2 Maccabees 1:2-12

2 God be gracious unto you, and remember his covenant that he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants;
3 And give you all an heart to serve him, and to do his will, with a good courage and a willing mind;
4 And open your hearts in his law and commandments, and send you peace,
5 And hear your prayers, and be at one with you, and never forsake you in time of trouble.
6 And now we be here praying for you.
7 What time as Demetrius reigned, in the hundred threescore and ninth year, we the Jews wrote unto you in the extremity of trouble that came upon us in those years, from the time that Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and kingdom,
8 And burned the porch, and shed innocent blood: then we prayed unto the Lord, and were heard; we offered also sacrifices and fine flour, and lighted the lamps, and set forth the loaves.
9 And now see that ye keep the feast of tabernacles in the month Casleu.
10 In the hundred fourscore and eighth year, the people that were at Jerusalem and in Judea, and the council, and Judas, sent greeting and health unto Aristobulus, king Ptolemeus' master, who was of the stock of the anointed priests, and to the Jews that were in Egypt:
11 Insomuch as God hath delivered us from great perils, we thank him highly, as having been in battle against a king.
12 For he cast them out that fought within the holy city.
The King James Version is in the public domain.