2 May God do good to you and remember his covenant with his faithful servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
3 give to all of you a heart to worship him and to do his will wholeheartedly and with a willing spirit,
4 open your heart to his law and commandments and grant you peace,
5 hear your prayers, and be reconciled to you, and never forsake you in time of adversity.
6 Even now we are praying for you here.
7 In the reign of Demetrius, the one hundred and sixty-ninth year, we Jews wrote to you during the height of the distress that overtook us in those years after Jason and his followers revolted against the holy land and the kingdom,
8 set fire to the gatehouse and shed innocent blood. But we prayed to the Lord, and our prayer was heard; we offered sacrifices and fine flour; we lighted the lamps and set out the loaves of bread.