By maintaining their manifest ill-will toward us: Philopator says the Jews plainly showed how they detested him. This phrase will be best translated as a separate sentence, for example, “The Jews clearly showed their disgust for me.”

They become the only people among all nations who hold their heads high in defiance of kings and their own benefactors: This is an emphatic statement. Philopator says the Jews are absolutely unique among all nations—they are the only ones in the whole world who are so arrogant (hold their heads high) that they are willing to disobey a king (in defiance of kings), even one who means well (their own benefactors). Some languages may be able to keep the figurative expression hold their heads high, but others may have an alternative figure for arrogance.

And are unwilling to regard any action as sincere: The Jews cannot believe that anyone else could possibly have good intentions toward them. Contemporary English Version combines this clause with the previous one, saying “The Jews are the only people who refuse to believe that foreign rulers can be honest and fair.”

We suggest this model for the verse:

• The Jews clearly showed their disgust for me. They are the only people in the whole world who are so arrogant that they will disobey a king, even a king who only wants to help them. They will not admit that any kindness I show them is genuine.

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.