23 Jason of Cyrene recorded all of these things in five scrolls, which we will attempt to condense into one.
24 Jason’s scrolls contain an abundance of material and pose serious difficulty for those wanting to plunge into the historical accounts because of the amount of detail.
25 We aimed, therefore, to provide something amusing for those who want to read, to make it easy for those inclined to commit facts to memory, and to offer something useful to all those who happen to pick up the scroll.
26 For those of us who engage in the strenuous task of abbreviation, it isn’t easy but involves sweat and loss of sleep,
27 just as it isn’t easy to prepare a banquet for the enjoyment of others. Nevertheless, in order to gain the praise of many, we endure the task cheerfully.
28 Leaving the responsibility for accuracy in the details to the original writer, we must follow the guidelines for preparing a summary.
29 Just as the builder of a new house must give thought to the foundation of the whole, so also the one attempting to paint and decorate must investigate what is suitable for its own decoration. This I think also applies to us.