2 Maccabees 1
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
A Letter to the Jews in Egypt
1 The Jewish brethren in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea,
To their Jewish brethren in Egypt,
Greeting, and good peace.
2 May God do good to you, and may he remember his covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, his faithful servants. 3 May he give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a strong heart and a willing spirit. 4 May he open your heart to his law and his commandments, and may he bring peace. 5 May he hear your prayers and be reconciled to you, and may he not forsake you in time of evil. 6 We are now praying for you here.
7 In the reign of Deme′trius, in the one hundred and sixty-ninth year,[a] we Jews wrote to you, in the critical distress which came upon us in those years after Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and the kingdom 8 and burned the gate and shed innocent blood. We besought the Lord and we were heard, and we offered sacrifice and cereal offering, and we lighted the lamps and we set out the loaves. 9 And now see that you keep the feast of booths in the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and eighty-eighth year.[b]
A Letter to Aristobulus
10 Those in Jerusalem and those in Judea and the senate and Judas,
To Aristobu′lus, who is of the family of the anointed priests, teacher of Ptol′emy the king, and to the Jews in Egypt,
Greeting, and good health.
11 Having been saved by God out of grave dangers we thank him greatly for taking our side against the king.[c] 12 For he drove out those who fought against the holy city. 13 For when the leader reached Persia with a force that seemed irresistible, they were cut to pieces in the temple of Nane′a by a deception employed by the priests of Nane′a. 14 For under pretext of intending to marry her, Anti′ochus came to the place together with his friends, to secure most of its treasures as a dowry. 15 When the priests of the temple of Nane′a had set out the treasures and Anti′ochus had come with a few men inside the wall of the sacred precinct, they closed the temple as soon as he entered it. 16 Opening the secret door in the ceiling, they threw stones and struck down the leader and his men, and dismembered them and cut off their heads and threw them to the people outside. 17 Blessed in every way be our God, who has brought judgment upon those who have behaved impiously.
Fire Consumes Nehemiah’s Sacrifice
18 Since on the twenty-fifth day of Chislev we shall celebrate the purification of the temple, we thought it necessary to notify you, in order that you also may celebrate the feast of booths and the feast of the fire given when Nehemi′ah, who built the temple and altar, offered sacrifices.
19 For when our fathers were being led captive to Persia, the pious priests of that time took some of the fire of the altar and secretly hid it in the hollow of a dry cistern, where they took such precautions that the place was unknown to any one. 20 But after many years had passed, when it pleased God, Nehemi′ah, having been commissioned by the king of Persia, sent the descendants of the priests who had hidden the fire to get it. And when they reported to us that they had not found fire but thick liquid, he ordered them to dip it out and bring it. 21 And when the materials for the sacrifices were presented, Nehemi′ah ordered the priests to sprinkle the liquid on the wood and what was laid upon it. 22 When this was done and some time had passed and the sun, which had been clouded over, shone out, a great fire blazed up, so that all marveled. 23 And while the sacrifice was being consumed, the priests offered prayer—the priests and every one. Jonathan led, and the rest responded, as did Nehemi′ah. 24 The prayer was to this effect:
“O Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, who art awe-inspiring and strong and just and merciful, who alone art King and art kind, 25 who alone art bountiful, who alone art just and almighty and eternal, who dost rescue Israel from every evil, who didst choose the fathers and consecrate them, 26 accept this sacrifice on behalf of all thy people Israel and preserve thy portion and make it holy. 27 Gather together our scattered people, set free those who are slaves among the Gentiles, look upon those who are rejected and despised, and let the Gentiles know that thou art our God. 28 Afflict those who oppress and are insolent with pride. 29 Plant thy people in thy holy place, as Moses said.”
30 Then the priests sang the hymns. 31 And when the materials of the sacrifice were consumed, Nehemi′ah ordered that the liquid that was left should be poured upon large stones. 32 When this was done, a flame blazed up; but when the light from the altar shone back, it went out. 33 When this matter became known, and it was reported to the king of the Persians that, in the place where the exiled priests had hidden the fire, the liquid had appeared with which Nehemi′ah and his associates had burned the materials of the sacrifice, 34 the king investigated the matter, and enclosed the place and made it sacred. 35 And with those persons whom the king favored he exchanged many excellent gifts. 36 Nehemi′ah and his associates called this “nephthar,” which means purification, but by most people it is called naphtha.[d]
Footnotes
- 2 Maccabees 1:7 143 b.c.
- 2 Maccabees 1:9 124 b.c.
- 2 Maccabees 1:11 Cn: Gk as those who array themselves against a king
- 2 Maccabees 1:36 Gk nephthai
Sirach 40-41
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Human Wretchedness
40 Much labor was created for every man,
and a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam,
from the day they come forth from their mother’s womb
till the day they return to[a] the mother of all.
2 Their perplexities and fear of heart—
their anxious thought is the day of death,
3 from the man who sits on a splendid throne
to the one who is humbled in dust and ashes,
4 from the man who wears purple and a crown
to the one who is clothed in burlap;
5 there is anger and envy and trouble and unrest,
and fear of death, and fury and strife.
And when one rests upon his bed,
his sleep at night confuses his mind.
