1. When Onias was High Priest in Jerusalem, the holy city enjoyed peace and prosperity, and its laws were strictly obeyed, because he was devout and hated evil.
2. The kings of Syria and Egypt honoured the Temple and presented it with expensive gifts,
3. and King Seleucus, ruler of all Asia, even used to pay the costs of the Temple sacrifices from the revenues he collected.
4. But a man by the name of Simon, of the tribe of Bilgah, the chief administrative official of the Temple, lost an argument he had with Onias over the regulations governing the city market.
5. At this time Apollonius son of Thraseus was the governor of Greater Syria. Simon went to him
6. and said that there was so much money in the Temple treasury that it could not be counted, and since the money was not needed for sacrifices, it might as well be placed under the king's control.
7. When Apollonius met the king, he told him about the money, and the king ordered Heliodorus, his chief minister, to get it for him.
8. Heliodorus set out at once on his mission, but he claimed that he was only making a tour of inspection of the cities of Greater Syria.
9. After he had arrived in Jerusalem and had been warmly received by the High Priest, he explained the real reason for his visit and asked if what he had been told was true.
10-11. The High Priest then stated that Simon, that devil of a man, had not been telling the truth. There was indeed some money in the Temple treasury, but part of it was set aside for widows and orphans and part of it belonged to Hyrcanus son of Tobias, a very important man. He also pointed out that the total amount was only thirteen tonnes of silver and 6.5 tonnes of gold.
12. He added that it was absolutely impossible that anyone should be permitted to take the money of those people who had put their trust in the sanctity and safety of this world-famous Temple.
13. But Heliodorus insisted that the money should be taken for the royal treasury, as the king had ordered.
14. So he fixed a day and went into the Temple to supervise the counting of the money. This caused an uproar throughout the entire city.
15. Priests, wearing the priestly robes, threw themselves face downwards before the altar and begged God to keep the money safe, since he had given the laws designed to protect the money that people deposited in the Temple.
16. It was heartbreaking to see the High Priest. His face turned pale, revealing the agony of his soul,
17. and his body was trembling with fear, reflecting the pain in his heart.