2 Maccabees 2:24-26

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition

²⁴ For considering the flood of statistics involved and the difficulty there is for those who wish to enter upon the narratives of history because of the mass of material, ²⁵ we have aimed to please those who wish to read, to make it easy for those who are inclined to memorize, and to profit all readers. ²⁶ For us who have undertaken the toil of abbreviating, it is no light matter but calls for sweat and loss of sleep,