They accepted our presence by word: Philopator says that when he arrived in Jerusalem, the Jews told him that he was welcome. So we may say “They said they were glad we were there” or “They said, ‘We are very glad that you have come to visit us.’ ”

But insincerely by deed may be rendered “but they did not act that way” or even “but their actions did not show this.”

Because when we proposed to enter their inner temple and honor it with magnificent and most beautiful offerings: See 3 Macc 1.8-10. It will be helpful for translators to keep the connector because and connect this last half of the verse to the first half verse 18 by beginning here with “Because when I told them that I wanted to go into the sanctuary of the temple….” Inner temple renders the same Greek word translated “holy of holies” in 3 Macc 1.10 (see the comments there). It refers to the Temple sanctuary. The magnificent and most beautiful offerings are not specified, but would have been valuable objects.

Here are alternative models for this verse:

• They told me I was welcome, but they did not show it. Because when I told them that I wanted to go into their temple sanctuary, and leave some beautiful, magnificent offerings there to honor it, ….

• They said, “We are glad that you have come to visit us.” But their actions did not show this. Because when I told them, “I would like to go into the sanctuary of your temple and leave some beautiful and magnificent offerings there to honor it,”….

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 3-4 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2018. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.