1“King Ptolemy Philopator to the generals in Egypt and all in authority in his government, greetings and good health:
2“We ourselves and our children are faring well, the great God guiding our affairs according to our desire.
3Certain of our Friends, frequently urging us with malicious intent, persuaded us to gather together the Jews of the kingdom in a body and to punish them with extraordinary penalties as traitors,
4for they declared that our government would never be firmly established until this was accomplished because of the ill-will that these people had toward all nations.
5 doing them harm at all or reproaching them for the irrational things that have happened.
9For you should know that, if we devise any evil against them or cause them any grief at all, we always shall have not a mortal but the Ruler over every power, the Most High God, in everything and inescapably as an antagonist to avenge such acts. Farewell.”
The Jews Return Home with Joy10On receiving this letter the Jews did not immediately hurry to make their departure, but they requested of the king that at their own hands those of the Jewish people who had willfully transgressed against the holy God and the law of God should receive the punishment they deserved.
11They declared that those who for the belly’s sake had transgressed the divine commandments would never be favorably disposed toward the king’s government.
12The king then, admitting and approving the truth of what they said, granted them a general license so that freely and without royal authority or supervision they might destroy those everywhere in his kingdom who had transgressed the law of God.
13When they had applauded him in fitting manner, their priests and the whole multitude shouted the Hallelujah and joyfully departed.
14And so on their way they punished and put to a public and shameful death any whom they met of their compatriots who had become defiled.
15In that day they put to death more than three hundred men, and they kept the day as a joyful festival, since they had destroyed the profaners.
16 of Israel, in words of praise and all kinds of melodious songs.
17When they had arrived at Ptolemais, called “rose-bearing” because of its characteristic feature, the fleet waited for them, in accordance with the common desire, for seven days.
18There they celebrated their deliverance, for the king had generously provided all things to them for their journey until all of them arrived at their own houses.
19 So the supreme God perfectly performed great deeds for their deliverance.
23Tob 14.15; 4 Macc 18.24Blessed be the Deliverer of Israel through all times! Amen.
(c) The following book is included in the Slavonic Bible as 3 Esdras but is not found in the Greek. It is included in the Appendix to the Latin Vulgate Bible as 4 Esdras.
Who We AreWhat We EelieveWhat We Do
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