2 Maccabees
Chapter 2
1 1 You will find in the records, not only that Jeremiah the prophet ordered the deportees to take some of the aforementioned fire with them,
文献上记载：耶肋米亚先知曾命令充军的人，如上面所说的，携带着圣火;
2 but also that the prophet, in giving them the law, admonished them not to forget the commandments of the Lord or be led astray in their thoughts, when seeing the gold and silver idols and their ornaments.
并且也记载着：先知曾给他们一部法律，使他们不要忘记天主的诫命，也不要因为看见一些金银的偶像和偶像身上的装饰，就神志昏迷；
3 With other similar words he urged them not to let the law depart from their hearts.
并且还用其他类似的言词，劝勉他们不要让自己的心远离法律。
4 2 The same document also tells how the prophet, following a divine revelation, ordered that the tent and the ark should accompany him and how he went off to the mountain which Moses climbed to see God's inheritance.
在文献上又记载着：当先知登上梅瑟为观望天主的产业所上过的山时，受天主的劝告，命他带着会幕和约柜上去。
5 When Jeremiah arrived there, he found a room in a cave in which he put the tent, the ark, and the altar of incense; then he blocked up the entrance.
耶肋米亚到了那里，看见一个大洞，就把会幕、约柜以及焚香坛放在里面，然后堵上洞门。
6 Some of those who followed him came up intending to mark the path, but they could not find it.
后有几个同来的伴侣折回去，沿路作上记号，可是没有再找到。
7 When Jeremiah heard of this, he reproved them: ＂The place is to remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows them mercy.
耶肋米亚知道了这事，就责斥他们说：这地方不可叫任何人知道；等到天主施行仁慈，再把百姓集合起来的时候，
8 3 Then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord will be seen in the cloud, just as it appeared in the time of Moses and when Solomon prayed that the Place might be gloriously sanctified.＂
天主才能指示这一些东西的所在；那时上空的荣耀和云彩将再出现，象梅瑟的时候，又象撒罗满为使圣殿受圣祈祷的时候出现的一样。
9 It is also related how Solomon in his wisdom offered a sacrifice at the dedication and the completion of the temple.
又记载这位智慧者，如何奉献了圣殿祝圣和落成的祭献。
10 Just as Moses prayed to the Lord and fire descended from the sky and consumed the sacrifices, so Solomon also prayed and fire came down and burned up the holocausts.
当撒罗满祈祷时，有火降下，焚烧了全燔祭品，就如从前梅瑟祈祷上主时，有火从天降下焚烧了祭品一样。
11 4 Moses had said, ＂Because it had not been eaten, the sin offering was burned up.＂
梅瑟说：人不能吃赎罪祭品，应当把它焚毁。
12 Solomon also celebrated the feast in the same way for eight days.
撒罗满也同样举行了八天的庆祝。
13 5 Besides these things, it is also told in the records and in Nehemiah's Memoirs how he collected the books about the kings, the writings of the prophets and of David, and the royal letters about sacred offerings.
此外，在史记上和乃赫米雅的回忆录上都有同样的记载；而且还记载乃赫米雅怎样建立了图书馆，怎样搜集了列王、众先知和达味的书籍，以及诸王有关馈赠的书札等事。
14 In like manner Judas also collected for us the books that had been scattered because of the war, and we now have them in our possession.
同样，犹大也把因我们所遭遇的战祸，而散失了的一切文献搜集起来。这些文献现在存在我们这里。
15 If you need them, send messengers to get them for you.
若你们需要的话，请你们打发人来取。
16 As we are about to celebrate the feast of the purification of the temple, we are writing to you requesting you also to please celebrate the feast.
因为我们正要举行洁殿礼，所以才给你们写信，请你们也好好地过这些日子。
17 It is God who has saved all his people and has restored to all of them their heritage, the kingdom, the priesthood, and the sacred rites,
天主既然拯救了自己的全体百姓，又把产业、国家、司祭职和祝圣礼交给了自己所有的人，
18 as he promised through the law. We trust in God, that he will soon have mercy on us and gather us together from everywhere under the heavens to his holy Place, for he has rescued us from great perils and has purified his Place.
