as he deserves.

³²Mysteries greater than these are still unknown; we know only a fraction of his works.

³³The Lord made the universe and then gave wisdom to devout people.

The Glory of God in History

¹So let us now give praise to godly men, our ancestors of generations past,

²those whom the Lord honored with great glory, in whom his greatness has been seen from the beginning of time.

³There were some who ruled kingdoms, and some who were known for their strength. Some were wise advisers, and some spoke prophecies.

⁴There were statesmen whose policies governed the people, rulers who issued decrees, scholars who spoke wise words, and those who used pointed proverbs,

⁵poets, and composers of music,

⁶rich and powerful men living peacefully at home.

⁷All of these were famous in their own times, honored by the people of their day.

⁸Some of them left a reputation, and people still praise them today.

⁹There are others who are not remembered, as if they had never lived, who died and were forgotten, they, and their children after them.

¹⁰But we will praise these godly men, whose righteous deeds have never been forgotten.

¹¹Their reputations will be passed on to their descendants, and this will be their inheritance.

¹²Their descendants continue to keep the covenant and always will, because of what their ancestors did.

¹³Their family line will go on forever, and their fame will never fade.

¹⁴Their bodies were laid to rest, but their reputations will live forever.

¹⁵Nations will tell about their wisdom, and God's people will praise them.

Enoch

¹⁶Enoch pleased the Lord and was taken up into heaven. He became an inspiration for repentance for all time to come.

Noah

¹⁷Noah was a perfectly righteous man. After destruction came, he gave the human race a new start. Because of him there were people left on earth when the flood was over.

¹⁸The Lord made an eternal covenant with him, promising that life would never again be destroyed by a flood.

Abraham

¹⁹Abraham was the great ancestor of many nations; his reputation was faultless.

²⁰He kept the Law of the Most High and made a covenant with him, a covenant marked on his body. When he was put to the test, he was found faithful.

²¹And so the Lord made him a solemn promise that his descendants would be a blessing to the world; that their number would be countless, like the dust of the earth; that they would be honored more than any other people on earth; and that their land would extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

Isaac and Jacob

^22-23The Lord renewed that covenant with Isaac, and then again with Jacob, repeating the promise that Abraham's descendants would be a blessing to the whole human race. The Lord assured Jacob that he would bless him; he gave him the land that would be his, dividing it into twelve parts, one for each of the tribes.

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⁸If you are always planning evil, you will earn a reputation as a troublemaker.

⁹Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.