1
"From the Jews of Jerusalem and Judea to those in Egypt, warm greetings.
2
"May God be good to you and keep the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants.
3
May he fill each of you with the desire to worship him and to do his will eagerly with all your heart and soul.
4
May he enable you to understand his Law and his commands. May he give you peace,
5
answer your prayers, forgive your sins, and never abandon you in times of trouble.
6
Here in Judah we are now praying for you.
7
"In the year 169, when Demetrius the Second was king of Syria, we wrote to tell you about the persecution and the hard times that came upon us in the years after Jason revolted against authority in the Holy Land.
8
Jason and his men set fire to the Temple gates and slaughtered innocent people. Then we prayed to the Lord and he answered our prayers. So we sacrificed animals, gave offerings of grain, lit the lamps in the Temple, and set out the sacred loaves.
9
This is why we urge you to celebrate in the month of Kislev a festival similar to the Festival of Shelters. Written in the year 188."