正如他在法律书上所预许的。希望天主快快怜悯我们，从天下各处把我们聚集到圣所里，因为他已从大患难中拯救了我们，洁净了圣所。”
19 This is the story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, of the purification of the great temple, the dedication of the altar,
关于犹大玛加伯和他的兄弟所作的一切，他怎样清洁了伟大的圣殿，怎样祝圣了祭坛，
20 6 the campaigns against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator,
怎样与安提约古厄丕法乃及他的儿子欧帕托尔作战，
21 and of the heavenly manifestations accorded to the heroes who fought bravely for Judaism, so that, few as they were, they seized the whole land, put to flight the barbarian hordes,
怎样天主从天显现，援助了那些勇敢为犹太教作战的人，致使少数的人能克服全境，驱逐野蛮的大军；
22 regained possession of the world-famous temple, liberated the city, and reestablished the laws that were in danger of being abolished, while the Lord favored them with all his generous assistance.
又怎样天主大慈大悲地怜悯了他们，使他们收回了举世闻名的圣殿，恢复了京城的自由，重整了快要废弃的法律等等事项，
23 All this, which Jason of Cyrene set forth in detail in five volumes, we will try to condense into a single book.
基勒乃人雅松共写了五卷，我们现在要把这五卷缩为一卷。
24 In view of the flood of statistics, and the difficulties encountered by those who wish to plunge into historical narratives where the material is abundant,
我们有见于数字的混乱，以及有心研究历史的人因材料繁杂所遭遇的困难，
25 we have aimed to please those who prefer simple reading, as well as to make it easy for the studious who wish to commit things to memory, and to be helpful to all.
就设法缩短，使喜爱阅读的人得到愉快，使爱好背诵史事的人易于牢记，使一般手执这书的读者，获得神益。
26 For us who have taken upon ourselves the labor of making this digest, the task, far from being easy, is one of sweat and of sleepless nights,
从事这项摘要的工作，为我们并不是一件容易的事，而是一项使人流汗和失眠的工作，
27 just as the preparation of a festive banquet is no light matter for one who thus seeks to give enjoyment to others. Similarly, to win the gratitude of many we will gladly endure these inconveniences,
并不比准备筵席的人，想使众客都称心，更容易；但我们为了为大众服务，才欣然担负起这项艰苦的工作。
28 while we leave the responsibility for exact details to the original author, and confine our efforts to giving only a summary outline.
让历史家对每一件事去作详细的分析，这里我们只持守撰写撮要的规律。
29 As the architect of a new house must give his attention to the whole structure, while the man who undertakes the decoration and the frescoes has only to concern himself with what is needed for ornamentation, so I think it is with us.
就如建筑新房的工程师，只注意建筑的大体，而负责镶嵌和绘壁的技师，该设法使各项装饰恰到好处；我想为我们也就是如此。
30 To enter into questions and examine them thoroughly from all sides is the task of the professional historian;
至于精研深究，详述一切史事，和苦心的考查，那是历史家的任务；
31 but the man who is making an adaptation should be allowed to aim at brevity of expression and to omit detailed treatment of the matter.
言简意赅，删除繁冗，这才是写撮要者的本意。
32 Here, then, we shall begin our account without further ado; it would be nonsense to write a long preface to a story and then abbreviate the story itself.
现在我们就开始叙述，对以上说的不再加添，因为若是写历史撮要，而在前面作冗长的序言，这未免太可笑了！
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Footnotes（注解）
1 [1-8] This legendary accout of how Jeremiah hid the sacred tent (which was not mentioned after the time of Solomon!), the ark, and the altar is given for the purpose of explaining why the postexilic temple was the legitimate place of worship even without these sacred objects.
2 [4] The mountain: Nebo; cf Deut 34:1.
3 [8] The Place: the temple of Jerusalem.
4 [11] The statement attributed here to Moses seems to be based on Lev 10:16-20.
5 [13] Nehemiah's Memoirs: a lost apocryphal work.
6 [20] For the account of the campaigns against Antiochus IV Epiphanes, see 2 Macc 4:7-10:9; and for the account of those against his son Antiochus V Eupator, see 2 Macc 10:10-13:26.