⁹ After he had arrived in Jerusalem, he offered sacrifice to the supreme God and made thank offerings and did what was fitting for the place. Then, upon entering the place and being impressed by its excellence and its beauty,^(A)

Jewish Resistance to Ptolemy

¹⁶ Then the priests in all their vestments prostrated themselves and entreated the supreme God to aid in the present situation and to avert the violence of this evil design, and they filled the temple with cries and tears;^(A)

Ptolemy’s Decree That All Jews Be Arrested

¹¹ Then the king, boastful of his present good fortune and not considering the might of the supreme God, but assuming that he would persevere constantly in his same purpose, wrote this letter against them:^(A)

¹⁶ The king was greatly and continually filled with joy, organizing banquets in honor of all his idols, with a mind alienated from truth and with a profane mouth, praising speechless things that are not able even to communicate or to come to one’s help and uttering improper words against the supreme God.^(A)

²⁵ But the Jews, being at that very moment at their last gasp, stretched their hands toward heaven and with most tearful supplication and mournful dirges implored the supreme God to help them again at once.^(A)