6 He gets little or no rest,
and afterward in his sleep, as though he were on watch,
he is troubled by the visions of his mind
like one who has escaped from the battle-front;
7 at the moment of his rescue he wakes up,
and wonders that his fear came to nothing.
8 With all flesh, both man and beast,
and upon sinners seven times more,
9 are death and bloodshed and strife and sword,
calamities, famine and affliction and plague.
10 All these were created for the wicked,
and on their account the flood came.
11 All things that are from the earth turn back to the earth,
and what is from the waters returns to the sea.
Injustice Will Not Prosper
12 All bribery and injustice will be blotted out,
but good faith will stand for ever.
13 The wealth of the unjust will dry up like a torrent,
and crash like a loud clap of thunder in a rain.
14 A generous man will be made glad;
likewise transgressors will utterly fail.
15 The children of the ungodly will not put forth many branches;
they are unhealthy roots upon sheer rock.
16 The reeds by any water or river bank
will be plucked up before any grass.
17 Kindness is like a garden of blessings,
and almsgiving endures for ever.
The Joys of Life
18 Life is sweet for the self-reliant and the worker,[b]
but he who finds treasure is better off than both.
19 Children and the building of a city establish a man’s name,
but a blameless wife is accounted better than both.
20 Wine and music gladden the heart,
but the love of wisdom is better than both.
21 The flute and the harp make pleasant melody,
but a pleasant voice is better than both.
22 The eye desires grace and beauty,
but the green shoots of grain more than both.
23 A friend or a companion never meets one amiss,
but a wife with her husband is better than both.
24 Brothers and help are for a time of trouble,
but almsgiving rescues better than both.
25 Gold and silver make the foot stand sure,
but good counsel is esteemed more than both.
26 Riches and strength lift up the heart,
but the fear of the Lord is better than both.
There is no loss in the fear of the Lord,
and with it there is no need to seek for help.
27 The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing,
and covers a man[c] better than any glory.
The Disgrace of Begging
28 My son, do not lead the life of a beggar;
it is better to die than to beg.
29 When a man looks to the table of another,
his existence cannot be considered as life.
He pollutes himself with another man’s food,
but a man who is intelligent and well instructed guards against that.
30 In the mouth of the shameless begging is sweet,
but in his stomach a fire is kindled.
Concerning Death
41 O death, how bitter is the reminder of you
to one who lives at peace among his possessions,
to a man without distractions, who is prosperous in everything,
and who still has the vigor to enjoy his food!
2 O death, how welcome is your sentence
to one who is in need and is failing in strength,
very old and distracted over everything;
to one who is contrary, and has lost his patience!
3 Do not fear the sentence of death;
remember your former days and the end of life;
this is the decree from the Lord for all flesh,
4 and how can you reject the good pleasure of the Most High?
Whether life is for ten or a hundred or a thousand years,
there is no inquiry about it in Hades.
The Fate of the Wicked
5 The children of sinners are abominable children,
and they frequent the haunts of the ungodly.
6 The inheritance of the children of sinners will perish,
and on their posterity will be a perpetual reproach.
7 Children will blame an ungodly father,
for they suffer reproach because of him.
8 Woe to you, ungodly men,
who have forsaken the law of the Most High God!
9 When you are born, you are born to a curse;
and when you die, a curse is your lot.
10 Whatever is from the dust returns to dust;
so the ungodly go from curse to destruction.
11 The mourning of men is about their bodies,
but the evil name of sinners will be blotted out.
12 Have regard for your name, since it will remain for you
longer than a thousand great stores of gold.
13 The days of a good life are numbered,
but a good name endures for ever.
14 My children, observe instruction and be at peace;
hidden wisdom and unseen treasure,
what advantage is there in either of them?
A Series of Contrasts
15 Better is the man who hides his folly
than the man who hides his wisdom.
16 Therefore show respect for my words:
For it is good to retain every kind of shame,
and not everything is confidently esteemed by every one.
17 Be ashamed of immorality, before your father or mother;
and of a lie, before a prince or a ruler;
18 of a transgression, before a judge or magistrate;
and of iniquity, before a congregation or the people;
of unjust dealing, before your partner or friend;
19 and of theft, in the place where you live.
Be ashamed before the truth of God and his covenant.
Be ashamed of selfish behavior at meals,[d]
of surliness in receiving and giving,
20 and of silence, before those who greet you;
of looking at a woman who is a harlot,
21 and of rejecting the appeal of a kinsman;
of taking away some one’s portion or gift,
and of gazing at another man’s wife;
22 of meddling with his maidservant—
and do not approach her bed;
of abusive words, before friends—
and do not upbraid after making a gift;
23 of repeating and telling what you hear,
and of revealing secrets.
Then you will show proper shame,
and will find favor with every man.
Footnotes
- Sirach 40:1 Other authorities read are buried in
- Sirach 40:18 Cn: Gk self-reliant worker
- Sirach 40:27 Gk him
- Sirach 41:19 Gk of fixing the elbow on the bread
Proverbs 24:1-7
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
24 Be not envious of evil men,
nor desire to be with them;
2 for their minds devise violence,
and their lips talk of mischief.
3 By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is mightier than a strong man,[a]
and a man of knowledge than he who has strength;
6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the gate he does not open his mouth.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:5 Gk Compare Syr Tg: Heb is in strength
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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