The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ An Epistle of the Iewes that dwelt at Ierusalē sent vnto them which dwelt at Egypt, wherin they exhorte them to gyue thankes for the deathe of An∣tiochus: Of the fyre that was hyd in the pyt. The prayer of Nehemias.

CAPI. I.

[ A] THe brethren of the Iewes which be at Ie∣rusalem, & in the lād of Iurye, wish vnto those brethrē of the Iewes y^t are thorow out Egipt: good fortune helth and peaxe.

God y^e Lord be gra∣cious vnto you, & thynke vpon his couenaūt y^t he made w^t Abrahā, Isaac & Iacob his faith¦ful seruantes, and gyue you al such an herte, that ye may loue & serue him: yea & performe his wil with an hole hert & a willing minde: He open your hertes in his law, and in his cō¦maundementes, sende you peax: heare youre prayers, be at one with you, & neuer forsake you ī time of trouble. This is here our pray∣er for you.

What time as Demetrius raigned in the Clxix. yere, we Iewes wrote vnto you in the trouble and violēce y^t came vnto vs. In those yeres after that Iason departed oute of the holy lande and kyngdome, they brent vp the portes, & shed innocent bloude. Then made we oure prayer vnto the Lorde, and were herd: we offred and lighted the candels, set∣tyng forth cakes and breed, and now com ye vnto the feast of tabernacles in the moneth Casleu.

In the .Clxxxviij. yere the people that was [ B] at Ierusalem and in Iurye, the counsell and Iudas him selfe, sent this holsome salutaciō vnto Aristobolus kynge Ptolomys master, which came of the generacion of the annoin¦ted preestes, and to the Iewes that were in Egypte: In so moche as God hathe delyue∣red vs frome greate peryls, we thanke hym highly, in that we resisted so myghty a king. And why? he brought men out of Persis by heapes to fyght agaynst vs and the holy cy∣tye. For as he was in Persis (namely the ca∣pitayne with the great hoste) he perysshed in the temple of Naneas, being disceyued tho∣row the deuice of Naneas prestes. For as he was purposed to haue dwelte, there Antio∣chus and his frēdes came thyther to receyue moche moneye for a dowrye. So when Na∣neas preestes hadde layde forthe the money, he entred with a small companye in to the compasse of the temple, and so they shut the temple.

Now whē Antiochus entred by opening y^e [ C] preuy en••r••unce of the temple, the prestes sto¦ned the capit••••n to deth, hewed thē in peces that were with him, smote of theyr heedes, and threwe them out in all thynges, God be praysed, which hath deliuered the wicked in to our handes.

Where as we now are purposed to kepe y^e purificacion of the tēple vpon the .xxv. daye of the moneth Casleu, we thought necessarye to certify you therof, y^t ye also might kepe the tabernacles feast day, and the day of the fire which was giuen vs when Nehemiah offred after y^t he had set vp the temple and the aul∣ter. For what tyme as our fathers were led away vnto Pesis, y^e prestes which thē sought the honour of God, toke the fyre pryuely frō the aulter, & hyd it in a valey, where as was a depe drye pyt, and therin they kepte it, by∣cause the place was vnknowen to euery mā. Now after many yeres whē it pleased God that Nehemiah sholde be sent from the kyng of Persia, he sente the chylders chyldren of those prestes (which had hyd the fyre) to seke it. And as they tolde vs they founde no fyre, but thycke water. Then commaunded he [ D] them to drawe it vp, and to brynge it hym, & the offerynges with all. Nowe when the sa∣crifices were layde on and ordred, the preest Nehemiah commaunded to sprynckle them and the wod with the water. Whē this was done, and y^e tyme come that the sunne shone whiche afore was hyd in the cloude: there was a great fyre kyndled. In so moche that euery man merueyled. Nowe all the preestes prayed whyle the sacrifyce was a makynge. Ionathas prayed fyrste, and the other gaue answere.

And Nehemias prayer was after this ma∣ner: O Lorde God, maker of all thinges, y^e fearful and strong, thou ryghtous and mer∣cyfull, thou that art only a gracious kynge, onely lyberal, onely iust, almighty and euer∣lastyng, thou that deliuerest Israel from all trouble, thou that hast chosē the fathers and halowed them: receyuyng the offerynge for the hole people of Israel, preserue thyne own porciō, and halow it. Gather those togither that are scatred abrode from vs: deliuer thē that are vnder the Heathens bondage, loke vpon them which are despised and abhorred that the Heathen may know and se, how that thou art our God: Punish shē that oppresse, and proudlye put vs to dishonoure. Set thy people agayne in thy holy place, like as Mo∣ses hath spoken.

And the prestes song Psalmes of thankes∣gyuynge, [ E] so longe as the sacrifice endured.

Now when the sacrifice was brent, Nehe∣miah cōmaunded the great stones to be sprin¦kled with the residue of the water. Whiche whē it was done, there was kyndled a flame of them also: but it was consumed thorowe the lyghte that shyned frome the aulter. So when this mater was knowen, it was tolde the kynge of Persia, that in the place where the preestes which were led awaye, had hyd fyre, there appered water in stede of fire, and t••••t Nehemias & his company had purified the sacrifices withall. Then the kyng con∣syderyng

and ponderynge the mater dily∣gently, made him a temple to proue the thing y^t was done. And when he found it so in dede, he gaue the prestes many gyftes, and dyuers rewardes, yea he toke thē with his own hand and gaue them. And Nehemias called y^e same place Nephthar, which is as moch is say, as a clensyng: but many men cal it Nephi.

Notes

• Leui .vi. a x. a .xvi. ••
• Deuter. 〈…〉〈…〉